university of maryland should relocate west to hagerstown

[PhenomenalAJ]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

They should definitely keep University of Maryland - College Park. I quite like the area.

But, another campus, University of Maryland - Hagerstown, sounds like a great idea. It would be a fairly ideal college town, and contribue to the community of Hagerstown.

Spoken like someone not all that familiar with the area. I am almost proud though that no Terp bots have chimed in trying to say how CP college life is as great as anywhere else, its dismal and pathetic. It kind of has the worst of both worlds, its neither in a college town nor a truly urban campus close to the excitement of a big city. I had the good fortune of attending college in a true college town and it is great. Most of my high school friends went to CP and they all basically party with the same kids they were back then with maybe a few new people mixed in, very sad.

Still, having the flagship MD school in Hagerstown is a terrible idea. Aside from the massive expense, its a huge burden on all the DC-Baltimoreish area people who have to find housing for their kids. I'm sure Hagerstown would be ecstatic but our tuition is already insane and the housing woukl just make it worse.

[selhars]

Aside from the massive expense, its a huge burden on all the DC-Baltimoreish area people who have to find housing for their kids.

I don't know that that's a major relevant point to the discussion, but if that's you own personal and provincial interest in it, so be it.

But isn't that the same burden that parents in western MD now have when their kids attend UM.....or parents in Erie have when their kids attend Penn State...or parents in Rehoboth have when their kids attend UD, or parents in Roanoke have if their children attend Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond.

[SwampFox35]

i think it is funny how the guy who started this thread isn't from maryland and he comes up in here and suggests that maryland move their flagship university (full of students who probably never been anywhere in maryland outside of baltimore/dc and ocean city) to some blue collar town over the mountain in western part of the state.

he cares that much about maryland students having a real college town experience. LOL

[HurricaneDC]

College Park is a hole, but it can be redeveloped and made into something better. Get the crime rates down, get more independent businesses in, and it can be a really cool college town.

One of the biggest advantages UMCP has in its location is its proximity to DC.

[PhenomenalAJ]

Originally Posted by selhars

I don't know that that's a major relevant point to the discussion, but if that's you own personal and provincial interest in it, so be it.

But isn't that the same burden that parents in western MD now have when their kids attend UM.....or parents in Erie have when their kids attend Penn State...or parents in Rehoboth have when their kids attend UD, or parents in Roanoke have if their children attend Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond.

How exactly is removing the flagship university from the state's center of population to a rural area not relevant to discussion? Its location is an asset in many ways, more convenient for most of the state's population and gets a better assortment of students who prefer to go to school near DC. Also it helps attract great guest speakers in the world of diplomacy and politics who sure as hell wouldn't trek to Hagerstown to give guest lectures.

As for most flagship universities being away from most state's biggest population centers, remember lots of these schools were built 150 years ago when population patterns were different. UVA was put in Charlottesville back when NOVA was a rural backwater, they had no way of anticipating the area's growth, for example. It'd just be foolish to intentionally do it now.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by PhenomenalAJ

How exactly is removing the flagship university from the state's center of population to a rural area not relevant to discussion? Its location is an asset in many ways, more convenient for most of the state's population and gets a better assortment of students who prefer to go to school near DC. Also it helps attract great guest speakers in the world of diplomacy and politics who sure as hell wouldn't trek to Hagerstown to give guest lectures.

As for most flagship universities being away from most state's biggest population centers, remember lots of these schools were built 150 years ago when population patterns were different. UVA was put in Charlottesville back when NOVA was a rural backwater, they had no way of anticipating the area's growth, for example. It'd just be foolish to intentionally do it now.

Well, Mr. Phenomenal, we agree on this. There are plenty of satellite universities for the residents of the rural regions. Sure, they aren't going to have the resources of the flagship, but in comparison to the size of their regions, they still provide intellectual/cultural stimulation and a near-by place to go to college, if that is what the locals want.

If not, they can always try to get into UMCP. I also agree the flagship campus lacks curb appeal. No amount of loving Terp basketball and the promise of free tickets were enough to get me to apply. Not my cup of tea.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Coward Robert Ford

the idea of all those pretentious liberal kids at U. of Maryland living in hagerstown for 4 years makes me smile.

Hagerstown might appreciate the revenue stream, but I highly doubt anyone in Hagerstown would appreciate tens of thousands of college students suddenly becoming "residents". I get your intentions with what I quoted above, but in reality, the joke will be on Hagerstown.

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

I don't quite understand how a wealthy state can have only one flagship school. Virginia, in contrast, has Virginia, VaTech, William & Mary, and up-and-coming George Mason. It's no wonder Maryland has a net drain of college students.

Are there any States with two flagships? The flagship university is usually the university that reached the status as a full-fledged research university first, is generally the largest research school within the system, is usually the first to be established in the system, is DI for sports, are generally the core of the system. Even though VT is more popular, the University of Virginia is the State's only flagship.

Originally Posted by e30is

2. Yeah CP is a bit behind with the rest of what they're now in the big 10.

Uh, [university] Minnesota is smack dab in the middle of Minneapolis and St. Paul, although the West Bank and Dinkytown have that college town feel. Madison (the city) is not exactly small, either.