Baltimore, Md. – University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III was named a 2001 recipient of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education at a ceremony in New York City today. The award is given annually to individuals who have shown an extraordinary commitment to the improvement to education. Carl Cohn, superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District and Mary Catherine Swanson, founder and executive director of AVID also received the 2001 McGraw Award.

The theme of this year's awards was “Closing the Gap,” recognizing three individuals who have made raising achievement among underserved students one of their primary goals. Hrabowski was chosen for his “unwavering commitment to education excellence and minority achievement, particularly in math and science.”

The Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education was established in 1988 to mark the Corporation's 100th anniversary and to honor Mr. McGraw's lifelong commitment to education. The prestigious Prize, judged by a distinguished panel of educators, annually recognizes outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to improving education in this country and whose accomplishments are making a difference today.

Past honorees include: The Honorable James B. Hunt Jr., former Governor of North Carolina; Barbara Bush, founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy; Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education; and Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools.

Hrabowski has served as President of UMBC since May of 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. Born in Birmingham, Ala., Hrabowski graduated at 19 from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics, and he received his M.A. (mathematics) and Ph.D. (higher education administration/statistics) at 24 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and universities and school systems nationally, and he sits on numerous corporate and civic boards. Dr. Hrabowski is co-author of the books, Beating the Odds (Oxford, 1998), focusing on parenting and high-achieving African American males in science, and Overcoming the Odds, on successful young black women in science (Oxford, 2002).

Note to editors: A high resolution photo of Hrabowski is available here