The University of Baltimore (UB), located in midtown Baltimore, Maryland, in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. The university is a public undergraduate, graduate, and professional university located in the heart of the state's largest city. UB's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sciences.
History
Pre-history
The area near campus was first settled in the 1700s, with farm land and wood plots surrounding the Jones Falls, which was then a practical transportation medium. (In the 1800s, Robert E. Lee often took a boat on the river from his home in what was then northern Baltimore to his day assignment overseeing construction of Fort Carroll.) The river's transportation legacy presaged later uses: With the creation of the competing Mount Royal Station and Penn Station railroad venues, development in the area moved into high gear. Buildings constructed in the first half of the 1900s included two that would later be used by UB: The Loyola Savings and Loan building (now the Liberal Arts and Policy building) and the "old garage", (now an administration building) which would become one of the first indoor automobile sales venues in the United States. These were erected in addition to significant residential development in the Midtown-Belvedere area, which benefitted heavily from the neighborhood's status as a regional hub on competing railroads.
Early history
The university would not initially reside at its modern-day campus, however. Founded by a group of Baltimore business professionals, UB originally sought to provide educational opportunities for working men and women, meaning that the first classes were held not above the ornate dragons of the current liberal arts and policy building, but in a four-story rowhouse on St. Paul St. in 1925.
In 1937, after the addition of day programs to augment the initial night courses, a full-scale junior college was added to the university's offerings. Other changes in the following decades included the construction of the Langsdale Library in 1966, according to an administrative history of the school. In the 1970s, UB merged with Eastern College, Mount Vernon School of Law, and Baltimore College of Commerce.
During the presidency of Thomas Granville Pullen, the university became fully accredited in 1971 with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and built the Langsdale Library. In 1975, UB became an "upper division academic institution", offering only third and fourth year undergraduate and post-graduate course work. At the same time, ownership was assumed by the State of Maryland.
In 1988, the state merged UB into the new statewide university system, the University of Maryland System, which was later renamed University System of Maryland.
Lower division Initiative and later developments
The Lower Division Initiative was a program that began in 2005 to extend the University of Baltimore's position to once again offer the first two years of the baccalaureate degree. In April 2005, the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents approved plans that would allow UB to start accepting freshmen and sophomores. Under the original plan, freshmen and sophomore were to be admitted starting in the fall of 2006.
In a unanimous vote on February 15, 2006, the Maryland Higher Education Commission approved a revised mission statement submitted by the University of Baltimore, thus enabling the University to return to four-year undergraduate status. This was the same initiative that had received approval from the Board of Regents in 2005; however, the plan was revised slightly, calling for freshmen to be admitted in the fall of 2007.
The University stated that the new program better reflected the current focus and was designed to prepare students in business, pre-law, technology, public affairs, and applied liberal arts. The University said that it would offer freshmen "free" tuition for their first year, a benefit made possible by an anonymous private donor. An estimate stated that 140 freshmen were expected in the incoming class of fall of 2007.
In 2009, the event Gay Expectations Too as part of the University of Baltimore live performance series Spotlight UB, helped raise US$2,400 for the Baltimore-based non-profit food charity Moveable Feast.
Near the time of the change, the University also changed the school colors to blue (PMS 3025) and green (PMS 362), updated the "UB" logo, and adopted the new slogan-- "Knowledge that works". As of 2016, the school colors are just blue, PMS 7690.
In 2011, the school acted as the site of the 2011 Balkan Business Summit. Years since that event have witnessed the creation of a new, 12-story building for the university's law school, along with the construction of additional residential capacity on campus. In May 2014, it was announced that Kurt L. Schmoke would become the university's eighth president, succeeding retired president Robert Bogomolny.
In early 2015, it was announced that the university would that summer host the Bridges Conference, billed by organizers as one of the world's largest art/math interdisciplinary gatherings. Past sites for the conference have included Seoul, Banff, London and Granada.
Also as of early 2015, the renovation of Langsdale Library was underway. The renovation was designed by the German architectural firm Behnisch Architekten, which had also been responsible for the design of the 2013 law school structure at Charles St. and Mount Royal Ave.
Starting in 2005, the university's MBA program has been the target of nearby institutions' criticism, with UB's status as a traditionally white institution bringing calls for a restructuring of state funding. As of early 2017, that criticism was ongoing.
Academics and degree programs
The University offers numerous undergraduate, graduate, and professional as well as several certificate and joint degree programs.
Undergraduate
UB offers over 20 Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs, spanning the arts and sciences, public affairs, and business. UB also offers undergraduate certificates in Accounting, Crime Scene Investigation, and Forensic Document Analysis.
Graduate
UB offers a Master of Public Administration degree program. The M.P.A. program was the first in the state to be fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The program was also ranked 68th nationally in U.S. News & World Report's 2016 edition of "Best Grad Schools.
UB also offers a Master of Business Administration degree program, which was previously offered jointly with Towson University.
The university awards 11 Master of Science degrees in Accounting and Business Advisory Services, Applied Psychology, Business-Finance, Criminal Justice, Forensic Science - High Technology Crime, Health Systems Management, Human Services Administration, Interaction Design and Information Architecture, Negotiations and Conflict Management, Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship, and Taxation. The university awards 3 Master of Arts in Legal and Ethical Studies, Global Affairs and Human Security, and Publications Design.
In addition, it offers Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts and Integrated Design. Exclusively at the Universities at Shady Grove, UB offers a Master of Professional Studies in Justice Leadership and Management.
The university also awards several different Graduate Certificates, including Accounting Fundamentals, Business Fundamentals, Forensic Accounting, Internal Audit Services, Organizational Leadership, Library Technologies, Digital Communication, Digital Media Production, User Experience (UX) Design, Professional Counseling Studies, Health Systems Management, and the newly launched Trauma-Informed Certificate. UB also has several dual degree programs in Public Administration/Law, Negotiations and Conflict Management/Law, Criminal Justice/Law, and M.B.A./Law, allowing students the opportunity to obtain maximize the credits earned between both degrees.
Professional
UB offers professional degree programs leading to a Doctorate in Information and Interaction Design or Public Administration. Through its law school, UB offers a Juris Doctor and several concentrations. In addition, the law school offers a Master of Laws in the Laws of the United States and Taxation.
Colleges and schools
The University is composed of multiple colleges and schools:
- Merrick School of Business
- School of Law
- Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Public Affairs
Campus and student services
The main campus is located in Baltimore's Mt. Vernon cultural district, close to downtown and the Inner Harbor. The Lyric Opera House, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) are nearby. For the most part, the main academic buildings surround the intersections of Mount Royal Avenue and North Charles Street. Gordon Plaza is at the center of campus.
University buildings
The buildings include:
- H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons
- The Academic Center
- The Charles Royal Building
- John and Frances Angelos Law Center
- Langsdale Library
- UB Student Center
- William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center
- The Liberal Arts and Policy Building
Student housing developments
The University, the Bozzuto Group, and the Gould Property Co. entered into a public-private joint venture to develop UB's Bolton Yard parking lot into a mixed use development, including apartments, a UB student bookstore, other retail, and garage parking. The project, which is named the Fitzgerald at UB Midtown, broke ground in 2008 and was largely complete by 2011.
The Fitzgerald project was viewed at the time of its inception as a prelude to future public-private development projectsâ€"for instance more student housing. To that end, an October 2010 announcement indicated that the university was planning an 11-story student housing tower, to again be built in partnership with a private company, according to The Baltimore Sun. The student housing tower was largely complete by mid-2012.
According to a 2014 Baltimore Sun article, the university is considering building additional dormitory space on West Oliver Street, at the site of a facility currently used for postal vehicle maintenance. That development has yet to be named.
Public safety/campus police
The University of Baltimore Police Department (UBPD) is the law enforcement body that protects and serves the students, staff, and visitors on its main campus. In addition, the department collects and distributes campus crime statistics, offers women's self-defense courses, and operates several crime prevention programs. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Baltimore Police Department, the UB campus police have concurrent jurisdiction for twenty blocks into the city of Baltimore from UB's main campus. The current chief of police is Samuel D. Tress.
Local transit
Penn Station, with connections to Amtrak and MARC service, and a Light Rail stop, are just to the north of campus. The University of Baltimore/Mt. Royal station on the Baltimore Light Rail system is on the northwest edge of campus. The State Center station on the Baltimore Metro system is just a few blocks from campus. UB runs shuttle bus service between its academic buildings, parking garages, and the nearby public transportation/local transit stops.
Satellite campuses
In conjunction with the University System of Maryland, UB offers courses and several undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. Through a partnership with the College of Southern Maryland, UB offers the upper-level undergraduate coursework leading toward bachelor's degree in Business in Southern Maryland. UB also offers online classes.
Student life
UB has numerous academic clubs, student organizations, and an active student government. (As of May 2017, more than 90 are listed.) The academic clubs usually sponsor a host of programs and speakers throughout the school year. Not all clubs are academic or sports-related, however: Clubs related to improv, crafting, religions, languages and film are among the non-academic, non-sports options. The UB Post is the monthly student newspaper, which serves the purpose of keeping the general student population informed of upcoming campus activities, as well as relevant news. A student-run press, Plork, provides additional printing experience for students majoring in fields related to media design, publishing and writing, as does the University's 50-year-old literary magazine, Welter. The Student Center is the central place for studentsâ€"housing The Hive market and cafe, the UB Campus Pantry, the Interfaith Space, student government and organization offices, and study lounges.
The University of Baltimore has not offered any varsity sports since 1983.
Student housing
In the past five years, the number of UB students living near campus has increased an amazing 134 percent. Students have the option to reside in The Varsity, located on West Biddle Street 0.2 miles from the campus, or in other private complexes nearby.
Campus Recreation and Wellness
UB has an athletic/fitness center named Campus Recreation and Wellness, which is continually growing for the betterment of the university and surrounding community. It has an aerobics studio, a sparring/boxing room, two indoor racquetball courts, a well-equipped gym, a basketball court, and locker rooms. The Recreation Center, located on the third and fourth floor of the Academic Center, offers fitness classes free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to all members and hosts the Sport Club and Intramural Sports teams. At one time, UB owned and operated a golf driving range in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore. However, this facility has been leased to the city. Campus Recreation and Wellness seeks to serve the recreation, fitness, health and leisure needs of the university community through instructional and competitive sport activities, including aerobics classes, golf lessons, intramural sports, informal recreation and sport clubs. The Recreation Center facilities include basketball, racquetball, badminton and volleyball courts, weight and cardio rooms, aerobic and spinning studios, indoor golf cage, foosball, darts, Wii gaming system, as well as locker rooms and a sauna. The facilities are open to students, faculty, staff and Recreation Center members with valid UB BeeCards.
The UB men's lacrosse team won four USILA Division II national championships in four consecutive years, 1956â€"1959.
Honor societies
The university hosts chapters of several honor societies, including:
- Alpha Chi
- Alpha Phi Sigma
- Beta Alpha Psi
- Beta Gamma Sigma
- Mu Kappa Tau
- Phi Alpha Theta
- Phi Theta Kappa
- Pi Alpha Alpha
- Pi Sigma Alpha
- Psi Chi
- Sigma Iota Epsilon
- Sigma Tau Delta
- Omicron Delta Kappa
Notable alumni
Business
- Peter Angelos â€" owner of the Baltimore Orioles
- Tom Condon â€" graduated from UB Law in 1981, sports agent, represents over 120 NFL players
- Bob Parsons â€" founder of GoDaddy
- Stan White â€" retired NFL Player Baltimore Colts graduated from UB Law, sports agent, sportscaster, assistant football coach Gilman School
History, journalism and media
- Carole Boston-Weatherford â€" author and critic
- Louis S. Diggs â€" Baltimore County historian
- Fred Robbins â€" Talk show host, actor and television personality
Mathematics, sciences and technology
- Celeste Lyn Paul â€" User interface design expert, KDE Usability Project head, president of HacDC
- Jeffrey Kluger â€" Senior Writer for TIME Magazine specializing in science coverage; author of books including Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, on which the 1995 movie Apollo 13 was based.
Politics, law and government
- Spiro Agnew â€" Vice President of the United States 69â€"73, Governor of Maryland 67â€"69
- Curt Anderson â€" Maryland House of Delegates District 43, 1983â€"1995, 2002â€"present
- Dale Anderson (1963) â€" former Baltimore County Executive and State Delegate
- John S. Arnick (1961) â€" former member of the Maryland House of Delegates
- Carville Benson (1893) â€" U.S. Congressman for Maryland 2nd District, 1918â€"1921.
- Lieutenant General H Steven Blum (1968) â€" former Chief of the National Guard Bureau and Deputy Commander NORTHCOM.
- William P. Bolton (1909) â€" Congressman for Maryland 2nd District, 1949â€"1951.
- James W. Campbell (1969) â€" former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.
- J. Joseph Curran, Jr. (1959) â€" Maryland Attorney General, 1987â€"2007: Lt. Governor 83â€"87 under Harry Hughes.
- Catherine Curran O'Malley (1991) â€" Associate Judge for the First District Court of Maryland, wife of former Governor of Maryland and former Baltimore Mayor, Martin O'Malley.
- Terry R. Gilleland, Jr. (2001) â€" former member of Maryland House of Delegates
- J. B. Jennings â€" Maryland Delegate for District 7.
- Sheryl Davis Kohl â€" former member of Maryland House of Delegates
- Arrie Davis â€" former judge on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals
- Frank Kratovil â€" Congressman United States House of Representatives, Maryland District 1, 2008â€"2011
- Pat McDonough â€" Maryland delegate.
- Richard Meehan â€" Mayor of Ocean City, Maryland, 2006â€"present.
- C. Edward Middlebrooks (1982) â€" former Maryland State Senator.
- Donald E. Murphy (1983) â€" former member of Maryland House of Delegates, 1994â€"2002.
- Sandra Peuler â€" judge of the Utah Third District Court in Salt Lake City
- Bishop Robinson â€" former Police Commissioner of Baltimore, 1984 â€" 1987.
- Dutch Ruppersberger â€" Congressman 2nd district, 02-present, Baltimore County Executive, 94-02.
- William Donald Schaefer (1942) â€" Mayor of Baltimore 71â€"87, Governor of Maryland 87â€"95, State Comptroller 99-2007
- John F. Slade III (1969) â€" former member of Maryland House of Delegates.
- Frederic N. Smalkin â€" Jurist-in-Residence, University of Baltimore School of Law, 2005â€"present
Sports
- Dick Edell â€" lacrosse coach
- Red Holzman, NBA â€" 1948â€"53, 2-time NBA All-Star guard, coach, Hall of Fame.
- Howard "Chip" Silverman â€" author, lacrosse coach
- Isaiah Wilson, NBA â€" 1971â€"1972
- Dele Young â€" professional tennis player
References
External links
- Official website
- UB Post â€" student newspaper
