From the President

Every academic institution has its own culture, born out of its traditions, people and environment. It strengthens over time, with each achievement—each graduate, each award, each accolade. It adapts to an ever-changing world while still honoring the traditions that shaped it. It allows new cultural contributions to fill gaps in its existing structure.

The University of Baltimore laid the groundwork for its current culture at the outset of its founding in 1925. From its beginnings as a private night School of Law and College of Business Administration, UBalt immediately embraced working adults. Over time, the scope of our student body expanded to enfold first-generation college goers, transfer students, older students, career-changers and all those who require the flexibility not found in traditional college settings.

Through the years, our campus has seen collegiate customs come and go. Fifty years ago, students were cheering on the University of Baltimore’s NCAA champion athletic teams. Today, they dress Edgar Allen Poe in purple and orange regalia to rally behind our hometown teams instead.

No matter what changes with the passing of time, one thing is patently clear: UBalt culture has always been defined by the needs of our students.

For nearly 100 years, The University of Baltimore has designed its programs and opportunities to meet students where they are, so they can pursue their passions through our expertise and become the leaders and changemakers our city, state and world need. We’ve assessed our students’ needs and met their changing demands. We’ve added new academic programs, bolstered mental health resources and other student supports, and created new opportunities for students to engage in their community, both on and off campus.

At a time when institutions are tasked with expanding their capabilities in support of multitudinous goals—from the career success of students to the readiness of the workforce to meet fast-moving challenges—the University of Baltimore serves as an engine of opportunity.

At UBalt, opportunity has always been forged by the expertise and ingenuity of our faculty and staff, the loyalty and endorsement of our alumni, and the resilience and determination of our students. But it is also made possible thanks to the bold vision and unwavering dedication of our donors.

The opportunities you have created for our students are nothing short of extraordinary. Scholarships allow them to earn their degrees while working and caring for their families. Experiential learning programs encourage them to see the world and subsidize paid internships and externships so they can build their careers while completing their education. And our Centers of Excellence take their practical and theoretical knowledge to new heights, while helping them to develop their professional skills and grow their networks.

What’s more, the opportunities you have created are a reflection of University of Baltimore culture—a culture shaped and solidified by you, our alumni, neighbors, friends and peers. In short, our champions.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that your stalwart support of our accomplished, resourceful, diverse, hard-working student body is also a reflection of your commitment to the communities we call home, in Baltimore and beyond. It speaks volumes that you recognize the needs—and goals—of our students and our communities aren’t mutually exclusive. The path to success for both can be mutually beneficial.

That is the story told by the people and programs featured in this FY2023 Annual Report. It is the story we will continue to tell as we get closer to our centennial in 2025. It is the story we will tell through a full year of celebrations that honor our rich, shared culture. And it is the story that will be told as the University of Baltimore skyrockets towards a bright future.

Thank you for being an integral part of this story.

Sincerely,

KURT L. SCHMOKE
President, The University of Baltimore

 

From the FY2023 Board Chair

There has been a recurring theme across annual reports for the past few years, whether they come from small community organizations or large anchor institutions: resilience. In fact, it was the title of The University of Baltimore Foundation’s own Annual Report in FY2021. We’ve addressed the resilience of the University—its students, staff and the community members it serves—but we would be remiss if we didn’t explicitly acknowledge the resilience of our donors as well.

Your enduring support throughout tumultuous times—from the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic through the ensuing market uncertainty—ensured that the Foundation was able to provide sustainable funding to The University of Baltimore in pursuit of its mission and goals.

In FY2023, your contributions increased over a million dollars from the previous fiscal year which enabled the Foundation to provide critical support to the University and its four schools totaling over $5,000,000. We were also able to increase the number of scholarships we awarded by 36 percent.

But that’s not all we were able to accomplish together. The current annual report features stories and highlights from a dynamic year that include:

• new, transformative gifts that are impacting the University’s career development and community engagement efforts across multiple programs;
• increases in gifts from long-time supporters that speak to their continued belief in our successful stewardship;
• and the creation of 22 new endowed funds that will provide sustaining support for the University.

All of us at the University of Baltimore Foundation are honored to be a part of this University’s great legacy—one made possible thanks to your support; one that speaks to your generosity and resilience. So, really, this is your legacy, too. Thank you!

Sincerely,

NINA K. YUDELL, B.S. ’81, MBA ‘82
Chair, The University of Baltimore Foundation Board of Directors