The University of Baltimore
Contact Information
Education and Research:
The University of Baltimore is striving to become an urban leader in smarter, greener growth, while also applying due diligence to the education of our students as future leaders with a global, socially responsible outlook. Developing students’ capabilities as future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large – and setting a good example for them on their own campus – helps establish an inclusive and sustainable global economy.
UB’s Merrick School of Business was the first school in the University System of Maryland to sign the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Management Education – an important development that is driving many of the school’s innovations in delivering education for tomorrow’s experts in green growth. From this position as an “early adopter” of the U.N.’s position, the school created Maryland’s first M.B.A. specialization in Sustainability Management. When the program begins this fall, courses in this specialization will be delivered exclusively online to reduce our carbon footprint. This effort is not visible only at the programmatic level: The values of global social responsibility have been incorporated throughout Merrick’s graduate curricula; and a faculty research grant program targets efforts to increase educators’ understanding about the impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable, social, environmental and economic value. Perhaps the single most important contribution the School of Business has made to UB’s sustainability efforts is its Speaker Series, which debuted this spring with a keynote address on the impact of social business by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
In the School of Law, the Chesapeake Bay Symposium has become an important topic of interest. For the school’s annual Chesapeake Bay Symposium, a gathering of state and national policy makers and opinion leaders, topics include key aspects of bay restoration such as agriculture runoff and overfishing.
Last year, the university established a campuswide Sustainability Task Force, representing students, faculty and staff and focusing on a wide array of issues and solutions as UB transitions to a more sustainable future. So far, the task force has led efforts to bolster UB’s recycling efforts, measured and analyzed its carbon footprint, and guided the campus in the best use of human capital to promote public transportation for its commuter population, alternative energy sources and so on.
Campus Operations:
Long before sustainability was recognized as a way of thinking and behaving responsibly, the University of Baltimore was in the habit of repurposing facilities where appropriate. Many classroom structures, as well as buildings that host key administrative functions, conference rooms and the like, started life as private residences, banks -- even a car repair facility and recreation center from the early 1900s. UB’s location in historic central Baltimore, and its core mission of serving the city and its residents as an education resource without walls, are both empowering to the institution and a point of pride for its students, faculty, staff and alumni. The latest example of this stance is last year’s opening of a completely renovated 1920s-era structure at the corner of Charles and Preston streets, now known as the Liberal Arts and Policy Building. This beautiful limestone structure, which once housed a gentlemen’s social club and ballroom, is now home to much of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. The repurposing has brought new life to this previously underused corner, and spurred economic activity for nearby commercial and residential interests – another form of sustainability from an urban perspective.
Of course, UB does not limit itself to remodeling jobs when it comes to growing its campus to meet the needs of its expanding student body. It has outgrown its School of Law, and is now well into planning for a new home for the school in a development that many are already calling a Baltimore landmark in terms of green technology implementation and the creation of healthy, habitable space. With a goal of LEED Gold certification for the building, UB named Behnisch Architekten of Stuttgart, Germany, in partnership with Baltimore's Ayers/Saint/Gross, Inc., as the winner of its international competition to design this forward-thinking, sustainable building. Groundbreaking is set for 2010, with completion expected in fall 2012. The current School of Law will be repurposed as the university’s central library. A green roof will be installed on that facility, and other efforts will be undertaken to make the building as energy efficient and clean as possible.
One of the University of Baltimore's most critical sustainability initiatives is reducing its energy consumption. To that end, it has awarded an energy performance contract with Energy System Group (ESG) that will cut our consumption by 30 percent in less than two years, surpassing the governor’s goal of a 15 percent statewide reduction by 2015. ESG is advising UB on the purchase of more efficient equipment – everything from HVAC to lightbulbs to plumbing fixtures. One of the most visible results will be a series of skylight units on the university’s Academic Center, where photovoltaic solar panels will capture sunlight to produce energy. The projected savings from these upgrades will finance the cost: going green will pay for itself.
Administration and Finance:
UB prides itself on being an engaged university. From its academic programming to its free public lectures and training opportunities, the campus is intent on maintaining good relationships with its neighbors and friends. Many of its graduates go on to lead some of the city and the state’s most valued nonprofits and social service organizations, while others become policy makers and pundits who strive to keep Maryland moving forward. Its faculty, who know the area’s history and bring it to bear in teaching everything from poetry to accounting to immigration law, often serve in key positions in Baltimore’s continuing push into the future. A teacher from the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, for example, chairs the Central Baltimore Higher Education Collaborative, a gathering of institutions whose goal is to use the creative energies of faculty, students and staff through action research, service learning and volunteerism in partnership with community stakeholders to address key issues throughout Baltimore.
UB remains one of the most diverse public institutions in the state, with a minority population of nearly 35 percent and women making up just under 60 percent of the student body. The university is accessible and affordable; every year it draws successful students from the city’s public high schools, as well as transfer students from the region’s many community colleges. While a number of these students are first-generation college goers, others represent the second and third generation of family members attending UB. This is sustainability in its most organic, human form.
The University of Baltimore believes in transforming lives. UB welcomes local residents to attend short courses in computer programming, and encourages working entrepreneurs to partner with business students in developing real marketing plans and funding strategies. Local nonprofits recognize UB as a place where their ideas for establishing profitable ventures to bolster their bottom lines can become a reality. Major corporations see the law school and business school as destinations for the successful recruitment of future executives. Writers, designers, historians and even video game designers respect UB’s capabilities within their rarefied environments. Even the state and federal governments come to UB for expertise in everything from election management to census data. UB’s centers and institutes bolster Baltimore’s ability to measure its success and examine its problems, while the university as a whole sets an example for local investment and long-term thinking. One example of this outlook is the university’s presentation of a major piece of its real property holdings to the city, with the promise that the parcel be maintained as green space. Another partnership between the city and the university will result in the planting of hundreds of new trees on and around the campus, as well as the installation of pedestrian friendly amenities. UB is providing guidance in the establishment of a more park-like feel for midtown Baltimore and is encouraging urban density by establishing student housing within easy walking distance of campus. This ties in to Maryland’s efforts in Smart Growth and better management of vehicular traffic.
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