2025 John P. McGovern Science and Society Award

For his work championing initiatives in leadership development, STEM education, workforce advancement, and civic engagement and playing a pivotal role in improving science and mathematics education, with a strong focus on increasing minority participation and success in these fields.

Freeman Hrabowski

ACE Centennial Fellow
President Emeritus, The University of Maryland, Baltimore County 

Biography

Freeman A. Hrabowski III is a nationally recognized leader in higher education, best known for his 30-year tenure as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) from 1992 to 2022. Under his leadership, UMBC gained national recognition for academic innovation, research excellence, and student achievement, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Hrabowski co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which has become a national model for producing high-achieving underrepresented students in STEM fields and has been replicated by institutions across the country.

Throughout his career, Hrabowski has been widely recognized for his work in promoting inclusive excellence and expanding access to education. He has served on numerous national commissions and advisory boards, including the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans under the Obama administration. Named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and honored by organizations ranging from the Carnegie Corporation to the American Council on Education, Hrabowski continues to influence policy, mentor leaders, and advance educational reform long after his retirement from UMBC.