The Morgan Way

During his first months in office, in 2010, Morgan State University President David K. Wilson began a campaign to challenge the institution’s cultural norms and change the meaning of what he called “The Morgan Way.” The president found a number of allies in his initiative to promote excellence, including Morgan’s athletic director, Edward Scott, Ph.D., who joined the University in 2016. Dr. Scott told his senior staff to make the phrase “The Morgan Way” a positive comment in their conversations with Bear athletes. He believed that if athletes, as admired individuals on campus, bought into the campaign and began using the

phrase, its value would spread. His belief was correct. Since then, varsity and non-varsity players as well as students outside of athletics have begun to embrace various iterations of The Morgan Way concept. President Wilson and MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Kevin Banks, Ed.D., visit all Morgan residence halls and hold fireside chats with students to explain Morgan’s history, promise and purpose and to define The Morgan Way as strict adherence to the University’s six core values. n

Administrative Leadership

A number of newly created administrative positions were filled with outstanding talent during Morgan’s last decade. Among the highlights: Developing the new School of Global Journalism and Communication at Morgan and serving as its founding dean in 2012 seemed to be the next logical steps in the career of DeWayne Wickham, a multiple award-winning journalism veteran. Wickham has developed at Morgan what is only the fifth school of journalism at an HBCU, leading it to accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) in 2020. Maurice Taylor, Ph.D., J.D., took his current post as vice president for Academic Outreach and Engagement in 2012, during an impressive professional career at Morgan that began in 1991, when he was hired as the assistant dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. He has since served in numerous leadership positions at MSU. In his current capacity, Dr. Taylor was one of the key architects of the University’s 2011–2021 Strategic Plan. Adebisi (“Bisi”) Oladipupo, Sc.D., graduate of the University of Ife, in Nigeria, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, brought a wealth of experience to Morgan as chief information officer in 2014 and has served as vice president/chief information officer of Morgan’s Division of Information Technology since it was established in April 2018. In July 2016, Kara M. Turner, Ph.D., became Morgan’s inaugural vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success, and the Rev. Bernard Keels, D.Min., was appointed the first-ever dean of the Morgan State University Chapel. With Dr. Turner’s leadership, the University has experienced sustained increases in first- to second-year retention rates and new student enrollment, and a more than 10 percent decrease in the federal loan cohort default rate. Dr. Keels had served as director of the Chapel — the center of religious and spiritual life at Morgan — since joining

the University in 2008. Others took the baton from previous administrative office holders to lead Morgan to new levels of achievement, among them: The University enhanced its fiscal strength and monetary stewardship in 2014 with the hiring of Sidney H. Evans Jr. as the new vice president for Finance and Management. Under his leadership as Morgan’s chief financial officer, the University has experienced consecutive years of A+ and A1 bond ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, respectively. Evans previously served as senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer for Howard University.

Edward Scott, Ph.D., had more than 13 years of experience as an administrator and executive in his field, and a wealth of expertise in NCAA academic and compliance policies and protocols, when he was selected as Morgan’s director of Intercollegiate Athletics in Fall 2016. In only two and a half years, he was able to increase MSU scholar-athletes’ excellence in sports and the classroom, as the University faced no penalties for low Academic Progress Rate for any of its teams for the first time in the history of Morgan’s tenure in NCAA Division I.

Earlier in 2016, Morgan announced the appointment of Hongtao Yu, Ph.D., a nationally renowned science educator and advocate for science diversity, as dean of the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (SCMNS). Dr. Yu came to Morgan from Jackson State University, an Historically Black Institution where the Department of Chemistry he chaired was ranked among the top 50 in the nation. His leadership of SCMNS has greatly increased Morgan’s impact on the production of minority scientists and mathematicians in the region.

M’bare N’gom, Ph.D., a graduate of the University of Dakar and the Sorbonne, joined the MSU faculty in 1993. As a professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies and French and Francophone Studies, he has greatly enhanced University programs such as those that examine Africans in the Diaspora. Since his appointment as dean of Morgan’s James H. Gilliam Jr. College of Liberal Arts in January 2017, he has worked effectively to support Morgan students’ intellectual growth and development and make them more competitive for graduate school and professional career opportunities.

Lesia L. Crumpton-Young, Ph.D., selected as Morgan’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs in 2019, is an engineer, professor, researcher, author, coach and entrepreneur. The first in her family to attend college, and the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate in industrial engineering at Texas A&M University, she is passionate about ensuring the success of students. Donna J. Howard, CFRE, also joined Morgan’s senior leadership team in 2019, as vice president for Institutional Advancement and executive director of Morgan State University Foundation, Inc. Howard came to MSU in December 2011 as director of the Office of Development, a position in which she was instrumental in the success of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary Campaign, which raised more than $254 million for the University. In her current posts, she is responsible for Morgan’s fundraising, marketing and development activities.

Glenda Prime, Ph.D., a native of Trinidad and Tobago, was appointed dean of Morgan’s School of Education and Urban Studies in 2019. On MSU’s faculty since 1999, she previously chaired the University’s Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership and Policy, which became the leading producer of doctorates at Morgan under her guidance. Dr. Prime’s primary research interests revolve around AfricanAmerican students in urban science classrooms. She recently coauthored a book titled, “Centering Race in the STEM Education of African American K–12 Learners,” with Morgan faculty as co-contributors.

Selected in June 2020 after a national search, Oscar Barton Jr., Ph.D., began his tenure as dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering in August. Dr. Barton came to Morgan after serving as professor and inaugural chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University and, before that, as chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is leading the continued expansion of Morgan’s engineering school, which is a state and national leader in producing African-American engineers.

Willie E. May, Ph.D. (profiled on page 32), took the helm at Morgan’s Division of Research and Economic Development (D-RED) in 2018 and has steered the University’s research and innovation to greater recognition and success.

MSU’s National Rankings* Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded to African Americans 1st – Civil Engineering 1st – Construction Management 1st – Electrical Engineering 1st – Public Relations and Advertising 2nd – Architecture 2nd – Health Education 2nd – Hospitality Management 2nd – Transportation Systems 3rd – Industrial Engineering 3rd – Screen Writing and Animation

MSU’s Statewide Rankings* Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded to African Americans 1st – Actuarial Science 1st – Architecture and Related Services 1st – Civil Engineering 1st – Communication, Journalism and Related Programs 1st – Elementary Education 1st – Engineering Physics 1st – Family and Consumer Sciences 1st – Hospitality Management 1st – Journalism 1st – Social Work 1st – Transportation Systems Master’s Degrees Awarded to African Americans 1st – Engineering 1st – Hospitality Management 1st – Landscape Architecture 2nd – Bioinformatics (tied) 2nd – Urban Transportation (tied) Doctoral Research Degrees Awarded to African Americans 1st – Bioenvironmental Sciences 1st – Community College Leadership 1st – Engineering (tied) 1st – History 2nd – Public Health (tied) Source: IPEDS 2017–2018 Provisional Data * Partial listing

Master’s Degrees Awarded to African Americans 1st – African-American Studies 1st – Bioinformatics 1st – City and Regional Planning 1st – Landscape Architecture 1st – Mathematics

Doctoral Research Degrees Awarded to African Americans 1st – Bioenvironmental Sciences 1st – Engineering 1st – Higher Education Administration 1st – Public Health 1st – Social Work Source: IPEDS 2017–2018 Provisional Data * Partial listing

Morgan Recognitions and Rankings*

Recent MSU Championships

Morgan State University competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), which is celebrating its 50th year of intercollegiate competition.

Morgan Softball 2018 MEAC Champion

Morgan Men‘s Tennis 2019 MEAC Champion

Morgan Women‘s Tennis 2018 MEAC Champion

The President’s Leadership Circle

The President’s Leadership Circle (PLC) at Morgan State University, established in during the 2016-2017 academic year, comprises a group of distinctive students who forward the president’s vision for the University. The group represents and embodies the successful application of the core values of MSU — Excellence,

Integrity, Respect, Diversity, Innovation and Leadership — and serve as global ambassadors exemplifying all that should and can be emulated about the University. PLC Fellows serve with the president at a variety of campus and community functions. They promote pride in Morgan and draw on their personal experiences to highlight the impact and benefits of a Morgan degree. PLC Fellows meet periodically with industry leaders in the Washington, D.C., and tri-state area, and hold monthly audiences with President Wilson and other University leaders.

Leading the Way at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

An estimated 3.5 million spectators in New York City and 22.1 million television viewers nationwide watched the stellar performance of the Morgan State University Marching Band — a.k.a., the Magnificent Marching Machine — in the 93rd iteration of the Macy’s

Thanksgiving Day Parade. The occasion, on Nov. 28, 2019, marked the band’s first-ever appearance in the event and was only the fifth time in the parade’s history that an Historically Black College or University was featured. Morgan’s band held the distinct honor of leading the parade participants along the 2.7- mile course through Manhattan and was the first marching band to perform on the famed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade star.

The MSU Choir, Morgan’s Musical Ambassadors

The Morgan State University Choir — comprising the 140-member University Choir and the 40-member Morgan Singers — is one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles. With a repertoire including classical, Gospel and contemporary popular music, the choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. During the past decade, the world-renowned choir traveled more than 114,000 miles to perform abroad, in Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Cuba, England, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

Morgan State University, a True National Treasure Centenary Biblical Institute was grateful One year short of a century later, in May for the gift that gave the African2016, the National Trust for Historic American higher educational institution Preservation honored what it called a 90- by 140-foot lot for its sole building, “an important and often overlooked at Fulton and Edmondson Avenue in American story,” when it designated west Baltimore, in 1879. But by 1917, the Morgan State University’s campus as institute, renamed Morgan College, was a National Treasure. The varied built bursting at the seams. Acquiring the Ivy landscape of the University now features Mill property in northeastern Baltimore 20 structures that are eligible for listing that year, and winning a subsequent legal on the National Register and includes fight against white neighbors opposed buildings designed by pioneering and to having a Black school in their midst, celebrated black architects such as provided Morgan with space for its Albert Cassell, Hilyard Robinson, Louis current campus. Fry and Leon Bridges. The National Treasure designation, the only such honor for a college or university campus in the United States, acknowledges the partnership between Morgan and the National Trust to develop a preservation plan that stewards the many historic buildings on campus, while planning wisely for the University’s future.