Freeman A. Hrabowski III

Freeman A. Hrabowski III

Hrabowski at 2012 Time 100 Gala
President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Assumed office
1992
Preceded by Michael Hooker
Personal details
Born Freeman Alphonsa Hrabowski III
(1950-08-13) August 13, 1950
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Spouse(s) Jacqueline Coleman Hrabowski
Profession
  • Mathematician
  • University president
Website president.umbc.edu

Freeman Alphonsa Hrabowski III is a prominent American educator, advocate, and mathematician. In May 1992 he began his term as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), one of the twelve public universities comprising the Maryland university system. Hrabowski has transformed a no-name, commuter university into a research institution recognized as one of the most innovative in the country.[1] His administration continues to build a campus that’s first-rate in research and instruction, and that prepares students of all backgrounds for career success. Under his adept leadership, UMBC has been ranked the #1 Up and Coming University in the USA for six consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014) by U.S. News and World Report magazine.[2]

Hrabowski is the co-author of the books, Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males (1998), Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women (2001), and Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM (2015). His research and many publications focus on science and math education, with a special emphasis on minority participation and performance. His leadership, expertise and vision are integral to programs world-wide in science/technology/engineering/mathematics (STEM), and are used by universities, school systems, and community groups around the country.[3] Hrabowski chaired the prestigious National Academies committee that produced the report Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.[4] In 2012, President Barack Obama appointed Hrabowski to Chair of the newly created President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans,[5] and he was also a candidate for Secretary of Education in his administration.[6] He has been called one of America’s Best Leaders,[7] one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World,[8] and one of America’s 10 Best College Presidents.[9]

In 2011, Hrabowski received the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Academic Leadership Award, one of the highest honors given to an educator. The award included a $500,000 grant, which he has directed to support and promote a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and student success at UMBC.[10]

Early life and education

Hrabowski was born in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, the only child of busy, hard-working parents, both of whom were educators.[11] His mother was an English teacher who decided to become a math teacher, and she used the young Hrabowski as a guinea pig at home. His father had been a math teacher and then went to work at a steel mill because, as Hrabowski is quoted as saying, "frankly, he could make more money doing that." Frequently asked about the origin of his unusual surname, Hrabowski explains that he is the great-great-grandson of Eaton Hrabowski, a Polish-American "slave master who lived in rural Alabama”, and his wife Rebecca McCord.[12] In a CBS television interview, Hrabowski recounted that he is the third Freeman Hrabowski; his grandfather was the first Freeman Hrabowski born a free man, as opposed to having to be freed.[13]

When he was 12 years old, in 1963, Hrabowski saw his friends readying for the Children's Crusade march for civil rights. He convinced his parents to let him join in as a youth advocate, but soon into the march he was swept up in a mass arrest. Birmingham's notorious Public Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor spat in his face,[14] and he was incarcerated for 5 days. The jail guards locked even the youngest freedom marchers in with hardened criminals. Hrabowski spent five terrified days and nights shielding other youngsters and comforting them by reading his Bible aloud or singing songs. After being reunited with the adults, Hrabowski remembers the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King telling them, “What you do this day will have an impact on generations as yet unborn." King's words resonated with Hrabowski, and ultimately rang true as the national outrage at the brutality against Birmingham children helped build the pressure for laws banning racial discrimination. That outcome gave Hrabowski a life mission, and he has since been a staunch and tireless campaigner for equality, education, and excellence.

When he was 19 years old, Hrabowski graduated from Hampton Institute with high honors in mathematics. During his matriculation there he spent a year abroad at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he received his M.A. in mathematics and four years later his Ph.D. in higher education administration and statistics. Hrabowski focused his education on math and science in part because he was worried that the American economy would suffer if other countries continued to graduate more technology experts than the United States. He wants to ensure smart, dynamic students of all backgrounds continue to be amongst the graduates from STEM programs, and he has discussed his sought-after perspectives on news channels like CBS[13] and MSNBC with senior correspondent Andrea Mitchell.[15]

Career

UMBC was a relatively young school in a Baltimore suburb when Hrabowski arrived in 1987 as Vice Provost, then Executive Vice President, and President in 1992. From the very beginning he had big plans to turn the mid-sized, unremarkable campus into a place where "it is cool to be smart."[16] It seems Hrabowski's civil rights and administration experiences, his doctoral studies, and his enthusiastic advocacy for education led him seamlessly to UMBC’s presidency.

Within his first two years at UMBC, he had raised enough money to set up the comprehensive tutoring and financial aid of the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program.[17] Initially designed to help smart black males become scientists and engineers, the program he co-founded with Robert Meyerhoff quickly expanded to include students of all races and both genders, "who are interested in the advancement of minorities in the sciences and related fields." The Meyerhoff program has since become a national model for colleges and universities everywhere.

Freeman Hrabowski at the opening of the Performing Arts & Humanities Building at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County

It was Hrabowski’s background that empowered him to take several bold administrative actions, such as disbanding an Africana graduate studies program and refusing to field a college football team in favor of funding math undergraduates and a championship chess team. The result was a dramatic increase in the number of technologically advanced graduates of all races and genders. Hrabowski frequently writes about minority participation and high performance in the sciences, math, and engineering fields. He advises President Obama on educational issues and consults for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the National Academies. Hrabowski is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Hrabowski holds over 20 honorary degrees, including those from Harvard University, Duke University, the University of Illinois, Gallaudet University the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Binghamton University, Princeton University, the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, Haverford College, Harvey Mudd College, and Goucher College. Hrabowski is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi fraternity. He serves on the boards of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, France-Merrick Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation (Chair), The Urban Institute, McCormick & Company, T. Rowe Price, and the Baltimore Equitable Society. He has served on the boards of the Constellation Energy Group, Mercantile Safe Deposit & Trust Company, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Maryland Humanities Council (member and Chair). He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

Leadership and innovation

Hrabowski is a respected voice in the discussion on innovation in science and engineering, who strives to ensure America's readiness in the arena of global competiviness. Under his dynamic leadership, UMBC has become a powerhouse in higher education and has gained a solid reputation as one of the nation’s premier universities.[9] The University honored the 20th anniversary of Hrabowski's presidency as hundreds of supporters and friends, faculty and staff, students and alums gathered for a celebration of his leadership and innovation.[18]

The outpouring of support from people across the state and nation recognizes the tremendous contributions the entire UMBC community has made to the social fabric of the region, to Maryland’s economy, and to public education nationwide. The enthusiasm is palpable for the model UMBC has created for excellence in teaching across the disciplines under President Hrabowski's administration. His work continues with the launch of The Hrabowski Fund for Innovation[19] in honor of his anniversary and his many contributions to the university. UMBC has established the fund to permanently endow the initiatives launched with support of the Carnegie grant the president received in 2011. The Hrabowski Fund for Innovation will enable the President’s office to invest in faculty, staff, and student initiatives such as course design and redesign; development of unique classroom learning environments that support active learning, team-based learning, and entrepreneurial skill development; lab-and-project-based capstone courses; faculty fellowships; and peer-learning initiatives. This fund will sustain and drive UMBC’s culture of innovation.

Quotes

Awards and honors

President Hrabowski has received numerous awards recognizing his prowess in leadership, education, innovation, science, and engineering, some of which are listed below:

Selected media appearances

As president of UMBC, Hrabowski is a frequent feature in various media venues[23] such as:

References

  1. ↑ Howard, Christopher B. (November 29, 2011). "On Leadership". The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ Reiter, Amy F. (January–February 2004). "Changing the Equations". Illinois Alumni Magazine. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Alumni Association.
  3. ↑ Golus, Carrie. "Contemporary Black Biographies: Freeman Hrabowski III". answers.
  4. ↑ Policy and Global Affairs. "Committee on Science, Education, and Public Policy". The National Academies.
  5. ↑ President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, Yumanewsnow.com.
  6. ↑ Bowie, Liz (November 10, 2008). "The next U.S. secretary of education". Inside Ed. Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  7. ↑ Green, Erica (2012-04-18). "UMBC president named among world's most influential leaders". Baltimore Sun.
  8. ↑ Rotherham, Andrew J. (April 18, 2012). "The World's 100 Most Influential People: 2012". Time.
  9. 1 2 Cruz, Gilbert (November 11, 2009). "Freeman Hrabowski - The Top Ten College Presidents". Time. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  10. ↑ 2011 Carnegie Awards
  11. 1 2 The History Makers:, Education. "Biography of Freeman Hrabowski". History Makers Project.
  12. ↑ "Ancestry.com for Hrabowski".
  13. 1 2 "Hrabowski: An educator focused on math and science". CBS News.
  14. ↑ Rotherham, Andrew (April 18, 2012). "Freeman Hrabowski - 2012 TIME 100: The Most Influential People in the World". Time. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  15. ↑ Mitchell, Andrea (2010). "Education Nation". MSNBC.
  16. ↑ Salter, Chuck (March 31, 2002). "It's Cool To Be Smart". Fast Company.
  17. ↑ UMBC. "Meyerhof Scholars Program".
  18. ↑ UMBC Celebrates Leadership-Innovation/
  19. ↑ UMBC. "The Hrabowski Fund for Innovation: Investing in the Future of UMBC". university.
  20. ↑ Hrabowski, Freeman. "Quotes of Freeman Hrabowski". Brainiacs.
  21. ↑ http://www.evolllution.com/opinions/audio-innovation-changing-culture-higher-education/
  22. ↑ "The Heinz Awards: Freeman Hrabowski". The Heinz Awards. The Heinz Awards. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  23. ↑ Hrabowski, Freeman. "Media". UMBC.
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