Hrabowski leaves legacy of "you can be the best"

Freeman Hrabowski is stepping down as President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, after 30 years. There's not much question that he is one of the most popular presidents in contemporary U.S.A. higher education but that's not the most important part of his legacy. The message he sought to convey and the legacy he will leave is that you can be the best. This is an individual message to students, faculty, and staff and an organizational message. Individually or collectively, you don't have to be the richest or most prestigious in order to be accomplished.

Regardless of institutional prestige, retention, not just recruitment, has to be emphasized in order for all students to succeed. The PLOS study indicates that "failed retention contributes to mis-representation across academia and that the stages responsible for the largest disparities differ by race and ethnicity."

In an interview with Inside Higher Education, Hrabowski commented, "What we are best known for is the fact that we lead the country in producing African Americans who go on to get science Ph.D.s and M.D. Ph.D.s - we are No. 1 in the nation. What's really great, though, is that we produce large numbers of students of all races who go on to grad school, in the humanities and sciences." The sad reality of elitism in higher education is that institutions such as UMBC have to "counter the notion that you see in the media: that anybody who is wealthy enough and privileged enough will tend to go to certain universities. And if you didn't -- particularly in certain parts of the country -- people are like, 'Oh, I'm sorry.'"

Hrabowski retires in June 2022, with accolades from near and far. His leadership of UMBC for 30 years was transformative for the institution and a model for broader higher education that his successor, Valerie Sheares, says she is prepared to advance. Why can't the lessons applied at UMC not help other institutions learn how to be both more inclusive and reflected the highest possible quality?

Somewhat aligned, but in other ways flawed, a new partnership funded by Strada Education Network will support 28 HBCUs in promoting career readiness and leadership development. The partnership, involving $25 million for scholarships, is portrayed as a long-game strategy to enhance student economic mobility. HBCUs that participate will select three students per year, for 12 each once fully operational, who will receive scholarship and more intentional cultivation related to career and leadership. While testing a model on a small, elite, number may be necessary to learn how to scale the project to larger numbers, the label "Strada Scholar" sends a potentially problematic message that may not fall far from the flawed philosophy of the "talented 10th." Strada and the partnering HBCUs will need to pay close attention to this  potential unintended consequence.