The Man With the Plan: President Bogomolny’s UB Legacy
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photography: Howard Korn
We Couldn’t Have Said It Better: Quotes About and From UB President Robert L. Bogomolny
About
“[Bogomolny] has energized the UB campus and has played a significant role in the revitalization of the center of our state’s largest city. His legacy will be one of transformation, commitment, and tireless advocacy for the importance of urban public higher education.”
—Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, as quoted in the Baltimore Business Journal, Sept. 3, 2013
“Bob’s legacy is best captured by the entrepreneurial spirit he engendered across his campus, creating what can only be called ’the new UB.’ As impressive as the physical changes have been—the new student center, the new law center and others—it is the less visible changes that define Bob’s impact.”
—William E. “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, as quoted in the Baltimore Business Journal, Sept. 3, 2013
“He would spend the next decade transforming what had been an institution known for its work-a-day law school and non-traditional undergraduates into a showpiece urban university that is central to the state’s goals of turning out a better trained workforce.”
—“A Transformative Leader for UB,” The Baltimore Sun, Sept. 4, 2013
From
“ ... dreams are realized when bold vision is matched with tireless work.”
—Presidential Investiture, April 2003
“What surprises and delights me most is the affection I already have for this University. I sometimes ask myself how that happened so quickly.”
—Presidential Investiture, April 2003
“The idea of imagine—of imagination—is really what UB’s last decade has been about. Imagine a student center instead of a decaying building. Imagine a distinctive four-year undergraduate program. Imagine the world’s best law facility on a surface parking lot. Imagine a creative faculty and dedicated staff supported by $400,000 annually to discover new ideas. Imagine a thriving University of Baltimore in a thriving midtown Baltimore.
“To imagine takes courage, because there will always be obstacles and there will always be naysayers. But imagination allows new, unexpected and truly original thinking to emerge. ... ”
—Convocation, September 2012
“I’ve had many jobs during the course of my career—I guess that’s called a checkered career—but none have been more worthwhile and fulfilling than my time at UB.”
—Convocation, September 2013
“You have to have fire in your belly to be associated with a university and continue its evolution and its creativity. That includes a willingness to accept risk, a willingness to do things a little differently and the optimism that day after day things can be better.”
—Baltimore Business Journal, Sept. 3, 2013
Numerology: More Statistics That Reflect the Bogomolny Presidency
- 31 new academic programs launched in areas of state and workforce need
- 4-year undergraduate education reintroduced in 2007
- 151 freshmen entering in fall 2007 received free tuition for one year
- top-25 ranking among public universities in the northern region in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 America’s Best Colleges guide
- Capital projects include:
- the first-ever UB Student Center
- the Fitzgerald at UB Midtown, a public/private partnership that includes the University System of Maryland’s first-ever Barnes & Noble campus bookstore, 275 residences and a 1,200-space garage
- conversion of the historic Loyola Federal Savings and Loan Building to the Liberal Arts and Policy Building
- the Varsity, a privately financed and owned 323-bed student housing project marketed to UB students
- the new John and Frances Angelos Law Center, launched by an international design competition that attracted notable architects worldwide and opened in April 2013; it has since earned LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council
- The impact of UB’s public, public/private and private projects, 2006-12:
- $416,250,000 of direct and indirect economic activity
- 4,801 project-related jobs paying $229 million in compensation
- $27,830,000 in state and local taxes collected
- 35% campuswide reduction in UB’s carbon footprint, from 18,000 metric tons in 2008 to 11,000 metric tons in 2012, ahead of the state’s 2015 goal of 30% reduction
Celebrating Dreams Realized
On April 24, the entire campus community gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the University’s past 12 years. It was an opportunity for Bogomolny to thank faculty, staff and students for their support and for the University community to wish him well.
- View the commemorative video shown at the celebration:
videography: Hartlove-Goodyear
- Browse photos from the event:

UB staff join in the festivities.
l. to r.: Paul Walsh, director of instructional technology, and Julie Persell, business analyst, join in the festivities celebrating UB’s accomplishments over the past decade-plus. all photography: Chris Hartlove

UB President Robert L. Bogomolny and his wife, Janice Toran
UB President Robert L. Bogomolny and his wife, Janice Toran

longtime UB Foundation board member Vernon H.C. Wright, B.S. ’69
Longtime UB Foundation board member Vernon H.C. Wright, B.S. ’69, thanks Bogomolny for his service to the University of Baltimore.

UB students, faculty and staff gather to hear presentations.
A crowd of UB students, faculty and staff gathers to hear presentations about UB’s achievements over the past 12 years.

A faculty member snaps a “selfie” with the president.
Nafeesa Yunus (right), assistant professor in the Merrick School of Business, snaps a “selfie” with Bogomolny.

seated, l. to r.: Toran and Susan Zacur
seated, l. to r.: Toran and Susan Zacur, professor in the Merrick School of Business

UB staff enjoy light refreshments.
l. to r.: Sarah Martin, event services coordinator; Shavaun O’Brien, administrative assistant; and Laurie Schnitzer, administrative assistant, enjoy some light refreshments.

l. to r.: Susan Schubert and Bogomolny
l to r.: Susan Schubert, executive director for presidential operations and special projects; Bogomolny; and Peter Toran, vice president of University advancement and communication

Bogomolny with a representative of UB’s military and veteran population
l. to r.: Bogomolny with the flag presented to him by William “Billy” Fegely, undergraduate student in the Criminal Justice program and vice president of the Military Veterans of the University of Baltimore student group; Anthony Moll, M.F.A. ’14, coordinator of military and veteran student services in The Bob Parsons Veterans Center; and Stephen Shirley, associate director of operations and technology in the Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement and adviser to the MVUB

Bogomolny receives a gift from the Student Government Association.
On behalf of the Student Government Association, Michael Carrington (right), association vice president, presents Bogomolny with a print of one of the illustrations included in the original UB Midtown banner campaign.
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The Man With the Plan: President Bogomolny’s UB Legacy
Not even outgoing President Robert L. Bogomolny could plan for UB’s surprising transformation during his tenure.