Responding to the Challenges that Lie Ahead Undergraduate Education Improving undergraduate retention and graduation rates, as well as student achievement, is vital to providing Maryland with the educated citizenry it requires for a healthy society and for continued economic growth and development. Higher education, like any other effective enterprise, continually seeks to improve its services to its constituents. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to find new ways to enrich the educational experiences of our students and to assist them in staying in school and earning a diploma.
Undergraduate education is the core mission of most of our institutions.
With that in mind, we must assess our current efforts and find new ways to enrich the educational experiences of our undergraduate students. We must support them in continuing their education and in earning a diploma. Undergraduate education is enhanced through providing educational opportunities that are challenging, personally rewarding, provide opportunities for international experiences, promote active student learning and connections among students and between students and faculty and other campus personnel who are a part of campus life. These programs extend the breadth and meaning of a college education while, at the same time, contributing to the development of the communication, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills needed to carry out the economic and social roles that will be demanded of our graduates. The success of these programs has contributed to steadily increasing full-time undergraduate student enrollments at USM institutions.