President’s Letter
Category: President's Page
Dear UB Alumni and Friends:
If you’ve been following the University of Baltimore during the past five years, you know that UB is on the move, and the 2012-13 academic year is no exception.
Our fall student headcount of 6,569 represents the largest student enrollment in UB history and marks the second time in three years that we have achieved record numbers. This continues a trend of increasing numbers of students recognizing the value of a UB degree: In the decade since 2002, UB has had the second-highest growth rate in the University System of Maryland, only 0.7 percent off the highest rate.
We are realizing gains in quality as well, as 32 percent of our record 264 entering freshmen are honors eligible. As our student population grows, our campus environment and the UB Midtown area becomes a more vibrant and attractive place to study, to enjoy the city’s cultural offerings and, increasingly, to live: This fall, 254 UB students live in the Varsity, a new, privately owned and operated student residential facility two blocks from the heart of campus.
Nearly 1,000 students now live in UB Midtown, representing an increase of 28 percent from last year and of 134 percent over the past five years. Now, about one in six students can walk to campus. As this trend continues, reinforcing UB’s role as a major partner in the redevelopment of our city, we remain committed to the commuter, part-time and adult students who continue to compose the majority of our population.
This year, we’ve also appointed 19 new faculty members and welcomed two new deans: Laura Koppes Bryan of the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences and Ron Weich of the UB School of Law. The most significant and enduring contribution we can make to UB’s future is the addition of talented new faculty members. With our faculty growth plan and with new academic leadership in place, that future appears brighter than ever before.
The University’s energy and momentum is not going unnoticed. U.S. News & World Report ranked UB among the top 25 public universities in the north region in its 2013 America’s Best Colleges guide. Ranking criteria include student retention and graduation, faculty resources, peer assessment and financial resources. While I believe that how well we support our students’ success will always be the best indicator of UB’s collective achievement, it’s gratifying to see the University recognized on a competitive, national scale.
This recognition is the direct result of our faculty and staff’s talent and commitment. It is also a reflection of the contributions our alumni make, both to UB’s enhanced regional and national reputation and to our recent, record-setting capital campaign.
Those of us who know UB are aware of the role this University has played in preparing thousands of UB graduates for meaningful careers and lives, an accomplishment that can never be adequately captured in a magazine ranking. And that role will continue to define UB well into the future.
Robert L. Bogomolny
President, University of Baltimore