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