 | |
Former names | Maryland Agricultural College (1856–1916) Maryland State College (1916–1920)[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
| Established | March 6, 1856; 169 years ago (1856-03-06) |
Parent institution | University System of Maryland |
| Accreditation | MSCHE |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $2.10 billion (2023) (system-wide)[2] |
| President | Darryll Pines |
| Provost | Jennifer King Rice |
Academic staff | 4,474 (fall 2023)[3] |
Administrative staff | 6,216 (fall 2023)[3] |
Total staff | 14,922 (fall 2023)[3] |
| Students | 40,792 (fall 2022)[4] |
| Undergraduates | 30,353 (fall 2022)[4] |
| Postgraduates | 10,439 (fall 2022)[4] |
| Location | ,, United States 38°59′17″N76°56′35″W / 38.988°N 76.943°W /38.988; -76.943 |
| Campus | Large suburb[6], 1,340 acres (5.4 km2)[5] |
| Newspaper | The Diamondback |
| Colors | Red, gold, white, and black[7] |
| Nickname | Terrapins |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Testudo the Terrapin |
| Website | umd |
 | |
TheUniversity of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland,UMD, or simplyMaryland) is apublicland-grantresearch university inCollege Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is theflagship institution of theUniversity System of Maryland.
UMD is the largest university in both the state and theWashington metropolitan area. Its eleven schools and colleges offer over 200 degree-granting programs, including 113 undergraduate majors, 107master's programs, and 83doctoral programs. UMD's athletic teams are known as theMaryland Terrapins and compete inNCAA Division I as a member of theBig Ten Conference.
A member of theAssociation of American Universities, The University of Maryland's proximity toWashington, D.C. has resulted in many research partnerships with thefederal government;[8] faculty receive research funding and institutional support from many agencies, such as theNational Institutes of Health,NASA, theNational Institute of Standards and Technology, theFood and Drug Administration, theNational Security Agency, and theDepartment of Homeland Security.[9][10] It isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity"[11] and has been labeled a "Public Ivy".[12] According to theNational Science Foundation, the university spent a combined $1.14 billion on research and development in 2021, ranking it 17th among American universities.[13][14]
On March 6, 1856, the forerunner of today's University of Maryland was chartered as theMaryland Agricultural College.[15] Two years later,Charles Benedict Calvert (1808–1864), a futureU.S. Representative (Congressman) and descendant of the firstLord Baltimore, purchased 420 acres (1.7 km2) of theRiversdale Mansion estate nearby today'sCollege Park, Maryland.[16] Later that year, Calvert founded the school and was the acting president from 1859 to 1860.[17] On October 5, 1859, the first 34 students entered the Maryland Agricultural College.[1] The school became aland grant college in February 1864.[1]
During theCivil War,Confederate soldiers under Brigadier GeneralBradley Tyler Johnson moved past the college on July 12, 1864, as part of Jubal Early's raid onWashington, D.C.[18] By the end of the war, financial problems forced the administrators to sell off 200 acres (81 ha) of land, and the continuing decline in enrollment sent the Maryland Agricultural College into bankruptcy. The campus was used as a boys' preparatory school for the next two years.[1]
The Maryland legislature assumed half ownership of the school in 1866. The college thus became, in part, a state institution. By October 1867, the school reopened with 11 students. In 1868, the former Confederate admiralFranklin Buchanan was appointed president of the school. Enrollment grew to 80 at the time of his resignation, and the school soon paid off its debt. In 1873,Samuel Jones, a former Confederate Major General, became president of the college.[19]
Twenty years later, the federally-funded Agricultural Experiment Station was established there. During this same period, state laws granted the college regulatory powers in several areas—including controlling farm disease, inspecting feed, establishing a state weather bureau and geological survey, and housing the forestry board.[1]Morrill Hall (the oldest instructional building still in use on campus) was built the following year.[1]
On November 29, 1912, a fire destroyed student housing, school records, and most of the academic buildings, leaving onlyMorrill Hall untouched. There were no injuries or fatalities, and all but two students returned to the university and insisted on classes continuing.[1] A new administration building was not built until the 1940s.[1]
DuringPhillips Lee Goldsborough's tenure asGovernor of Maryland, the state purchased Maryland Agricultural College, taking control of the school in 1916 and renaming itMaryland State College.[20] In the same year, the first female students, Elizabeth Gambrill Hook and Charlotte Ann Vaux, enrolled at the school.[21] On April 9, 1920, the college became part of the existingUniversity of Maryland, replacingSt. John's College, Annapolis as the university's undergraduate campus.[22][23] In the same year, the graduate school on the College Park campus awarded its first Ph.D. degrees and the university's enrollment reached 500 students. In 1925 the university was accredited by theAssociation of American Universities.[1]
By the time the first black students enrolled at the university in 1951, enrollment had grown to nearly 10,000 students—4,000 of whom were women. Before 1951, many black students in Maryland were enrolled at theUniversity of Maryland, Eastern Shore.[24]
In 1957, PresidentWilson H. Elkins pushed to increase the university's academic standards. His efforts resulted in creating one of the first Academic Probation Plans. The first year the plan went into effect, 1,550 students (18% of the total student body) faced expulsion.[citation needed]
On October 19, 1957,Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom attended her first and only college football game at the University of Maryland after expressing interest in seeing a typically American sport during her first tour of the United States. TheMaryland Terrapins beat theNorth Carolina Tar Heels 21 to 7 in the historical game now referred to as "The Queen's Game".[25][26]
Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at The University of Maryland in 1964. In 1969, the university was elected to theAssociation of American Universities. The school continued to grow, and by the fall of 1985 reached an enrollment of 38,679.[1] Like many colleges during theVietnam War, the university was the site of student protests and had curfews enforced by theNational Guard.[27]
In a massive restructuring of the state's higher education system in 1988, the school was designated as the flagship campus of the newly formedUniversity of Maryland System (later changed to the University System of Maryland in 1997). It was formally named the University of Maryland, College Park. All five campuses in the former network were designated distinct campuses in the new system. However, in 1997 theMaryland General Assembly passed legislation allowing the University of Maryland, College Park, to be known simply as the University of Maryland, recognizing the campus' role as the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland.[28]
In 1994, theNational Archives at College Park completed construction and opened on a parcel of land adjoining the campus donated by the University of Maryland, after lobbying by PresidentWilliam Kirwan and congressional leaders to foster academic collaboration between the institutions.[29][30]
In 2004, the university began constructing the 150-acre (61 ha) "M Square Research Park", which includes facilities affiliated with theU.S. Department of Defense,Food and Drug Administration, and the new National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, affiliated with theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[31] In May 2010, ground was broken on a new Physical Science Complex, including an advanced quantum science laboratory.[32]
The university suffered multipledata breaches in 2014. The first resulted in the compromise of over 300,000 student and faculty records.[33] A second data breach occurred several months later.[34] The second breach was investigated by the FBI and Secret Service and found to be done by David Helkowski.[35] Despite the attribution, no charges were filed. As a result of the data breaches, the university offered free credit protection for five years to the students and faculty affected.[36]
In 2017, the university received a record-breaking donation of $219.5 million from theA. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, ranking among the country's largest philanthropic gifts to a public university.[37][38]Darryll J. Pines became the 34th president of the university in 2020. Pines was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the university before becoming president.[39]
In 2021, the university announced it had raised $1.5 billion in donations since 2018.[40]
In April of 2024, UMD students joined othercampuses across the United States in protests against theGaza war. Students called attention to thegenocide in Palestine and for the university todivest from companies that support the Gaza war.[41][42][43] Activism continued in the next academic year with the placement of small flags in the lawn on McKeldin Mall, representing the more than 150,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza.[44]
The center of the university's 1,250 acres (5.1 km2) is McKeldin Mall, which is the largest academic mall in the United States.[48][49] The Mall is bordered on the east and west byMcKeldin Library and the Thomas V. Miller, Jr. Administration Building, respectively. Academic buildings surround McKeldin Mall on the north and south ends. They are the homes to many departments in theCollege of Behavioral and Social Sciences, College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. West of McKeldin Mall is the North Hill Community, and south of McKeldin Mall liesMorrill Hall and the Morrill Quad, which was the original center of campus. South of the Morrill Quad are the South Hill and South Campus Commons Communities, and the Southwest Mall and theRobert H. Smith School of Business to the southwest.[50]
Running parallel to McKeldin Mall to the north is Campus Drive, the main thoroughfare through campus. Another thoroughfare, Regents Drive, runs perpendicular to the Mall and is home to theMemorial Chapel and the Campus Farms. Regents Drive crosses Campus Drive at the campus hallmark,"M" Circle, which is a traffic circle with a large "M" formed by flowers in its center.[51] The northeast quadrant of campus, formed by Campus and Regent Drives, is home to many ofnatural sciences andapplied sciences departments.The Rossborough Inn, which, was built during the years 1798 to 1812, is the oldest building on campus (and is older than the university itself).[52] There are five regularly used entrances to campus; the main entrance, off of Baltimore Avenue and onto Campus Drive, is referred to as North Gate and features the Gatehouse, an ornate gateway honoring the university's founders.[53] The 140-acre (57 ha), 18-holeUniversity of Maryland Golf Course sits at the northern edge of campus, as doesthe Observatory.[54]
The campus contains 7,500 documented trees and garden plantings, leading theAmerican Public Gardens Association to designate the campus theUniversity of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden in 2008.[55] There are also nearly 400 acres (1.6 km2) ofurban forest on campus[55] and theArbor Day Foundation has named the university to its 'Tree Campus USA' list.[56] The recreational Paint Branch Trail, part of theAnacostia Tributary Trails system, cuts through campus, as does thePaint Branch stream, a tributary of theNortheast Branch Anacostia River.[57] The university's firstLeed Gold building, Knight Hall, opened in April 2010 as the new home for thePhilip Merrill College of Journalism.[58][59] In 2021, President Pines pledged that the University of Maryland would achievecarbon neutrality byEarth Day 2025.[60]
The University of Maryland offers 127 undergraduate degrees and 112 graduate degrees in thirteen colleges and schools:
| Undergraduate admissions statistics | |
|---|---|
2022 entering classChange vs. 2017 | |
| Admit rate | 34.3 (  −10.2) |
| Yield rate | 24.4 (  −3.1) |
| Test scoresmiddle 50%[i] | |
| SAT Total | 1380-1520 (among 49% ofFTFs) |
| ACT Composite | 31-34 (among 8% ofFTFs) |
| |
Admission to Maryland is rated "most selective" byU.S. News & World Report.[61][62] For the Class of 2026 (enrolled fall 2022), Maryland received 56,766 applications and accepted 19,451 (34.3%). Of those accepted, 4,742 enrolled, ayield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 24.4%.[63] Maryland's freshmanretention rate is 95.5%, with 88.3% going on to graduate within six years.[63]
Of the 34% of the incoming freshman class who submittedSAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1340–1490.[63] Of the 9% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submittedACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 30 and 34.[63]
The University of Maryland, College Park is a college sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 58 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 69 freshman students wereNational Merit Scholars.[64]
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 56,766 | 50,306 | 32,211 | 32,987 | 33,461 | 33,907 |
| Admits | 19,451 | 20,382 | 16,437 | 14,560 | 15,760 | 15,081 |
| Admit rate | 34.3 | 40.5 | 51.1 | 44.1 | 47.1 | 44.5 |
| Enrolled | 4,742 | 4,861 | 4,313 | 4,285 | 4,712 | 4,141 |
| Yield rate | 24.4 | 23.8 | 26.2 | 29.4 | 30.0 | 27.5 |
| ACT composite* (out of 36) | 31–34 (8%†) | 30–34 (9%†) | 29–34 (28%†) | 29–33 (31%†) | 28–33 (35%†) | 29–33 (45%†) |
| SAT composite* (out of 1600) | 1380–1520 (49%†) | 1340–1490 (34%†) | 1290–1460 (84%†) | 1290–1460 (82%†) | 1290–1480 (81%†) | 1290–1470 (75%†) |
| * middle 50% range † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit | ||||||
In 2020, the university announced it was joining theCommon App. Beginning with the 2017-18 admissions cycle, the University of Maryland uses the application provided by The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success.[67]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[68] | 34 |
| U.S. News & World Report[69] | 44 |
| Washington Monthly[70] | 82 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[71] | 75 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[72] | 50 |
| QS[73] | 218 |
| THE[74] | 114 |
| U.S. News & World Report[75] | 57 |
| Biological Sciences | 62 |
| Business | 44 |
| Chemistry | 41 |
| Clinical Psychology | 33 |
| Computer Science | 16 |
| Criminology | 1 |
| Earth Sciences | 28 |
| Economics | 21 |
| Education | 27 |
| Engineering | 20 |
| English | 30 |
| Fine Arts | 110 |
| History | 27 |
| Library & Information Studies | 8 |
| Mathematics | 22 |
| Physics | 14 |
| Political Science | 29 |
| Psychology | 39 |
| Public Affairs | 32 |
| Public Health | 32 |
| Sociology | 24 |
| Speech–Language Pathology | 16 |
In the 2025U.S. News & World Report rankings of universities, the University of Maryland is 44th (tie) in "National Universities" and 17th in "Top Public Schools".[77] TheAcademic Ranking of World Universities ranked Maryland as 43rd in the world in 2015. The 2017–2018Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Maryland 69th worldwide. The 2016/17QS World University Rankings ranked Maryland 131st worldwide.
The university was ranked amongPeace Corps' 25 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges for the tenth consecutive year in 2020.[78][79] The University of Maryland is ranked amongTeach for America's Top 20 Colleges and Universities, contributing the greatest number of graduating seniors to its 2017 teaching corps.[80]
For the fourth consecutive year in 2015, the university was ranked 1st in the U.S. for the number ofBoren Scholarship recipients – with nine students receiving awards for intensive international language study.[81] The university is ranked as a Top Producing Institution ofFulbright U.S. Students and Scholars for the 2017–2018 academic year by theUnited States Department of State'sBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.[82][83]
In 2017, the University of Maryland was ranked among the top 50 universities in the 2018Best Global Universities Rankings byU.S. News & World Report based on its high academic research performance and global reputation.[84][85]
In 2021, the university was ranked among the top 10 universities inThe Princeton Review's annual survey of the Top Schools for Innovation & Entrepreneurship; this was the sixth consecutive such ranking.[86][87]
The university's faculty has included fourNobel Prize laureates. The earliest recipient (1956), wasJuan Ramón Jiménez, a Spanish language and literature professor. Four decades later, physics professorWilliam Daniel Phillips won a prize in physics for his contributions tolaser cooling. In 2005,Thomas Schelling was awarded the prize in economics for his contributions togame theory. In 2006,John C. Mather was awarded the prize in physics alongsideGeorge Smoot for their work in the discovery of blackbody form andanisotropy of thecosmic microwave background radiation. In addition, two University of Maryland alumni are Nobel Prize laureates;Herbert Hauptman won the 1985 prize in chemistry, andRaymond Davis Jr. won the 2002 prize in physics.[88][89]
The university has many notable academics. Professor of mathematics,Sergei Novikov won theFields Medal in 1970, followed by alumnusCharles Fefferman in 1978. AlumnusGeorge Dantzig won the 1975National Medal of Science for his work in the field of linear programming. Professor of physicsMichael Fisher won theWolf Prize in 1980 (together withKenneth G. Wilson andLeo Kadanoff) and theIUPAPBoltzmann Medal in 1983.James A. Yorke, a distinguished university professor of mathematics and physics and chair of the mathematics department, won the 2003Japan Prize for his work inchaotic systems. In 2013, professor of physicsSylvester James Gates was awarded theNational Medal of Science.[90]
UMD isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[11] In FY 2020, the university spent about 1.103 billion dollars in total R&D expenditures, ranking it 16th in the nation.[91]
On October 14, 2004, the university added 150 acres (61 ha) in an attempt to create the largest research park inside the Washington, D.C.Capital Beltway, formerly known as "M Square" and now known as the "Discovery District."[92][93]
Many of the faculty members have funding from federal agencies such as theNational Science Foundation, theNational Institutes of Health,[94]NASA,[95] theDepartment of Homeland Security,[96] theNational Institute of Standards and Technology, and theNational Security Agency.
TheSpace Systems Laboratory researches human-robotic interaction forastronautics applications and includes the onlyneutral buoyancy facility at a university.[97] TheJoint Global Change Research Institute, which studies human and earth systems, was formed in 2001 by the University of Maryland and thePacific Northwest National Laboratory.[98]
TheNational Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) launched in 2005 as one of theCenters of Excellence supported by theDepartment of Homeland Security in the United States. START is focused on the scientific study of the causes and consequences of terrorism in the United States and worldwide.[99]
The university hosts "living-learning" programs (LLPs) that allow students with similar academic interests to live in the same residential community take specialized courses and perform research in those areas of expertise. These include CIVICUS, focused on politics and community service;[100]Hinman CEOs, an entrepreneurship program;[101] and the Language House, where students learning a shared target language live together.[102] Several LLPs exist under the university's Honors College, with focuses in topics including cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and life sciences.[103] College Park Scholars is another LLP umbrella that includes programs in the arts, public health, and legal thought, among others.[104]
| Race and ethnicity[105] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 47% | 47 | |
| Asian | 19% | 19 | |
| Black | 12% | 12 | |
| Hispanic | 10% | 10 | |
| Other[a] | 8% | 8 | |
| Foreign national | 4% | 4 | |
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[b] | 14% | 14 | |
| Affluent[c] | 86% | 86 | |
There are two main residential areas on campus, North Campus and South Campus. North Campus is made up of Cambridge Community (which consists of five residence halls and houses the College Park Scholars program), Denton Community (which consists of three halls), Oakland Community (which consists of one hall), Ellicott Community (consisting of three halls), and the Courtyards, a garden-style apartment community in north campus consisting of seven buildings. The Heritage community, completed in 2024, features two residence halls and a dining hall.[106][107] Most residence halls have AC, but some do not. These non-AC halls are Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Chestertown, Ellicott, Hagerstown, Wicomico, and Worcester.[108]
South Campus includes the North Hill Community, made up of nineGeorgian-style halls and Prince Frederick Hall (which opened in 2014) immediately west ofMcKeldin Mall;[109] South Hill Community, made up of fourteen small residence halls for upper-level students;[110] Leonardtown Community, which offers apartment-style housing; and the South Campus Commons Community, which consists of seven apartment-style buildings (the seventh and most recent building being opened in January 2010).[111]
There are three dining halls on campus. In addition,a food court in the Stamp Student Union provides manyfast food dining options for the university community.[112][113] The 251 North dining hall lies in the Denton Community on the northern part of campus. The second northern dining hall, Yahentamitsi, is the first building on campus named in honor of Indigenous people.[114] The third dining hall, South Campus Dining Hall, can be found just south of McKeldin Library[115]
The university is accessible throughthe three airports in the greaterWashington metropolitan area:Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,Washington Dulles International Airport, andBaltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.[116] A small public airport in College Park,College Park Airport, lies nearly adjacent to campus, but operations are limited. This airport is the world's oldest continually operating airport[117] and the site of many significant aviation firsts.[118][119]
A free shuttle service, known asShuttle–UM, is available for UMD students, faculty, staff, and some residents of College Park and Greenbelt.[120][121] The university is served by an off-campus stop on theWashington Metro'sGreen Line[122] calledCollege Park – University of Maryland. This stop is adjacent to a stop on theMARC[123] Camden line, a commuter rail line which runs from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The stop is also serviced by busses from Shuttle–UM,MTA,WMATA, andTheBus.
In 2011, the university signed on to the state'sPurple Line program.[124] The Purple Line route will have five stops on and around the university's campus: M Square, the College Park Metro station, the main entrance to the campus on Route 1, nearStamp Student Union on Campus Drive, and on the other edge of campus on Adelphi Road, along with a parallel bike path.[125][126][127]
The Diamondback is an independentstudent newspaper. It was founded in 1910 asThe Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, theDiamondback terrapin, which became the school mascot in 1933. The newspaper is published daily during the spring and fall semesters, with a print circulation of 17,000 and annual advertising revenues of over $1 million.[128] Notable journalists who have been with the paper includeDavid Simon ofHBO'sThe Wire andNBC'sHomicide: Life on the Street, and cartoonistsJeff Kinney, who created theDiary of a Wimpy Kid fiction series and whoseIgdoof strip appeared inThe Diamondback;Aaron McGruder, who first published his cartoonThe Boondocks inThe Diamondback; andFrank Cho, who began his career with the popularUniversity Squared forThe Diamondback.[129]
WMUC-FM (90.5 FM) is the university's non-commercial radio station, staffed by UMD students and volunteers. WMUC is afreeform andsports broadcasting station broadcast at 10 watts. Its broadcasts can be heard throughout theWashington metropolitan area. Notable WMUC alumni includeConnie Chung,Bonnie Bernstein,Peter Rosenberg and Aaron McGruder.[citation needed]
Approximately 16% of men and women in Maryland's undergraduate student body were involved infraternities and sororities in 2017.[130]
The university sponsors varsity athletic teams in 20 men's and women's sports. The teams, named the "Terrapins", represent Maryland inNational Collegiate Athletic AssociationDivision I competition. Maryland became a founding member of theAtlantic Coast Conference in 1952 but left to join theBig Ten Conference on July 1, 2014. As of 2017, Maryland's athletic teams have been awarded 44 national championships by the NCAA,USILA,AIAW, andNCA.[131][132] In 2008 and 2010,The Princeton Review named the University of Maryland's athletic facilities the best in the nation.[133][134] The Terrapins nickname (often shortened to "Terps") was coined by former university president, football coach, and athletic directorH. C. "Curly" Byrd in 1932.[135] The mascot is adiamondback terrapin namedTestudo, which isLatin for "tortoise".[136] Since the early 20th century, the school athletic colors have been some combination of those on theMaryland state flag: red, white, black, and gold.[137] Maryland is the only NCAA Division I school to have four official school colors.[138]
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Men's basketball is the most popular sport at the university.[139] Long-time head coachLefty Driesell began the now nationwide tradition of "Midnight Madness" in 1971.[140] Beginning in 1989, alumnusGary Williams revived the program, which was struggling in the wake ofLen Bias's death and NCAA rules infractions. Williams led Maryland basketball to national prominence with twoFinal Four appearances, and in 2002, anational championship. On February 7, 2006, Williams won his 349th game to surpass Driesell and became Maryland's all-time leader among basketball coaches.Mark Turgeon became head coach in 2011. After Mark Turgeon's tenure ended,Kevin Willard accepted the head coaching position in 2022.
Maryland football is also popular at the university.[139]
Maryland men's lacrosse remains one of the sport's top programs since its beginnings as a squad in 1865.[141] The team most recently won the national championship in2022, completing an undefeated season, the first since Virginia in 2006, and the first to go undefeated across 18 games. The team has won tenUSILA and NCAA national championships since its promotion to varsity status in 1924 and is a regular fixture in theNCAA tournament.[142][143] TheMaryland women's lacrosse team has won 15 national championships, the most of any program in the nation.[144] The team has produced the National Player of the Year/Tewaaraton Award winner eight times, more than any other collegiate program.[145] The Terrapins have also made the most NCAA tournament appearances, won the most tournament games, and made the most NCAA championship game appearances of any program.[146] They most recently won the NCAA championship in 2019.
Themen's soccer team has won fourNCAA Division I College Cup national championships, most recently in 2018.[147] Under the guidance of head coachSasho Cirovski, the soccer team has reached nine Final Fours and won three College Cups since 1997. The soccer team has developed a large, devoted fan base among students and the local community. The attendance record at Ludwig Field was set in 2015 when 8,449 fans saw Maryland win over top-ranked UCLA in extra time.[148] The annual total attendance increased dramatically from 12,710 in 1995 to 35,631 in 2008.[149]
TheMaryland field hockey team has won a total of eightNCAA national championships and 13 conference championships (10 in the ACC and 5 in the Big Ten).[150]
TheMighty Sound of Maryland marching band attends all home football games and provides pre-game performances.[151] During basketball season, the marching band provides music in the stands.[152]
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Notable alumni includeHouse Democratic WhipSteny Hoyer;[153]Google co-founderSergey Brin;[154]The Muppets creatorJim Henson;[155]The Wire creatorDavid Simon;[156] former NFL QuarterbackNorman "Boomer" Esiason;CBS hostGayle King; journalistConnie Chung; andSeinfeld co-creator andCurb Your Enthusiasm creatorLarry David.[157] Prominent alumni in business includeEd Snider, former chairman ofComcast Spectacor and former owner of thePhiladelphia Flyers; journalistJim Walton, former president and CEO ofCNN;Kevin Plank, founder and executive chairman of the athletic apparel companyUnder Armour;Chris Kubasik, former president ofLockheed Martin; andCarly Fiorina, former CEO ofHewlett-Packard. JournalistCarl Bernstein, who won thePulitzer Prize for Public Service for his coverage of theWatergate scandal, attended the university but did not graduate.
Attendees within the fields of science and mathematics are Nobel laureatesRaymond Davis Jr., 2002 winner in Physics;Herbert Hauptman, 1985 winner in Chemistry, andFields Medal winnerCharles Fefferman. Other alumni includeGeorge Dantzig, considered the father of linear programming; lateNASAastronautJudith Resnik, who died in the destruction of theSpace Shuttle Challenger during the launch of missionSTS-51-L; andNASA AdministratorMichael D. Griffin.
Several donors have distinguished themselves for their sizable gifts to the university. BusinessmanRobert H. Smith, who graduated from the university in 1950 with a degree in accounting, gave over $45 million to the business school that now bears his name and to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, which bears his wife's name.[158] Construction entrepreneurA. James Clark, who graduated with an engineering degree in 1950, donated over $45 million to the college of engineering, which also bears his name.[158] Another engineering donor,Jeong H. Kim, earned his Ph.D. from the university in 1991 and gave $5 million for the construction of a state-of-the-art engineering building.[159]Philip Merrill, a media figure, donated $10 million to the College of Journalism.[160]Robert E. Fischell, physicist, inventor, and holder of more than 200 U.S. and foreign medical patents[161][162][163] donated $30 million to theA. James Clark School of Engineering,[164] establishing the Fischell Department of Bioengineering.Brendan Iribe, a co-founder ofOculus VR, donated $31 million to the university in 2014 towardsa new computer science building and scholarships.[165]
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