March 16, 2018
A newsletter for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends
Chancellor outlines UMES presidential search plans
A search for Dr. Juliette B. Bell’s successor will likely take six months, Chancellor Robert M. Caret said during a series of meetings Feb. 26 with students, staff, faculty, alumni and local civic leaders. Caret’s visit “can help inform the decision that’s made on which members of the campus community are invited to be on a search committee,” University of Maryland System spokesman Mike Lurie said. Bell announced Feb. 12 her plans to resign June 30 after six years as UMES president. Caret said he would consider an interim leader as a short-term appointment, but did not commit to exercising that option. “Sometimes an interim has been appointed,” Lurie said. “And sometimes one has not.” During his UMES visit, Caret outlined the approach he has employed to fill presidential vacancies at Bowie, Coppin, Frostburg, Towson, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the soon-to-be available post at Salisbury University. Caret was asked at one session whether the presidential departures at neighboring Salisbury and UMES could rekindle talk of merging the two institutions. “Politically, it’s a non-starter,” Caret said, adding that state leaders he meets with want to see the state’s public colleges collaborate more. He
offered as an example a recent agreement making it easier for top chemistry majors at Salisbury University to earn admission to UMES’ pharmacy school after three years. As he has with previous searchers, Caret will hire a search firm specializing in finding higher education administrators that in turn will CARET / continued on page 2
Utility executive is spring commencement speaker Calvin G. Butler Jr., chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), will deliver the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s commencement address May 25 to the Class of 2018. Butler has been a utility company executive since 2008 when he joined the Chicago-based Exelon Corp., BGE’s parent company, as a senior vice president of corporate affairs. Prior to being named BGE’s chief executive four years ago, Butler was senior vice president for regulatory and external affairs. Today, his responsibilities include oversight of BGE’s performance in safety, reliability, customer service, and diversity and inclusion. He is a member of BGE’s Board of Directors and the executive committee of Exelon. Butler has held other senior leadership roles in external affairs as well as manufacturing with the print, digital and supply chain solutions company RR Donnelley. He spent his early career with Central Illinois Light Co., where he held positions in government affairs, legal and strategy. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Morgan State University in 2014.
INSIDE
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Student Places 2nd in Music Competition Gay Recognized as Environmental Champion Katsucon Future Diplomats
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Human Ecology Club Holds Luncheon Alumnus is Guest Lecturer Aviation Science is Theme in Annapolis Biloxi Blues
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Homecoming 2018 UMES Students on Broadway
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Gill-Miles is MEAC Rookie of the Year Miryne Thomas Named to All-MEAC Rookie Team
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Meet UMES Campus Heroes Local Student Wins Spelling Bee
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A&E Calendar
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The Key / March 16, 2018
Circling the Oval
Xavier Parker made 2nd place in the Hall Johnson Spiritual division at the MD/ DC National Association of Teachers’ of Singing auditions Feb. 24. He qualified to audition at Liberty University March 16-17 for the opportunity to perform in June in Las Vegas. Xavier is a jazz pop major under the tutelage of Dr. Devonna B. Rowe.
Katsucon
(L-R) Junior Freda Hill; alumna Kristina Miller; junior John Rolon-Ortiz; junior Martha Opiyor; sophomore Emily Kenlon; and junior Carmall Washington were among UMES sequential arts students who attended the 2018 Katsucon anime convention at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in February. Freda Hill
The Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase, Md. has named UMES student DaJuan Gay its inaugural Youth Environmental Champion in recognition of his efforts to help lowincome citizens to have access to the Chesapeake Bay, and for stressing the importance of expanding environmental education to low-income and predominantly minority communities.
Future Diplomats
(L-R) Augustus Roberts, Abu Sillah, Nicole Harris, Allyson McCullough and Zoe Johnson represented UMES in mid-February at the 9th annual HBCU Foreign Policy Conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
CARET / continued from cover
identify a pool of candidates his hand-picked advisory panel will help him narrow. “A search committee has representatives from the student body, staff, faculty and the local community,” Lurie said. “While the chancellor typically recommends two or three finalists for consideration, the ultimate decision lies with the USM Board of Regents.” Caret made it clear he would not disclose the names of finalists, nor will there be sanctioned visits to campus by those under consideration. “We don’t do that anymore,” Caret told faculty. Discretion, he said, is crucial to identifying top-tier candidates while shielding those applicants from potential backlash by current employers.
“Half of the pool won’t show up if you have an open search,” he said. Caret said he’ll work simultaneously to identify a search firm from a reliable list of firms vetted by the Big Ten athletic conference while assembling a 15-member search committee representing a cross-section of constituent groups. More than one UMES faculty member would be appointed, he said. Once a search firm is hired, it will dispatch a representative to Princess Anne to conduct another series of “listening” sessions with the same groups Caret met with. “We understand there are a lot of challenges on this campus,” Caret said during his session with the faculty. “My job as the chancellor is to take all the campuses and make them all better.”
UMES People
UMES’ Human Ecology Club celebrated Family & Consumer Sciences Day Feb. 27 by holding a luncheon that attracted some 50 diners with a healthy array of foods. The human ecology department promotes the annual event as an opportunity to bring together students, faculty and staff in a relaxed environment to socialize.
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1974 alumnus Sherman L. Lambert Sr., Esq., paid it forward March 1 as a guest lecturer in an “Introduction to Law Enforcement” class taught by Dr. Lorenzo Boyd. Lambert has been a successful trial lawyer for four decades.
Aviation science was the 2018 theme of UMES’ annual Annapolis Day, where alumni, students and administrators talked up the university’s virtues with state leaders in the capital. (L-R) Brandon Lewis, Charles Gregg, President Juliette B. Bell and her husband, Willie, and Owanaemi Davies.
Dr. Grace Namwamba, left, and Dr. Virginie Zoumenou were celebrities in Biloxi, Miss., when they encountered officer Ashleigh Pack, who gave the two UMES professors a ride to their conference hotel after spotting them stranded along a street blocked by a Mardi Gras parade.
SPEAKER / continued from cover
A year ago, Black Enterprise Magazine named Butler one of the “300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America,” and the Baltimore Museum of Industry named him “Industrialist of the Year.” Butler made Baltimore Magazine’s “Top Ten Baltimoreans” list while The Daily Record listed him as one of the state’s “Most Admired CEOs” and one of its most “Influential Marylanders.” He serves on the boards of several prominent Baltimore-based organizations including the Baltimore Community Foundation, University of
Maryland Medical Center, the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, the Center Club and Caves Valley Golf Club, which has provided generous scholarships in support of UMES’ PGA golf management program. Butler is chairman of his alma mater’s governing board, Bradley University. He also serves on the board of the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit organization focused on advancing scholarship, promoting access to education, and building economies; and the Library of Congress’ James Madison Council.
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The Key / March 16, 2018
( Above L-R) Kim Jackson Marter (’80), Janice Emerson Love (’81) and Gloria Jackson Busch (’82) returned to their alma mater for the first time since their undergraduate days during Homecoming (weekend) 2018. They pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha together.
HOMECO
OMING 2018
The Key / March 16, 2018
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By Ifeoluwa Akinwumi
(L-R) Ife Akinwumi, Melissa Witherspoon, Nadja Cox, Tatianna Carpenter, Kia Proctor, Jasmine Taylor, Albany Montgomery and Omari Carter participated in a round table discussion with Disney Theatrical Group executives about careers in the industry. They also toured historic New Amsterdam Theatre, where Disney’s Aladdin is currently running.
Eight UMES students, accompanied by the chair of the English department, journeyed to New York Feb. 16 to attend a special career panel staged by the Disney Theatrical Group for students in high schools and historically black institutions. The trip’s objective was to educate students interested in the arts and the entertainment industry about career paths in the industry and inform them about internship opportunities available with Disney. Before the career panel, we toured the New Amsterdam Theatre in the heart of Broadway, where we were given a brief history and had a chance to stand on the main stage where such Disney-related productions as Aladdin, Mary Poppins and the Lion King were performed. It was an uplifting experience ... It propelled me to want to do more to chase my dreams. After the tour, we met with six panel members, who explained their duties or roles that they perform in the company. Panelists emphasized the importance of motivation as a path to success in the theater as well as how it also could be applied to day-to-day living to inspire a student to go after opportunities. Among the internship opportunities discussed was the Broadway League Internship Program, with positions available during the fall, spring and summer.
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The Key / March 16, 2018
Athletics
Gill-Miles is MEAC Rookie of the Year First Hawks winner since Casey Morton
while also averaging Freshman Bairesha Gill-Miles 10.6 points per game. spent almost the entire season leading the She was named University of Maryland Eastern Shore in MEAC Rookie scoring and rebounding — giving up the of the Week lead for only a few games. six times, From the moment the forward from and Gill-Miles Lexington, Ky. stepped on the court for the recorded six Hawks, she has excelled. double-doubles The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference this season — took notice; she was named the 2017including a 18 Rookie of the Year as voted on by the stretch of four league’s coaches and sports information in a row from Jan. 22 through Feb. 5. She directors. scored a season-high 20 points against North “It is a great recognition for Carolina Central, and the 15 rebounds she Bairesha’s first year playing for our grabbed against Coppin State and Florida program and for her as a freshman to lead A&M were also a season best. us in points and rebounds, it shows her She scored in double digits 18 times and impact — and hopefully is an indication shot 45 percent from the field — second to of what is to come over the next couple years,” Hawks coach Fred Batchelor said. Forward Bairesha Gill-Miles came home from the 2018 junior Dominique Walker, who played 15 The last Hawks player to win Rookie MEAC basketball tournament with a unique memento, games due to injury. Freshman of the Year honors, which had athletics “I just really want to congratulate of the Year honors was during the 2007- director Keith Davidson smiling. Bairesha and her family,” Batchelor said. 08 season when current assistant coach “It’s a great accomplishment for a young lady Casey Morton took the honors. Gill-Miles to be recognized as the best freshman in the league and it shows we both is the second winner during Batchelor’s 14 seasons as coach. “The greatest challenge now is following that up with three bigger years made a great choice. “We made a great choice in recruiting her and she made a great choice than (her) first year,” Batchelor said. Gill-Miles ranked eighth in the MEAC with 7.9 rebounds per contest, in coming to our league.”
Miryne Thomas Named to All-MEAC Rookie Team
Freshman forward recorded six double-doubles in regular season After quickly establishing himself as one of the league’s top post options, Hawks’ freshman forward Miryne Thomas has been named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Rookie team. “Miryne is a phenomenal talent and he definitely earned this recognition,” head coach Bobby Collins said. “He was probably neck and neck with [Howard guard and MEAC Rookie of the Year] RJ Cole. He has that kind of potential.” Thomas, a native of Cleveland, finished the regular season averaging 11.1 points per game and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. He was fifth in the league in rebounding and led all freshmen in the category, upping his numbers to 8.5 rebounds per game in MEAC play. Thomas’ 2.4 offensive rebounds per game tabbed him sixth in the MEAC. The Cleveland Central Catholic High School grad cracked double digits in scoring 15 times, including six in a row from Jan. 20 to Feb. 12 and shot a team-best 43.8 percent from the floor. Thomas muscled his way to six double-doubles in the regular season, including a 16-point, 11-rebound effort in the Hawks’ win over Florida A&M on Feb. 5. He hauled in 16 rebounds in a Jan. 13 game at Savannah State, the most for any Hawk in over three years. Thomas also poured in a career-high 21 points with eight boards at Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 10. Thomas becomes the third Hawks freshman to make the All-Rookie team in the past four years. Teammates Ryan Andino (2015) and Dontae Caldwell (2016) did so in back-to-back seasons at the beginning of the Bobby Collins era. “I don’t know if Miryne even knows how talented he is,” Collins said. “He’s got an incredibly high ceiling and will play a big role for us for years to come.”
Meet UMES
School News
The Key / March 16, 2018
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Somerset County student wins 2018 Regional Spelling Bee at UMES
Campus Heroes are staff and faculty who go above and beyond the call of duty and who have contributed in a significant way to the success of students and the university. This past fall, UMES recognized and gave out Campus Heroes awards to 16 deserving staff and faculty. “UMES gives hope and opportunities to each student. It causes a shift and transforms the immature to mature – the meek to bold. We here at UMES are shaping tomorrow, and that means everything to me!” Desiree Gary, Office of the Registrar “UMES is a university that strives to mold and nurture the brilliant minds of students into the next class of graduates (by) encouraging (them) to excel with the tools and knowledge gained through being educated here.” Jason Barthman, Information Technology “I’m always impressed with our students’ enthusiasm for community service. They generously give their free time to help others. UMES studentvolunteers are outstanding representatives for our university. It is my extreme pleasure to work with these remarkable young people.” Susan Rainey, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences
James Gordy, a seventh-grader at Somerset Intermediate School in nearby Westover, bested 21 other competitors March 3 to win the 2018 Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee. Gordy, who asked to be introduced as “Jake,” confidently plowed through 26 rounds of words before taking home the first-place medallion by correctly spelling “morality.” Ava Bautista, a Wicomico Middle School eighth-grader whose older sister, Gia, won the regional bee back-to-back in 2014 and 2015, was the runner-up A year ago, Jake was second runner-up and as he proudly pointed out Saturday backstage, “the last boy” to be eliminated. He was one of six boys in the 2018 field – and this time the last speller standing. “Holy cow,” the 13-year-old remembered thinking when the announcer declared him the winner. “I’m going to Washington.” Jake won an all-expenses paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the nation’s capital in late May, courtesy of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the regional bee’s founding sponsor since 2013. His mother, Lisa Adams, and step-father Walter Donophan, said Jake was frustrated when he stumbled in 2017 on a word he knew how to spell and promised them he was determined to return in 2018 as his school’s representative. Adams said she and Jake drilled nightly using a study guide the Scripps National Spelling Bee organization provides school-level winners to prepare for regional competition. If Jake misspelled a word, the kitchen-table rules were he had write it correctly 15 times. Jake’s mother attributes his spelling success to a voracious interest in reading, a common trait among generations of previous spelling bee champions. Jake just polished off “Top Secret Twenty-One” by Janet Evanovich and is a big fan of author Amy Plum, an American and French young-adult fiction writer known for her “Die for Me’ series. He estimates he’s read at least 15 books since the start of the current school year. “He’ll read the back of a cereal box,” Adams said. Jake employed a straight-forward, if slightly unorthodox, style by quickly attacking each word presented to him. He rarely asked questions, which spellers are encouraged to do, such as requesting information about the word’s origin, its meaning or how it could be used in a sentence. Jake, who lives in Princess Anne, is the first Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Bee winner from Somerset County public schools in the six years UMES been the sponsor.
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University Relations 30665 Student Services Center Lane Princess Anne, MD 21853
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Inquiries regarding the application of Federal laws and non-discrimination policies to University programs and activities may be referred to the Office of Equity & Compliance/Title IX Coordinator by telephone (410) 651-7848 or e-mail (titleix@umes.edu).
11 a.m., Student Services Center Ballroom Guest speaker and luncheon to close out Women’s History Month. 410-651-6434
Art Exhibit Opening Reception
4-6 p.m. Mosely Gallery “UMES Student Show.” Student visual art and textile designs. Show on display through April 26. 410-651-7770 moselygallery.com
Ellen Barger
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Women’s History Month Speaker & Luncheon
APRIL
Submissions to The KEY are preferred via email. All copy is subject to editing. The Key is written according to the Associated Press stylebook.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Student Services Center Ballroom Health screenings and wellness informational displays. 410-651-6385
UMES Concert Choir Performance 4 p.m. / Ella Fitzgerald Center UMES Concert Choir Spring Performance under the direction of Dr. Devonna B. Rowe. 410-651-6574
27 *Unless noted, all events listed are free.
Springfest
12:00 p.m., Student Services Center Courtyard UMES Open House and Carnival with campus tours, carnival rides, food trucks, vendors and more. Food prices determined by visiting vendors. 410-651-6411 (Admissions) 410-651-6434 (Carnival)
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Health & Wellness Festival
The Key / March 16, 2018
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MARCH