BY NICOLE BRODZIK | the Statesman
The university is dealing with a $4.6 million overall debt as of 2016, and that number is growing as UMD is spending $4.3 million more a year than they are bringing in.
So, why commit to constructing the Chemistry and Advanced Material Sciences (CAMS) Building when there’s already a multi-million dollar deficit?
UMD will be looking to break ground on the project in the next few years, but won’t be able to fix their current debt situation in that time. According to Chancellor Lendley Black, he and the university will be looking to donations for many of the costs. Fundraising has already begun for the project.
“We’re making good progress,” Black said. “I can’t give any specifics. We have a number of significant asks out there so I can’t talk about them, but we have been assertively pursuing fundraising for the building and will continue to do that.”
If an appropriate donor came forward, Black said he would be open to having the building named - for the right price of course.
“That is certainly an option and we would certainly welcome that if the right people come forward.”
What happens if those donations don’t come through? Chancellor Black said the money comes out of a specific fund that does not include things like student service fees or profits from the bookstore or dining services.
“Well, the way this funding works is that we do raise as much money as we can and then the remainder of our commitment is an amount we work out with the system office that can be funded over a period of time,” Black said. “So we don’t have to have all the cash in hand to start construction of the building.”
Director of University Marketing and Public Relations Lynne Williams later clarified in an email that the funds could come from student tuition dollars if necessary.
“While it is our hope to try raise private funds and not use tuition, those dollars are intermixed with state funding and it isn't always perfectly clean or clear,” Williams said in the email.
The CAMS building will be located in the current Maroon B parking lot. The new, up-to-date facilities will allow the Chemistry department to continue their “cutting edge research,” which administration hopes will help with the student experience and create more research opportunities for students and faculty alike.
This is the one of the next steps in updating old buildings and structures at UMD. Currently, Cina Hall and the Tweed museum are under construction as a part of this initiative.
While Black acknowledges that not every student will need to use the new building, he hopes the campus community will embrace its groundbreaking when the day comes.
“I would hope that people would take a broader view in terms of how improvements in facilitates and learning experience do help the overall student body, even though not every one touches every student.”