The University of Maryland is justly proud of its physical environment. Abundant green spaces like the Chapel Lawn and McKeldin Mall are tranquil oases in the built environment. Smaller nooks provide nourishment for minds engaged in the business of learning and creating knowledge. Grand structures like Memorial Chapel, the cupola of Anne Arundel Hall and the new Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center are beacons for visitors and members of the campus community.

But we are far from a paradise. Automobile traffic chokes campus roadways through much of the day, and vast spaces are paved with asphalt to park thousands of cars. More than 70 percent of the campus surface is impervious, and far too much storm water collects the pollutants on those surfaces and flows directly into Paint Branch Stream. Campus development continues to nibble at existing forestlands. And we know that we are not done building.

Indeed, as we proceed with the most intense building activity in the university's history, we have an opportunity to choose. We can meet our needs for classrooms, laboratories, living space and recreation by further urbanizing the campus, or we can assume our rightful responsibility as a leader by honoring, protecting and enhancing our environmental assets even as we plan for the inevitable growth to come in the years ahead.