After 12 years of monitoring public perception of Maryland politics and issues through the Goucher College Poll, Mileah Kromer will serve as the inaugural director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s new Institute of Politics.
Kromer has served as the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College since 2012. While there, she founded and oversaw the well-respected Goucher College Poll, which released its first survey results in October 2012. The poll, which typically releases results a few times per year, is a trusted barometer for approval ratings, voters’ leanings in political races, and the public’s view on key social issues.
UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby on Thursday announced Kromer’s new role as head of the university’s Institute of Politics, which will open with the start of the fall 2024 semester on Aug. 28.
The institute will be housed in UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. It will conduct public opinion polling as well as other initiatives related to the 2024 general election and the 2025 Maryland state legislative session.
“There has never been a more crucial time in our democracy for credible, high-quality research and information on our political systems and electoral processes,” Sheares Ashby said in a statement. “As a public R1 institution located in the greater Washington, D.C., region, UMBC is ideally situated to enrich political understanding, elevate the level of public discourse, and better prepare our students to be active, engaged citizens of our state, our nation, and our world. We are delighted to welcome Mileah Kromer to the UMBC family and excited to add the Institute of Politics to our campus community.”
Kromer will also join UMBC’s Department of Political Science as an associate professor, where she will teach courses on American politics, Maryland state politics, and survey research methodology.
The Institute of Politics will serve as “an academic, political research, and public outreach center that will harness the university’s robust research capacity and civic-focused public mission to provide a regional base for local, state, and national political analysis,” reads a news release.
It will also provide “experiential learning” and career skill-building opportunities for UMBC students.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to build an Institute of Politics at UMBC,” Kromer said in a statement. “As a first-generation college graduate, I know firsthand that public institutions like UMBC—with their focus on inclusive excellence—have the power to change the lives of students from all backgrounds. I’m excited to build an institute that supports learning opportunities for the next generation of policymakers and builds on the already excellent work done by faculty in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.”
Before Goucher College, Kromer formerly served as the assistant director of the Elon University Poll and a research associate at Louisiana State University’s Public Policy Research Lab. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2003 and a doctorate in political science from Louisiana State University in 2008.
Kromer is frequently quoted in local and national news outlets as an expert on Maryland politics and public opinion polling.
She is the author of “Blue State Republican: How Larry Hogan Won Where Republicans Lose and Lessons for a Future GOP,” published in 2022.
So UMBC is located in the greater Washington, D.C. region, according to its president’s press statement? Why not call its location the greater Washington/Baltimore region? Is Baltimore not good enough?