On May 20, 2018, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, invited by the University of Maryland, addressed thousands of graduates at a ceremony held at the XFINITY Center. Knowing that many may not be familiar with him, let's first get to know today's main figure: Al Gore.
Former U.S. Vice President; Chairman of Generation Investment Management; President of Current TV; Board member of Apple Inc.; Senior advisor at Google Inc.; Adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
In fact, Gore once came within a hair's breadth of the presidency.
On Election Day, November 7, 2000, Gore won the popular vote, receiving 540,000 more votes than Bush. Initial TV reports projected Florida for Gore, but as votes were counted, the margin narrowed, and then Bush was projected as the winner. Finally, with the result too close to call, it was declared undetermined.
Ultimately, it was decided that all votes in the state would be recounted by machine. Although the second recount narrowed the gap, Bush still emerged as the winner. However, four counties in the state experienced a high number of spoiled ballots (hard to breathe!). On December 8, the state Supreme Court ordered manual recounts in those four counties. The result showed Bush winning the state by just 537 votes, securing its 25 electoral votes. Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened and halted the manual recount.
This resulted in Bush winning 30 of the 50 states, and in the Electoral College, Gore lost to Bush by only 266 to 271, a margin of 5 votes, becoming the third presidential candidate in U.S. history to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote.
The editor can only say: what a twist of fate! A politician who should have been a dominant force in politics instead devoted himself to environmental causes. Some said he had strayed from his proper path, but he cared deeply about the planet and the fate of humanity. For years, he worked tirelessly to build global consensus on tackling climate change, becoming a leading advocate for environmental protection.
In 2006, Gore co-produced and appeared in the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which won the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song at the 79th Oscars. This environmental documentary grossed $23.8 million at the U.S. box office, ranking as the third highest-grossing documentary in U.S. history at that time.
In 2007, his best-selling books "An Inconvenient Truth" and "The Assault on Reason" topped The New York Times bestseller list. That same year, he and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change."
In his speech, Gore spoke of the many dangers we face today, calling for an unprecedented youth movement to register to vote, make their voices heard, and reaffirm the integrity of American democracy.
On environmental protection, he said: "We still face a daunting threat to the relationship between humanity and the planet ... We must adjust our thinking. Whether in the United States or around the world, we need to keep speaking out, keep acting, advancing the clean energy transition and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Only then can we achieve ultimate victory."
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park, is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A leader in global research, entrepreneurship, and innovation, the university enrolls over 40,000 students, employs 10,000 faculty and staff, and offers 280 academic programs. Its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 60 members of the National Academies, and dozens of Fulbright Scholars. The institution has an operating budget of $1.9 billion and secures $514 million in external research funding annually.
Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland is one of the 13 schools and colleges at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ranked among the top 100 business schools worldwide, it sits at 51st and is a top-tier business school.
The University of Maryland attracts world-class faculty and top-caliber students, investing in academic programs. The Smith School is internationally recognized as a leader in management education and digital economy research, offering undergraduate, master's, full-time and part-time MBA, EMBA, doctoral, and executive education programs.
A. James Clark School of Engineering
The A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland is a top-ranked engineering school, tied for 18th in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate engineering programs.
The school's aerospace engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering programs are all highly regarded and industry-renowned. Coupled with the OPT policy, they are expected to drive a new wave of application enthusiasm.
Athletics
The Maryland Terrapins are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Maryland. Founded in 1892, the program was later a founding member of both the Southern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
After 2014, the team joined the Big Ten Conference. The University of Maryland, College Park's prominent sports include basketball, football, soccer, and lacrosse, among others. The university has won 19 national championships. Maryland's lacrosse program is nationally renowned; the women's lacrosse team has claimed 10 national titles and achieved a seven-peat from 1995 to 2001. The team's mascot is Testudo, a terrapin.
Traditional Rivals
In men's basketball, Duke University is a traditional rival.
In football, North Carolina State University, the University of Virginia, and West Virginia University are traditional rivals. The football game against West Virginia has been played annually since 1980. Penn State regularly played Maryland before the 1990s, and the two schools are in talks to revive the series.
The University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University are traditional rivals in men's lacrosse.
Campus Life
Location
The University of Maryland is located in College Park, Prince George's County, Maryland, northeast of Washington, D.C. College Park has a population of over 24,000 (as of the 2000 census) and covers 5.4 square miles. Although the university is not in Washington, D.C., its location is excellent—it is just about 9 miles from the White House and around 10 miles from many federal agencies and the National Mall.
Washington, D.C., has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. July and August average around 30°C (86°F) with high humidity and frequent thunderstorms. Spring and autumn are mild, averaging around 20°C (68°F). Spring is relatively dry. The transition from summer to autumn can be affected by hurricanes. Winter temperatures drop below freezing, with an average annual snowfall of 37 cm. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, totaling about 1,000 mm.
Campus Housing
Although the University of Maryland is a traditional public university, it offers a wide range of housing options. Most freshmen live in on-campus dorms, which, honestly, are much like those your parents once lived in. Some might call them old, but you could also call them vintage. Whatever you call them, they are a big part of shaping your personality. And your floormates may just be some of the coolest people you'll ever meet.
Once you've survived that rite of passage, you have more diverse options. If you want to stay on campus, you can continue living in residence halls. You might even land a spot in one of the newer, luxury dorms like Oakland Hall or Prince Frederick Hall.
If you prefer not to live in dorms (understandable), there are plenty of on-campus apartments to choose from, and many students also live off campus. Options range from luxury high-rise apartments to townhouses, making it easy to share with friends.
Prince Frederick Hall
Prince Frederick Hall opened in fall 2014 and houses 462 students in singles, doubles, and four-person semi-suites. About half of the residents live in traditional double rooms, while nearly 40% live in four-person suites. Each floor has a limited number of single and double rooms with private bathrooms. All student rooms can accommodate a personal microwave and a refrigerator up to 3.6 cubic feet in size.
The building features an open lobby with entrances on the south and north sides, and both the ground and first floors have small and large group meeting spaces for building events and living-learning programs.
Oakland Hall
Residences primarily consist of two-bedroom "semi-suites" shared by four students. Environmentally sustainable design, a spacious lobby, rooms with private or semi-private bathrooms, indoor bike storage, lounges, study rooms, laundry facilities on every floor, ample meeting and study spaces, air conditioning, and a 24-hour service desk are just some of the features you'll find at Oakland Hall.
Over 90% of Oakland Hall's spaces (640 beds) are semi-suites. A semi-suite consists of two double bedrooms connected by a semi-private bathroom (i.e., four students share one bathroom). There are also 23 double rooms that allow two students to share a bedroom and a private bathroom, and 7 single rooms. All single rooms and 8 of the double rooms are designated as accessible units.
Diamondback Terrapin
In 1932, the legendary Curly Byrd proposed that the school's mascot be the "Maryland state reptile," the diamondback terrapin (shortened to Terrapin or Diamondback).
The mascot's name is Testudo, meaning "protected shell." In 1933, graduates pooled funds to cast the first bronze Testudo statue, placed in front of Ritchie Coliseum along Route 1. In 1947, students from Johns Hopkins University kidnapped the Testudo statue, taking it back to their campus (a sense of déjà vu).
College Park students quickly rushed to Baltimore and surrounded the Johns Hopkins dormitory where Testudo was held. Eventually, over 200 riot police intervened. In 1949, Testudo was kidnapped again, this time taken to the University of Virginia. In 1951, the statue was bolted to the ground, but it still suffered damage from rival students. In the 1960s, Testudo was moved to the front of McKeldin Library, farther from Route 1. Maryland students have a tradition of rubbing Testudo's nose or placing "offerings" of food or flowers in front of the statue for good luck before exams or other important events.
