Thomas H. Spence (1867-1937), a professor of languages, served as acting president from 1912 to 1913. During his brief tenure, the college constructed a temporary dining hall and auditorium, and the President’s House was converted into a dormitory.
According to an account in the 1909 Reveille yearbook, Spence was born in 1867 near Snow Hill, Md. He attended Maupin's University School in Ellicott City and the Johns Hopkins University before he became the principal of the Stockton Academy in Worcester County.
Spence was elected chair of languages at the Maryland Agricultural College in 1892 and later became a member of the Board of Trustees, vice president of the college, acting registrar and dean of the School of Liberal Arts, among other positions. He served on a number of faculty committees, including Examinations, Schedules, Collegiate Routine, Library, Commencement and Class Day. He also played a role in organizing the college's first fraternity, Gamma Pi, which later became Sigma Nu.
Spence became dean emeritus in 1924 but continued teaching languages and philosophy until his retirement in 1934, after 42 years of service to the university.
The University of Maryland is one of the world’s premier research institutions. With our strategic location and scores of partnerships with government and businesses, UMD conducts groundbreaking research on some of the biggest challenges facing our global community, including cybersecurity and terrorism, bioengineering, public health equity, food safety and climate change. We strive to discover new knowledge and put it to work through innovation and entrepreneurship, advancing economic development and transforming lives.
The newly launched Innovation Gateway will guide you to the resources, programs, partners, and spaces you need to activate and scale your fearless ideas into innovations that launch new ventures, catalyze growth, and advance economic development.
Home of the Terrapins, the University of Maryland has one of the nation’s most recognizable and successful athletics programs. More than 550 student-athletes compete each year in 20 intercollegiate sports—12 for women and eight for men. Since 2005 alone, Maryland has won 19 national championships, including NCAA titles in women’s basketball, men’s soccer, men's lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, and field hockey. Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014, UMD has won a combined 32 regular season and tournament championships. Fear the Turtle!
The Terp experience extends beyond classrooms, labs and studios. It encompasses residence halls and dining halls, clubs and sports, fraternities and sororities, campus events and performances, and countless off-campus destinations. Maryland touts 800-plus student organizations, dozens of prestigious living and learning communities, and countless other ways to get involved. Students here can create a unique identity and grow as individuals, even as they’re part of a close-knit and diverse community.