Why I Give: Dr. Kenneth Baron

Growing up, Dr. Ken Baron believed the world ended at the last exit on the New Jersey
Turnpike.

That statement might seem funny, but for a young child who spent most of his early life in
Montville, New Jersey, the credence might as well have been fact. It wasn’t until Baron took advantage
of a college exchange program in England and a Eurail Pass that he realized how vast the
world really was.

He discovered the opportunity to study abroad at Trenton State College, now known as The
College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The trip took Baron around Europe, from England up to
Denmark, then through eight counties and out into the Greek Islands. At 20 years old, he felt a
sense of accomplishment and possibilities for the future that would unfold throughout the rest of
his life.

Reflecting on his study abroad experience, Baron commented that the British students he met at
the Worcester College of Education were mystified by his courses in psychology, economics
and art. In the 1980s, British students studied the same discipline for three years, so his wide-
ranging studies would have seemed unconventional to them.

“We were just embraced by the British students there,” Baron said. “The British higher education
system intrigued me. There are no textbooks. You just study subjects and come to class
prepared. You go to the library, read articles, and look at multiple books. My mind was
exploding. … All this left this big impression on me, and I came back really confident, just
understanding things differently. The possibilities seemed very open and more exciting than
ever before.”

Baron’s experience ignited his interest in studying abroad, so he took a semester off and searched for new opportunities. He came across the University of Maryland, transferred there, and began exploring his passions for writing and traveling.

His experience at Maryland was so impactful that he made a significant gift to establish a fund
to support student-athletes traveling abroad. The Travel Abroad Endowed Program Support
Fund for Intercollegiate Athletics provides programmatic support for international experiential
learning directly and indirectly tied to athletic experiences in the Department of Intercollegiate
Athletics at the University of Maryland.

As a token of appreciation, Maryland Athletics honored Baron as the donor of the game during
its men’s basketball game against No. 22 UCLA at XFINITY Center on Jan. 10. The Terps won
79-61 that night. 

“Dr. Baron's vision and belief in education abroad as a catalyst for personal growth is unmatched,” said Brady Rourke, Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Director of GSAC. “Dr. Baron so strongly desires for student-athletes to benefit from the transformational experience, he established the Education Abroad fund for Intercollegiate Athletics.

Now, athletic administrators and coaches, in partnership with university faculty and staff, can
design global learning experiences tailored to the student-athlete experience. Dr. Baron is a
gifted educational administrator passionate about the student-athlete experience. His generosity
will undoubtedly shape the minds of those who will shape the world.”

Baron, 60, graduated from Maryland with a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies ('86) and a
Master’s in College Student Personnel ('89). However, his experience transferring was
challenging. 

 He had trouble navigating his journalism major, so he switched to another one. However, he still
had many questions about credits. His academic advisor, Ellen O’Leary, answered every one of
them. She helped him get every credit from New Jersey and England to count towards
graduation.

O’Leary later helped Baron secure an assistantship to attend graduate school and even led him
into academic advising. As his academic advisor, O’Leary introduced him to this line of work,
and he has made a forty-year career so far. As a graduate student advisor, he worked with
student-athletes, including future NFL quarterback Neil O’Donnell and NBA star Buck Williams.
As a result, Baron observed the challenges student-athletes face regarding navigating study-
abroad opportunities.

 “I felt like the institution really responded to me seriously at times when I needed that help,”
Baron said. “That's the lesson learned that I try to give and provide to all my students. You gotta
hang in there. You gotta keep knocking on doors. You got to tell your truth, speak your truth.
And ultimately, you'll find that, maybe you'll be surprised like I was, there were people there that
were beyond anything I could have imagined in terms of the help or the assistance and
support.”

Baron took another study-abroad opportunity, becoming interested in culture shock. He says the
trip was an eye-opening experience of possibilities. He matured and gained a further
understanding of who he was. He also became more grateful for being an American and more
critical. 

However, everything crystallized with Baron making his gift at a conference he attended in
London. He was trying to develop a model to help bring student-athletes to London, so he met
with representatives and athletic advisors to discuss his plan.

As part of the requirement to earn his master’s of education, Baron submitted a seminar paper
to the graduate faculty at Maryland. The paper was titled “First and Goal: A Proactive Academic
and Career Development Program for Student-Athletes at the University of Maryland.”  

“They thought it was fascinating because they’ve never had anyone from a study abroad
program come before,” Baron said. “I said, ‘Well, I'm trying to build a market.’ And they said, ‘If
you design it the right way, it probably could work.’ They all had stories of student-athletes who
had studied abroad and explained their impact on them.”

Baron went on to earn his PhD in Educational Studies from the University of Surrey (UK) as a
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He kept his plan in mind, but now he says it was time to “put his
money where his mouth is.” 

“People that go on can benefit from this travel fund and will be fundamentally different when
they return,” Baron said. “They will have a different perspective. They'll understand how lucky
they are to be Americans. … It was a chance for me to say, here's a population that could
benefit from it. I want to support them.”

In making his gift, student-athletes at Maryland will now have the opportunity to travel the world
and advance their education and passions. Allowing the opportunity means a lot to Baron —
someone who estimates he’s been on hundreds of trips outside the United States.  

Baron credits others who helped him along the way, including Betty Beckley (former dean), Leo
LaSota (former dean and supervisor), Tom Steen (former colleague), and Olive Reid (former
colleague).

The 60-year-old is the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Advising and Student Success at
UMBC. In his 18th year of service, he leads and manages academic advising practices as an
administrator and practitioner. 

In addition to his job, Baron owns a small personal educational consultancy. Baron Mentors
Educational Consulting works with various constituencies, including high school students and
families, college students, professional associations, tech companies, and various institutions of
higher education.

“[Traveling is] part of my extended lifelong education,” Baron said. “When people travel, they
just learn, and you pick up things, you make new friends, and everything becomes even richer
in your perspective.”