"Growth and change are a way of life at UMBC. Those who remember the University’s first years as ‘three buildings and a sea of mud’ can take enormous pride in how much the campus has developed. We have added new buildings to keep pace with student and academic needs, and UMBC’s growth particularly as a residential campus is an achievement that will resonate for decades to come.

There is a very special sense of campus spirit here. It’s not about football. It’s about the life of the mind. It’s about academic achievement. It’s about research. It’s about performance ensembles and the debate team. Students today at UMBC today are building important new traditions. They are creating a vibrant sense of campus life and pride in school spirit, a sense of belonging to a place and a campus culture.

We are creating a new model, one that blends the best from public and private universities, from research campuses and liberal arts institutions. It’s a wonderful mix of the best from all those different types of places."