Happy Monday: Maryland’s Innovation Future
Dear UMBC Community,
Last Thursday, I had the honor of representing higher education on the opening plenary panel of the Maryland Innovation Summit, convened by Governor Wes Moore. Alongside Dr. Raj Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Sarah Heck, head of public policy at Anthropic, we discussed artificial intelligence, innovation, and Maryland’s future.
As we considered the pace of technological change and how Maryland should respond, we were asked to imagine ourselves five years from now: How will we know if Maryland got it right? For me, it came down to a few key questions:
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Did we prepare our students to be continual learners and to lead?
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Did our research and innovation address problems that matter to Maryland and improve the lives of people in our communities?
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Did we build public trust and responsible governance?
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Did we ensure that the benefits of any advances accrued equitably?
I was grateful to bring UMBC’s voice and values to this important conversation, and to help keep questions about people–who participates, who benefits, and whose lives are made better–at the center.
Happy Monday!
President Valerie Sheares Ashby