It is certainly not coincidental that UMBC was awarded one of the Upward Bound Mathematics and Science Programs in 1992. UMBC is a comprehensive, public research university, fully international in scope, which combines specialized scientific and technological education with a solid grounding in the liberal arts. Although the campus is just forty-two years old, the faculty and staff already compare quite favorably with their counterparts at many older and more established institutions, in terms of both the qualities of present accomplishments and prospects for future ones. We maintain state-of-the-art academic and recreational facilities. Our educational, cultural, and research programs have won many national honors and awards, and much critical acclaim.
UMBC was founded in 1966, with a coeducational, state supported liberal arts and science undergraduate emphasis. Bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs are offered.
It is the single-minded philosophy of the UMBC Upward Bound Mathematics and Science personnel to motivate, equip, and otherwise train our students for the rewarding pursuit of education both during and beyond high school. For education, in our view, is a genuinely exciting adventure that will ultimately prepare our students for the living of productive and fulfilling lives within the increasingly complex society of the future.
Our goals, in working with our program participants, are to instill confidence, to engender self-esteem, to increase motivation, to encourage goal setting, to facilitate goal-attainment, to expand the intellect, to promote acculturation, and to broaden horizons. In short, we seek to develop a healthy mind in a healthy body.
We intend to accomplish our goals through two principal programs – a Summer Residential Program Component and an Academic Year Follow-up Component. Following the successful completion of the summer residential program, each student will be encouraged to continue his/her education and enter college to pursue a career in a mathematics and/or science area.
During this summer, students are expected to participate in a comprehensive six-week residential program at UMBC. This program provides intensive instruction in science, mathematics, and computer studies. Tutorial assistance, guidance, counseling, and field trips are included in the program as well. Every student is expected to complete a research project to round out his or her mathematics and science summer experience. This exposure to “the experience of college-life” is designed to foster the development of critical thinking, independence, competence, tolerance, and social skills, all while living in the heart of a residential learning center.