UMES, UMB fight Hopkins proposal for similar degree plan
The Johns Hopkins University’s proposal for a doctoral physical therapy program hangs in limbo as the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland, Baltimore claim the prospective degree is duplicative of their own programs and would cause them harm.
In the coming days, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, which oversees all of the state’s colleges and universities, will share its decision on whether to approve the Hopkins program, according to Commission Chair Cassie Motz at a Thursday hearing on the subject.
This is the second time in recent months that a Maryland historically Black university has challenged a fellow university program proposal on the grounds of duplication. Morgan State University called out Towson University for pitching an “unreasonably duplicative” doctoral business program. Last month, Towson rescinded its proposal but said it plans to resubmit in the future.
Now, UMES, another HBCU, is arguing alongside UMB for their doctoral physical therapy programs to remain the only two in the state.
Hopkins issued a statement asserting the university’s program is not unreasonably duplicative.
“Maryland educational institutions are currently producing less than one third of the state’s estimated annual need for physical therapists, based on occupational projections from the Maryland Department of Labor,” the statement says. “Our proposed [doctorate of physical therapy] program represents a positive contribution that addresses state and national workforce needs and educational demand.”
In July, the higher education commission’s acting secretary, Sanjay Rai, expressed support for Hopkins’ proposal and on Thursday asked the body to back his decision.
Emily A. A. Dow, the commission’s assistant secretary for academic affairs, said although the Hopkins program is duplicative, it is not unreasonably so given the market demand for physical therapists and the institutional differences Hopkins offers as a private, elite university.
Dow added that there are 37 such programs in neighboring states, with Pennsylvania and Delaware having top-ranked ones.
“Maryland is currently dwarfed by the competition in other states,” she said.
Hopkins’ proposal calls for a cohort of up to 70 students; UMES and UMB currently have caps of 34 and 70, respectively. The cohort restrictions are determined by an application process with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
Dow said a unique aspect of Hopkins’ proposal is that it has a hybrid option, meaning students could complete their work both in person and online. UMB officials said they plan to have their program hybrid by 2025.
Hopkins’ proposal would help the Johns Hopkins Medical System pipeline for physical therapists in the same way that UMES and UMB help the University of Maryland Medical System, Dow also said.
Conversely, regarding the Morgan State and
Towson University conflict, Dow ruled that Towson’s proposal was unreasonably duplicative because it copied two specific concentrations hosted at Morgan State. Additionally, the universities sit about four miles apart, and Dow did not see a reason for having two similar programs so close to each other.
At the Thursday hearing, UMES President Heidi Anderson said that confirming Hopkins’ proposal would reverse previous decisions the commission had made to deny duplicative physical therapy program proposals. She said the commission recently denied Stevenson University’s physical therapy program proposal because it would have been unreasonably duplicative and have caused harm to UMES.
The commission will revisit its decision-making process concerning Stevenson’s plan at its Wednesday meeting.
The Office of the Attorney General shared sguidance with the commission in August stating the majority of all commissioners are needed to vote, not just the majority of commissioners present, for the board to take action. This advice necessitated the reconsideration of the Stevenson vote.
Last month, a legislative work group focused on assessing the commission’s degree approval process began producing a report, due Dec. 1. This group’s role partly stems from a 2021 settlement in which Maryland agreed to pay its four HBCUs $577 million. The state allowed nearby predominantly white institutions to copy degree programs, putting the HBCUs at a disadvantage, the court determined.