A newsletter for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends
August 31, 2018
Heidi M. Anderson Named University of Maryland Eastern Shore President managed a $35 million budget and directed 22 academic departments, 10 centers and institutes. She oversaw creation of new degrees in computer science, engineering and clinical mental health counseling. She also was involved with the team responsible for the design and construction of a $60 million music facility. Most recently she served as a special adviser to Texas A&M Kingsville’s president, where among her accomplishment was completing a plan for a new College of Allied Health Professions. Anderson led efforts in Texas to implement articulation agreements with four community colleges, increase the number of dual-enrolled students and help secure $2.5 million in funding to support student success and faculty development efforts. “Everyone we spoke to described Heidi as a visionary, dynamic, inspirational and trusted leader
Dr. Heidi M. Anderson, appointed in mid-July by the University System of Maryland to be UMES’ next president, begins her tenure Sept. 1. Anderson replaces Dr. Juliette Bell, who stepped down June 30. Former Bowie State University President Mickey Burnim has served in the post on an interim basis. “I am thrilled to be appointed the 16th leader of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore,” Anderson said. “I embrace UMES’s focus on highquality teaching and on producing knowledgeable citizens capable of leading and competing regionally, nationally and globally. As a first-generation student, I’m particularly impressed by the university’s strong emphasis on student success.” Anderson has nearly two decades of higher education leadership experience. As chief academic policymaker at Texas A&M University-Kingsville from 2015 to 2017, she
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19th century alumna’s grandson is 2018 Founders’ Day speaker
INSIDE
UMES’ 132nd Founders’ Day Convocation speaker will be Dr. John B. King Jr., the grandson of one of the institution’s earliest graduates. King is president and chief executive of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps for students from preschool through college. He previously served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. The Founders’ Day event also serves as the university’s summer commencement, where this year 29 graduate students have completed requirements to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. The ceremony will be held Sept. 13 in the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts at 10 a.m. King’s paternal grandmother, Estelle Stansberry, graduated in 1894 from Princess Anne Academy, when it was a secondary school under the
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Dr. Mickey L. Burnim Appointed Interim President Of Umes
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Ag Research Project
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Marion Sarah Peyton Center’s Garden Project Clinton-Scott Showcased Fashion Design Talent
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Khoza, Harris Take on New Leadership Roles Marshall Stevenson Joins Leadership Team
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Isaiah Chambers Named MEAC Student-Athlete of the Year
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Sightseeing in Northeast China Kiah Hall Gets Makeover Reed Will Be Interim Head Coach Frederick Douglass Library Gets New Roof Walgreens Awards Grant
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A&E Calendar Tom Joyner Foundation
The Key / August 31, 2018
Circling the Oval
Dr. Mickey L. Burnim Appointed Interim President of UMES University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert Caret lured Mickey L. Burnim out of retirement to serve this summer as interim president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Dr. Burnim was Bowie State University’s president between 2006 and 2017. Burnim filled the administrative void for two months left by former President Juliette Bell’s departure July 1. Caret announced in mid-July that Dr. Heidi M. Anderson, a senior academic policymaker at Texas A&MKingsville, will be UMES’ next president starting Sept. 1. “Mickey Burnim is a widely respected member of the USM community with success leading two historically black institutions,” Caret said. “He (was) the ideal leader to guide UMES on an interim basis while the search and selection process for a new president concludes.” During Dr. Burnim’s 11 years as president, Bowie State experienced significant increases in regional and national recognition, added majors in cybersecurity and information technology, opened three new buildings, grew enrollment and graduates and undertook a successful fundraising campaign. Dr. Burnim previously served as chancellor of Elizabeth City State University, an historically black institution in North Carolina. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of North Texas and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. KING / continued from cover
jurisdiction of Baltimore’s Morgan College that provided a late 19th-century path for blacks to earn a higher education degree. According to King’s family, Stansberry became a nurse at a Philadelphia hospital that one of her sons eventually led as an administrator. Before being confirmed as education secretary in March 2016, King was deputy Secretary of Education responsible for policies and programs affecting pre-school through grade 12 education, English learners, special education and innovation. Prior to joining the federal agency, King was New York State Commissioner of Education from 2011 until 2014, the first African American to hold that post. He began his career in education as a high school social studies teacher in Puerto Rico and Boston, and as a middle school principal. His parents were career New York City public school educators, both of whom died by the time he was 12 years old. King credits their peers — particularly educators at P.S. 276 in Brooklyn’s Canarsie neighborhood and at Mark Twain Junior High School in Coney Island — for saving his life by providing “rich and engaging educational experiences and by giving him hope for the future,” according to his online biography. King earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard University, a law degree from Yale Law School as well as a Master of Arts in teaching of social studies and a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University. He serves as a visiting professor at the University of Maryland’s College of Education and is a member of several boards, including those for The Century Foundation, The Robin Hood Foundation and Teach Plus. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore opened its doors on Sept. 13, 1886. Excerpts from Dr. King’s Education Trust biography were used in this announcement.
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who fosters strong, collaborative and collegial teams, and who values transparency, integrity and shared governance,” USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret said. Caret said “we were … impressed by her passion and energy for supporting students, for the UMES mission, and for actively driving positive change. Heidi Anderson will be an excellent and transformative leader for UMES.” Anderson was chief academic policymaker at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia from 2013 to 2015. Between 2006 and 2013, she held a variety of positions at the University of Kentucky, including professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, assistant dean for educational innovation, associate provost for faculty affairs and vice president/ associate provost for institutional effectiveness. Before her time in Kentucky, Anderson chaired and served as a professor in the Pharmacy Care System Department at Auburn (Ala.) University. She also was an assistant professor in the University of Tennessee’s College of Pharmacy. Anderson earned her Ph.D. in pharmacy administration, a master’s in education and a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy at Purdue University. She has served as president and vice president of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Anderson visited UMES prior to the public announcement of her appointment and spoke with several students. “What I learned about and from them touched me deeply,” she said. “I look forward to helping support these smart, talented young scholars achieve the bright futures they have earned through their dedication and hard work.” TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Dr. Rexford Abaidoo, Business, Management and Accounting Dr. Yen Dang, Pharmacy Practice and Administration
PROMOTIONS
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TO PROFESSOR Dr. Lombuso Khoza, Human Ecology Dr. Terry Smith, English and Modern Languages Dr. Hoai-an Truong, Pharmacy Practice and Administration TENURE Dr. Maurice Crawford, associate professor, Natural Sciences PROMOTION AND TENURE (All promoted to Associate Professor) Dr. Cynthia Gill, Physical Therapy Dr. Isaac Marcelin, Business, Management and Accounting Dr. Rajnish Sharma, Engineering and Aviation Sciences Dr. Lily Tsai, Criminal Justice Dr. Tadas Vasaitis, Pharmaceutical Sciences RETIRED Dr. Malinda Cecil, Professor and Director – Dietetic Internship Program, Human Ecology Ms. Michel Demanche, Professor, Fine Arts Mr. Richard Gormley, Assistant Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Management
UMES People
The Key / August 31, 2018
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Trap crops: ‘It’s (all) about the bees…& the flowers Ag research project focuses on distracting insects
Tobechukwu Opara, left, and Ablavi Amekpo show off a recent harvest
The day may not be too far off when melons will grow in the same field alongside summer squash and zinnias. Dr. Simon Zebelo, an agriculture research professor who specializes in entomology, and his graduate student Ebony Jenkins are field testing an environmentally friendly pollination strategy to attract helpful insects while distracting pesky counterparts. The goal is bolstering the yield of cash crops like watermelons. The duo calls it “trap crops.” No insects are being harmed in the Zebelo-Jenkins project - merely manipulated. “I used to think I wanted to eradicate all insects,” said Jenkins, who grew up in Snow Hill. “Now, I know it’s not possible.” The trap crop theory goes like this: surround a plot of watermelons with cucurbit cousins - summer squash and zucchini, vine plants with much larger flowers. Jenkins and Zebelo watch to see if insects that feast on melon plants are instead distracted by squash and zucchini counterparts. One of the side benefits has been an impressive yield of edible gourds the size of small footballs. Jenkins makes the weekly harvest available at no charge to grateful UMES employees. In addition to measuring whether natural methods will divert insects that can devastate cash crops, Zebelo and Jenkins are looking at the role zinnias, sunflowers and other annuals might also play in their research. They’re hopeful finding the right combination of flowers and trap crops growing side-by-side will nurture the native bee population, which many scientists worry is in precipitous decline.
Zebelo, who joined the UMES faculty from Auburn University three years ago, said his experiment includes plantings that rely on the traditional use of beehives to augment pollination as well as other plots with no hives, just adjacent “pollinator” plants like squash and flowers. Jenkins and Zebelo are tracking which plantings attract pollinators, from bees to beetles to butterflies. “Eradication (of insect pests) is impractical,” he said. “Management is possible.” Zebelo’s research is being underwritten by a three-year, $600,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant provided through the agency’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture program. He’s also working in tandem with counterparts at the University of Maryland in College Park. Although she had no previous farming experience, Jenkins earned an undergraduate degree in general agriculture from UMES in May 2017 because she was interested in the study of plant science. She then opted to pursue a master’s in food and agricultural sciences, concentrating on plant and soil sciences with a focus on entomology. When Jenkins connected with Zebelo as an adviser, she discovered his expertise in plant- insect interactions provided insight into a topic of interest to her the role honey plays as a natural antidote to allergies. “Working alongside Dr. Zebelo has been truly enlightening experience,” Jenkins said. “I want to see us solve agriculture problems without having to rely on pesticides and chemicals.” Jenkins is on schedule to earn her graduate degree in May 2019. Zebelo will compile his findings in a report shortly thereafter.
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The Key / August 31, 2018
School News
UMES partners with the Marion Sarah Peyton center on garden project Somerset County’s Marion Sarah Peyton Adult & Alternative Learning Center focused on food as a school-wide project during the 2017-18 academic year, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore played a supporting role. It started a year ago, when educators at the Somerset County public school helped students partner with the Maryland Food Bank to launch a satellite food pantry that quickly was assisting some five dozen families, including those with children at other public schools. Educators at Peyton were keenly aware some of their own students as well as those at other public schools were not getting substantive meals, especially over the weekend. “There was need for something …,” assistant principal Rob Hopkins told The Daily Times newspaper, “because if you’re coming in hungry, you can’t function.” The food pantry project was more than just a convenient place to store and then hand out non-perishable groceries. School leaders took it upon themselves to show students how to prepare the food they took home. Students got hands-on experience stacking shelves when food shipments arrived as well as packing carry-home bags distributed Mondays and Wednesdays and boxes on Fridays. “The students loved the opportunity to give back and volunteer their time to make boxes to send home,” Hopkins said. The food pantry idea proved so popular, school leaders saw a “teachable moment” and reached out to UMES in November (2017). Would the university be willing give the Peyton school food project a helping hand with starting a garden? Enter Corrie Cotton, a research assistant professor in UMES’ Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences. As her title implies, Cotton has at her disposal a greenhouse she uses for teaching and conducting research. Cotton saw an opportunity to put the concept of “horticultural therapy” into practice. She donated seeds
Clinton-Scott showcased fashion design talent at summer conference Dr. Bridgett Clinton-Scott (Department of Human Ecology) attended the 109th American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Conference and Expo in Atlanta this summer, where her original-design garment, “Concrete Rose,” was displayed in a juried design showcase. She also participated in a teaching presentation, and made a presentation on social media use in the classroom. Attending conferences, Clinton-Scott said, motivates her to try new teaching strategies by incorporating new assignments and projects into her
for what she calls “cool season crops” – two varieties of lettuce, carrots and cauliflower – and got the plants started well before outdoor planting season. This past January, the Peyton center acquired used tractor trailer / bus tires to act as raised bed for the student gardeners, who decorated them as a form of art therapy. Meanwhile, Hopkins said “in science class, we talked about different types of vegetable plants and when each would produce.” By April, the UMES plants were ready to go outside, so they were handed over to students. (An unseasonably rainy spring was not an inhibiting factor.) “This project allowed our students to learn how to garden and also find an outlet to use during the school day,” Hopkins said. Having mature, greenhouse-grown plants provided a hands-on opportunity to nurture the garden before school closed for summer break. “The students have loved planting their own mini-garden and really enjoyed the growth they witnessed,” Hopkins said. “It has also been a huge help with our autistic population; they love taking their breaks in the garden and watering their plants.” courses each year. “Teaching fashion merchandising … allows me to be creative in the classroom in a way that keeps the students (and me) excited about the subject,” she said. “In this digital age, students are very receptive to videos, so last year I created a YouTube channel to share fashion lectures with students and others with a more relaxed approach,” she said. Encouraging “my students to watch my video lectures through YouTube … makes a difference in their willingness to seek out the information and view it.” Clinton-Scott’s has her own YouTube Channel “The Fashion Experiment,” which provides viewers information related to fashion through short lessons.
School News Two long-time UMES faculty members have new leadership responsibilities in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Lombuso Khoza this summer was appointed interim associate vice president for academic affairs, assuming the position previously held by Dr. Latasha Wade, who returned to the pharmacy school faculty. “Dr. Khoza has demonstrated an outstanding record of professional accomplishments and has served on numerous university-wide committees,” interim Provost Kimberly Whitehead said in a formal announcement about the appointment. Khoza has been a university-level educator for 20 years, teaching a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, and serving as master’s thesis chair. She’s been instrumental in developing new courses, including two in an online format as part of the fashion merchandising curriculum. She also serves as an academic adviser and liaison to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where she is a reviewer of textile and apparel field publications. She most recently served as interim director of UMES’ Center for
The Key / August 31, 2018
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International Education and associate professor in the human ecology department. Dr. LaKeisha L. Harris has added interim associate vice president for research and extended education to her portfolio that most recently has included interim Dean of Graduate Studies. Since joining the UMES faculty in 2006, she has been academic adviser to hundreds of students and led both shared governance bodies, the UMES Senate and the Faculty Assembly. A certified rehabilitation counselor, Harris’ doctorate in rehabilitation counselor education is from the University of Iowa. She has been widely published on topics in the field and has been a featured presenter at conferences focusing on offenders with disabilities, rehab counselor professional development and women of color in academia. “I am confident,” Whitehead said in announcing the appointments, “that their experiences and many years in higher education will be an asset in advancing the goals of the Division of Academic Affairs” and the university.
Khoza, Harris take on new leadership roles
Marshall Stevenson joins UMES academic leadership team
He’ll serve as dean of the School of Education, Social Science & The Arts Dr. Marshall F. Stevenson Jr. joined the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s academic leadership team this summer as dean of its School of Education, Social Sciences and The Arts. Stevenson most recently served in a similar role at Delaware State University in Dover, where he worked nine years including two in the classroom as a member of the faculty. He previously was dean of the Division of Social Sciences at Dillard University in New Orleans for 12 years. A Dayton, Ohio native, Stevenson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati and attended graduate school at the University of Michigan, where he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in history. Stevenson has held several pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships. He began his teaching career at The Ohio State University before moving on to teaching and administration at Dillard University. His primary research has examined the cooperation and conflict between African Americans and American Jews. He has published articles and contributed chapters to books on Black-Jewish relations in the United States. As director of Dillard’s National Center for Black-Jewish Relation, he organized national conferences and delivered several keynote presentations
on the subject. Stevenson also has worked with civil rights activists James Farmer (founder of CORE), Bob Moses of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense as well as prominent scholars of the African American experience, including the late John Hope Franklin, Harold Cruse and Beverly Guy Sheftall. A proponent of student international exchanges, Stevenson spearheaded the creation of Delaware State’s English Language Institute to prepare international students for study in the United States. He also assisted with the creation of the Center for African American Heritage as an extension of the Delaware Historical Society, which opened in Wilmington in 2016. He has lectured abroad in Jamaica, Ghana and China, and his most recent publication, “The Global Dimensions of Ideological Conflict: An Assessment for the First Quarter of the 21st Century,” appears as a chapter in Global Societies: An Introduction (edited) by Akwasi Osei & F. Odun Balogun. Dr. Stevenson is married to Lynda Ward-Stevenson and together they have three adult children and three grandchildren.
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The Key / August 31, 2018
Athletics
Isaiah Chambers named MEAC Male Student-Athlete of the Year
UMES’ Isaiah Chambers of Bowie, Md., was named the MidEastern Athletic Conference’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year for 2018. The honor was announced two weeks after Chambers, who played baseball for four years, received his Bachelor of Science degree in special education, graduating with honors on May 25. “He’s had an absolutely phenomenal career at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, not only as a student-athlete, but academically and in extracurricular activities as well,” MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas said. Chambers is the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s third male student-athlete to win the award in the past four years. Ishaq Pitt (basketball) received the award in 2015 and Khalil Rmidi Kinini (long-distance runner) was the conference’s top male athlete a year ago. The Hawks’ athletic program is the only one to win this award multiple times since its inception in 2012. “We … are proud of Isaiah Chambers winning this award.” UMES athletics director Keith Davidson said. “He exemplifies what it means to be a Hawk, and continues our tradition of developing student-athletes into
excellent young men and women.” A four-year letter winner, Chambers appeared in 131 games for the Hawks with 79 starts. In his senior year, he batted .244 with 11 RBIs and a career-best 10 stolen bases. During his college career, he earned a reputation as a strong second half performer, which proved pivotal in the Hawks’ three conference championship tournament berths during his tenure. In 2018, Chambers reached base safely in 10 consecutive games to close the season, including a sweep of Delaware State that propelled the Hawks to Daytona Beach for the 2018 championship tournament. Chambers’ efforts went far beyond the baseball field, the athletics department notes. He earned a Jostens Sportsmanship Award, a Citizen Athlete of the Year Award, and a Hazel Endowment Award — all university honors. Isaiah also was named to the MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team (2015-18), earned a Diverse Issues in Higher Education Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award (2018) and a 2018 Teachers of Promise honor. Chambers was vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, president of the campus chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and served as chair of the homecoming steering committee. “Isaiah is a great, all-around young man on and off the field.” baseball coach Brian Hollamon said. “He served us as an exceptional leader and teammate, and stepped up big late in the season when injuries took their toll. We thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best as he heads into the future.”
School News
L-R) UMES math professors Dr. Mark E. Williams, Dr. Russell Kohl, Dr. Weiwei Zhu and Dr. Daniel M. Seaton did sightseeing in northeast China while teaching summer school at Changchun University of Science and Technology. It was Williams’ second working vacation to the region and he coaxed his three colleagues to accompany him this year. Clifford Reed will be interim head coach of the UMES men’s basketball team for the 2018-19 season while a national search is conducted. Reed was associate head coach the past four seasons and served seven years as an assistant at other colleges. He was head coach at Bethune-Cookman University for 10 years.
Walgreens awards UMES a grant to support diversity education
(L-R), Mid-Atlantic Walgreen executives Matt VenDouern, Dennis Bower, UMES pharmacy school dean Rondall Allen, Dr. Vinnie Madaline and Mike Zajac.
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Kiah Hall got a front-entrance makeover earlier in the summer; 1968 alumni of Somerset Junior & Senior High School, which once occupied the building, partnered with UMES to install customized brick pavers paying tribute to the school’s history. Ernestine Upshur Tilghman, fourth from the left, spearheaded the project.
Roofers have a tough jobs during hot, muggy summers on Delmarva but a crew replacing the one on UMES’ Frederick Douglass Library built in 1969 persevered and is close to being finished. (Jim Glovier image).
UMES’ Doctor of Pharmacy program received a $12,000 grant this summer from Walgreens to promote diversity among student pharmacists and to assist minority students with financial aid. The grant will set aside $2,000 for development of a Walgreens Diversity and Inclusion Award, which will be given to a student who through actions and a competitive essay competition promotes diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus. A Walgreens Diversity Scholarship, totaling $3,000, also will be awarded to a student from an underrepresented minority group with an interest in community pharmacy. The remainder will be used to develop, implement and support programs that enhance more diversity among the student body. “Walgreens has consistently shown a strong commitment to programs and initiatives that foster diversity and inclusion within the pharmacy profession and the community,” said Dr. Jim Bresette, UMES’ associate dean for development and external relations, who noted in the past 10 years “Walgreens has donated more than $1 million annually to support diversity initiatives at schools and colleges of pharmacy. Since UMES’ launched its pharmacy education program, Walgreens has donated $1100,000 to support the university’s endeavor.
SEPTEMBER 13 27
Founders’ Day
Happy 132nd Anniversary UMES (1886-2018). 8 p.m. fireworks on campus. 410-651-UMES
Billy Graham
(The Irreverent One):
Illustrator of the Black Panther Opening Reception
4-6 p.m., Mosely Gallery Landmark exhibition of the African American artist who became the first Black illustrator at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. These original works have never been exhibited before. Hours: Mon. – Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Exhibit on display until October 25. 410-651-7770 or gallery@umes.edu
*Unless noted, all events listed are free. The Key / August 31, 2018
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).
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