WHEREAS, Baltimore County is blessed with a number of science-based industries which are currently engaged in highly specialized research and development work and a graduate branch of the University would undoubtedly be of great assistance to these industries and would attract new industry into the metropolitan region.” (Maryland Senate Bill 73, Approved April 30, 1963)
“Each of you brings individual background, talents and education to our new campus. Collectively, you are a different student body from any previously assembled. In working with the faculty and staff of UMBC, make the most of this opportunity to help create a center of learning in which those who give their best in the laboratory and on the playing field develop a brilliance that is the mark of their efforts and the UMBC environment.” – Albin O. Kuhn, 1966
“Most importantly, [UMBC Acting Vice Chancellor Robert K.] Webb said UMBC must provide ‘programs to catch up with the quality of the faculty we’ve got.’ He said UMBC’s role in the Baltimore area was a distinctive one. ‘It’s the only publicly supported university in the genuine sense of the term.’ ” – The Retriever August 29, 1978
“The knowledge discovered and created in universities will be the fuel rods powering the economy of the 21st century.” – Michael Hooker, 1986
“We will continue to strengthen our arts and sciences programs, for the benefit of all our students. We will be a national leader in educating students in science and engineering, including minorities and women. And we will continue to focus on issues of diversity.” – Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, 1993. Installation address as President of UMBC.
“UMBC: An Honors University in Maryland seeks to become the best public research university of our size by combining the traditions of the liberal arts academy, the creative intensity of the research university, and the social responsibility of the public university. We will be known for integrating research, teaching and learning, and civic engagement so that each advances the others for the benefit of society.” – Framing the Future: A Strategic Framework for 2016 (2003)
“You know, there is a level of greatness we’ve achieved at UMBC that people rarely appreciate, and it has to do with the spirit of this community. It’s a spirit in students, faculty, staff‑ and alumni that focuses on serving.... People at UMBC may have di‑fferent points of view and disagree, but there is a belief in the importance of the common good. A belief in the importance of what makes us a great university and a great community.” - Freeman A. Hrabowski, III UMBC Magazine, Winter 2013