Each year, the Maryland General Assembly meets for 90 days from January to April. Last night, the 2008 Session ended. Here is a brief list of highlights from the session:
- no textbook-sale regulation was passed because the Senate and the House of Delegates could not come to agreement on minor details
- USM state funding increased 9% from last year
- UMBC state funding increased 8%
- with such funding, it seems as though Chancellor Kirwan is ready to propose a tuition freeze to the Board of Regents
- with a tuition freeze with the third straight year, Maryland public institutions will drop in cost from 6th in the nation (2005) to 16th (2008)
Governor O'Malley has worked hard over the past months with the legislature to maintain funding for higher education in order to keep tuition down. Even though the State is struggling economically, the Governor and the Legislature made higher education a priority by minimizing cuts from the Governor's proposed budget.
So where from here? In the coming weeks, I will be working with campus-based administrators, students, and faculty to see if we can address some of the issues related to textbook sales for the coming fall semester that were not addressed this session. These issues will include:
- publishing ISBN numbers, textbook editions, and other details on the selection of textbooks
- publishing this information well in advance of the start of the semester
- working with professors to submit textbook selections well in advance of the semester to give the bookstore ample time to place orders
- ensuring that professors are made aware of and consider the cost of potential textbook selections
Have questions, thoughts, or concerns? Contact me: (410) 294-8581 or joshmichael@umbc.edu
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