Commission on Big Ten/CIC Integration Announced
12/6/2012 7:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
Dec. 6, 2012
COLLEGE PARK, MD. -
Dear University of Maryland community:
On July 1, 2014, the University of Maryland will become a member the Big Ten Conference. On July 1, 2013, we will become a member of the academic consortium of Big Ten universities, known as the Committee for Institutional Cooperation (CIC).
This is more than a change in athletic conference. It is an institution-wide integration with the Big Ten and the CIC. To prepare for it, I am announcing the "President's Commission on UMD and Big Ten/CIC Integration."
The charge to the Commission is to plan strategically and advise me on how we can maximize the advantages of membership in the Big Ten and the CIC to advance our University's excellence in the areas of (1) athletics; (2) education, research, and innovation; (3) finance and business administration; and (4) communications, fundraising, and marketing.
The Commission will be guided by the commitment of the University and Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) to the success of our student-athletes so that (a) they are well supported to succeed in their studies and career after graduation, and (b) they and every sponsored team have the resources to compete successfully in the Big Ten and nationally.
To accomplish its work, the Commission will review the operations and finances of ICA, which is a self-supporting enterprise. It will also review the teams eliminated last year due to budget deficits, and recommend which ones should be reinstated, and on what timeline. Given anticipated revenues from the Big Ten, I ask for a plan to ensure the financial health of Maryland Athletics for at least the next two decades.
The Commission will articulate values and principles that will guide the University in allocating some of the Big Ten revenues to support our academic mission and student financial aid.
The Commission will examine the current ICA fundraising organization. It will recommend how to elevate ICA development efforts to better support our student-athletes. It will consider how we can use the Big Ten Network to tell the University of Maryland story, in academics and in athletics, to the more than 70 million households in the U.S. and abroad.
The CIC is like a "super-university." The Commission will review and make recommendations on opportunities for education, research, and administrative efficiencies.
Examples of CIC opportunities include: shared library resources and digitization of library holdings; study abroad programs, summer research opportunities, and shared online courses for undergraduate students; traveling scholar programs for graduate students; leadership programs for faculty and professional staff; collaborative research projects; a high-speed network among CIC institutions; and group purchases of goods and services to reduce costs.
The Commission is to perform its work as consultatively as possible. It may create working groups, and add some non-Commission members to these groups, as it deems necessary. It may hold open hearings to benefit from broad input.
I ask that the Commission submit its report and recommendations to my office by June 30, 2013. If appropriate, progress reports and recommendations can be submitted. These reports will be made public.
The 22 members of the Commission are listed below. They are leaders of our various constituencies: UMCP Foundation trustees; University Senate; Student Government Association; Athletic Council; Alumni Association; Student Athlete Advisory Council; Terrapin Club; M-Club; faculty, staff, and alumni; and university and college administrators.
The Commission members are devoted representatives of the University of Maryland family. I thank them in advance for their valued service.
And to all, I express my heartfelt appreciation for your support of the University of Maryland.
Sincerely,
Wallace D. Loh
President
University of Maryland
President's Commission on UMD and Big Ten/CIC Integration
CO-CHAIRS
Mr. Barry P. Gossett
Principal, Gossett Group
Dr. Linda M. Clement
Vice President for Student Affairs
MEMBERS
Ms. Marjorie Baker
President, M-Club
Mr. Robert (Bob) A. Bedingfield
Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Dr. Nicholas J. Hadley
Professor and Faculty Athletic Representative; Chair, Athletic Council
Mr. Clifford M. Kendall
Chairman, VSE Corporation
Mr. Kerry McCoy
Head Coach, Wrestling
Dr. Darryll Pines
Professor and Dean, A. James Clark School of Engineering
Mr. Colin Potts
President, Terrapin Club
Mr. Marvin H. Rabovsky
Chair, Executive Committee, UMCP Foundation Board of Trustees
President, Alliant Companies
Dr. Mary Ann Rankin
Professor and Senior Vice President and Provost
Ms. Cathy Reese
Head Coach, Women's Lacrosse
Ms. Anna Roth
President, Student Athlete Advisory Council
Ms. Timmy F. Ruppersberger
President, University of Maryland Alumni Association Board of Governors
Mr. Harvey L. Sanders
Immediate Past Chair, University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees
Dr. Martha Nell Smith
Professor and Chair, University Senate
Mr. Robert M. Specter
Vice President for Administration & Finance and CFO
Dr. Stephen B. Thomas
Professor, School of Public Health and Director, Maryland Center for Health Equity
Dr. Bonnie Thornton Dill
Professor and Dean, College of Arts and Humanities
Ms. Tracye Turner
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC
Mr. Peter B. Weiler
Vice President for University Relations
Ms. Samantha Zwerling
President, Student Government Association
SENIOR STAFF TO COMMISSION
Mr. Kevin Anderson
Director, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Ms. Michele A. Eastman
Assistant President and Chief of Staff
Mr. Terry Roach, Esq.
Chief Counsel, University of Maryland
Mr. Brian Ullmann
Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications
