Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, III

. . . Continued from the 2008 Conference Home page.

In 1988, Dr. Hrabowski was one of the original founders of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program for high-achieving minority students in the STEM fields at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he has served as President since 1992. During his tenure, UMBC has gained increased visibility for its research and its public university-private industry partnerships as well as for the positive outcomes of programs like the Meyerhoff Scholars, making UMBC a national leader in graduating minority science students and sending them on to earn doctorates and medical degrees.

Dr. Hrabowski has been both an activist and high-achiever since childhood. He was involved at an early age in the civil rights movement. After participating in Martin Luther King Jr.s childrens crusade, he was arrested and spent several days in jail. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s and 60s, he was often the only student in his class that both enjoyed and excelled at math. He graduated from the Hampton Institute at age 19 and went on to earn his doctorate from the University of Illinois at age 24. He has served as an assistant professor, assistant dean, associate dean, associate professor, professor, dean, vice president, and vice provost at institutions including the University of Illinois, Alabama A&M University, Coppin State College, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he has been President for over 15 years.

Dr. Hrabowski is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Educator Achievement Award from the National Science Foundation and the first U.S. Presidents Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. In 2004 he was selected as one of the 50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science. He has also received many other awards including The Boy Scouts of America's Henry A. Rosenberg, Sr. Distinguished Citizen Award, Loyola College of Maryland's Andrew White Medal, the Jewish National Fund's Hatikvah Award, Eli Lilly and Company's Educator Achievement Award and the National Society of Black Engineers' Reginald H. Jones Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Hrabowski has co-authored two books, Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males and Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women.