Accomplishment & Aspirations

Dec 7, 2016 / 16 minutes of reading

The UMBC campus unites on Founders Day to take stock of the past and look boldly into the future. September 19, 2016 was the official anniversary of UMBC’s founding in 1966, and the university held a ceremony including students, faculty, staff, and alumni that celebrated a number of qualities that had helped it grow over five decades into a major public research university: talented students, shared governance of the campus, and visionary leadership. Among the highlights of the ceremony included an address to the campus by UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, and a letter from UMBC’s first graduate, Robin… Continue Reading Accomplishment & Aspirations

Fab (Four) Storytellers

Dec 7, 2016 / 18 minutes of reading

A collection of vivid vignettes from UMBC’s founding. The Stoop Storytelling Series – created by Laura Wexler and Jessica Henkin – has become a fixture in Baltimore arts community, encouraging “ordinary” people to tell the extraordinary stories of their lives. So it was a natural for the Stoop Stories team to organize “Retrieve Your Memories: Stoop Stories with the ab Four and Friends” to tell stories of UMBC’s first students and faculty, with a special guest appearance by UMBC President Freeman A, Hrabowski, III. Each speaker stepped into the spotlight for a few moments and brought the early days of… Continue Reading Fab (Four) Storytellers

Deep Roots

Dec 7, 2016 / 9 minutes of reading

A gathering to honor UMBC founders provides insights in university history. The Roots of Greatness Luncheon, held September 17, celebrated the founding generation of students, faculty, and staff. Among the highlights of the program was a portrait of founding chancellor Albin O. Kuhn, delivered by Wendy Salkind, professor emeritus of theatre, and a discussion of a new history of the university – Improbable Excellence: The Saga of UMBC – written by George La Noue, professor emeritus of public policy and political science. The discussion was moderated by John Jeffries, dean emeritus of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences,… Continue Reading Deep Roots

Sharing the Past, Building the Future

Dec 6, 2016 / 2 minutes of reading

The Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery Tells the UMBC Story in Artifacts and Images — Richard Byrne ’86 In assembling its exhibit to celebrate the founding decades of UMBC, the team in UMBC’s Special Collections who put together “Sharing the Past, Building the Future: UMBC at 50” – chief curator Tom Beck, archivist Lindsey Loeper ’04, exhibition curator Emily Hauver ’05, and librarian Susan Graham ’98 – have given the university community a chance to glimpse essential objects and images that may have escaped easy notice. As Beck and Loeper write at the conclusion of their introductory essay: The ideal… Continue Reading Sharing the Past, Building the Future

Pies, Nerds, and Frampton

Dec 4, 2016 / 8 minutes of reading

Alumni shed light on the less-known – and often amusing – corners of campus history. UMBC’s history has its quirky sides as well. Associate professor of history George Derek Musgrove ’97, history, tackled the task of examining them with gusto in a presentation entitled: An Unofficial, Totally Tongue in Cheek, Slightly Zany History of Campus Culture at UMBC. Musgrove identified three key eras of campus culture, and invited alumni who were key student figures in those moments – Steven K. Fedder ’72, American studies, Shari Elliker ’83, interdisciplinary studies, and Oliver J. Myers ’94, M.S. ’96, and Ph.D. ’07, mechanical… Continue Reading Pies, Nerds, and Frampton

The Pursuit Of Excellence

Aug 16, 2016 / 1 minute of reading

From the day UMBC opened its doors, the work of teaching and research has been at the heart of university life. The love of learning has been passed on by the university’s faculty across disciplines in lecture halls, laboratories, office hours, and in the field. We’ve selected some of the best images of a dynamic endeavor of teaching and exploration that has stretched from 1966 to the present day, aspiring not only to excellence but to greater access for all students to the wisdom and understanding that our faculty carry with them.

Want to be a Pioneer?

Aug 15, 2016 / 12 minutes of reading

Founding UMBC faculty across disciplines reflect on building a new public university. By Richard Byrne ’86 UMBC opened its doors on September 19, 1966. But as concrete was poured and red bricks were laid, founding chancellor Albin O. Kuhn and founding dean of faculty Homer Schamp were also recruiting faculty members for a new research institution. In a 1994 oral history interview conducted by Ed Orser, emeritus professor of American studies, Kuhn observed that adventure and ambition were his key selling points to recruits. “[T]hat was the thing we talked about a lot when we were trying to attract original… Continue Reading Want to be a Pioneer?

The Pursuit of Excellence

Aug 15, 2016 / 1 minute of reading

Firm Foundations

Feb 15, 2016 / 2 minutes of reading

Dedicated staff members are a key element in UMBC’s rise to prominence. Every December, the UMBC community gathers together for the university’s annual Service Awards. It’s an event so large and vibrant that the crowd spills out of the University Ballroom. Part of why the Service Awards are a “save the date” event at UMBC is the way that the university’s staff members across departments and offices are inextricably woven into the fabric of the institution. Staff members marking anniversaries of five years, ten years, and upwards, in increments of five years, are called to stage to receive recognition. At… Continue Reading Firm Foundations

Firm Foundations – Unlocking Knowledge

Feb 15, 2016 / 3 minutes of reading

“What is the main reason you are here?” That’s the question Stephen Slowe asks at the end of every training session he holds with the UMBC students who work alongside him as maintenance assistants. Slowe says that he often gets the same answers from his trainees. “I’m here to learn how to fix locks.” Or, “I’m here to earn money.” Each time, however, he corrects them: “Your main job here is to get an education.” Slowe has worked at UMBC since 1984, and he received his 30th year service award at a ceremony in December. He spent his first year… Continue Reading Firm Foundations – Unlocking Knowledge

Firm Foundations – Taking Stock

Feb 15, 2016 / 4 minutes of reading

Even in its earliest days, UMBC had a bookstore. At the university’s founding, the bookstore was the “go-to” place for the textbooks and course materials students needed to succeed. A university bookstore is also a hub of university life – selling everything from batteries to swag – and strategically placed to be where the students are. For many years, UMBC’s bookstore was located in the Academic Services Building and in the University Center before moving to its current two-level home in The Commons. The appeal of a career in the university bookstore biz was something that Robert Somers – the… Continue Reading Firm Foundations – Taking Stock

Firm Foundations – Striving for the Best

Feb 15, 2016 / 5 minutes of reading

UMBC is lauded for its strength in undergraduate teaching and its ability to involve undergraduates in academic research across disciplines. But how was this culture created? Some of it was there from the beginning in the hiring of young, ambitious professors who were eager to innovate. That pioneering spirit was crucial to the creation of UMBC’s interdisciplinary studies program (first known as “Option II”) in 1969. But much of the infrastructure has been developed by staff members dedicated to student success. UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program, created in 1988, is one of the landmark contributions to student success at the university… Continue Reading Firm Foundations – Striving for the Best

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