UMBC Memorandum
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Memorandum of Institutional Advancement at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).
To:
From:
Re: Case Study Analysis
Date:
Subject: Institutional Advancement at UMBC
The strategic issue in the new school case is the state directive to reduce funding for state universities; hence higher education administrators forced to come up with measures to sustain their operations.
In 1991, the State of Maryland was going through a recession that translated to all the departments in the economy (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1978). Among the worst-hit sectors was the higher learning department. Various colleges and universities experienced a budget reduction. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), was at the epicenter of this crisis because it could not meet its daily operational costs. UMBC gained traction when it started running its programs as an independent institution away from the branch institution, which was established at College Park. After its independence, UMBC prides itself as a scientific research institution with excellent performance in the disciplines of Mathematics and Engineering. Moreover, it has an estimated annual budget of $260 million. It also had yearly assistance for a sponsored initiative, which costs approximately $65 million (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1978).
The recession took place during the tenure of Michael Hooker as the president of UMBC (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1978). The crisis predisposed the president of UMBC and chancellors of various colleges in Maryland to restructure their budgets as a response to the downfall. UMBC was compelled to sideline with the directive and shifted its focus from the low output degree programs to the sciences and technology programs which were relevant to the people of Baltimore. Eventually, UMBC ventured on disciplines that shaped learners to give solutions to such economic crises.
However, the fiscal instability also shook the administrative roles and the responsibilities of staff employed. Some specific tasks were reallocated to other campuses, which were handling the dropped programs in UMBC. The number of staff employed in the institution was also decreased as the staff members with diverse qualifications assumed more responsibility. Further, the department of Institutional advancement got abolished as a mitigation strategy for copping up.
As the institution started stabilizing from the economic turmoil, the department of Institutional advancement got re-instated. This decision followed the successful fundraising, which was propagated by the appointment of Freeman Hrabowski as Executive Vice president of UMBC (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1978). He orchestrated several development initiatives which were directed at building the University as a brand. He planned the improved working condition for the staff, stabilized, and up to date research laboratories and learning centers. And the peak of it all channeled resources towards the outlook UMBC. Freeman assumed responsibility as the president of UMBC and appointed Sheldon Caplis to bring life to the department of Institutional advancement (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1978). He was to supervise marketing, fundraising, public and alumni relations at the institution. The department got necessitated to establish corporate relationships, which was detrimental to the success of the department. Additionally, he created the board of visitors, which was to bridge the gap between the institution and the corporate world.
The improvements and restructuring experienced after the introduction of the board of visitors was the framework for the link with the Baltimore business community. Recession period had shaken the administrative structure of UMBC, which shifted their focus from relying on the public funding to the private sectors. The institution has heavily invested in the functionality of the board of visitors by employing competent staff members. Further, the president reached out to the experts in the institutional advancements. He wanted people they could consult in the interpretation of possible outcomes and the position as an institution.
Conclusion
The highlight of activities that fosters the growth of institutional advancement is vital. UMBC should be consistent with the initiative by reaching out to alumni of the institution in the states away from Maryland to realize the potential of the institution.
Reference
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (1978). Case studies in higher education. Cambridge, MA.