UMBC's President Freeman Hrabowski Receives Prestigious TIAA-CREF Award - AmericaEast.com
NEW YORK -- UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III has been awarded the 2011 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence, the organization announced last week. Dr. Hrabowski, who has served as UMBC's president since 1992, was selected by an independent panel of judges based largely on his work to increase the representation of minority students in science and engineering and create an institutional model of inclusive excellence at his university.
"I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my UMBC colleagues and students, and to have our work associated with the example of extraordinary leadership provided by Father Hesburgh. It takes all of us in the academy to build our institutions and prepare the next generation of leaders. Higher education is more important than ever before for both our nation and humankind. We know that education transforms lives," said Dr. Hrabowski.
Established in 1993, the TIAA-CREF Hesburgh Award is named in honor of Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, nationally renowned educator and world humanitarian. Father Hesburgh also served on the TIAA and CREF Boards of Overseers for 28 years. The award carries with it a $20,000 prize.
“Dr. Hrabowski’s leadership at UMBC and commitment to underrepresented groups in science and engineering has had a powerful impact on both the Maryland system and on higher education as a whole,” said Stephanie Bell-Rose, head of the TIAA-CREF Institute. “The Hesburgh award honors those higher education leaders who demonstrate innovative thinking, a positive impact on both higher education and society and a willingness to collaborate both within and outside the university, all of which are embodied by Dr. Hrabowski’s work.”
Hrabowski was named one of America's 10 Best College Presidents by Time Magazine in 2009 and one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report in 2008. Additionally, UMBC has been named the country's No. "Up and Coming" University each of the last two years.