On Monday afternoon University of Maryland president Wallace D. Loh wrote a letter to the university recommending that the current name of the school's football stadium, "Byrd Stadium" be changed to "Maryland Stadium."

Loh stated in his letter that if the name change is approved "the University of Maryland will memorialize the accomplishments and full legacy of President Byrd in one of our main libraries and institute a five-year moratorium on changing honorific building names. Independently, the University will launch early next semester a campus-wide Maryland Dialogues on Diversity and Community to help bridge the divides on our campus (and in the nation at large) and spur meaningful institutional change. Months of conversations with internal and external stakeholders-plus thoughtful reports by a 19-member workgroup of faculty, students, staff and alumni, chaired by Dean Bonnie Thornton Dill of the College of Arts and Humanities-helped inform my thinking and recommendation."

"President Byrd is rightly regarded as "Father and Builder" of UMD over a 43-year career here, retiring in 1954. He dramatically increased enrollment, faculty, funding, and the size of the campus. He laid the foundation for today's achievements. He earned his place in our University's history," Loh said.

University of Maryland student groups pushed for a stadium name change stating that Byrd Stadium, named after former university president H.C. "Curley" Byrd, needed to be renamed since Byrd was considered a racist and segregationist, and his beliefs were the opposite of the university's principles.

The school's Board of Regents will consider Loh's request for the stadium name change at a December 11 meeting.

 

wjla.com

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