The University of Baltimore was born from a simple idea: to establish a college for
working professionals and nontraditional learners. Our inaugural business class included
men ranging in age from their 20s to 40s. Our inaugural law class included three women.
While much has changed, the University has always remained true to its mission from
the start: to offer a career-focused education and provide the region with highly
educated leaders who make distinctive contributions to the broader community.
UBALT'S BEGINNING
In celebration of the 2025 Centennial of The University of Baltimore, this video tells
the story of the institution's beginnings, its gradual rise to a place of recognition
among its peers, and, most importantly, its long-standing leadership in resolving
issues that impact the people of metropolitan Baltimore. Looking back and moving ahead,
UBalt is a campus of and for the city. But its reach extends far beyond, in matters
encompassing the law, business, civics, politics, and the arts and humanities.
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Proud Past, Bright Future | UBalt 100
OUR PEOPLE, NOW AND THEN
Our early law students kicked off their year with a photo at the Washington Monument
in Mt. Vernon. Here the first class of law freshmen pose at the start of their academic
year.
Time has changed little about this tradition. The incoming class of law students
pose in the Moot Courtroom as part of UBalt Law's fall 2024 orientation.
The Edgar Allen Poe statue at the center of campus is a beloved hangout spot. Students
took a break there during a 1990s block party.
Two decades later, students are still drawn to Poe's perch at block parties, between
classes, and especially after commencement.
In its earliest days, The University was made up of primarily white men, as reflected
in this photo of the student council from the late 1920s.
Our 2024 Student Government Association reflects the diversity and meets the demands
of a modern UBalt campus.
The graduating class of 1975 celebrates its commencement at a city venue.
The graduating class of 2024 celebrates its commencement at The Lyric with Gov.
Wes Moore serving as the keynote speaker.
The University has long been ahead of the curve with technology, though it has changed
significantly over time. This is what computer work looked like in 1976.
And this is what it looks like now. Here, a Simulation and Game Design major uses
two screens in the University's Game Lab to code a video game for his class.
OUR TIMELINE
Join us for a look at the first 100 years of The University of Baltimore, from the
first meeting of minds that established the idea, to our latest developments.
We have 100 years of great stories from the people who once called UBalt home. Our
Special Collections and Archives team has been building an oral history series, capturing
voices from over these decades.
A classroom in the University's early days squeezes many wooden chairs and desks
into a space facing the lecturer.
Today's classrooms, like this one in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, are
more open and benefit from natural light.
The University's history with the building now known as the Academic Center traces
to 1947 when, responding to enrollment growth, it purchased a building at 1420 N. Charles St. We called it Charles Hall. In 1970, we
started renovations on the adjacent Kelly Buick Building, located at the corner of
North Charles Street and Mt. Royal Avenue, to create the Academic Center that's more
familiar to our students today.
Now, the Academic Center is on the brink of even more changes. Recently home to
several classrooms, admission, and student support services, this structure is marked
for a major overhaul in the new facilities master plan that looks to replace it with
a modern and more efficient design.
In 1983, when the Edgar Allen Poe statue found its home on our campus, a television
news crew came out to "interview" him.
At the kickoff of the Baltimore Ravens' 2024 season, the Poe statue proved another
perfect position for an interview between WJZ's Marty Bass and UBalt President Kurt
L. Schmoke.
The spacious library offered plenty of study spots for our students even before
its recent renovations.
Our Robert L. Bogomolny Library, renovated on the original library's foundation
and reopened in 2018, benefits from natural light and a variety of study hubs on every
floor.
Many alumni will remember when our law school was based in this brick structure
that overlooks Gordon Plaza. This law center opened in 1982. Today the building is
known as H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons.
In 2010, the University broke ground on a former parking lot at the northeast corner
of North Charles Street and West Mt. Royal Avenue to make way for a 12-story facility.
The building, designated LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council, opened
three years later.
