Meyerhoff Scholars Nurturing Excellence in Science and Engineering

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, UMBC President

A leader and a visionary, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski is a man on a mission to effect change. During his 15 years as president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County in Catonsville, Md. this energetic change agent led the charge in transforming UMBC from a struggling commuter school into an educational powerhouse, known nationwide for its math, science and technology programs. Hrabowski, a Hampton University graduate who was arrested at age 12 for marching against segregation in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., today practices a more subtle form of social protest. In his role as a college president — a black man running a predominantly white research university — Hrabowski relies on vision, charisma and an infectious belief that anything is possible to implement programs that shatter stereotypes, encourage mergers and bring together diverse elements of the community surrounding his 10,000 student, 500-acre school.

The wildly successful Meyerhoff Scholarship Program is Hrabowski's brainchild. The widespread belief that black students — particularly black males — weren't interested or didn't have the know-how to pursue careers in engineering, science and technology didn't sit well with Hrabowski, who graduated with honors in math. He has been president since 1992.

During his recent interview with THE BLACK COLLEGIAN magazine, Dr. Hrabowski talks about the Meyerhoff Scholars and his passion for recruiting and nurturing African- American students who excel in mathematics and science.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: Tell us how and why you started the Meyerhoff Scholars program.

HRABOWSKI: When I came to UMBC to become vice provost for academic affairs, it was very clear that minority students, particularly African Americans, were not succeeding in science on a campus that is heavily science. Sixty percent of our undergraduates majored in science but only 25 percent graduated with degrees in science. And the number of African-American students graduating with degrees in science was even lower than that. I had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Meyerhoff (local philanthropist Robert Meyerhoff ) about the problem. He already had an interest in understanding the challenges faced by young black males. We married the two ideas and the program began for African-American males in science in 1988. We added women the second year.

TBC: What does it take to be a Meyerhoff Scholar?

HRABOWSKI: Students who compete for the program tend to have high grades and test scores and what we call “fire in the belly” — a passion for science. The encouraging news for some people is that even if a student doesn't get admitted to the program as a freshman, that student can come here, work with the Meyerhoff students and be admitted in subsequent years.

TBC: Just how successful is the Meyerhoff Scholars program?

HRABOWSKI: More than 90 percent of our Meyerhoff Scholars graduate with degrees in science. As a rule, we graduate 50 to 60 Scholars each year. We lead the country in producing black scientists. We do well in engineering, too. The average GPA for this group is about 3.6. No where else in the country will you find this many African Americans in a white university with this set of grades. This year alone, 20 of our Meyerhoff graduates went on to earn Ph.D’s in their field. That’s higher than Stanford, Duke and any other university in the country.

TBC: How much scholarship aid do Meyerhoff Scholars receive?

HRABOWSKI: We offer full scholarships to a number of students, partial scholarships for others. If someone is in-state, it’s about $15,000. Out-of-state students average $25,000. We guarantee them if they come here and do well — and inevitably they do — we can guarantee admission to the best graduate and medical schools in the country.

TBC: What is an MD/PHD and how long does it take to get that kind of degree?

HRABOWSKI: Another seven to eight years beyond undergraduate school. You start off with two years of medical school. Then you stop after the coursework to go into the PhD program, which might last anywhere from three to five years. Once you get a PhD, you go back to finish medical school. Most African Americans have not even heard of MD/PhDs. But here's the point: Yes, we need more physicians. But we also need more MD/PhDs, or physician scientists. The physician will treat patients. MD/PhDs won’t just treat people, they’ll also do research and find cures for the diseases they treat. These are the people who will go into medical schools, join medical faculties and supervise medical students. Most medical students never even see a black faculty member.

TBC: Considering how well they’re doing, the Meyerhoff Scholars must get more than financial aid.

HRABOWSKI: They get much more….much, much more. We place a heavy emphasis on building community, on group study and on The Bridge Program they must participate in the summer before they begin. The Bridge

Program is like a boot camp. We also place heavy emphasis on getting them into research labs, especially during the summer. The difference here is that UMBC’s faculty — most of them are not minorities — truly believe in the success of these students. They get involved with these students. Too often, minority programs are run by minority staff who are well meaning, but they don't have the power. Our faculty members have the power. So we get our scholars into classes where the professors really expect them to do well. The fact that they get academic support, group study and mentoring makes all the difference in the world.

TBC: Why are Meyerhoff Scholars required to perform inside and outside the classroom?

HRABOWSKI: To whom much is given, much also is required. That’s the basic philosophy of this program. It's really based on what I learned while studying at Hampton. Some students work on AIDS research in biochemistry labs. They also work with HIV patients. Others work as tutors to all the youngsters we bring on campus in math and science. Others work with aging populations at retirement homes. Large numbers serve as mentors and role models for inner-city children. We want them to leave here with more than a good education. We not only want them to develop their minds, we want them to recognize the importance of having compassion for other people.

TBC: You’ve been known to actively recruit the best and the brightest, students who could have gone to Harvard, Yale and some of the other Ivy League schools. How are you able to do that?

HRABOWSKI: The reputation of the program and its success rate have a lot to do with it. In the early years, several of us got to know some high school principals pretty well. We got a chance to talk to some of the students we wanted to recruit. We suggested that they come and look at what we are doing and compare it to what they saw when they visited very prestigious colleges. What brought the students here was the sense of community they felt among themselves. UMBC is a campus that celebrates brilliance in students of color. We sit down and talk to them about what it means to be brilliant and black and a scientist in a predominantly white country. They don't feel isolated here.

TBC: What’s next for UMBC and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program?

HRABOWSKI: We’ll keep working to expand the number of students who are becoming scientists. But we now have an assortment of graduate programs - Meyerhoff graduate programs in the biological sciences, physical sciences and engineering. In addition to sending students to the best graduate schools in the country, we’re producing our own Ph.D’s. And they’re using the same model of community building — group study, supporting each other — that we used with the undergrads. We've also been helping to increase the number of African-American students who are thinking about venturing into entrepreneurship. We want to help blacks start their own biotech companies and IT companies.

TBC: As president of UMBC, The Meyerhoff Scholars program is only one of your achievements. You’ve bought insignificant research dollars and launched a research park and a technology center. What has this meant for the students at your university?

HRABOWSKI: Students get a chance to see the relationships between science and tech commercialization and the movement of ideas through the lab and into the tech marketplace. We have chemistry professors here who have biotech companies over on the research park where students work. So they get a chance to study their chemistry, biochemistry and engineering, and then go on to work in these companies. That’s one reason these students get into the best Ph.D and MD/Ph.D programs — from Harvard to Stanford, from Duke to Penn.

TBC: Which one of your many achievements means the most to you?

HRABOWSKI: It’s producing leaders of all colors and backgrounds, leaders who will change the world. That’s my most significant achievement — creating an environment where a Black or Hispanic has as good a chance at being at the top of their organic chemistry class as any other student. I’m proud to be part of a program that produces first-rate leaders who have learned how to work with people of different cultures.