The board of regents of the University of Maryland system has received a report containing recommendations on how to improve the academic standing of Coppin State University, a historically Black educational institution in Baltimore. William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University of Maryland system, told the Baltimore Sun, “There’s no question that Coppin has been an underperforming institution.”
The 14-member committee was chaired by Freeman A. Hrabowski III, an African Americans who is president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The panel recommended that Coppin consider increasing standards for admission to the university, focus on attracting transfer students, and retaining those students who enroll. The committee also advised that students need increased access to financial aid. Also it recommended that academic programs be realigned to focus on demand and career opportunities and that the university strive for “dramatic improvements in student services and operations.”
