A Look Back at UBalt’s Year
2022 brought many opportunities and exciting changes to The University of Baltimore. As the new year approaches, we invite you to look back with us at some of the year's biggest milestones, showcasing everything from campus events and programs, to collaborations and competitions.
Below are six of our biggest stories of 2022. We’ll be sharing more highlights from the year over the next few weeks on our social media channels. Connect with us on social media to see even more of the stories that defined our year.
Out Of This World: UBalt Hosts NASA-funded Space Tech Camp for High School Students
How do space missions affect astronauts’ mental health? How can spacesuits be redesigned to better fit different people? Can technology be used to signal a spike in radiation levels for an astronaut exploring a new area? High school students eagerly shared the questions they hoped to investigate as part of The University of Baltimore’s inaugural Space Tech Camp this past summer.
Led by UBalt professors Giovanni Vincenti and Greg Walsh, this program’s goal is to support the dreams of students from traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities to enter careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) and its Precollege Summer Institute provided UBalt with a grant of nearly $65,000 to launch the camp. UBalt was one of only 10 institutions nationwide to receive MUREP funding.
Read our Space Tech Camp story.
UBalt Law’s Innocence Project Clinic Director Helps Exonerate Adnan Syed
Credit: Erica Suter
Adnan Syed, whose case gained national attention through the podcast "Serial," was freed this year thanks to the tireless lawyering of Erica Suter, director of The University of Baltimore School of Law’s Innocence Project Clinic.
After serving 23 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Syed’s conviction was vacated in September by a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge. Shortly after being released in October, Syed visited campus and shared his insights on the case and legal proceedings with Clinic students.
Suter began representing Syed last year and brought the case to the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office after Maryland adopted a law that allowed people convicted of crimes as juveniles to request sentence modifications after serving 20 years in prison.
As the request was being considered, additional evidence emerged, prompting prosecutors to conduct a more in-depth investigation, the prosecutor’s office said. As a result of that investigation, Becky Feldman, J.D. '02, chief of the state’s attorney’s Sentencing Review Unit, told Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn “the state no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction.”
Read more about Suter’s involvement in the case.
UBalt hosts 10th Annual 'Rise to the Challenge' Business Pitch Competition
In April, UBalt awarded five undergraduate students and recent alumni a portion of nearly $30,000 in seed money in the 10th annual "Rise to the Challenge" Business Pitch Competition.
The event, conducted in-person for the first time in three years, showcases the UBalt community's most talented and driven student entrepreneurs. This year’s winners featured pitches for fashion lines and financial services to meal subscription services. Winners were:
- Clarrissa Cozart, a Ratcliffe Entrepreneurship Fellow and founder of Tailored Fit
- Samantha Mellerson, B.S. ’21, former e-fellow, and current MBA student, and founder of HeART Sam
- Jonah Willard, e-fellow and founder of Grease Garage
- Na’Quon Willet, e-fellow and founder of Investment Neighbor
The "Rise to the Challenge" competition, sponsored by UBalt's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, bring visibility to emerging and established innovative business ventures nurtured by the UBalt community.
Watch the 2022 "Rise to the Challenge" competition and read more about the finalists.
College of Public Affairs Launches Voices in Public Service Series
UBalt's College of Public Affairs launched its Voices of Public Service series in 2022, a monthly series designed to give students an opportunity to learn about public service careers from seasoned professionals.
Guest speakers include government and nonprofit leaders, elected officials, and business leaders who have made a civic contribution to society. This year's guests included Lorena de Leon, B.S. '10, MBA '13, D.P.A. '20, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott, and Stacy L. Rodgers, M.P.A. '99.
This series is co-sponsored by the College of Public Affairs, the Schaefer Center for Public Policy and the Career and Internship Center.
Watch the Voices of Public Service presentations.
School of Law Establishes Center for Criminal Justice Reform
To help address the many challenges facing the nation with respect to mass incarceration, rising gun violence, and more, The University of Baltimore School of Law launched the Center for Criminal Justice Reform (CCJR) this year.
Created with a $3 million gift from alumnus Samuel G. Rose, LL.B. '62, the center supports community-driven efforts to improve public safety and address the harm and inequity caused by the criminal legal system.
“If you want to work on improving criminal justice, The University of Baltimore is the place to do it,” says UBalt Law Dean Ronald Weich. “We are proud to support community-driven reform efforts in Baltimore and beyond.”
Learn more about our Center for Criminal Justice Reform.
UBalt, CCBC Partnership Encourages Dual Admissions through Degrees to Succeed
A new partnership agreement between The University of Baltimore and the Community College of Baltimore County will give CCBC students dual-admission status at UBalt.
Through Degrees to Succeed, students will be able to seamlessly complete their associate degree at CCBC and finish with their bachelor’s degree at UBalt. Students will also have access to all the perks of being a UBalt student, including events, pre-transfer advising, scholarships and much more.
"CCBC and UBalt are both devoted to student success, now more than ever before," says UBalt President Kurt L. Schmoke.
Read more about the UBalt-CCBC partnership and learn more about Degrees to Succeed.
More stories to remember
From national awards and innovative research to new leaderships roles, UBalt students, alumni and faculty continued to prove that UBalt is different by design. Here are a few of many highlights from 2022:
- Ñusta Carranza Ko, assistant professor in the College of Public Affairs, was named a winner of the American Political Science Association's 2022 Adaljiza Sosa-Riddell Mentoring Award.
- Amber Jones, B.S. '18, Wesley Hawkins, B.S. '18, and Lamar Purnell, B.S. '17, placed first in UBalt’s third annual "Pitch for a Million" real estate competition.
- David Lingelbach, professor of entrepreneurship in the Merrick School of Business, spent years working as an investment banker in Russia in the ‘90s. With the war in Ukraine in the spotlight, Lingelbach's research on oligarchs like Vladimir Putin has become more important than ever.
- UBalt Law remembers the life and legacy of Byron L. Warnken, J.D. '77 and professor emeritus. Fondly known as “Mr. UB,” Warnken colorfully personified the University of Baltimore School of Law for decades.
- UBalt ranks in the top 25 percent nationally for net value and return on investment over 40 years.