STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON ADMINISTRATION’S COMMITMENT TO AFFORDABLE COLLEGE

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 28, 2013) – This afternoon, Governor Martin O’Malley attended a rally hosted by the University System of Maryland Student Council supporting the Administration’s FY2014 budget that keeps college affordable for more families and makes investments to support innovation at Maryland’s colleges and universities. The Governor issued the following statement on the Administration’s continued commitment to affordable college:


“Six years ago, Lt. Governor Brown and I committed to making college more affordable for more of our families. And every year of this Administration, even during the toughest of times while cutting more than any administration in state history, we have invested to make this a reality.

“Because of the better choices we’ve made together, Maryland is alone among the 50 states to freeze in-state tuition at our colleges and universities for four years in a row. During that time, the University of Maryland System went from the eighth most expensive in the country to the 27th. And because of those better choices, the College Board says that Maryland has done more than any other state to hold down the cost of college tuition.

“If we want to be leaders in science, leaders in security, and leaders in innovation, it all comes down to how well we educate our future generations. We consider this not only to be something good for our State, but essential for our country.”

According to the College Board, Maryland has done more than any other state in the nation to hold down the cost of college with the lowest increase in college tuition in the nation. Alone among the 50 states, Maryland froze in-state tuition at state colleges and universities four years in a row and has held tuition increases to the lowest in the nation for over five years.

The Governor’s proposed FY2014 budget keeps college affordable, protects capital and operating investments in Maryland’s universities and community colleges, and makes investments in innovative initiatives like Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, as well as research, entrepreneurship and commercialization of blossoming ideas within the University System of Maryland.

For a fact sheet on the Administration's commitment to higher education and job creation, click here.