It is with great sadness we share with you that Dr. Homer Schamp, Jr., an icon in Maryland’s higher education system and a founding leader in the UMBC community, passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.
In 1965, a year before UMBC opened, Dr. Schamp was appointed dean of the faculty, with responsibility for hiring the university’s first faculty members. “Homer was both a pioneer and visionary leader,” says President Freeman Hrabowski. “A renowned physicist, he and other early leaders laid the foundation for the high quality education and research that UMBC is known for today.”
Throughout his career at UMBC as a provost, vice chancellor for academic affairs, and research professor, Dr. Schamp’s enthusiasm for learning inspired all those around him. His penchant for using new education techniques has led to advances in pedagogy, scholarship, and creative achievement reflected throughout the campus’s history. His belief in the importance of connecting the university to its surrounding community established UMBC as a catalyst for economic development and quality of life in the Baltimore region.
Dr. Schamp dedicated his life to education, serving more than 50 years in higher education roles at the campus and system levels. Prior to his appointment at UMBC, he was a rising star in the physics program at the University of Maryland, College Park. He became a key player in developing the UMCP’s Institute for Molecular Physics and became its director in 1964. Known as an exceptional problem-solver, Dr. Schamp was called upon once more toward the end of his career at UMBC to assist the chancellor of the newly established University System of Maryland. His long record of building consensus was critical in helping the System navigate complex personnel and academic issues.
Viewing services for Dr. Schamp will take place on Friday, January 15, 2016, 5–8 p.m. and Saturday, January 16, 2016, 2–4 p.m. at Ruck Towson Funeral Home, 1050 York Rd., Towson, MD 21204. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Dr. Homer W. Schamp Memorial Scholarship. This newly established fund will support students interested in teaching science in K-12 schools after graduation.
Please make your checks payable to the UMBC Foundation, and note in the memo line Dr. Homer W. Schamp Memorial Fund. Send to:
UMBC Foundation
Dr. Homer W. Schamp Memorial Scholarship
8th Floor Admin. Building, c/o Kimberly Robinson
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, Md. 21250
Update: Baltimore Sun obituary for Dr. Homer W. Schamp, Jr.
Image: Albin O. Kuhn, Guy Chisholm, and Homer Schamp at the UMBC Groundbreaking. Photo by UMCP Photo Services, 1966.
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