The Maryland Higher Education Commission ruled on Wednesday that Towson University cannot create a doctoral program in sustainability and environmental change, citing its “unreasonable duplication” of a similar program at Morgan State University.

Eight members of the commission voted to uphold a previous ruling on the matter issued by Sanjay Rai, the secretary of higher education in the state. Only one disagreed that Towson’s program would cause “demonstrable harm” to Morgan State’s bioenvironmental science Ph.D. program by competing for students and faculty members.

“The program Towson is proposing is unreasonably and unnecessarily duplicative of the Morgan program,” said David Wilson, Morgan State’s president, at the meeting. “Morgan State University takes very, very seriously the whole notion of program duplication.”

This is not the first time the two universities, situated less than 5 miles apart, have clashed. Last year, Morgan State raised alarm bells after Towson “replicated” a business analytics administration program at the historically Black college. The Maryland Higher Education Commission ultimately sided with Morgan State and rejected Towson’s request for that doctoral program, as well. The same year, the commission denied requests from the Johns Hopkins University and Stevenson University for a Ph.D. program in physical therapy, which it said would have duplicated a program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, another HBCU.

Champions of Maryland’s historically Black colleges won a $577 million settlement in 2021 after years of arguing that the state had underfunded HBCUs and allowed other public colleges to duplicate their programs, hindering their ability to attract students. The commission must now consider whether new, competing programs at historically white institutions would harm those at HBCUs.

While Towson “respects the decision of the commissioners, we are disappointed in and do not concur with today’s denial of our appeal,” a spokesperson told The Baltimore Banner. “The graduates of such a unique program would have helped our state to meet the critical environmental and climate-change related challenges we all face today and increasingly will face in the future.”

Wilson told the commission that the university is “on the cusp” of becoming a Research 1 institution, a prestigious distinction given to universities with the highest level of research activity. He said that Morgan State will miss the distinction, released this coming January, by just six graduate students, and that Towson’s proposed doctoral program could make it even harder to attain that goal.

Howard University is set to become the only current HBCU with an R1 status.

Morgan State’s bioenvironmental science Ph.D. program, Wilson said, helps the university on its “quest” to “give birth to the nation’s 18th federal lab” at its Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory in Calvert County. If successful, Morgan State would be the first HBCU in the country to host a federal lab.

“This is what we’re marching towards,” he said. “We are devoted to this area of coastal sustainability, urban environment and climate.”

Representatives for Towson, including President Mark Ginsberg and provost Melanie Perreault, argued that the program at their university would be geared more towards “climate change and sustainability.” They also argued that the program would provide more workers to the job market to fill sustainability positions.

“It will prepare our graduates for the immense challenge of our lifetime,” Ginsburg said. “That is something that’s dramatically distinct from Morgan State.”

Morgan State’s program graduates about six to eight students per year. Towson was expected to do the same, according to university leaders.

But members of the state’s Higher Education Commission weren’t persuaded.

“I did find duplication in terms of the degree, the specialization area, and the curriculum,” said Commissioner Janet Wormack. “The purposes may differ, but the larger portion definitely overlaps.”

Commissioners also rejected the claim by Towson officials that an increase of doctoral degrees in sustainability would dramatically help the economy.

“I just don’t see the market demand that would justify this duplication,” Commissioner Chike Aguh said.

Maryland needs more workers with “entry level” bachelor’s degrees that study sustainability, not those with doctoral degrees, according to Emily Dow, the assistant secretary for academic affairs for the commission.

“That’s where we are struggling with this proposal and how it leads to workforce outcomes,” she said, directly disputing Ginsburg’s arguments. “There’s a need for expansion in this field, there’s evidence for more jobs, but not necessarily at the doctoral level.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the county where the Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory is located.

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