Louis L. Kaplan Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to deserving undergraduate students at UMBC who have achieved a minimum 3.0 grade point average, have junior or senior status, have made contributions to the community, and who demonstrate financial need.

The Louis L. Kaplan Scholarship was established November 24, 1981, by the Student Government Association at UMBC in recognition of Dr. Kaplan’s contributions to UMBC during his tenure as Interim Chancellor. It was Dr. Kaplan’s wish, when the fund was first established, that students who displayed academic promise be assisted financially in order to continue their education at UMBC.

Minimum eligibility requirements:

• Must be an undergraduate junior or senior student (60 minimum credits by Fall);
• Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA; and
• Have made valuable contributions to the UMBC community.
  Demonstrate financial need (FAFSA) preferred.

Eligible candidates should submit:

• A current resume
• An unofficial UMBC transcript
• 1-3 letters of recommendation from a UMBC faculty or staff member
• A maximum 250-word written statement demonstrating significant contribution to the UMBC Campus Community

Selection of a student or students for the award will be made by the selection committee in Summer 2022. Address questions to Kim Leisey, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, 410.455.2393 or at studentaffairs@umbc.edu.

For more information, please follow this link -> 

https://umbc.academicworks.com/opportunities/3921

U.S. News announced its 2023 Best Graduate School rankings today, including outstanding UMBC graduate programs across all three colleges. Top fields where UMBC excels range from computer science and several types of engineering to psychology and statistics. Among UMBC’s 14 Best Graduate School rankings for 2023 are seven top-100 programs.

This recognition honors UMBC faculty, staff, and students’ combined commitment to excellence, says President Freeman Hrabowski. “These rankings reflect the energy and creativity of our colleagues and students,” he shares. “We’re very proud of everyone involved.”

To develop the rankings, U.S. News combined quantitative data and expert opinions on the reputations of over 2,000 programs, gathering input from more than 23,000 deans, program directors, senior faculty, and other leaders. 

Continued success in engineering

UMBC’s engineering programs ranked in the top 100, both broadly and in multiple subfields. Overall, UMBC engineering jumped up 9 spots to rank 99th, tied with the University of Oklahoma and Illinois Institute of Technology. UMBC’s environmental engineering graduate program moved up to 55th. The university also ranked 77th in chemical engineering, 89th in computer engineering, 99th in mechanical engineering, and 113th in electrical engineering.

Additionally, U.S. News ranked UMBC’s graduate programs in computer science 74th in the nation.

This recognition and the forward momentum it represents come at an important moment for the university. UMBC marks the 30th anniversary of the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) this year.

“COEIT’s continued success and UMBC’s newly designated R1 status are a testament to our outstanding students, staff, and faculty, and support from our campus,” says COEIT Dean Keith J Bowman. “Investments in UMBC by our state and our corporate partners have enabled the continued ascendance of programs across UMBC.”

Strength in natural and mathematical sciences

Today’s rankings also honor programs from UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), including mathematics (54th), statistics (54th), biological sciences (119th), chemistry (115th), and physics (95th). The statistics program joins top-55 institutions like University of Chicago, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and University of Virginia. 

“The U.S. News graduate program rankings reflect many years of effort and dedication by the faculty, staff, and students in the college. Their commitment to world-class research, mentoring, and inclusive excellence provides the foundation for UMBC’s growing reputation as an R1 university,” says CNMS Dean Bill LaCourse. “I am grateful that our programs are receiving the recognition that they deserve.”

Excellence in social sciences

In the social sciences, UMBC’s psychology graduate programs came in at 122. UMBC joins fellow top-125 universities in psychology ranging from Johns Hopkins and Rutgers to University of Delaware and American University.

Additionally, UMBC is 140th in the interdisciplinary category of geology. This U.S. News ranking includes fields ranging from environmental sciences⁠—part of UMBC’s College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS)⁠—to geophysics.

“The departments of geography and environmental systems and psychology consistently elevate the work of the social sciences in our College and at UMBC,” says CAHSS Dean Kimberly R. Moffitt. “I am most appreciative of the tremendous efforts of the faculty, staff, and students that are reflected in these rankings and are worthy of such recognition.”

UMBC’s strength in research has helped grow graduate programs in all colleges. “We are so proud of our focused development in research and graduate education,” says Janet Rutledge, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. “This growth has led to our recent R1 classification as well as these graduate program rankings, which reflect UMBC’s overall excellence as a leading public research university.”

Banner image: Nilanjan Banerjee, computer science and electrical engineering, (right) working with a student in the lab in 2018. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

2ND ANNUAL ALLIED HEALTH SYMPOSIUM

APRIL 22

10:30 AM TO 1 PM

VIA WEBEX

REGISTER TODAY!

12-3pm (3/31) GEARS 3MT/Gritty Talks
**Registration  Closed**

12-1pm (4/4)Meet and Greet with GSA & Grad School Staff 
**Registration Closed**

1-2pm (4/5) Graduate Student Week Scavenger Hunt

10-11am (4/6) Alex Rittle Memorial Run  

12-1pm (4/6) Revisiting the Writing Process w/ our Writing Advisor, "Blue" 

(4/7) Community Health Day. Many events to be announced soon!

2-5pm (4/8) Grad Student Mania

5-9pm (5/4) GSA Awards Ceremony
(Link for Virtual Ceremony) 

Dr. Tammy Henderson, will speak at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy

The Faculty Women of Color in the Academy (FWCA) conference is a unique educational and professional opportunity for indigenous and women of color in higher education to network, engage, and learn with colleagues from around the country. The 10th annual installment of FWCA will feature sessions that will explore the topics of leadership, career advancement, personal well-being and scholar activism.

April 1-3, 2022 

Contact Information

Office for Inclusion and Diversity (0216)

336 Burruss Hall, Virginia Tech

800 Drillfield Drive

Blacksburg, VA 24061

Phone 540-231-7500

Email: inclusivevt@vt.edu