By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
The University of Baltimore (UB) celebrated its 100th anniversary on Nov. 13 with a major event at the M&T Bank Exchange in Downtown Baltimore.
The evening featured alumni, including Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D), historical exhibits and musical performances. UB President and former Baltimore City Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and emcee WBAL reporter Breana Ross highlighted the university’s legacy and future ambitions.
“We’re not only the University of Baltimore, we’re also the university for Baltimore,” Schmoke said. “We are, I believe, responsible for the city’s intellectual infrastructure.”
Ross helped put a spotlight on the unique aspects of UB.
“UB is a unique university, serving the kinds of college students who are driven, talented, ambitious and passionate about everything they do,” said Ross. “Young students, mid-career students, and students who are determined to get more out of life even into their 70s and beyond.”
A majority of students are low-income, with 58 percent enrolled in graduate programs. Most undergraduates are juniors and seniors who transferred in, and the median graduate age is 28, compared with 22 at other University System of Maryland institutions.
Gamar Hayles, a 28-year-old senior studying Information Systems and Technology Management, reflected on why he chose UB and how he hopes it will benefit his career goals.
“I’m assistant branch manager, and have been in banking for the last eight years,” said Hayles. “ I was exposed to how systems work, how data is protected, and I just wanted to understand it better.”
Hayles added that his UB degree will help him pursue his dream of becoming a data privacy and intellectual property lawyer.
“The people that you’re going to meet here are going to be your lifelong friends and people that you can really connect with and grow with,” said Hayles.
Schmoke urged attendees to focus on the future as the university works towards its second century.
“Let’s celebrate our past, but let’s spend most of our time and effort on what we can do in our second century,” he said. “Think about a new kind of job that will be coming in the years ahead, and UB will be there, helping to prepare our students to step in.”
“Many of Baltimore’s most influential leaders in business, the law, public service, and the arts and humanities got their start at the University of Baltimore,” Schmoke added.
Ball reflected on his own experience as a student.
“Long before I was the honorable Dr. Calvin Ball, there was a summer in 1997 when there was a 21-year-old Calvin Ball who was lost, wasn’t sure where he was going [or] what he was doing,” he said. “There are so many other Calvin Ball stories of students for 100 years who have found themselves, found their place, found their purpose right here at the University of Baltimore.”
UB currently offers 44 academic degrees—25 graduate and 19 undergraduate—and certificate programs in areas such as digital communications and business fundamentals. It is part of the University of Maryland System, which comprises 12 institutions and three regional higher education centers.
UB has four colleges, including the College of Public Affairs, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the Merrick School of Business and the School of Law, and it is the state’s only predominantly Black institution based on undergraduate demographics. UB ranked in the top 25 percent in Washington Monthly’s 2023 Best Bang for the Buck – Northeast, a measure of affordability and career-readiness for low-income students.
Looking toward the next 100 years, UB continues to be a place for driven students, lifelong learning and Baltimore’s future leaders.