From the start, Lisa (Dates) Price ’87, information systems and Dwayne Price ’87, information systems, ’87, seemed destined to become a couple.

They met on the first day of freshman orientation. Later, they were assigned to the same orientation team. And though they lived in different dorms freshman year (Dwayne in Patapsco; Lisa in in Susquehanna), they shared a circle of friends and a major.

Lisa acknowledges how her feelings for Dwayne began to change as she got to know him better that first semester. “Probably around October or November, I started to see Dwayne a little bit differently,” she recalls. “My relationship [with a former boyfriend] had gone the way most long distance relationships did. I started doing some reconnaissance to see what Dwayne’s situation might be.”

Though Dwayne was not in a committed relationship, Lisa waited some time before making her feelings known. She chose Valentine’s Day to make her move – sort of. A sorority on campus was selling homemade Valentine’s Cards, so she bought one and sent it to Dwayne, signing it, “Your Secret Admirer.”

Wayne was stumped. He asked his friends (including Lisa) who the secret admirer might be. She played dumb, for a while, but a month or so later, she confessed. That risky move turned out to be the turning point.

Their commitment was tested when Lisa received an opportunity to participate in a co-op through UMBC that extended from the summer through the following semester. It meant the two wouldn’t see each other regularly for several months. “It was part of us building the foundation for the rest of our lives,” Lisa says. (Dwayne later completed a co-op as part of his UMBC experience.)

To make up for lost time together, and lost credits, Lisa and Dwayne spent a summer together on campus, working and taking classes.

“You felt like you owned the campus,” Lisa recalls.

Dwayne concurs: “We had the whole campus to ourselves.”

Two years after graduation, they married. They also both decided to pursue master’s degrees in management information systems.

Over the years, the couple has remained highly involved in UMBC, serving on the alumni board in various capacities and offering advice to prospective students. Their two children – Devin, 20, and Layne, 18 – both attend UMBC.

“No one believes us, but we didn’t push them to go there. They could have gone anywhere they wanted, and they chose UMBC,” says Lisa.

Read the full issue of the Winter 2014 UMBC Magazine.

It’s freshman orientation 1983 and your parents have dropped you off way too early. So, what do you do to pass the time while the other students arrive?
Do you study? Tour the campus? Twiddle your thumbs quietly?
If you’re like Lisa and Dwayne Price, you very well might fall in love.
“Dwayne was almost literally the first guy I laid eyes on at UMBC,” said the former Lisa Dates, who, like her husband, arrived on campus very early.
“We got to know each other during the orientation, remained friends, and later started dating in the second semester of freshman year.”
Made for each other
After they met, it didn’t take Lisa and Dwayne long to figure out they had a lot in common. Both grew up in Prince George’s County, MD. Both were active students. And both planned to major in Information Systems at UMBC.
While at UMBC, the couple threw themselves into their studies while making plenty of time for fun student activities. Dwayne played an array of intramural sports – tennis, table tennis, basketball (for which Lisa acted as a cheerleader) and football. Lisa took on duties with the Office of Residential Life, organized events like UMBC’s first water gun fight, and volunteered as a “sweetheart” for the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. She also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration as a Cooperative Education student.
Still, being together was the best activity of all.
“In terms of romance, walking the campus loop was a favorite activity for us, when we weren’t studying,” said Lisa.
Achieving their goals
Two years after graduating from UMBC, Lisa and Dwayne married. Already deep into their blossoming careers in IT, they decided to return to school to earn their master’s degrees before having children.
“We both understand and appreciate the opportunities education brings,” said Dwayne. “We both started graduate school part-time within a few years after earning our undergraduate degrees. We achieved our goal of earning our advanced degrees before we started our family.”
Over time, Lisa earned her master’s in IT from Johns Hopkins and a project management certificate from George Washington University. Dwayne also earned a master’s in IT from Bowie State University.
The decision paid off for both. Today, Dwayne is director of information technology for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Lisa is director of IT project management for the Board of Education of Prince George’s County Public Schools. In addition, in 2003 Lisa was selected from a nationwide pool as a participant in the American Society of Association Executives’ Diversity Executive Leadership Program. She also served a term on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors.
“I enjoy the continued ability to apply technology to the field of education,” said Lisa of her job. “It’s particularly gratifying to support my own community and county. However, the best part of my job is collaborating with my staff, an excellent, hardworking team that rises to any challenge.”
The secret to their success
So what’s the trick to staying happily in love for nearly 20 years? For the Prices, it’s family, commitment, honesty, humor and faith.
“Our shared Christian faith is essential to our marriage,” said Dwayne. “And we really do believe we were made for each other.”
The couple has two children (or “future UMBC alums,” as the Prices call them), son Devin, 13, and daughter Layne, 12. Devin shares the name of friend and fellow UMBC alumnus, Devin Walker, and Layne’s name – crafted during their college days – is a combination of her parents’ first names, a constant reminder of their special union.
“The friendship, love, and respect that we experienced in courtship continue to be the hallmarks of our marriage,” said Lisa. “As my husband and friend, Dwayne is the very best souvenir I could have received from UMBC…in addition to the excellent education, of course!”
– Jenny O’Grady
Originally posted February 2007

It’s freshman orientation 1983 and your parents have dropped you off way too early. So, what do you do to pass the time while the other students arrive?

Do you study? Tour the campus? Twiddle your thumbs quietly?

If you’re like Lisa and Dwayne Price, you very well might fall in love.

“Dwayne was almost literally the first guy I laid eyes on at UMBC,” said the former Lisa Dates, who, like her husband, arrived on campus very early.

“We got to know each other during the orientation, remained friends, and later started dating in the second semester of freshman year.”

Made for each other

After they met, it didn’t take Lisa and Dwayne long to figure out they had a lot in common. Both grew up in Prince George’s County, MD. Both were active students. And both planned to major in Information Systems at UMBC.

While at UMBC, the couple threw themselves into their studies while making plenty of time for fun student activities. Dwayne played an array of intramural sports – tennis, table tennis, basketball (for which Lisa acted as a cheerleader) and football. Lisa took on duties with the Office of Residential Life, organized events like UMBC’s first water gun fight, and volunteered as a “sweetheart” for the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. She also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration as a Cooperative Education student.

Still, being together was the best activity of all.

“In terms of romance, walking the campus loop was a favorite activity for us, when we weren’t studying,” said Lisa.

Achieving their goals

Two years after graduating from UMBC, Lisa and Dwayne married. Already deep into their blossoming careers in IT, they decided to return to school to earn their master’s degrees before having children.

“We both understand and appreciate the opportunities education brings,” said Dwayne. “We both started graduate school part-time within a few years after earning our undergraduate degrees. We achieved our goal of earning our advanced degrees before we started our family.”

Over time, Lisa earned her master’s in IT from Johns Hopkins and a project management certificate from George Washington University. Dwayne also earned a master’s in IT from Bowie State University.

The decision paid off for both. Today, Dwayne is director of information technology for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Lisa is director of IT project management for the Board of Education of Prince George’s County Public Schools. In addition, in 2003 Lisa was selected from a nationwide pool as a participant in the American Society of Association Executives’ Diversity Executive Leadership Program. She also served a term on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors.

“I enjoy the continued ability to apply technology to the field of education,” said Lisa of her job. “It’s particularly gratifying to support my own community and county. However, the best part of my job is collaborating with my staff, an excellent, hardworking team that rises to any challenge.”

The secret to their success

So what’s the trick to staying happily in love for nearly 20 years? For the Prices, it’s family, commitment, honesty, humor and faith.

“Our shared Christian faith is essential to our marriage,” said Dwayne. “And we really do believe we were made for each other.”

The couple has two children (or “future UMBC alums,” as the Prices call them), son Devin, 13, and daughter Layne, 12. Devin shares the name of friend and fellow UMBC alumnus, Devin Walker, and Layne’s name – crafted during their college days – is a combination of her parents’ first names, a constant reminder of their special union.

“The friendship, love, and respect that we experienced in courtship continue to be the hallmarks of our marriage,” said Lisa. “As my husband and friend, Dwayne is the very best souvenir I could have received from UMBC…in addition to the excellent education, of course!”

– Jenny O’Grady
Originally posted February 2007