Rolling Into a New Academic Year

As crowds of backpacked Terps trekked by on Regents Drive, e-scooters and bikes whizzed past and Shuttle-UM buses dropped off students rushing to class on a once-again buzzing campus, Amelia Sarno ’28 stopped in her tracks.

“President Pines!” the biological sciences major exclaimed, before asking for a coveted turtle pin.

The scene played out again and again on Monday for University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines, who tooled around campus in a UMD-red six-seater golf cart to celebrate the first day of the Fall 2024 semester with students, faculty and staff. Terps waved or whispered, “That’s the president” as he popped into classrooms, toured the Campus Pantry and handed out free ice cream vouchers at the Maryland Dairy, offering plenty of enthusiasm, advice and the occasional friendly fashion tip to Terps spotted wearing other colleges’ gear.

“Coming through!” Pines called as he weaved through the first-day traffic. “Look at this beautiful campus, all this action!”

On the way to the Eppley Recreation Center, he spied College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences Dean Amitabh Varshney and leapt out of the cart to give him a hug. At the new Panera in the Stamp Student Union, he joined Terps in booths and posed for selfies. And in a University Recreation and Wellness weight room, he even hopped on a call with a student’s mom as she finished a rep, reassuring her that her daughter was doing well.

Cruise through campus with Pines during the rest of his first-day tour:

“Happy first day, everyone! Welcome back to the University of Maryland!” Pines shouted as he left his office to begin his first-day tour.

Pines joins a FaceTime call with freshman Evelyn Lazaro’s mom, Maria, in Eppley Recreation Center’s East Gym. “She’s having fun, but not too much fun!” he reassures her.

Pines poses for a photo with staff and students at the Multicultural Involvement Community Advocacy office in the Stamp. “Thank you for all that you do for our students,” he said.

Pines hands out turtle pins to members of Worldwide Terps, a group within Maryland Athletics that supports dozens of international student-athletes, in the Student Involvement Suite at the Stamp.

Pines quizzes students in Professor Sarah E. Croco’s class, “Saving the World with Data,” in Tydings Hall. What are three fun facts to remember about terrapins, he asks? (Answer: They only move in one direction—forward, they take risks by sticking their necks out, and they’re fearless.)

As students stock Hunt’s tomatoes, diced peaches, chickpea rotini and Corn Flakes on the shelves, Pines chats with Manager Larry Tumlin and his team at the Campus Pantry. The facility in South Campus Dining Hall helps students, faculty and staff experiencing food insecurity, “no questions asked,” Tumlin said.