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University of Maryland, College Park

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The University of Maryland is a university that is located in College Park, Maryland and is known for its programs in agriculture and natural sciences. It was originally founded in College Park in 1859 as the Maryland Agricultural College. In 1916, the institution became known as the Maryland State College. By 1920, the college became the University of Maryland, which was designated as the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland in 1988.

Bachelors, master's, and doctoral programs are offered through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; the College of Arts and Humanities; the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences; the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences; the College of Education; the College of Health and Human Performance; the Philip Merrill College of Journalism; the College of Information Studies; the College of Letters and Sciences; the College of Life Sciences; the School of Architecture; the Robert H. Smith School of Business; the A. James Clark School of Engineering; and the School of Public Affairs.

The University of Maryland main campus is located about 10 miles northeast of Washington, DC. The College Park campus is located roughly between Adelphi Road to the north, Paint Branch Parkway to the south, and Knox Road to the west.

Enrollment

As of Fall 2003:


Faculty

Well-known faculty (past and present) include:

Michael Brin, mathematician
David S. Broder, journalist, winner of Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
Rachel Carson, ecologist and author of Silent Spring.
Peter Miller, historian and MacArthur Fellow.
Serguei Novikov, mathematician, winner of Fields Medal in 1970.
Michael Olmert, Emmy award winning filmmaker.
Bill Phillips, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Georges Rey, philosopher.
George Ritzer, sociologist.
Julian Simon, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute.
James A. Yorke, a founding father of chaos theory, winner of Japan Prize in 2003.

Athletics

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Testudo the Terrapin, school mascot. There are three statues like this on campus. The one pictured above is located in front of McKeldin Library.

The school's sports teams are called the Terrapins. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In the past five years, the university's athletics program has experienced national prominence the likes it hadn't experienced before, particularly in the area of revenue generating sports. The football program was dormant for many years until Ralph Friedgen, a member of the university's class of 1970, was hired as head coach in November 2000. "The Fridge," as he's known on campus, has dramatically reversed the fortunes of Terrapin football in his three seasons, leading them to 31 wins, an appearance in the BCS Orange Bowl, commanding victories over nationally-respected Tennessee in the Peach Bowl and geographic rival West Virginia in the Gator Bowl, consecutive top-3 finishes in conference and the only outright ACC regular season title since Florida State's entry into the conference in 1992.

As successful as football has become, men's basketball remains the hottest ticket on campus, and, like football, is under the guidance of an alum: Gary Williams, class of 1968. Williams, who returned to his alma mater in 1989 after successful stints at American University, Boston College, and Ohio State University, inherited a program that was reeling from the death of Len Bias as well as NCAA rules infractions under Williams' predecessor Bob Wade, and made it into a force to be reckoned with alongside conference foes Duke and North Carolina. As of 2004, Maryland has recorded eight consecutive seasons of twenty wins or more, as well as eleven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, a feat that only four other schools in the nation have accomplished. In addition, they have reached the tournament's Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen) seven times, reached back-to-back Final Fours, and in 2002, after navigating the toughest road to a championship in recent memory (defeating past champions Wisconsin, Kentucky, Connecticut, Kansas and Indiana), won the school's first title in men's basketball. With one of the youngest teams in the nation, Williams willed his team to his first ACC Tournament title in 2004, a run which included erasing a 19-point halftime deficit against N.C. State in the semifinals and erasing a 12-point deficit in three-plus minutes against Duke to force overtime in the tournament final. With well over 500 career victories, 300-plus at his alma mater, Williams is Maryland's all-time winningest coach, and is expected to be a Hall of Fame candidate in due time.

Beyond the two primary revenue sports, Maryland excels in other areas. Women's basketball is in the midst of a resurgence under former Minnesota coach Brenda Frese, having advanced to the second round of the 2004 women's NCAA tournament -- the first tournament win for the program in twelve years. Friese has also managed to pull off many a recruiting coup, beating out nationally prominent Connecticut and Tennessee programs for the top recruits. Men's soccer has been to three Final Fours since 1998 and spent several weeks in the top spot of the polls during the fall of 2003. The field hockey team has enjoyed similar success, with a handful of Final Four appearances and the 1999 national title. The Volleyball team surprised many by winning the ACC tournament in 2003, and their appearance in the NCAA's suggested greater things may be on horizon in the coming years.

It is lacrosse, the unofficial state sport, where Maryland has been a consistent national player. Women's lacrosse, under the direction of Cindy Timchal, has won seven national titles, been an NCAA finalist in eleven of the last fourteen years, and produced more All-Americans in the sport than any other school. The men's program, while not quite as prolific, is always among the top 5-10 programs and always figures into title discussion.

The school's athletic director is Deborah Yow, and she is considered among the most efficient and forward-thinking ADs by those in the profession.

Alumni

Famous University of Maryland Alumni include:

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