DELIVERING A SMART SHUTTLE SERVICE FOR 7,500 STUDENTS PER WEEK AT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Overview

Morgan State University (MSU), one of the country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) was founded in 1867. It is a leading academic institution known for producing top African American graduates, in many fields, especially STEM, both in Maryland and nationally. The university―offering degrees from baccalaureate to doctorate―has also been designated by law as Maryland’s “preeminent public urban research center.”

MSU’s expansive campus is anchored to the charming residential area of northeast Baltimore which encompasses more than 185 acres that extends beyond its sprawling main property.

The university is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 140+ academic programs to 9,000+ students as of the 2021-2022 academic year. Moreover, it is the only university to have its entire campus named as a “National Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Currently, MSU is the fastest growing public university in the state of Maryland. Previously, average enrollment at MSU had been around 7,460 students; however, enrollment for 2021-2022 increased to 9,660 (or nearly 30%). MSU credits its record-breaking enrollment to the $1.1 billion capital transformation that involves, in part, expanding its campus through the acquisition of new real estate. As part of its expansion efforts, the City of Baltimore recently sold its Lake Clifton High School and grounds to the university.

“The brand of the institution has just caught fire,” according to David Wilson, MSU President, “We have students from Utah, from Montana, from the American South, a slew of students from California and Nevada.” The MSU student body currently includes people from 70 countries.

Challenge

Since its reopening to the public after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic along with its record enrollment, more than half of the incoming freshman (55%) came from out-of-state―the very first time that most freshman have not come locally from Maryland―forcing university administrators to scramble to find enough student housing.

These record number of out-of-state students even forced MSU administrators to consider imposing a temporary cap on student enrollment for a few years, until they could build more student housing and complete other critical campus construction projects.

Nevertheless, still facing the largest enrollment ever in its 155-year history along with significantly increased numbers of applications for on-campus housing, MSU needed to immediately find a solution to fulfill these increased requests for housing. They did so by temporarily securing off-campus housing sites―that even included renting rooms in the Lord Baltimore Hotel―all within a 5–7-mile radius of the main campus. However, this solution created another logistical issue that also needed to be quickly resolved: how to efficiently shuttle students back and forth between off-site housing locations and around the MSU campus.

Solution

To fully address the issue of safely transporting students back and forth between off-site housing and the main campus, MSU connected with Charter Linkz―a premier ground transportation service with headquarters in New York.

“We were delighted by the opportunity and extremely excited to put our 25 years of experience as a nationwide transportation company into action for Morgan State University,” said Joseph Jacovino, Managing Partner and President of Sales at Charter Linkz. “It is also a privilege to be able to support an institution of higher learning that has done so much to ensure that its doors remain open for as many as possible.”

Starting on August 2020, Charter Linkz entered into a contract with MSU to provide bus services to shuttle students 7 days per week, 18 hours each day, between classes, activities, campus services, and off-site housing locations.

All vehicles supplied by Charter Linkz are equipped with GPS systems to easily track the location of all shuttles enroute throughout the MSU campus and surrounding areas in Baltimore.

Students also have the ability to download a free customizable app for their smart phones that is linked to the GPS tracking system. “Through this app,” Jacovino said, “they can stay smart or informed of all real-time information related to the arrival and departure of Charter Linkz shuttles, so they can arrive on time for all classes and campus activities in a stress-free manner.”

On a weekly basis, Charter Linkz normally provides transportation to 7,500 MSU students around campus and to all off-site locations with its clean, safe, and user-friendly shuttle service.