Welcome to the 2009 Commencement Web site for the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). We have created this site to assist students, faculty, families, and friends prepare for the most exciting day of our year.
     On Friday, May 15, students, families, and friends will “take over” the West Side of Baltimore with a wide array of formal and informal activities and ceremonies to mark the commencement of approximately 1,800 graduates from the schools of medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and social work, and the Graduate School.
     This year, commencement activities will bring an added dimension to the campus neighborhood. Along with moving pre-commencement ceremonies for the individual schools within walking distance of the campus, UMB has arranged activities for the whole family, including discounts to area restaurants and attractions such as the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards and tours of Oriole Park. For your added convenience, UMB has reserved rooms at local hotels at discount rates and made arrangements for convenient parking.
     The culmination of the activities will be the ceremony marking Commencement 2009 at 1st Mariner Arena on May 15 at 3 p.m. We are very excited and honored that University of Maryland School of Law alumnus Gov. Martin O’Malley will be our Commencement 2009 speaker. As an added bonus, graduates will depart the arena by 5 p.m. with their diplomas in hand.
     This newly designed site will feature frequent updates with valuable information on activities and programs that promise to make May 15 a most memorable day. I would like to add my congratulations to the students and their families as they celebrate the rewards following years of sacrifice and hard work.

David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil
President
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley
      Martin O’Malley is a fearless, intelligent public servant who puts people before politics. During his six years as mayor of Baltimore City, he worked tirelessly with the citizens and public servants to make it a more beautiful, cleaner city where people want to live and businesses want to invest.
      As governor, he is applying that knowledge, experience, and energy to the State of Maryland to make it stronger and more prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown have made steady progress for the working families of our state. Since taking office in January 2007, O’Malley has restored fiscal accountability and protected the priorities of Maryland families, even while facing a national recession. The Baltimore Sun credited O’Malley’s administration with accomplishing more in one year than other administrations can handle in four. Martin O’Malley is a “governor unafraid of government,” according to The Washington Post.
      In 1963, Martin was born to Tom and Barbara O’Malley, and spent his childhood in Bethesda and Rockville absorbing an appreciation for the importance of public service and political leadership. These ideals were reinforced during his time at Gonzaga College High School, where he was a member of the renowned Eagle program and provided assistance and services to the residents of the impoverished local neighborhood. During his years at Catholic University, O’Malley joined the Gary Hart for President Campaign. After finishing college, O’Malley attended the University of Maryland School of Law, earning his JD in 1988. Two years earlier, O’Malley became a field director for the successful U.S. Senate campaign of Barbara Mikulski, who was the first woman from the State of Maryland to be elected to the U.S. Senate and one of the first women elected to the Senate in history.
     O’Malley and his wife Katie, a District Court judge, have two daughters, Grace and Tara, and two sons, William and Jack. They are members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.