Statement from ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø Chancellor Robert L. Caret: ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø Acts to Support ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø's Amazon HQ2 Bid

Adelphi, Md. (Oct. 3, 2017) -- The ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø (ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø) Board of Regents voted Tuesday to waive the one-year residency requirement for in-state tuition for employees of Amazon.com Inc. who relocate to ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø in connection with the potential construction here of the company’s second headquarters. Following the vote, ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø Chancellor Robert Caret issued the following statement.

 

"Today, the University System of ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø (ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø) Board of Regents acted to support ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø's economy by voting to grant Amazon employees relocating to ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø access to in-state tuition at the system's 12 degree-granting institutions for themselves and their children.  While educational opportunities will not be the only factor in its decision -- ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø benefits from a host of economic, transportation, research, and cultural resources - we are pleased to do our part to help bring Amazon to ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø.

The ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø is excited to support the state's bid for Amazon's HQ2.  ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø's commitment to higher education has resulted in one of its most significant strengths -- a well-educated, highly skilled workforce. ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø ranks 3rd nationwide in the percentage of the population age 25 and above with a bachelor's degree, 2nd in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree, and 1st in percentage of professional and technical workers.

In an economy driven by knowledge and innovation, ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø institutions-as both educational centers and hubs of research and development-are key contributors to this critical intellectual infrastructure and to the state's innovation rich economy.  In addition to enrolling more than 170,000 students per year and retaining 80 percent of our graduates in ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø, ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø attracts to the state more than $1.3 billion in research funding each year and ranks 8th in federal R&D funding nationally.  In recent years, ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø has sought to intensify our impact on ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø's economic ecosystem, resulting in an 80 percent increase in undergraduate STEM degrees, more than 1,750 invention disclosers, more than 250 technology licenses, and some 550 companies facilitated from the intellectual and entrepreneurial assets of ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø institutions.

We look forward to partnering with Amazon -- as well as government, business and community leaders throughout the state -- to continue building ϡȱÁÔÆæÍø's economy by providing excellent, accessible, and affordable education and research opportunities for learners, scholars and entrepreneurs."

Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu