Dr. C.D. Mote, Jr.
University President
California '51
Sixth Year

When C. D. "Dan" Mote Jr. became the 19th president of the University of Maryland on Sept. 1, 1998, he proclaimed it a university "on the move." Five years later, under his guidance, Maryland continues to move - at an ever-accelerating rate - on the field, in the classroom, in the community and in the world.

Leading a great university is a big job, but it's a role that Mote is accustomed to, having spent his entire academic career at the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned all his degrees, chaired one of the nation's top-ranked departments of Mechanical Engineering, and eventually became Vice Chancellor for University Relations before coming to Maryland.

The University of Maryland is the State of Maryland's most important asset, says Mote: "The future of the state depends on this university."

As president, Mote is committed to making that asset even greater by nourishing a culture of excellence and civility across the campus, providing the highest quality education for students, strengthening the university's connections with its various stakeholders, building partnerships with State and national corporations and federal agencies and achieving distinction as an institution where discovery takes place every day and everywhere.

The university's progress can be seen in every area, from its nationally-ranked programs to its growing range of partnerships to its world-class, state-of-the-art facilities.

Quality Programs
Over the past decade, the quality of Maryland's programs has grown by leaps and bounds. In 2003, the University of Maryland moved up to 18th place among public universities in U.S. News & World Report rankings, the first time it has broken into the top 20 in its steady climb to distinction. We currently have 49 graduate and undergraduate programs and units ranked in the top 15 by U.S. News & World Report, up from 5 eight years ago.

While our academic successes have spread across the board, the university has emerged as a true powerhouse in business, computer science, earth sciences, engineering, environmental policy, education and journalism. Maryland is one of only 10 public and private universities that have their programs in computer science, mathematics, physics, and engineering each ranked in the top 20, and the Robert H. Smith School of Business is one of 6 nationally ranked in both the top 10 Business Faculty in Teaching and the top 10 Business Faculty in Research.

Faculty Stature
With the addition during Mote's third year of a Nobel Laureate in Physics and three more Pulitzer Prize winners (to join three already on the faculty), Maryland continues to attract the best faculty available. This past year a faculty member was the recipient of the Japan Prize, an award given by the Japanese government in technology that is equivalent to the Nobel prizes. More than 30 of our faculty are members of the national academies, the highest professional recognition attainable.

Experts on the Maryland faculty are regularly sought by the news media for their views on a wide variety of issues, including political events, international affairs, social trends, economics, the environment, science and technology.

Talented Students
Over the past 10 years, it has become a cliché to announce that each year's new freshman class is the most talented ever. The average GPA of entering students in fall 2003 is 3.9, while the average SAT score is nearly 1,300.

Not surprisingly, the number of students enrolling in honors and other special programs has also skyrocketed in recent years. Our extremely popular living-learning programs, which bring together students with similar academic interests in a residential setting, were ranked 3rd in the country in the latest U.S. News & World Report. In the last academic year, over 6,000 students enrolled in such programs as Gemstone, College Park Scholars, and the Hinman CEO Entrepreneurship Program.

Business Partnerships
The university's reputation for excellence and entrepreneurship attracts new partners to the state. A key drawing card to bring major players into the state will be the University of Maryland Enterprise Campus,'"M Square," a 130-acre research park located near the College Park Metro. Tenants include federal agency centers and private firms.

A future tenant with extraordinary promise for economic enrichment is China, which is moving rapidly to become engaged in the global economy and seeking links to Western industry. The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China has established its first overseas research park in Maryland in partnership with the University. The Ministry sees this partnership as an opportunity to introduce China's emerging entrepreneurs to Western business practices and establish contacts with state's businesses and to serve as a base for China's technology entrée to the U.S.

Under Mote's leadership the university also helped to attract Fujitsu Laboratories of America to open a research facility in College Park. Fujitsu, the third-largest communications company in the world, shares a building with the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a research partnership between the university and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

In order to fulfill its role as the state's most important asset, Mote has emphasized that the university must be engaged with the business and government communities in substantial and meaningful ways. In recent years, Maryland has assisted hundreds of Maryland businesses through its Technology Extension Program and Maryland Industrial Partnerships program, and incubated some of the most successful state biotech firms, including Martek and Digene, in its Technology Advancement Program.

World-Class Facilities
During Mote's second year in office, the university began the largest building boom in its history, with more than $100 million in new projects breaking ground that year. New facilities address every aspect of university life, from the arts to recreation to classrooms and laboratories, and, in creative partnership with the private sector, new residential facilities.

Highlights of the construction activity on the campus include the stunning Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; the Comcast Center; new classrooms for chemistry, computer science, business and engineering; new residence halls; extensive renovations to the Adele Stamp Student Union; and new parking structures.

Mote also has led the development of a new campus facilities master plan that aims at making the university a leader by example in environmental stewardship. In April 2003, the university was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Wildlife Foundation for environmental achievements, including the environmentally friendly master plan and the creation of a cogeneration power system that will significantly reduce energy consumption.

Athletic Excellence
Mote sees athletics as an integral part of the university experience. Indeed athletic success more often than not reflects academic success, he notes. For example, all four of the teams that played in the 2002 NCAA basketball Final Four, including Maryland, are members of the prestigious Association of American Universities, the organization that comprises the leading research and academic universities in North America. "That's no accident," Mote says. "Institutions that are committed to excellence tend to be excellent in every endeavor. Our successes in basketball, lacrosse and other sports reflects our culture of quality as much as our successes in engineering, business, education and journalism."