UWF to host U.S. presidential advisor as Black History Month speaker

Feb. 04, 2016

The University of West Florida will host Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as the keynote speaker for Black History Month. The lecture will take place on Feb. 25, 2016, at 7 p.m. in the UWF Conference Center, Building 22, on the UWF Pensacola Campus.

Hrabowski, UMBC president since 1992, is a consultant on science and math education to national agencies, universities, school systems and the President of the United States. In 2012, the STEM expert was named chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans by President Barack Obama.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Hrabowski to UWF,” said UWF President Judith Bense. “His passion for higher education and breadth of experience speak volumes. I look forward to the wisdom he will bring and share with our campus.”

Under Hrabowski’s leadership, UMBC has been recognized as a model for inclusive excellence. Hrabowski also founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, the program after which the UWF Chemistry Scholars Program is modeled.

“It will be an honor and a pleasure to have Dr. Hrabowski on our campus,” said Dr. Kim LeDuff, UWF associate vice provost and dean of University College. “He is a role model for many in higher education, and I have no doubt his inspirational message will touch many in our community and inspire action.”

Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME magazine in 2012 and one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report in 2008, Hrabowski has achieved numerous accolades and awards, including the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence from the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association – College Retirement Equities Fund; the Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation; and the Heinz Award, named after the late Senator John Heinz, for contributions to improving the “human condition.”

This event is free, open to the public and will conclude with a book signing. For more information about the Office of Equity and Diversity, visit uwf.edu/oedia.