UMBC’s Retriever Fleet Bike Share program is a great way for students, faculty and staff to get around campus, to help keep our environment clean, and to get exercise at the same time! And what makes this program even better is that it’s free! In this week’s roundup, we take a peek into how bikes can actually help explain three life and business lessons.

UMBC has once again been named to the Forbes 2018 Best Value College list, a ranking that combines factors relating to quality of education and affordability. While UMBC’s 2017 ranking in the 200 of universities nationwide was strong, on this year’s list UMBC has moved up by an impressive 80 spots, now ranking 118 among top universities nationwide for value.

The Forbes profile makes mention of UMBC’s unique academic offerings, such as game development, Asian studies, and Naval science, balanced with a vibrant student life and athletics. It also notes the bwtech@UMBC research park, and its internationally lauded incubation programs, as an area of distinction, and highlights UMBC’s strong partnerships with NASA, the U.S. Navy, and others.

In addition to this recent honor, UMBC was again named to Business First’s 2018 list of top public colleges and universities in the United States.

UMBC ranks as number 54 out of 485 public four-year institutions, based on 22 metrics that assess academic excellence, affordability, diversity, and economic strength, using data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Business First ranks three Maryland colleges and universities among the top 75 public institutions in the nation. The others, in addition to UMBC, include the University of Maryland, College Park and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.