UMBC

University of Maryland,
Baltimore County

Motto	An Honors University in Maryland
Type	Public university Space-Grant
Established	1966 (1966)
Endowment	$80,705,884
Budget	$404.9 million
President	Freeman Hrabowski III
Provost	Philip Rous
Academic staff	Full-Time: 527 Part-Time: 298
Administrative staff	1,288
Students	13,839
Undergraduates	11,243
Postgraduates	2,596
Location	Baltimore, Maryland, United States 39°15′19.80″N 76°42′40.52″W / 39.2555000°N 76.7112556°W / 39.2555000; -76.7112556Coordinates: 39°15′19.80″N 76°42′40.52″W / 39.2555000°N 76.7112556°W / 39.2555000; -76.7112556
Campus	Suburban, 500 acres (2.0 km2)
Colors	Black, Gold, Red, White
Athletics	NCAA Division I American East, MAISA
Nickname	Retrievers
Mascot	True Grit the Retriever
Affiliations	SURA APLU University System of Maryland
Website	www.umbc.edu

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (often referred to as UMBC) is an American public research university, located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, mostly in the community of Catonsville, approximately 10 minutes (8.3 miles) from downtown Baltimore City, 9 minutes (6.1 miles) from Baltimore–Washington International Airport (BWI), and 30 minutes (33.5 miles) from Washington, D.C. With a fall 2014 enrollment of about 14,000 students, over 50 undergraduate majors, over 60 graduate programs, and the first university research park in Maryland, UMBC has been named the #1 Up-and-Coming University for six years in a row, since 2009, by US News & World Report. In addition, US News & World Report has placed UMBC in the top ten for best undergraduate teaching six years in a row, being placed at #5, the second highest-ranked public university.

Established as a part of the University of Maryland System in 1966, the university became the first public collegiate institution in Maryland to be inclusive to all races. UMBC has the fourth highest enrollment of the University System of Maryland, specializing in natural sciences and engineering, as well as programs in the liberal arts and social sciences. Athletically, the UMBC Retrievers have 19 NCAA Division I teams that participate in the America East Conference.

The planning of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was first discussed in the 1950s due to the post-World War II baby boom, the expansion of higher education under the GI Bill, and the large amount of growth both in population and industry in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. At this time, the University of Maryland, College Park was the main higher education source in the region, so talks began of adding a branch campus in the Baltimore area. In 1955, Governor Theodore McKeldin issued "The Needs of Higher Education in Maryland," which recommended the need for university expansion. Three years later, the "Advisory Committee on Higher Education in the State of Maryland" report proposed that the Baltimore branch of the University of Maryland be established as a two-year program, subordinate to the College Park campus. In 1960, the Warfield Commission, appointed by Governor Tawes, issued, "A Plan for Expanding the University of Maryland," which propelled the idea of creating three additional university centers throughout Maryland.