"UMBC’s research productivity continues to increase, whether measured by the number of prestigious awards to our faculty or totals of grants and contracts.

One of the most significant benchmarks is our current Carnegie Foundation classification, which places UMBC in the top tier of research institutions in the country—one of only 150 schools, out of more than 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide.

Our growth as a research institution also can be measured by the National Science Foundation’s rankings based on federal research expenditures in science and engineering. UMBC’s national ranking rose by almost 50 places—from 200 in 1996 to 153 in 2000. This dramatic rise is all the more impressive given that most of the other nationally ranked institutions are both much larger and older than UMBC.

We are moving up in the ranks among research institutions, but what is really important is not our ranking, but the productivity of our faculty members and the quality of what they are doing."