Commencement

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president emeritus of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Speaker

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president emeritus of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), is a dynamic and visionary higher education leader. Dr. Hrabowski served as president at UMBC from 1992 to 2022, expanding college access for students from all backgrounds and transforming UMBC into a national leader.

An educator, author, and mathematician, he is also known for his advocacy for science and math education, particularly for minority students. He chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the 2011 report, "Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads." In 2012, President Barack Obama named him chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans and his 2013 TED talk highlights the “Four Pillars of College Success in Science.”

Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair, McDaniel College

Graduate Commencement Ceremony Speaker

Mona Kerby, the L. Stanley Bowlsbey Endowed Chair at McDaniel College, provides remarks during the graduate ceremony. Kerby coordinates the college’s School Librarianship program and is coordinator of the Writing for Children and Young Adults and Learning Technologies Specialist certificate programs.

Dr. Kerby began her career as a kindergarten teacher with the Arlington Independent School District in Arlington, Texas, and was a librarian before coming to teach at McDaniel in 1994. In 2012, she earned a prestigious Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to fund 12 full scholarships for teachers working in underserved regions in Maryland to earn master’s degrees in School Librarianship from McDaniel.