Nominations Sought for 2026–27 First Year Book

The societal impact of algorithms. The role of news media. The causes of poverty.

These are among the topics of the University of Maryland’s First Year Book (FYB) selections in previous years. Now, the First Year Book Committee is asking: What should Terps read next? 

Nominated books should provide:

• A shared intellectual experience for all incoming students.
• Possibilities for integration into first-year courses, allowing students to engage with the book across disciplines.
• Campus-wide programming opportunities, including lectures, panels and creative projects, in collaboration with academic departments, student organizations and community partners.

Nominations are accepted through Oct. 14. 

Since 1993, UMD has read together across genres: biographies, nonfiction, novels, poetry and collections of essays. The FYB is chosen each year by a committee of faculty, staff and students from more than 10 disciplines, ensuring broad perspectives in the selection process.

Free copies of the U.S. Constitution, this year’s First Year Book, are available at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union’s Information Desk and in front of the Office of Undergraduate Studies, 2110 Marie Mount Hall.