Maryland Regents Reject Merger Plan

The Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland on Friday voted to endorse an "alliance" between the University of Maryland at College Park and the University of Maryland at Baltimore, but rejected the idea of merging the institutions. The idea of enhanced collaboration is generally popular with both campuses. Some supporters of College Park, the state flagship, felt it could be more of a player among research universities with the addition of the Baltimore campus, which is strong in the health professions. But many in Baltimore feared that such a move would shift too much attention to College Park, in the Washington suburbs.