From its initial founding as a small, agricultural college with less than three dozen students, the University of Maryland, College Park - poised to celebrate its 150th anniversary - has transformed itself over the years into a powerful economic engine pumping an estimated $2 billion back to the state.

Today, the University of Maryland, College Park is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland and its 13 public institutions. The university has 25,379 undergraduate students and an additional 9,883 graduate and professional students. It is estimated that one out of every 34 residents of Maryland has attended the University of Maryland in some capacity.