Maryland

Maryland has 61 higher education institutions. Devoted to learning, research and public service, almost all of these institutions enroll international graduate students and engage in a wide variety of international programs—study abroad programs, scholar exchange programs, English as a Second Language (ESOL) programs, international research projects, international instructional sites, and others.

Maryland has 13 public four-year and graduate institutions (11 are campuses of the University System of Maryland), 4 public research institutes and centers, 16 community colleges, and 32 independent colleges and universities. The State's higher education system is coordinated by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC).

International Activity

The extent of international activity by Maryland's higher education institutions can be seen by a list of the 27 countries with which Maryland colleges and universities have faculty exchange programs. The number of Maryland institutions with formal exchange agreements within each country is in parenthesis.

Australia (3)	Germany (3)	Romania (1)
Belgium (2)	Ghana (1)	Russia (2)
Chile (1)	Greece (1)	Scotland (1)
China (5)	Honduras (1)	Slovenia (1)
Cuba (1)	Ireland (1)	South Africa (3)
Denmark (1)	India (2)	Spain (2)
Ecuador (1)	Italy (3)	Sweden (1)
England (4)	Japan (3)	Thailand (2)
France (3)	Norway (1)	Vietnam (1)

 

A non-governmental professional association of international educators – the Maryland International Education Association (MIEA) – has begun the creation of a clearinghouse of international graduate education opportunities, resources and programs. The MIEA maintains a Web site that shares information at www.towson.edu/miea. Last year the MIEA received $100,000 from the State to create an endowment for study abroad scholarships.

The University System of Maryland

The institutions of the University System of Maryland are involved in a vast array of international programs in a number of areas, including:

• Support of global education in the curriculum
• Foreign language programs
• Study abroad programs
• Student and faculty exchange and travel programs
• International internship programs
• Partnerships with foreign institutions

In the most recent year for which data are available, there were over 8,200 international students registered at USM institutions and over 1,100 USM students studied abroad for a semester or more during the academic year. Virtually every institution supports partnerships with foreign universities in the instructional and/or research programs, and USM institutions regularly host delegations of educators, business leaders, and government officials and staff from all over the globe.

University of Maryland University College

UMUC reaches out internationally in three major ways:

1. Providing educational programs to the U.S. military at sites worldwide,

2. Developing relationships with international universities and select international corporations, and

3. Participating in international conferences. Military and non-military programs reach almost 90,000 students outside of the United States. Non-military international students (those using a foreign non-military address) represent almost 70 countries.

UMUC has relationships with 11 international universities in 10 countries. Activities include faculty exchange, visiting scholar program, student enrollments, joint degree programs, dual degree programs, joint conferences, and program development.

International opportunities for graduate students who participate through the Executive MBA program, include a field trip to select countries in Europe, organized through the University of Antwerp, Belgium, or a field trip to Asia (Hong Kong and Beijing), organized through Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Over the last several years, UMUC has worked with several multinational corporations. For example, UMUC has provided graduate-level online courses to about 30 highly selected Hitachi managers.

UMUC participates in various international conferences on adult distance education. For example, In cooperation with Spain's UNED University, on May 30-31, 2002, UMUC hosted approximately 100 invitees for the European Commission seminar, entitled "Cooperation between the European Union and the United States in the Area of Technology and Education: Status and Outlook for the Future."

Towson University

Towson University (TU) supports a broad spectrum of international activities:

• Asian Arts and Culture Center International Exchange Student Program
• English Language Center International Student and Scholar Office
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) International Studies Program
• ESOL Writing Services Kids for Peace Camp
• Faculty Exchanges Multicultural Institute
• Institute for Korean-U.S. Business Relations Summer in Maryland Program
• International Development Towson-Oldenburg Exchange Program
  

TU has formal exchange agreements with 20 universities in 15 states in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Iceland. The purpose of these international partnerships is to encourage faculty and student exchanges, joint research projects, collaborative academic programs, as well as specialized professional training programs for internationals scholars.

University of Maryland, College Park

The Office of International Programs at the University of Maryland, College Park, stimulates thought on topics of an international nature through Regional Seminars and its Ambassadorial Lecture Series. In addition the Office maintains international directories (including a guide for international visitors; a directory of UM centers, institutes, and programs with significant international activities; and a directory of faculty, staff, and researchers with international interests, publishes a periodic newsletter, Maryland International (formerly College Park International), administers an International Travel Grant Program, and oversees the Institute for Global Chinese Affairs (IGCA) and the office of International Education Services (IES).

University of Maryland Baltimore County

International activities at UMBC are coordinated by two offices. The Office of International Education Services provides visa and immigration information and services, orientation for international students, faculty and researchers and study abroad advising for UMBC students. The Office of International Programs is responsible for developing links with universities abroad, the international aspects of the university's curriculum, sponsoring international seminars and speakers, and generally enhancing the international dimension of the campus.

A state-of-the-art English Language Center (ELC) provides instruction in English at all levels for international students and others who need to improve their English language skills. The graduate ESOL/Bilingual M.A. Program at UMBC has gained an international reputation for the quality and breadth of its program to prepare graduate students to teach English as a second or foreign language. The institution also offers an innovative interdisciplinary M.A. program in Intercultural Communication; the Institute for Global Electronic Commerce (IGEC) offers technical courses in the rapidly growing area of electronic commerce.

University of Maryland, Baltimore

International students and exchange visitors are an important presence at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB); during one recent year , there were 228 international students enrolled and approximately 225 exchange visitors at the campus. While the majority of the students are enrolled in the Graduate School, each of UMB's schools/programs has international students in attendance. UMB's exchange visitors are spread all over campus working on a wide variety of scholarly pursuits. Its international students and exchange visitors represent countries from all over the world with the greatest number coming from the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China, India, Iran, Canada, Thailand, Nigeria, Korea, the United Kingdom, and Peru.

Other campuses of the University System

The Office of International Programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has a history of close collaborative working relationships with USAID/Africa Bureau's Office of Sustainable Development, Division of Productive Sector Growth and Environment and the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Services/International Cooperation Division.

Bowie State University has an active International Students Association (ISA), which exchanges cultural and educational ideas and promotes mutual understanding and better communication between the international students and the broader University community.

Throughout the year, ISA hosts several cultural events such as the International Festival.

Frostburg State University has created a Center for International Education to promote and support study abroad. Extended summer programs include study in Limerick, Ireland; Oxford, UK; Cuenca, Ecuador; and Ghana.

The University of Baltimore has recently begun the development of an American & Baltic Sea Region Studies Consortium to promote undergraduate and graduate study of the Baltic Sea Region, especially Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A major feature of the Consortium is the opportunity for students and scholars from the Baltic states to come to the University of Baltimore for courses. Maryland students will be able to study at the University of Tartu and the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute in Estonia.

USM Research Centers and Institutes

The research institutions are also heavily involved in international activities. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) is the largest single institution studying the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Although focusing 3/4 of its research on the Bay, UMCES' activities are also global, involving research from the South Pacific to the Serengeti Plain and from the poles to the tropics. The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) plays a leading role in VIRTUE (Virtual University Education Program), a collaborative, virtual university-based education program initiated by the University System of Maryland, Goteborg University (Sweden) and The University of Bergen (Norway). The program fosters collective research among the three partners, offers jointly developed courses, and engages in public outreach to local schools.

Community Colleges

Maryland's community colleges see the development of a globally and multiculturally competent citizenry as an important part of their mission. Community colleges are strategically positioned and experienced to respond to this educational and economic development imperative by educating and training individuals to function successfully in a multicultural and advanced technological environment that crosses all boundaries of education, communications, language and business. Meeting this challenge, community colleges provide:

• Internationalized curricula
• Multicultural activities and programs
• Language programs
• Cultural and ethnic studies
• Study abroad programs;
• Faculty and student exchange programs
• Professional development
• Technical assistance to other countries and their businesses/industries
• Local, state, national and international forums
• International student enrollment
• Community education forums

and other appropriate education and training programs to ensure a well-trained and technically literate workforce, functioning collaboratively with other countries of the world.

Independent Colleges and Universities

Maryland's independent colleges and universities also have international programs similar to those of the public 4-year institutions—study abroad, student and faculty exchanges, and cooperative arrangements with foreign universities. A few independent institutions have permanent sites abroad. For example, Baltimore International College operates a 100-acre campus in County Cavin, Ireland, where advanced culinary students can participate in an advanced 5-week program on international cooking. Most liberal arts colleges – Goucher College, Hood College, Loyola College in Maryland – haveagreements with international universities to provide housing and instruction to their students in England, France, Italy and elsewhere.

For further information, contact:

Dr. David E. Sumler
Assistant Secretary of Planning and Academic Affairs
Maryland Higher Education Commission
Tel: 410-260-4552 and 4530
E-mail: dsumler@mhec.state.md.us