The University of Maryland has been granted status as a “minority-serving institution” for Asian Americans and related groups, a gateway to targeted federal support for scholarships and the growth of academic programs. It’s the first “minority-serving” designation for the University of Maryland.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education has granted Maryland $2.4 million over two years – one of only six schools nationwide, and the only major public research university, to be funded under this program.
Asian Americans now represent the largest minority group on the Maryland campus – more than 14 percent. To become an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving-Institution, at least one in ten students must fall into one of these groups.
“This represents a major advance for the University, a tangible marker of our vital and growing diversity,” says Donna Hamilton, associate provost and dean for Undergraduate Studies, who oversees the Asian American Studies Program. “It is also a marker of the program’s rapid expansion, which is quickly becoming one of the best in the nation.”
Maryland’s Asian American Studies Program was created in 2000 and has experienced a growth spurt in the past two years.
“The ‘minority-serving’ designation will benefit every unit on campus, potentially giving added weight and consideration to any request for federal funding,” says the program’s first permanent director, Larry H. Shinagawa, associate professor of American Studies.
In addition to support for scholarships, fellowships and exchange programs, Shinagawa says the bulk of the money will be used to expand the program with a cutting-edge curriculum, additional courses and the creation of opportunities for experiential learning such as international study.
