UMBC president tells Baltimore County delegation university has grown as research, workforce generator

Valerie Shears Ashby, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, told the Baltimore County House Delegation in April that UMBC enrolls about 14,000 students, about 3,000 of them graduate students, and that roughly one-third of undergraduates are Pell-eligible and about one-third are first-generation college students.

Ashby said UMBC was designated a Research 1 (R1) university just before she started in July 2022 and that research funding at the university rose from about $82 million when she arrived to about $145 million this year. She said approximately 80% of students participate in experiential learning such as research or internships, and that roughly 70–75% of graduates remain in Maryland to work.

Why it matters: Ashby framed UMBC’s growth as a local workforce and economic asset. She emphasized transfer pathways from community colleges, noting many of UMBC’s graduates transferred from two-year institutions and often graduate more quickly than students who began as freshmen.

Delegation members asked about prospective impacts from federal research funding reductions. Ashby said UMBC’s research portfolio is balanced and not heavily dependent on the National Institutes of Health; she said two grants had been affected to date and that the university had planned scenarios to manage state budget cuts, adding she did not expect current pressures to threaten the institution’s R1 standing in the short term.

Ashby highlighted several programs and accomplishments in her remarks: UMBC’s Institute of Politics and polling work, student‑athlete academic performance (she said the student‑athlete GPA averaged about 3.45), a new AI center and a quantum computing center, and three scientific experiments selected for NASA’s Artemis 3 moon mission. She said the experiment from UMBC will remain on the lunar surface after astronauts return, allowing ongoing data collection, and that UMBC recently rose in national ranking for NASA funding from No. 16 to No. 10.

Ashby also discussed outreach to K–12, saying UMBC is actively pursuing middle‑school campus visits to build a pipeline so that more Maryland students imagine and pursue college. She mentioned UMBC’s Shady Grove site and that about 500 students attend there, and she described weekly student office hours.

Delegation members thanked Ashby and several referenced UMBC alumni in elected office and local institutions. Ashby closed by thanking the delegation for state support of higher education and saying UMBC will “work with what we have” to continue serving students.

Ending: Delegation members invited Ashby and UMBC staff to remain for the legislative portion of the session and encouraged follow‑up visits to campus.