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UMBC President Honored for His Dedication and Commitment to Diversity in Higher Education

Feb. 10, 2009

Freeman A. Hrabowski (right) with Ronald Crutcher, president of Wheaton College and new ACE Board secretary.

The American Council on Education (ACE) today presented Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with the 2009 Reginald A. Wilson Diversity Leadership Award for his extraordinary contributions to the higher education enterprise.

The award, named after Reginald Wilson, senior scholar emeritus at ACE and former director of ACE’s Office of Minority Concerns, was presented during ACE’s 91st Annual Meeting, which concluded today in Washington, DC.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Hrabowski graduated at age 19 from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) with highest honors in mathematics. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he received his master’s degree in mathematics and four years later his doctorate in higher education administration/statistics at the age of 24.

Hrabowski currently chairs the National Academies’ Committee on Underrepresented Groups and the Science & Engineering Workforce Pipeline. Among his numerous honors, Hrabowski was named one of America’s Best Leaders 2008 by U.S. News & World Report; elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the American Philosophical Society; and received the prestigious McGraw Prize in Education, the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, and the Columbia University Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service.

Hrabowski has served as UMBC president since May 1992. Current enrollment tops more than 12,000 students, with minority enrollment standing at nearly 16 percent for African-American students, more than 18 percent for Asian-American students, and nearly 4 percent for Hispanic students.

Under his leadership, UMBC’s innovative programs have received national accolades. The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program is a model for preparing students of all backgrounds for research careers in science and engineering-related fields, and the university is recognized as a leader in increasing the number of women university faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). UMBC is among the top five national institutions honored as “Up-and-Coming Schools” in U.S. News & World Report’s Best College Guide.

“We are honored to recognize the outstanding work and dedication Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, III has demonstrated throughout his years of service as a higher education leader,” said Diana I. Córdova, director of ACE’s Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity. “As president of UMBC and through initiatives such as the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, Dr. Hrabowski has helped lift minority and low-income students, especially math and science majors, to the highest levels of academic excellence. Dr. Hrabowski joins a distinguished list of prior award winners who have shown an unfailing commitment to advancing diversity in higher education, and we commend him for a lifetime of achievement in this critical area.”

"I am humbled by this honor, and I accept it on behalf of my colleagues and students at UMBC,” said Hrabowski. “It takes a collective effort on the part of an institution to help people from diverse backgrounds succeed. Our success reflects the commitment of the entire community to the values of inclusiveness and excellence."

Hrabowski has authored numerous articles and co-authored two books, Beating the Odds and Overcoming the Odds, focusing on parenting and high-achieving African-American males and females in science. Both books are used by universities, school systems, and community groups around the country.