President’s Letter
Category: President's Page
Dear UB Alumni and Friends:
As you may have heard, and as this issue of the University of Baltimore Magazine underscores, spring 2013 was a particularly notable semester at the University of Baltimore thanks to an impressive array of campus visitors. Vice President Joe Biden, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and entertainer and educator Bill Cosby all spoke at UB, joining Gov. Martin O’Malley, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and others. Whether they were here to celebrate the opening of the new John and Frances Angelos Law Center or to address UB’s graduating classes, our guests all had one thing in common: They understand the increasingly critical role that universities like ours play in keeping the American dream alive in the 21st century.
In Maryland and nationally, the profile of the college-going population is changing. The students who will be attending college in the coming decade will be more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity; they also will tend to be older and more likely to attend part time due to work and family obligations. In short, the college classroom and campus of the future will look a lot like the University of Baltimore today.
There are other reasons why UB is well positioned to succeed amidst the dynamic changes taking place in higher education. As alumni, you know that a University of Baltimore education is rooted in the “real world.” You also know that the University is responsive to changes in the workplace, adapting our academic programs to ensure that UB graduates continue to hit the ground running as they launch or advance their careers. And you are aware that UB is entrepreneurial, as evidenced by the transformation of UB Midtown, made possible by more than $250 million of investment—both public and private—during the past decade.
Our guests recognized both UB’s present achievements and its future potential. Mayor Rawlings-Blake identified UB as an anchor institution, a partner in the city’s vision for a growing, thriving Baltimore. Justice Kagan, asserting that some law schools would be strengthened by the challenges facing legal education and the legal profession, shared her belief that “This law school is going to soar.” (About the new building: “I came here today expecting to be impressed. I am blown away!”)
In his funny, inspiring and truly memorable commencement speech, Bill Cosby summed it up best: “This place is for real.” He termed the remarks delivered by Ron Williams, our undergraduate student speaker, as “among the best, if not the best” he has heard during the many ceremonies he’s attended. He implored our graduates to be proud of their alma mater and to elevate the University’s reputation through their integrity and their actions. He charged them always to associate with people who will challenge and elevate them (because “mediocre people are always at their best”).
And his words of wisdom included a message that will resonate with UB alumni of all graduating classes and with all of us who appreciate the reach and impact of this special place: “Wherever you go, take UB with you.”
Robert L. Bogomolny
President, University of Baltimore