Organizational issues to be further developed based on input and feedback include:
- The full board will be invited to all meetings of the merger study work group.
- The leadership committee of the board will serve as the work group’s steering committee.
- Use of outside consultants (either ongoing or as needed)
- Project staffing and task assignments
- Use of USMO staff, institutional staff or others as needed
- Assignments based on an agreed upon set of questions and data needed to answer those questions
- Expectations for pre‐study meetings and materials
- Discussion with USM leadership and individuals with experience from other institutions in other states
- Case studies, testimony, and related materials from similar studies
- Communications strategy
- Pre‐study briefings of board, institutional presidents, governor, General Assembly leadership, USM councils, oversight agency staff, and other stakeholders
- Use of website to gather stakeholder input and comments early in the process, and to post updates
- Public hearings in Baltimore and College Park, and statewide via web online
- Time line
- May-June
- Conduct pre-study briefings
- Form and charge BOR work group
- Assign work tasks and identify consultants
- Finalize and test questions
- July-August
- Collect data and begin developing responses to questions
- Review responses with BOR and solicit feedback
- Brief presidents and USM councils on progress
- September-October
- Schedule and hold public hearings
- Develop and release initial draft of study internally
- Review and revise based on feedback
- November-December
- Finalize draft and brief BOR and presidents
- Submit draft to DBM for review
- Brief governor and General Assembly leadership
- Submit final draft
- May-June