“We have shown the country that we are a model of inclusive excellence,” said Hrabowski, who pioneered the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC to increase the diversity of STEM leaders. The model has been successfully replicated across the nation. “UMBC is just 55 years old, but we have worked very hard to make history. And we will always be a part of this nation’s history because we produce leaders, including thousands of teachers, lawyers, social workers, and entrepreneurs shaping our communities," he said.
Hrabowski has the data to prove his success.
During his tenure, UMBC has increased in enrollment from just over 10,000 students to nearly 14,000 students and more than doubled the number of degree programs offered. The school has graduated more than 1,400 Meyerhoff Scholars with STEM degrees. More than 800 have already earned graduate or professional degrees. According to NSF data, UMBC is now the nation’s top producer of Black graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D. in the natural sciences and engineering.
“The UMBC story is one of excitement about learning and learning how to work with people different from oneself,” said Hrabowski who announced his retirement via a video. “We are saying to the country and to young people that you don’t have to be rich to be the very best. Middle class institutions can produce some of the best thinkers in the world.
Hrabowski grew up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama and was classmates with former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice. He was featured in the documentary “Four Little Girls,” by Spike Lee, recounting his involvement in the civil rights movement as a child activist.
He graduated from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics, and earned his M.A. in mathematics and Ph.D. in higher education administration/statistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
