Mark O. Hatfield Lecture
The Mark O. Hatfield lecture, named for the late U.S. senator from Oregon, showcases a national-level speaker on a public policy topic.
Holding Fast to Dreams: Creating a Climate of Success for All Students in STEM and Beyond
Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Mark O. Hatfield Lecture – Co-Sponsored by Marquam Hill Steering Committee
Monday, April 9, 2018
Read a recap of Dr. Hrabowski's visit
Rapid and dramatic demographic and technological changes present our nation with enormous challenges for educating students and preparing them for successful careers, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, Ph.D., president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), leads a campus widely recognized for its culture of embracing academic innovation to help students of all backgrounds succeed. He will draw on UMBC's experiences, along with three decades of studying minority student achievement nationwide, to discuss approaches for promoting inclusive excellence, academic innovation, and ultimately student success.
Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski has served as president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) since 1992. He has gained national recognition in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education through his research and publications, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance.
He is a co-founder of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program (established in 1988), which supports high-achieving underrepresented minority scholars in pursuing STEM-based education and careers. Surpassing Harvard and Johns Hopkins, UMBC produces more African American M.D./Ph.D. degree-earners than any other college in the country, according to data provided to UMBC by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Hrabowski chair of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, recognizing his academic innovation in helping underrepresented minority students excel.
Dr. Hrabowski was also named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report (2008), while UMBC was ranked in the top ten most innovative universities and one of the best undergraduate teaching institutions in the nation.
Mark Odom Hatfield was born July 12, 1922, in Dallas, Ore.
His love for his country inspired him to join the U.S. Navy during World War
II, shortly after receiving his B.A. from Willamette University in Salem, Ore. After
the war, Hatfield completed his master's degree at Stanford University and
returned to Willamette as a professor and eventually dean of students.
Hatfield launched his political career in 1950 with a successful run for the Oregon House of Representatives – he was then the youngest legislator in Oregon and still lived at his parents' home. In 1953 he introduced and passed legislation in the House prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations, before federal legislation and court decisions did so on a national level.
Hatfield then became the youngest Oregon Secretary of State in 1956, a two-term Oregon governor, then a U.S. Senator in 1966. As a senator and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hatfield directed billions of dollars of federal appropriations to projects in Oregon.
After 30 years of service, Hatfield retired from the senate in 1996. He served on the OHSU Board of Directors from 2000 to 2008. He died August 7, 2011, following a lengthy illness.
Hatfield's legacy has been honored with buildings, organizations and wilderness areas around the state and country, including:
- Mark O. Hatfield Library at Willamette University
- Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State University
- Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University
- Hatfield Research Center at OHSU
- Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore.
- Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center at NIH in Bethesda, Md.