Every fall, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) dedicates one week to commemorating our rich history and celebrating the future we’re building together. Among the highlights of Founders Week is recognizing the extraordinary work of our faculty and staff, which is especially crucial in 2020 during these uncertain times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four awards are given every year, each signifying outstanding accomplishment in one facet of UMB’s mission. Below you can read about the recipients of our 2020 Founders Week Awards, one of which has been renamed this year in honor of late UMB President David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil.

David J. Ramsay Entrepreneur of the Year

Joseph R. Scalea, MD ’07
School of Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery

If you talk to Dr. Scalea for 20 minutes about his life’s work, you’ll see why his colleagues in the fields of medicine and business rave about his can-do attitude and high energy. You’ll also understand why he won UMB’s 2020 David J. Ramsay Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

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Educator of the Year

Russell A. McClain, JD ’95
Francis King Carey School of Law
Professor, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, and Director, Academic Achievement Program

When Russell McClain started law school, he saw himself as an unremarkable student. That all changed as his professors sparked an “intellectual awakening” in him that led him to where he is now. A professor at his alma mater, the Francis King Carey School of Law, McClain says his purpose is to inspire his own students in the same way.

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Public Servant of the Year

Maureen A. Sweeney, JD
Francis King Carey School of Law
Professor and Director, Immigration Law Clinic

Working tirelessly on behalf of people facing asylum or immigration crises, Professor Sweeney has inspired students, colleagues, and clients during her 16-year tenure at the Carey School of Law. To Sweeney, though, the inspiration goes both ways.

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Researcher of the Year

Jay S. Magaziner, PhD, MSHyg
School of Medicine
Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health

It was the 1970s, and the field of aging was mostly an unexplored area of study. Jay Magaziner was working in childhood development when he was drawn to the then-uncharted field and its immense potential. Decades later, Dr. Magaziner has become a pioneer, a mentor, and one of the world’s pre-eminent researchers in hip fracture recovery.

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