Bringing Bee Power to Baltimore Schools

Posted on by Don Willett in BNoted

Dual enrollment program bolstered by alumni instructors

BY TIM PAGGI, M.F.A, ’15

student at crossroads

Since 2016, Baltimore high school students have had the opportunity to earn college credits at University System of Maryland schools through the B-Power Initiative—one of two Early College Initiatives designed to give young people a head start into a post-secondary education.

B-Power was pioneered at The University of Baltimore, and under the leadership of John Brenner, B.A. ’01, MBA ’16, and Philippia Richardson, B.A. ’98, M.A. ’01, the dual enrollment program has expanded its footprint from four schools to 27 in just seven years. Out of 2,500 total participating students, 72 percent earned credits from UBalt and 65 percent went on to attend a two- or four-year college their first semester after graduating high school. But the staff will be the first to admit, it’s the adjunct faculty making this growth possible.

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Data Driven Degrees

Posted on by Don Willett in BNoted

New STEM designation sets finance grad students up for more success

BY MATTHEW LIPTAK

Graduate students looking to maximize their return on investment can find more opportunity in the Merrick School of Business with a newly STEM-designated program. The Master of Science in Business-Finance was redesigned to incorporate current methodologies including quantitative analysis, data-driven decision making and mathematical modeling. These features—traditionally found in disciplines like science, technology, engineering and math—are aimed at drawing new students to The University of Baltimore and revitalizing international student enrollment. 

“There’s definitely a hunger for this kind of program,” said Danielle Giles, director of marketing and communications for UBalt’s business school. “Our students—especially international students—are looking for more comprehensive mathematics-based and data-focused programs that ultimately allow them to move up in their jobs. And that’s what we’re looking for—people looking to advance in their careers.”

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Extended Stay

Posted on by Don Willett in BNoted

UBalt alums stay for second degrees and more

BY KRISTI MOORE, CERT ’20, MBA ’22

Whether it started with a campus tour, a fellow alum, or even just a feeling, many students at The University of Baltimore can point to a moment when they knew it was the right place for them. So right, in fact, that when they started considering a second degree, it was never a question that they would stay.

Ashlyn Woods,
B.A. ’21, J.D. ’23

Ashlyn Woods
Photo of Ashlyn Woods by Marissa Zuckerman.

Ashlyn Woods was introduced to UBalt and the idea of law school long before she would become a J.D. candidate there. As a student at Eastern Technical High School, Woods had a criminal justice alum, Luci Smith, M.S. ’13, teaching her law and related classes. After high school, though, Woods chose a different college. At least at first.

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World-Class Opportunities

Posted on by Don Willett in BNoted

Global field studies open access for UBalt student travel

BY KRISTI MOORE, CERT ’20, MBA ’22

Mayan ruins in Belize
Students at the Mayan ruins in Belize.

 

It took a lot of time to get there—half a semester, plus an early-morning flight and a slow drive on unpaved roads—but when Rebekah Opher stood at the base of the Mayan ruins in Belize, she knew the wait was worth it.

“These are stone structures, they’re built by hand, and they’re so high that I could only walk up to the first landing,” Opher said. “And just to think, for more than a thousand years, this is where they lived. This was a society, a civilization. I was definitely in awe.”

This perspective-shifting moment was possible because Opher, a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies student, elected to take Dr. Sally Farley’s Nonverbal Communication class during the spring semester. The psychology course had an optional component inviting students to travel to the Central America country over spring break.

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