Letter of congratulations on the occasion of UMBC's 25th anniversary from Baltimore City Mayor Kurt Schmoke
The President's Convocation on September 19, 1991 celebrated the university's 25th anniversary. The gathering featured speeches from special guests such as former chancellors Albin O. Kuhn and John Dorsey. Maryland State Comptroller Louis Goldstein was on hand to speak about his role in finding UMBC's current site. A special Gallery exhibition was on display for the anniversary. Curator William Dunlop arranged for photographer Tim Ford to capture the portraits of 60 individuals who had attended or contributed to the university.
Kurt L. Schmoke was Baltimore's first elected African American mayor. He served from 1987 to 1999, then made a career as an academic administrator. He is currently serving as University of Baltimore's President.
Schmoke, Kurt L.
Institutional Advancement records, Collection 97
9/19/1991
correspondence; 8.5 x 11 in.
50UMBC-035
Lighting the Alumni Bonfire
Alumni prepare to light the bonfire that was part of MindFest in 1995.
UMBC Creative Services
University Photographs
1995
gelatin silver prints; black-and-white photographs; 5 x 7 in.
UARC 2013-013-18-0335
Meyerhoff Scholarship Program Graduating Class of 1994
The creation of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program was made possible at UMBC in 1988 through a grant from the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Foundation. The nationally-renowned program funded students pursuing doctoral studies in the sciences and engineering with an interest in the advancement of minorities in related fields. Emphasizing mentoring, scholars were encouraged to cooperate and collaborate with their peers and the Meyerhoff staff. Scholars also completed research early on during their time at the university. Since the implementation of the program, U.S. News & World Report has highlighted the Meyerhoff Scholars Program as a successful model for supporting black students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and increasing minority employment and education in these fields. According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, UMBC is the top university in graduating African American scholars who go on to enroll in MD/PhD programs.
Meyerhoff Scholars advance through the program together as part of a closely knit cohort. The graduating class of 1994 was the second cohort to graduate, known as Cohort M2, and included sixteen students representing Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Psychology. Graduates were accepted into Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, and Yale among other top graduate and medical schools.
University Publications
5/11/1994
programs (documents); 8.5 x 5.5 in.
UPUB M8-002
Name Change Questionnaire distributed to Faculty Senate Documents
In September 1987, President Michael Hooker informally proposed three new names for UMBC: 1) Maryland State University; 2) Maryland State University and Technical Institute; and 3) Maryland Institute of Technology. The topic was later taken up by the Faculty Senate Committee on Statewide Reorganization and they distributed a name change questionnaire. The committee reported that of the 431 respondents, 96% thought another name was preferable, or at least acceptable. 90% thought another name was preferable. University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus received the majority of the votes, although the committee recommended University of Maryland Baltimore Campus of Arts, Sciences, and Technology (still shortened to UMBC). Ultimately, Chancellor Donald Langenberg decided to set aside the name change issue to focus on UMBC's fit and distinction within the University System of Maryland before defining the campus through a new name.
The name change debate arose again in 2010 in a Baltimore Sun editorial, which suggested some of President Hooker's original ideas such as Maryland State University and Maryland Institute of Technology, among others.
Hooker, Michael
President's office records, Collection 50
10/19/1990
questionnaires; 8.5 x 11 in.
50UMBC-034
Out With The Old... …In With The New, The Retriever, Vol. 28, no. 1
During the summer of 1992, President Michael Hooker left UMBC to take the helm of the five-school University of Massachusetts System. Freeman Hrabowski, who had first served as Vice Provost and then as Vice President, was selected as the interim president. A search for a new president would not begin until a final decision had been made about the possible unification of UMBC and UMAB, as only one president would be needed if the two schools merged.
Drenning, Jim; Hawley, Pam
University Publications
9/9/1992
newspapers; articles; 14.75 x 23.75 in.
UPUB R4-001_19920909
Photographs of Quadmania for The Retriever Weekly, Two contact sheets, April 25, 1998, 8 x 10. University Photographs, UARC 2004-03-02-1690 to 1725
Quadmania in 1998 was almost Quad"-less. The festival was originally scheduled to be held in Parking Lot 16 due to construction in the area of the RAC and Commons; only a few weeks prior were the students informed that Quadmania would be held on the eponymous Quad. Quadmania did eventually leave the Quad for several years and was held instead at the parking lots at the top of the hill (near the police station) and at the bottom (in the Stadium Lot). The festival and music concerts returned to the Quad in 2011.
The Retriever Weekly
University Photographs
4/25/1998
color photographs; contact sheets; 8 x 10 in.
UARC 2004-03-02-1821 to 1855
Planning the Research Park
Although the bwtech@UMBC Research & Technology Park opened in 2002, it was a project more than a decade in the making. After discovering an illegal garbage dump in 1990, the university decided to publicly make plans for the construction of a research park the following year. This announcement was met with skepticism from the community, who were concerned about another large-scale building in the area, traffic, and possible chemical leaks despite possible job opportunities and the economic benefits. Zoning conflicts between UMBC, Arbutus, and Catonsville lasted for years, ultimately resulting in the university agreeing to scale back the size of the project. Today, the 71-acre park's north and south campuses house more than 120 tech companies and research institutions.
UMBC Creative Services
University Photographs
ca. 1990-1998
gelatin silver prints; black-and-white photographs; 5.25 x 7 in.
UARC 2013-013-17-1135
Portrait of Freeman A. Hrabowski, III.
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, UMBC's current president, took the helm after the departure of President Michael Hooker in 1992. Hrabowski has had particular success in improving achievement in higher education for minorities in STEM programs. In 1988, while serving as vice provost, Hrabowski co-founded the now nationally-recognized Meyerhoff Scholars Program with philanthropists Robert and Jane Meyerhoff.
Hrabowski has continued to develop UMBC into a truly competitive university. U.S. News & World Report ranked UMBC the number one Up and Coming University" for six consecutive years from 2009-2014. The school has seen its endowment funding increase from $1 million to more than $70 million. Hrabowski himself holds an astounding number of achievements: in 2009 Hrabowski was named one of Time's 10 Best College Presidents"; in 2011 The Washington Post named him one of seven Top American Leaders"; in 2012 he received the Heinz Award, was placed on Time's 100 Most Influential People" list, and President Obama appointed him chair of his Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African-Americans.
ca. 1990s
color photographs; chromogenic color prints; 16 x 20 in.
50UMBC-063_1
President Michael Hooker by Bo Rader
Michael Kenneth Hooker (1945-1999) followed John Dorsey as chancellor of the university in 1986. Hooker looked forward to the challenge UMBC presented as it did not yet have a widely-recognized reputation or competitive status. Although Hooker earned his doctorate in philosophy, he was intrigued by the idea of developing UMBC into a full-fledged research institution. Under his leadership, entrance scores at the university surpassed 1000 and enrollment grew. He also built relationships with the local business community, leading to investments in science and technology research programs. Hooker personally recruited current President Freeman Hrabowski for the position of vice provost from Coppin State University, where Hrabowski was serving as dean and vice president of academic affairs. In 1992, Hooker left UMBC to become president of the five-school University of Massachusetts System.
Rader, Bo
Baltimore Sun photographs
7/24/1992
gelatin silver prints; black-and-white photographs; 8 x 10 in.
P2014-01-0134
Professor Michael Summers with Chemistry students and mass spectrometer by Bill Denison
In 1994, UMBC was awarded a teaching grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The funding was directed towards the HHMI Scholars Program, an educational program that works with students from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Michael Summers was named an HHMI investigator in 1994, and his groundbreaking research at UMBC has focused on HIV-1, the retrovirus that causes AIDS, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a technique for learning more about the molecular components of the HIV-1 retrovirus. Dr. Summers has also been an active teacher and supporter of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, including working to assist other universities to duplicate the success of the program at UMBC. In 2003, he spoke with pride for the work at UMBC: While I'm very proud of our research, it may be that in the end what I do with minority students is more important than what I do in the lab. I never thought I would be involved in a social movement like this."
Dension, Bill
University Photographs
1997
color slides; color photographs; 35 mm
UARC 2013-013-21-2028