Freeman A. Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is scheduled to address Albany Technical College officials during their spring Strategic Planning session on Thursday, April 2, 2015, beginning at 10am, in the Kirkland Conference Center.

A consultant on science and math education to national agencies, universities, and school systems, Hrabowski was recently named by President Obama to chair the newly created President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. He also chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the recent report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.

Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME (2012) and one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report (2008), he also received TIAA-CREF’s Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence (2011), the Carnegie Corporation’s Academic Leadership Award (2011), and the Heinz Award (2012) for contributions to improving the “Human Condition.”

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Albany Technical College (ATC) shares many similarities with their focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, also serving an underserved population. ATC stands to gain insight from Hrabowski’s presentation to learn more about their development efforts in these areas.

“Some of what we would like to learn from UBMC is how they were able to increase the number of African American males and other underserved populations in STEM programs and ultimately, increase the percentage of graduates in the same programs,” said Dr. Kim Lee, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at ATC.

Albany Tech’s Students Achieving Success in Engineering Technology (SASET) program is designed similarly to the STEM programs at UMBC. ATC plans to use Hrabowski’s insight to help with furthering the efforts and expanding on this program, which is in its third year at the college.