Kurt Schmoke Looks to Raise University of Baltimore’s Profile

President Kurt L. Schmoke’s university has a student population of about 6,500 and the average age of a University of Baltimore student is 28.BALTIMORE— When a selection committee interviewed Kurt L. Schmoke for the prestigious Rhodes scholarship at Oxford University back in the 1970s, they asked him to peer into the future and predict his profession some 35 years later.

“I said that I wanted to be a university president or a U.S. Senator,” recalls Schmoke in an interview with Diverse. “I’ve been interested in promoting lifelong learning for a long time.”

Two months ago, the 64-year-old’s dream came true.

He was named president of the University of Baltimore, headquartered in his native hometown where he once served as mayor from 1987 until 1999.

It’s not hard to see why the former legislator was tapped to lead the school that was founded in 1925 and had previously only offered undergraduate instruction to students at the junior and senior levels.

But in 2007, the university decided to accept freshmen and sophomores. Today, the student population is about 6,500 and the average age of a UB student is 28.

Last year, the university embarked on an ambitious development plan that included the construction of a new law center. University officials say that several new housing projects are currently underway.