University of Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke to retire next year

Kurt Schmoke, the president of the University of Baltimore, will retire next year.

The former mayor of Baltimore, Schmoke has led the university for 12 years. He informed the University System of Maryland Board of Regents on Friday that he would step down.

Schmoke didn’t provide a statement about his retirement, which was announced via a news release from the university.

“Having steered the institution through monumental changes in the education marketplace, through a global pandemic and finally through the University’s 2025 Centennial, he believes it is time for new leadership to continue to drive UBalt forward,” the statement reads.

University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman described Schmoke as a “tremendous leader.“

“His time, effort and innovation guiding the University of Baltimore is a fitting capstone to a remarkable lifetime of public service,” Perman said. “We are fortunate to have his leadership for the next year to help guide the University of Baltimore to new heights.”

Most Marylanders know Schmoke not as president of the University of Baltimore but as the former mayor of the city. He served from 1987-99 and was the first African American to be elected to the post.

Schmoke this year began working on plans for the university to absorb Baltimore City Community College; the future of that project is unclear. BCCC faculty said they were blindsided by the merger proposition, and Schmoke, who at the time served as chair of the community college’s board, stepped down from that role.

The university, in Mount Vernon, has undergone a number of changes this year amidst a large structural deficit. Three academic deans announced their departures in January, and the university consolidated majors including history and English due to declining enrollment.

The university’s enrollment has decreased nearly 50% in the last 10 years, from 6,422 to 3,232, and the number of undergraduates has dropped by more than half, to 1,477, according to the University System of Maryland.

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This article has been updated.