WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced that Robert Caret, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, would be his guest at President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union Address on January 12, 2016. Chancellor Caret will be representing the more than 165,000 undergraduate and graduate students across 12 campuses in Maryland — from Frostburg to the Eastern Shore, Baltimore, overseas and College Park.
“Education is the great equalizer and one of the single best investments we can make in the future of our nation,” said Senator Cardin. “Tuesday night, among other critically important topics, we will hear President Obama detail his vision to continue shaping the future of higher education in America. We need to be doing everything in our power to make education more affordable. If we continue to allow students to drown in debt, we risk their future and we are shortchanging our national and regional economies by pricing certain Americans out of the college market.”
“Working in a bipartisan way, Congress can make higher education more accessible with the help of leaders like Chancellor Caret. Robert Caret was the first in his family to attend college, he has spent a lifetime in education, including decades with the University System of Maryland. As the leader of University System of Maryland, Chancellor Caret is tasked with ensuring 168,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive the quality education they need to improve themselves and their communities. He understands how important is to increase access to higher education and has had experience making college more affordable for thousands of students. I look forward to hearing Chancellor Caret’s insights on how to improve higher education in the minutes and years following today’s speech,” Senator Cardin added.
Chancellor Caret was named Chancellor of the University System of Maryland in December of 2014. Prior to becoming Chancellor, Caret served as president of San Jose State University, Towson University and president of the University of Massachusetts System. Throughout his career, Chancellor Caret has worked to increase efficiency, cost-saving initiatives, and productive working relationships with the private and public sectors.
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