Former name | State Normal School No. 2 (1902–1935) State Teachers College at Frostburg (1935–1963) Frostburg State College (1963–1987) [1] |
---|---|
Motto | "One University. A World of Experiences." |
Type | Public university |
Established | 1898 |
Parent institution | University System of Maryland |
Endowment | US$26.4 million (2020) [2] |
President | Ronald Nowaczyk |
Provost | Michael Mathias (interim) [3] |
Academic staff | 315 (2023) [4] |
Students | 4,075 (Fall 2023) [5] |
Undergraduates | 3,344 (Fall 2023) |
Postgraduates | 731 (Fall 2023) |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Rural, 260 acres (1.1 km2) |
Colors | Red, black, white |
Nickname | Bobcats |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II - MEC |
Mascot | Bob Cat |
Website | www |
Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. [6] The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlands. Founded in 1898 by Maryland State Senator, John Leake, Frostburg was selected because the site offered the best suitable location without a cost to the state. [7] Today, the institution is a largely residential university.
With an enrollment of approximately 4,858 students, the university offers 47 undergraduate majors, 16 graduate programs, and a doctorate in educational leadership. [8] [9] The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and places primary emphasis on its role as a teaching and learning institution. [10]
What was "Frostburg State Normal School No. 2" was founded by an act of the Maryland General Assembly, House Bill 742, [11] from the General Appropriation Bill, on March 31, 1898. The bill was offered on the floor by John Leake of Vale Summit in Allegany County:
For the direction of the erection of a building in Frostburg, Allegany County to be known as The State Normal School No. 2, for the sum of $20,000; and for the support of said school when established $5,000 annually, provided, the people of the town of Frostburg furnish the ground for the site of said building and deed the same to the state. [12]
The State Board of Education selected and the town of Frostburg paid for the two-acre Beall Park [13] as the location of the new school on August 9, 1898. [14] The cornerstone was laid in a ceremony on September 4, 1899. [15] The Normal School's first building, Old Main, was positioned in Beall Park to face Loo Street (now known as College Avenue) and to look down Wood Street toward the downtown area of Frostburg. [16] State Normal School No. 2, the first institution being located in Baltimore and then Towson, opened with its first class on September 15, 1902, with 57 students with Frostburg's first administrator, Principal Dr. Edward D. Murdaugh (November 18, 1853 - May 1925). [17] [18] [19] In 1904, eight students became the first graduates of the college, receiving a diploma and a lifetime teaching certificate. [17] [20] In 1912, a new gymnasium was authorized and completed in 1914. [17] In 1919, a dormitory was opened. [17] In 1925, a second dormitory was opened. [17] In 1927, Allegany Hall, a new auditorium, gymnasium, and heating plant was added. [17] In 1930, a six-room practice elementary school known as the new laboratory school [16] was opened and the campus was extended to 40 acres, taking over the Brownsville area of Frostburg. [17]
The institution's original mission was to train teachers for public school systems statewide. In 1935, the school was renamed "State Teachers' College at Frostburg" (also called Frostburg State Teachers College) and began offering a four-year degree program leading to a Bachelor of Science in elementary education, after expanding the curriculum from two to three years in 1931 and 1934, respectively. Lillian Cleveland Compton served as the first female president of the college from 1945 to 1954. [21] Compton replaced the 21-year President John L. Dunkle. [22] [23] [24] Her mission as president was essentially to prepare the college for its planned closing. Enrollment stood at a mere 62 students in 1945. [25] With outdated facilities and inadequate funding, the college was accredited only by the State Department of Education. As early as 1943, there had arisen in the General Assembly a movement to close the institution, which eventually culminated in the Marbury Report. [25] The end of World War II brought a drastic change in the college's environment. In 1946, enrollment increased to 274 students, many being admitted under the new G.I. Bill. Though the movement to close the college persisted, it seemed misguided to those on the scene and was roundly opposed by both private citizens and civic groups in Frostburg and Western Maryland. With the strong support of State Superintendent of Schools Thomas Granville Pullen Jr. and Governor William Preston Lane Jr., the General Assembly was petitioned to keep the School open and the Marbury Commission's recommendations died without ever being acted upon. [25] In 1947, the American Council on Education suggested that Frostburg State Teachers College be closed. [26] The report states:
Your Commission does feel obligated to recommend the prompt discontinuance of the State Teachers College at Frostburg. We are convinced that the cost of operating this unit is not justified by the very small number of its graduates who are entering the school system of the state as teachers. In reaching this conclusion, we have been strongly influenced by the report of our survey staff as to the present condition of the physical facilities at Frostburg. It is apparent that the state faces a heavy capital expenditure if operations at that location are to be continued. Frankly, such an outlay seems to us to be an indefensible waste of public money ... The facilities in Towson are adequate to care for all the students at Frostburg who are now studying to become teachers. [26]
Under Compton's leadership, the institution celebrated its 50th anniversary in the 1949–1950 academic year, enrollment grew from 62 students in 1945 to 500 in 1954, the faculty increased from 13 to 34 members, and the size of the campus increased from eight to 40 acres of land. In addition to plant expansion, she initiated programs in curriculum development, adding a program to train junior high school teachers. [25] R. Bowen Hardesty replaced Compton as president in 1955. [24] The continued southern expansion of the college caused the Brownsville Schools and homes along Park Avenue to be demolished by 1955 to make way for Compton, Allen, and Simpson Halls. A new school-also known as the Lincoln School, and the current home of the university's Public Safety office-was constructed in the late 1950s. However, the building was used for only two years until national integration laws reassigned students to other Frostburg elementary schools. [16] Marking a shift in the educational mission of the institution, the college was granted the right to grant Bachelor of Arts degrees and the master of education degree in 1960. [20] The school was again renamed in July 1963, this time as Frostburg State College. Frostburg received university status in July 1987, thus being renamed to what it is today, i.e. Frostburg State University. [27] Continuing the shift and growth of the university, the institution opened a campus in Hagerstown in 1988, which became the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown in January 2005, and offered its first doctoral degree in 2012. [20]
In 2024, the university faced a $7.7 million deficit. University leaders planned to address the deficit by firing about 30 faculty by fall 2025 and another 15 faculty by spring 2026 and reorganizing administrative units (including eliminating two vice president positions). [28]
President | Tenure |
---|---|
Edward D. Murdaugh | 1902–1909 [29] |
Reginald H. Ridgely | 1909–1912 |
Edward F. Webb | 1909–1916 |
C. L. Staple | 1916–1917 |
Patrick O'Rourke | 1918 |
James Widdowson | 1918–1923 |
John L. Dunkle | 1924–1945 [30] |
Lillian Cleveland Compton | 1945–1954 [30] [31] |
R. Bowen Hardesty | 1955–1964 [32] |
John H. Morey | 1965–1969 [31] [33] [34] |
Nelson P. Guild | 1969–1985 [31] [34] |
Herbert F. Reinhard Jr. | 1986–1991 [31] [35] |
Catherine R. Gira | 1991–2006 [31] [36] |
Jonathan C. Gibralter | 2006–2015 [31] |
Ronald Nowaczyk | 2016–present |
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Colleges were realigned at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.(May 2024) |
Frostburg State University offers 47 undergraduate degrees, 80 specialized programs of study, and 16 graduate degrees in its three colleges: [37] [38]
Frostburg State University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. [39] The College of Business holds accreditations from the (AACSB) Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. [40] The College of Education, specified with respective degree programs, holds accreditations from (NCATE) National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, (CAAHEP) Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs respectively, (CAATE) Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, and The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT). [41] The Counseling Psychology Master's program is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC), and allows students to become Licensed Counselors. [42]
Frostburg also incorporates for students, the ability to study 140 locations worldwide. Exchange programs and partnerships has included Mary Immaculate College Exchange Program (Ireland), Beijing Normal University in Beijing (China), ESC Rennes School of Business (France), Nagasaki University Exchange Program (Japan), Baden-Wurttemberg Cooperative State University Exchange Program (Germany), Kyung Hee University Exchange Program (Korea). [43] [44]
The Adventure Sports Concentration is offered as a collaborative program with Garrett College in Western Maryland. [45] Ethnobotany, introduced in 2007, is one of only two of programs in the United States on the cultural use of plants. [46] The program emphasizes experiential learning and practical experiences.
On July 5, 2018, the Mountain East Conference announced that Frostburg State University has accepted an offer of membership beginning with the 2019–20 academic year. Full membership will be contingent upon Frostburg State achieving active membership status in NCAA Division II. [47] Beginning in 2020, Frostburg joined the East Coast Conference as an associate member in men's lacrosse, also contingent on being accepted into Division II by the NCAA. [48]
Prior to 2019, Frostburg State University competed at the NCAA Division III level and was a member of the Capital Athletic Conference, as well as participating as an associate member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football. However, prior to 2010, FSU was competing as a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. [49] FSU's football team was a member of the ACFC, but has moved to Empire 8 in 2011. [50] FSU teams have participated in and won many championships, Baseball having the most championship victories. [51] Various club and intramural sports are available on campus.
The Bottom Line is the official news outlet of Frostburg State University. Founded in 1948, the newspaper is primarily run by students. The weekly circulation had print peaks of up to 2,500 copies. As of 2013, The Bottom Line relies on web based multimedia as its primary platform. The journalistic intent of the organization is to report news and information that relates to the campus community. [52]
All students are represented by the three branches of the Student Government Association: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The SGA develops and administers student self-government policies, provides services to students, communicates with faculty and administration, and decides how the student activity fees are spent. [53]
FSU-TV3 is Frostburg State University's 24-hour educational access channel. [54] It is programmed and operated by students in the Department of Mass Communication, located in the Center for Communication and Information Technology. [55] The Frostburg studio is programmed and operated by both students and faculty each semester. [56] FSU-TV3 presents programming including documentaries, concerts, guest speakers, sports, and city council meetings. [57]
WFWM radio is a public service of Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. It broadcasts informational, educational, and cultural programming 24 hours a day to the westernmost counties of Maryland and adjacent areas in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. WFWM operates at an assigned frequency of 91.9 MHz. It also operates a translator station, W242AD (96.3 MHz), in Oakland, Maryland. Some of WFWM's daily programming includes locally produced programming and news, as well as the public syndicate network of National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and National Weather Service. Main transmission facilities are located on Dan's Mountain in Midland, Maryland. WFWM also maintains and assists XFSR, the FSU student intranet radio station. [58]
Frostburg State University has a large number of nationally and internationally recognized fraternities, sororities, academic clubs, and student associations on-campus. [59]
The Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Frostburg State University is a $19 million facility constructed in 1994. [60] The PAC features three acoustic rehearsal halls and two drama theaters. The three state-of-the-art performing accommodations contain a 458-seat recital hall, a 338-seat drama theater, and a 150-seat studio theater. [61] It is complete with scenic and costume shops, a box office, practice rooms, faculty and staff offices, dressing rooms, two separate dedicated computer labs and various production facilities. The PAC showcases major performances in ballet, dance, musicals, plays, vocal and instrumental performances from professional to student performers. [62]
The center is housed within the College of Education. The annual Spring Festival of Children's Literature brings together nationally and internationally recognized children's authors and illustrators with teachers, librarians, media specialists, and lovers of children's literature. In 2009, the festival included featured speakers Kadir Nelson, Doreen Rappaport, Matt Tavares, and Gennifer Cholendenko. The centre sponsors several free community events for children, based around children's literature. [63]
Allegany County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,106. Its county seat is Cumberland. The name Allegany may come from a local Lenape word, welhik hane or oolikhanna, which means 'best flowing river of the hills' or 'beautiful stream'. A number of counties and a river in the Appalachian region of the U.S. are named Allegany, Allegheny, or Alleghany. Allegany County is part of the Cumberland metropolitan area. It is a part of the Western Maryland "panhandle".
Morgan State University is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1890, the university, then known as the Centenary Biblical Institute, changed its name to Morgan College to honor Lyttleton Morgan, the first chairman of its board of trustees and a land donor to the college. It became a university in 1975.
Florida State University is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Chartered in 1851, it is located on Florida's oldest continuous site of higher education.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs and the first university research park in Maryland. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".
Towson University is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university has evolved into eight subsidiary colleges with over 20,000 students. Its 329-acre campus is situated in Baltimore County, Maryland eight miles north of downtown Baltimore. Towson is one of the largest public universities in Maryland and still produces the most teachers of any university in the state.
The University of Baltimore is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sciences. The university is the location of one of Maryland's two law schools.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland and has a strategic partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park. Located on 71 acres (0.29 km2) on the west side of downtown Baltimore, it is part of the University System of Maryland.
Fayetteville State University (FSU) is a public historically black university in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) is a multi-university scientific research center within the University System of Maryland dedicated to environmental science, estuarine studies, and marine science.
The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a public university in Adelphi, Maryland. It is the largest institution in the University System of Maryland Established in 1947 with origins in the College of Special and Continuation Studies of the University of Maryland, College Park for mid-career working professionals and non-traditional students, UMGC offers online, hybrid and face-to-face instruction at education centers across the Washington–Baltimore metropolitan area, throughout Maryland, and across the world.
Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Capitol Technology University is a private university in South Laurel, Maryland, near Washington, DC. The university was founded in 1927 as the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute by a former US Navy Radioman. CREI changed its name to Capitol Institute of Technology in 1964, changed its name again to Capitol College in 1987, and Capitol Technology University in 2014. Capitol offers undergraduate and graduate programs specializing in engineering, computer science, information technology, and business. It is classified among "D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities" and is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
Established in January 2005, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown (USMH) is a facility located in the Commercial Core Historic District in Hagerstown, Maryland It offers upper-level undergraduate and graduate programs to residents of Hagerstown and its surrounding region and is part of the University System of Maryland.
Allegany College of Maryland is a public community college in Cumberland, Maryland. It was previously known as Allegany Community College. The college was founded in 1961 and is accredited by the Middle State Commission on Higher Education. The college offers 31 two-year degree programs, 30 certificate programs, and 10 letters of recognitions. The college also has campuses and extension sites in Cumberland, Maryland; Everett, Pennsylvania; Oakland, Maryland; Somerset, Pennsylvania; and LaVale, Maryland.
Allegany County Transit (ACT) is a publicly funded, general-public bus system serving Allegany County, Maryland, providing Public Transportation. Allegany County has two types of services, a Fixed Route and a Demand Response Service. Allegany County Transit is a division of Allegany County Government.
The Florida State University College of Medicine, located in Tallahassee, Florida, is one of sixteen colleges composing the Florida State University. The college, created in 2000, is an accredited medical school, offering the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree for physicians. The College of Medicine also offers a Ph.D. degree and a Physician Assistant program.
T. J. Bryan is an American educator who rose from poverty in rural Maryland to become the first African-American woman to be elected by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors (BoG) to serve as Chancellor of one of its constituent institutions.
Thomas Granville Pullen Jr. was the fifth president of the University of Baltimore from 1964 to 1969. Prior to that, he acted as state superintendent of schools for Maryland from 1942 to 1964.
Eva Kristine Vetulani-Belfoure was a Polish teacher, translator, activist and writer who emigrated to the United States in 1950.
But the 260-acre Western Maryland ...
The Maryland General Assembly authorized ...
FSU-TV3 is Frostburg State University's 24-hour ...
The Frostburg studio is now equipped ...
These shows include documentaries ...[ permanent dead link ]