When Joe Tydings was elected SGA president in 1949, he was ahead of his time.
The 21-year-old future U.S. Senator and member of the Board of Regents quelled a persistent rioting problem and prodded on construction of a student union in his tenure on the campus, and it was just the start of his lifelong career as an advocate for Maryland public higher education.
As his current term on the board comes to an end, it is his experience, which spans more than half a century, that regents and University System of Maryland officials say will be missed — but they don’t expect his participation to end.
“As long as this man is drawing breath, he will be involved with the university,” said system Chancellor Brit Kirwan.
After decades of various forms of involvement with higher education, Tydings has strong philosophies for the funding quagmires the system perpetually faces. Formally becoming a modern state university in 1920, this university is behind its peers, Tydings said.
“We got a late start,” he said. “The university has suffered from that mentality. We have never funded higher education anywhere near the level of [North] Carolina or Wisconsin or Michigan.”
His vast institutional knowledge is something regents and system officials value overwhelmingly as recent budget cuts and tuition hikes have made the board’s position increasingly tenuous. At board meetings, Tydings is frequently a source of explanation, clarification and background essential to the body’s decisions.
“[There have been] several occasions in which he has explained to all of us the history of the underfunding of College Park and the university system. It’s a history that I wouldn’t know without Joe Tydings,” Regent Jim Rosapepe said.
For example, after the University System of Maryland was created in 1988, system and university officials urged that legislation include a designation of this university as the state’s flagship institution. Tydings and his extensive experience proved to be key in accomplishing that, Kirwan said.
“Joe, because of his knowledge of Annapolis and his experience there, was invaluable in making that happen,” Kirwan said.
Tydings came to the campus in January 1948 after serving in Germany in World War II, and a year later, he ran for Student Government Association president. In his tenure, he dealt with student rioters who filled Route 1 before football games, blocking all traffic on the only road at the time connecting Baltimore and Washington, and also passed a resolution lobbying for the initial funds needed to build a student union on the campus. Coincidentally, he was chairman of the Board of Regents when the time came to name the student union — and he demanded it be named for Adele Stamp, dean of women from 1922 to 1960.
In his days on the campus, boxing was the sport to watch — “nobody went to basketball games,” he said — and he earned four varsity letters in lacrosse, playing in two national championships.
After following that with experience at the University of Maryland law school, in the Maryland House of Delegates, as the U.S. District Attorney for Maryland and in the U.S. Senate, there is arguably nobody more passionate and knowledgeable of the campus and university system than Tydings, his peers said.
“He has been fighting for decades to get the state to invest in the College Park campus so that average middle-class Maryland kids can afford to get a world-class education,” said Rosapepe. “The most important thing, and this really transcends his recent service on the board … is there simply is no stronger champion for College Park than Joe Tydings.”
Board of Regents Chairman Cliff Kendall, who is stepping down from his post as chairman but will remain a regent next year, said Tydings has been an “invaluable” board member.
“He has an in-depth knowledge of the history of Maryland, of higher education in Maryland and of the board,” Kendall said. “He’s a person that has strong moral convictions and will stand up for what he believes … We’re going to miss Joe Tydings as a regent.”
Kirwan echoed that Tydings’ passion for history, intelligence and experience in public policy and politics make him an ideal advocate for the system.
Tydings, son of Millard Tydings, a former U.S. senator for whom Tydings Hall is named, is the only regent in history to be appointed to the board in three different decades by three different governors: He was chosen by Marvin Mandel, also a current regent, in the 1970s, Harry Hughes in the 1980s and Parris Glendening in 2000, and it’s a bragging right Tydings humbly admits.
Kirwan said he doesn’t expect Tydings’ influence to end with the conclusion of his term on the board.
“I and others will continue to turn to him for advice and support,” Kirwan said. “I know we’ll benefit from his guidance in the years to come.”
Tydings himself will admit his strength and intention to provide the insight that only his decades of experience can bring.
“One of my big projects has been to educate … about the importance of this university and, of course, the university system,” he said. “State leadership is just beginning to realize how important the university is.”
Even at 77 years old, leaving the board does not mean retirement for Tydings. He continues to practice law in Washington and even plays mixed-doubles tennis with his wife.
“I’m 77 going on 55,” he said. “We generally spot a quarter to a third of a century to our opponents — and we win.”
Tydings said he is hopeful for a smoother budgeting process for the system next year, because this year the system received its first budget increase since 2002.
“These are difficult times,” Tydings said. “Hopefully the regents won’t face the draconian cuts that we had in the past few years. [Gov. Bob Ehrlich] has been to College Park in other than an athletic context this year, so that’s a good sign.”
Kirwan said the board will face an interesting situation as Tydings leaves large shoes to fill on the board next year, and others agreed.
“[He has] no peer when it comes to the University of Maryland,” Kirwan said. “Outside of his family, I think it’s the thing he cares most about. We’re all indebted to him for the role he has played.”
