Lt. Governor Brown Addresses College Graduates

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) hosted its annual graduation celebration on May 9 to honor the fall 2012 and spring 2013 graduates. USG is a University System of Maryland campus in Montgomery County that offers students more than 75 degree programs from nine different state universities. The event honored nearly 700 graduating students from programs from nine state universities from the fall 2012 and spring 2013 classes.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown delivered the keynote address for this year’s celebration.

“Every year, I am impressed by the extraordinary students who accomplish so much during their time here at USG, both in their academic pursuits and outside the classroom,” said Dr. Stewart Edelstein, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University System of Maryland and Executive Director at Universities at Shady Grove. “USG – with our extraordinary partners in education, community and business – continues to grow and foster a campus community in which our students thrive.”

At USG, bachelor’s degree programs begin at the junior level, serving students who transfer into university programs with 60 credits, typically from nearby community colleges, such as Montgomery College. A recent study by the University System of Maryland indicates a high success rate for students who transfer to a program at USG from community colleges, as 74 percent of the students who transferred to USG in the fall of 2008 graduated within four years. That compares to the graduation rate of 51 percent for the USM system-wide transfer average, across the 11 Maryland state universities.

In total, more than 4,100 students have now received bachelor’s degrees from programs at USG since the campus began offering full-time, daytime programs in the fall of 2000.

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