President’s Letter

Posted on by Don Willett in President's Letter

Kurt Schmoke

When preparing for something as monumental as a Centennial, it’s easy to get swept up in the nostalgic embrace of years past. As we get closer to The University of Baltimore’s 100th anniversary, it’s important to note that we’re thinking about much more than the past.

As significant as our achievements have been—both to us and to the many lives we’ve touched across the city and the region—by no means is this a story that begins in 1925 and draws to a close in 2025. When we first began talking about how to celebrate UBalt’s real and lasting impact, we had to consider its future.

Where will the next century take the University? How will we continue to serve and lead? And, more broadly, what will higher education mean to those who follow in our footsteps?

Answering those questions is a tall order. But, often, it’s these predictions that set up our path as a people and a society. Just a few decades ago, someone predicted that we would be connected by computers. (Obviously, we know what this idea came to mean in our lives.) Today, University experts are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into course curricula and training students to use, and critically evaluate its use, in their respective fields.

This is why, even as we rely on our past to help us predict our futures, we stay rooted in the present. Transformative learning comes from practical experience, from putting knowledge to work today so we can adapt tomorrow. It’s something we’ve taught students for 100 years. What’s more, it’s something we preach and practice ourselves.

Nearly every day, many of us are asked to describe what makes UBalt different from the rest. How are we making an impact? Whose lives are made better because of our University? How do we show where the gaps are, between involvement and the alternative?

The difference is in our diverse academic programs, ones that promote AI literacy in our classrooms or tackle Cybersecurity concerns from multiple angles in business, policy and technology, so that our students can evolve with their careers.

The difference is in our ability to identify and serve the needs of our communities by building centers of excellence that tackle the underlying causes of crucial issues like chronic absenteeism and the drug epidemic, while also meeting immediate needs for care.

The difference is in our civic engagement through service and experiential learning, not just by offering course credit or paid internships, but by fostering pride in our community, whether students are on campus or learning remotely.

All these differences are being made right now at the University of Baltimore so that we may continue making a difference in the future.

The future may be hard to imagine, but it’s easy to characterize: people will always crave knowledge and perspective. They’ll still want to make life better. UBalt will be there, helping them to build a path to their dreams.

Sincerely,

Kurt L. Schmoke

Turning a Dream Job into Reality: Kyle Holtgren, B.S. ’06

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

BY EMILY HALNON

JOHN DAVIS

BIO

  • B.S. ’06, UBalt’s Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences
  • Transfer student from Anne Arundel Community College
  • Art director, integrated design, FX Networks
  • Credits include Shōgun, The Bear, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

When Kyle Holtgren, B.S. ’06, showed up for his first day of work at Warner Bros. Pictures, he was instantly transported back to his seven-year-old self.

He looked up at the historic water tower, branded with the classic WB logo, and remembered watching Tim Burton’s Batman as a kid, after the studio released it in 1989.

“Batman transformed my life,” he said. “The marketing for that movie changed the game for superhero movies in a way that’s still rippling through the industry today.”

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Speaking Up For New Americans: Giuliana Valencia-Banks, B.A. ’21, M.P.A. ’23

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

BY CHRISTIANNA McCAUSLAND

CHRIS MYERS PHOTOGRAPHY

BIO

  • B.A. ’21, M.P.A. ’23, The University of Baltimore
    College of Public Affairs
  • Advocate for immigrant and new Americans
    University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  • Chief, Immigrant Affairs program for Baltimore County
  • Member, Baltimore County’s New Americans Task Force

When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March, Giuliana Valencia-Banks, B.A. ’21, M.P.A. ’23, knew without being told that it was immigrants who were working on the road that night. Her first concern was that there be interpreters onsite, something she was pleased to see the FBI handled well. Her next thought was to work with partners to ensure there were culturally competent, bilingual trauma counselors available for the affected families.

In an email statement reported in The Baltimore Sun at the time of the collapse, Governor Wes Moore stated, “This is an all-hands-ondeck moment for our state and we are thankful for leaders like Giuliana who are putting their passion and their skills to work on behalf of our fellow Marylanders.”

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Telling Our History: Frances Murphy Draper (Toni), D.MIN., CERT ’80, MBA ’81

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

BY IJEOMA NWATU

CHRIS MYERS PHOTOGRAPHY

BIO

  • Certificate ’80, MBA ’81, The University of Baltimore
    Merrick School of Business
  • Family matriarch/li>
  • Board chair, president and fourth-generation publisher, The AFRO American Newspapers
  • Founding pastor, Freedom Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

In the early 1980s, The University of Baltimore’s Certificate in Women’s Management might have been regarded as something of a novelty, but Frances Murphy Draper (Toni), D.Min., CERT ’80, MBA ’81, recalled her time as a student in the program fondly saying, “I remember how supportive it was.”

At the time, Draper was juggling many responsibilities—including being a working professional, mother and wife—and appreciated the intentionality of the course and its removal of barriers for women like herself. The 14-month program alternated weekends and helped to develop her leadership skills. “It was very, very unique; the thoughtfulness around how women learn and lead, how women have to juggle so many things.” For example, she recalled a particularly impactful lesson about how to be assertive in the boardroom without being labeled aggressive.

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Power House: Ebony Thompson, J.D. ’13

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

BY CHRISTIANNA McCAUSLAND

LARRY CANNER PHOTOGRAPHY

BIO

  • J.D. ’13, The University of Baltimore School of Law
  • First woman and openly gay city solicitor, Baltimore City
  • Reservist, United States Marine Corps
  • Secured $1.2 million settlement with a ghost gun manufacturer

When F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “There are no second acts in American lives,” he clearly hadn’t bet on Ebony Thompson, J.D. ’13. Thompson, 46, did not even graduate from law school until she was 34. Yet today she is Baltimore’s first woman and first openly gay City Solicitor, sworn in last January, and she has already successfully tackled some of the city’s most pressing issues, including vacant housing and ghost guns.

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CLASS NOTES

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

Class notes featured were received from May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024. 

Several UBalt graduates were recently appointed to positions by Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Congratulations are extended to:

Peter S. O’Neill, J.D. ’84, Leslie Florestano Peek, J.D. ’91, Nicole D. Love-Kelly, J.D. ’95, and Liset Collazo-Dingle, J.D. ’03, who now serve on the statewide Appellate Courts Judicial Nominating Commission.

Julia A. Minner, J.D. ’90, and Joanie Raymond Brubaker, J.D. ’95, who were named judges for the Frederick County Circuit Court.

Jennifer Sue Hollander Fairfax, J.D. ’97, who serves as a judge in the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Ginina A. Jackson-Stevenson, J.D. ’01, who was appointed a magistrate in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

Jason G. Downs, B.A. ’04, who was named to the Howard County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Committee.

Erika Garrott Johnson, J.D. ’08, who was appointed to the Washington County Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission.

Levi Stuart Zaslow, J.D. ’08, who was named as a judge on the Baltimore City Circuit Court.

Alan Carl Lazerow, J.D. ’10, who was appointed a magistrate in the Baltimore City Circuit Court.

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In Memoriam

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

1940s

Laura M. Stack Fallon, LL.B. ’43
Charles F. Haugh Jr., A.A. ’48
John W. Jenkins, A.A. ’49

1950s

Martin R. Fischer, B.S. ’50
Herbert Sweren, B.S. ’50
Charlotte R. Bianco, A.A. ’51
Jacob Matz, J.D. ’51
Irene A. Wilson, LL.B. ’51
Carl J. Amrhein, A.A. ’52
W. Wade Homesley, A.A. ’53, J.D. ’70
Ruth Muhlbauer, B.S. ’53
Dudley K. Chism, B.S. ’54
Gordon J. Kelly Sr., J.D. ’55
Mary R. Gill, LL.B. ’56
Lee G. Rudolph Jr., B.S. ’57
Lloyd J. Hammond, LL.B. ’58
Adolph J. Siedlecki, B.S. ’59

1960s

Paul J. Hagner, B.S. ’60
Arthur H. Helton Jr., B.S. ’60
Lawrence L. Katz, B.S. ’60
Edward B. Kovens, B.S. ’60
Marvin S. Miller, LL.B. ’60
Arthur F. Pittenger, LL.B. ’60
Norman R. Stone Jr., J.D. ’60
Clarence W. Thompson, B.S. ’60
Robert F. Fischer, LL.B. ’61
James G. Byrnes, B.S. ’62
Edward P. Gallagher, J.D. ’62
T. L. Trockenbrot Jr., B.S. ’62
Taylor Bannan Anderson, B.S. ’63
Richard J. Hannigan, LL.B. ’63
Stuart M. Harrison, B.S. ’63, LL.B. ’67
Ronald C. Higgins, CERT ’63
Marion J. Minker Jr., A.A. ’63
Paul M. Mintz, B.S. ’63
Raymond F. Noon Jr., B.S. ’63
F. Brian Richter, A.A. ’63, B.S. ’72
Lee L. Shaver, B.S. ’63
Bernard J. Thomas, B.S. ’63
John R. Thompson, B.S. ’63
P. Joseph Amati, LL.B. ’64
Francis M. Chucoski, CERT ’64
Russell D. Coogan, J.D. ’64
Howard B. Gersh, LL.B. ’64
William Hughes, LL.B. ’64
Jeffrey A. Legum, B.S. ’64
Robert J. Smigal, LL.B. ’64
Walter D. Welsh, B.S. ’64
Robert C. Zacker, B.S. ’64
Stanley M. Asch, B.S. ’65
Alexander Beaumont, CERT ’65
Leroy M. Beck, B.S. ’65
Arnold N. “Tank” Cohen, B.S. ’65
Gilbert D. Marsiglia Sr., LL.B. ’65
Richard W. Moore, LL.B. ’65
Dorothy T. Sparrow, B.A. ’65
Lewis B. Steingold, J.D. ’65
Stephen P. Bourexis, J.D. ’66
Kenneth L. Cordrey, B.S. ’66
Thomas E. Donoho, LL.B. ’66
William J. Donovan, LL.B. ’66
Wayne R. Gioioso Sr., J.D. ’66
Joseph W. Mikos Jr., B.S. ’66
Randolph N. Bair Sr., J.D. ’67
Robert J. Dvorak, B.S. ’67
Michael A. Marley, B.S. ’67
George A. Quick, J.D. ’67
Edward F. Wilbourne, B.S. ’67
Donald E. Young, B.S. ’67
Stuart M. Felderstein, LL.B. ’68
Earl B. Heim, B.S. ’68, M.S. ’81
Harold F. Rew, B.S. ’68
William E. Schaeffer, B.S. ’68
Ronald W. Titus, B.S. ’68
Alan J. Wolfe, B.S, ’68
Fred W. Brehm, CERT ’69, B.S. ’71
Ronald F. Cardwell, B.S ’69
Harry R. Davidson, B.S. ’69
Arrie W. Davis, LL.B. ’69
Lloyd W. Deluke, B.S. ’69
Wayne C. Faupel, B.S. ’69
John T. Lyburn Jr., B.S. ’69
C. Jerome Moschetta, J.D. ’69
Donaldson L. Parker, J.D. ’69
Richard A. Percival, J.D. ’69
James L. Prichard, B.S. ’69, J.D. ’74
George L. Rayburn, LL.B. ’69
Joseph L. Ruppert, J.D. ’69
John B. Russell, B.S. ’69

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Remembering Two Leaders Who Shaped UBALT

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

President Kurt L. Schmoke shares his reflections on two influential leaders whose legacies endure at The University of Baltimore

Mebane Turner

DR. H. MEBANE “MEB” TURNER 1930–2023

I’ve been asked to describe exactly what H. MEBANE TURNER did for The University of Baltimore in his more than 30 years as president. In my letter to the community following his death last November, I wrote this:

“President Turner’s dedication to UBalt is instantly recognizable. Perhaps his greatest achievement was leading the University’s transition from a private institution to a fully accredited state university in 1988. This arrangement allowed UBalt to collaborate and share resources with its partner schools across the University System of Maryland and secured the institution’s future as not only a recognized leader in urban education, but also as a unique contributor to Maryland’s mix of top-notch undergraduate, graduate and professional-level institutions.

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B CREATIVE

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected

Daryl Dowery

DARYL DOWERY has been with The University of Baltimore for 29 years. In two years, he retires from his role as Security Ambassador, but he’ll be remembered for much more than keeping campus safe— he also kept it beautiful! His wife, Hollie Dowery, is an art aficionado who was looking for an activity the couple could pursue together during their post-retirement “golden years.” She encouraged her husband to pick up a brush for the first time in 2022, but it’s artist Bob Ross who ensured Dowery hasn’t put that brush back down.

“I love Bob Ross because his voice is soothing, and he relaxes you. His artwork is beautiful, and he takes his time to go step-by-step— that’s how I grasped doing art,” said Dowery. But even more than the Ross-inspired ASMR, he’s found the act of painting itself “soothes the mind,” which has helped him ease into his new role as the University’s unofficial artist-in-residence.

In February, an exhibit of his paintings was on display at the Robert L. Bogomolny Library, and select works of his art can be found around campus, including the School of Law, president’s suite and admission office.

Currently, Dowery is working with Nicole Munchel, M.F.A. ’16, UBalt’s digital designer and adjunct faculty member in the M.F.A. in Integrated Design program, to digitize his catalog of over 100 works of art, ensuring his UBalt legacy will endure long after he clocks out for the last time in 2026.

B Online

Posted on by Don Willett in BConnected, BOnline

B is for Book List

Looking for your next great read? We’ve got you dust-covered with a list of all the latest and greatest by UBalt authors from the past year.

Our 2024 Book List includes a variety of literary works from members of the UBalt community, like alumnus Bob Parsons, B.S. ’75, D.H.L. ’08, who launched the book tour for his memoir, Fire in the Hole! at UBalt on May 6.

Welcome Dean Reed!

The University of Baltimore School of Law welcomed its first female dean, LaVonda Reed, at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year. Read about her journey to UBalt Law in the 2024 issue of Baltimore Law Magazine, available now online.

Also featured this year, interviews with alumni AI entrepreneur, Tre Lundy, J.D. ’21, and TCAP volunteer and former first lady of Maryland, Katie Curran O’Malley, J.D. ’91, as well as a farewell from former law school dean, Ronald Weich.