Introduction

The theme of this year's annual report reflects UMBC's vision--a research university committed to undergraduate education; an academic institution that works in the real world; and a community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni that embodies excellence.

Our faculty are connecting ideas in exciting ways, creating new perspectives and erasing traditional boundaries between subject areas. Our students are not simply learning--they also stand at the head of a classroom, applying what they have learned and teaching others, serving as mentors to their peers and role models for students to follow.

Our new approaches to teaching and learning are not limited to our own classrooms, but reach beyond the borders of our campus as we combine the work of the University with a commitment to civic engagement, responding to some of society's most pressing social needs.

And by talking face-to-face with business leaders, listening to their needs, and defining together how to address workforce and research- and-development challenges, we have created valuable partnerships outside the University.

This is a very exciting time to be at UMBC. I invite you to read more about the people, events, and outstanding achievements that place us among the very best public universities in the nation.

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
President