University of Maryland President Wallace Loh will join University of Maryland, Baltimore President Jay Perman and other leading state officials next Tuesday to announce a national security partnership between the two institutions, according to a university news release.
The relationship is set to be announced during an event in Greenbelt, which has been trying to entice the FBI into relocating nearby. No specific details on the partnership were available in the news release.
Other guests scheduled to attend include University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert Caret, Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Greenbelt Mayor Emmet V. Jordan will be hosting the event, and Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman will also attend, according to a news release. Along with the announcement of the partnership, the event will make another push for Greenbelt to be the future location of the FBI headquarters.
Last spring, state lawmakers passed a bill expanding the relationship between this university and UMB, furthering a partnership between the two campuses which will become effective on Oct. 1.
Alex Likowski, a UMB spokesman, said locating the FBI center in Greenbelt will produce more technical jobs. He also said that the FBI could play some sort of role in the collaboration, with specific details coming Tuesday.
“It certainly is beneficial to the University of Maryland, Baltimore in this partnership we are proposing with the FBI,” Likowski said, referencing the FBI center’s proposed location at the Metro and MARC stations. “Our researchers, our faculty can more easily participate and lend their expertise.”
Likowski said the event will focus on finding new ways to support innovation in national security and use the two universities’ expertise. An FBI in Greenbelt would be easily accessible for both campuses — by MARC train for Baltimore and by Metro for College Park.
The announcement is scheduled to take place at 9:30 a.m. next Tuesday at the Greenbelt Metro Station.