HAMPTON, Va. (Sept. 30, 2022) — On June 30th, Hampton University’s very own Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, graduating class of 1970 and the legendary president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), retired after 30 years of historic service to the institution he transformed into a leader in STEM education.
During Dr. Hrabowski’s three-decade tenure at UMBC, he utilized a data-driven plan to assist at-risk students by establishing a support system for them, and he transformed entry level courses with the goal of increasing retention numbers for freshmen, to one of his many accomplishments.
“Dr. Freeman Hrabowski has been a truly transformative leader at the University of Maryland Baltimore County for the last 30 years,” said Darrell K. Williams. “His intellect, experience, visionary leadership and overall presence will be sorely missed in higher education. Dr. Hrabowski has more than lived up to THE Standard of Excellence, that all Hamptonians aspire too, as he has unequivocally let his life do the singing.”
Under Hrawbowski’s leadership, UMBC transformed into an institution noted for research and innovation. From 2009 – 2014 UMBC was ranked by U.S. News & World Report magazine as the #1 Up and Coming University in the country. When that designation was eliminated UMBC was regularly listed among the Most Innovative National Universities.
Hrabowski’s published book and articles focused on minorities entering in the STEM fields. He is the co-author of the books Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males (1998); Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women (2001); Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM (2015); and The Empowered University: Shared Leadership, Culture Change, and Academic Success (2019).
Dr. Hrabowski is a consultant on science and math education to national agencies, universities, and school systems. He was named by President Obama to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. He also chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads (2011). In 2011, Hrabowski received the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Academic Leadership Award, one of the highest honors given to an educator. Several publications have named him one of America’s best leaders, one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and one of America’s 10 best college presidents.