Freeman A. Hrabowski is president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and one of the more renowned college or university presidents in the US. He's no stranger to SCUP, having been a panelist in SCUP's first virtual event, SCUP's 1999 satellite telecast: "Creating Tomorrow's Learner-Centered Environments: Today." That webcast, BTW, is available for viewing on SCUP's YouTube channel: www.youtube.Plan4HigherEd.

Hrabowski will kick off SCUP–46 with the Sunday evening opening plenary address on July 24, near Washington, DC. We have a couple of updates on his recent activities, below:

• TIAA-CREF has announced that Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has been awarded the 2011 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence. Dr. Hrabowski was selected by an independent panel of judges based largely on his work to increase the representation of minority students in science and engineering and create an institutional model of inclusive excellence.

• Hraboski was recently interviewed for The Washington Post:  

Problem: College students of all backgrounds struggle in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses at a time when the U.S. needs to increase dramatically the number of graduates in these fields.

Solution: Group learning in introductory courses supports student success and increases interest in pursuing STEM majors, with the long-term goal of increasing the numbers of students who graduate in STEM majors and pursue graduate studies and careers in these fields.

Strategy: Ten years ago, we examined how we were teaching our introductory science classes, with the goal of improving the academic performance of students. A 200-plus lecture hall does not work for everyone, and does not necessarily encourage student engagement with the work and each other.