Freeman A. Hrabowski, III -- UMBC president, author and nationally recognized authority on expanding educational standards and opportunities for minority students -- will give UMBC's annual Low Lecture, "Reflections on America's Academic Achievement Gap: A 50-Year Perspective," on May 5 at 7:00 p.m. in UMBC's University Center Ballroom.

The lecture will honor the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision that desegregated American public schools. From his early participation in the civil rights movement to his groundbreaking work sending young African-Americans into careers in science and technology, Hrabowski has a wealth of personal experience to draw upon for the speech.

Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, 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.

Hrabowski serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and universities and school systems nationally. He also is a member of numerous corporate and civic boards. Hrabowski's research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance.

Hrabowski is co-author of the books, "Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women," published by Oxford University Press in 2001, and "Beating the Odds, Raising Academically Successful African American Males," published by Oxford University Press in 1998.

The UMBC History department's annual Low Lecture is named for founding faculty member and distinguished African American historian Augustus (Gus) Low. Low was a noted historian of the U.S. civil rights movement era.