Presidential History

In 1925, nine Baltimore civic leaders wanted to provide their city with an evening business and law school.

Maynard A. Clemens, P. Lewis Kaye, William H. Wilhelm, R. Loran Langsdale, Victor R. Jones, Howell A. King, Alton R. Hodgkins, Stewart Lewis and Clarence W. Miles incorporated the University of Baltimore on Aug. 8, 1925. The school opened on Oct. 1, 1925 in a four-story rowhouse at 625 St. Paul St. on the northeast corner of Mt. Vernon Place. It started with 62 law students (three of whom were women) and 114 business administration students. Clemens agreed to serve as chancellor until Wilbur F. Smith retired as head of Baltimore City College and was named UBalt's first president.

From those small beginnings, the University of Baltimore has graduated more than 60,000 students and continues to serve Baltimore as an undergraduate, graduate and professional institution helping students achieve the vital goal established by its founders: an education.


	Kurt L. Schmoke - 2014-present	Kurt L. Schmoke began as the University of Baltimore's eighth president on July 7, 2014. A former mayor of Baltimore City and dean of the Howard University School of Law, Schmoke brings a wealth of experience and insight to a larger, more impactful UBalt.
	Robert L. Bogomolny - 2002-14	Robert Bogomolny took on the role of president of the University of Baltimore on Aug. 1, 2002. Throughout his tenure, Bogomolny drew upon an exceptional background spanning the academic, legal and corporate worlds to lead UBalt into the new century. Enrollment grew by more than 30 percent, a four-year undergraduate program was reintroduced, and more than $275 million in public and private capital was invested in the campus and midtown area as a result of his leadership.
	Halcott Mebane Turner - 1969-2002	With the longest tenure of any University of Baltimore president, H. Mebane Turner's achievements are many and varied. The greatest expansion of the University and its programs occurred during his tenure with the addition of the day division of the School of Law and the merger of Eastern College, Mt. Vernon School of Law and the Baltimore College of Commerce. UBalt's transformation from a private institution to a public institution to its inclusion in the University System of Maryland all occurred during Turner's tenure.
	Thomas G. Pullen Jr. - 1964-69	Thomas Pullen Jr. created the foundation on which UBalt rests today, literally. He negotiated the purchase of or had direct influence on the majority of the buildings. His tenacity provided results: The University of Baltimore was made a candidate for accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Pullen's tenure is also known for the construction of Robert L. Bogomolny Library.
	Wilmer A. DeHuff - acting president, 1962-64	A former principal of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute High School, Wilmer DeHuff came to the University in 1958 as an educational consultant. In 1962 he was named acting president and provost. After Thomas Pullen Jr. became president, DeHuff was named dean of faculty.
	Theodore H. Wilson - 1940-61	Theodore Wilson first came to UBalt in 1937 as an educational consultant and was offered the job as president in 1940. During his long tenure, both the campus and the political climate of the world changed dramatically, and UBalt adapted to the educational demands brought on by World War II; aircraft engineering, student nursing and war industries were some of the classes offered then. But Wilson's proudest achievement was the transformation of the University's Junior College into a four-year College of Liberal Arts.
	Howell A. King - 1933-35	Howell King, one of the founders of the University, served first as the executive dean of the school before becoming the second president. Increased enrollment and the expansion of programs were the hallmark of his presidency.
	Wilbur F. Smith - 1926-33	Under Wilbur Smith, the University of Baltimore quickly began to grow. A temporary annex was immediately procured at St. Paul and Centre streets, and the trustees purchased the former Baltimore College of Dentistry, renaming it Howard Hall. Sports teams began to emerge; lacrosse and football were among the first to be offered. The first yearbook was produced during Smith's tenure by a dedicated group of students from the law class.