2024-25 Annual Report (2)

ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025 11868 COLLEGE BACKBONE ROAD | PRINCESS ANNE, MD 21853 | 410-651-2200 | WWW.UMES.EDU

2024-2025 UMES LEADERSHIP Dr. Heidi M. Anderson, President Dr. Robert Mock, Chief of Staff & Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Dr. Rondall Allen, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Moses Kairo, Interim Vice President for Research Mr. Matthew Taylor, General Counsel Mr. Wade Henley, Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance Ms. Latoya Jenkins, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Engagement Mr. David Balcom, Vice President for University Relations Mr. Robert Vickers, Vice President for Strategic Communications & Marketing Ms. Tara Owens, Vice President of Athletics & Recreation

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) was founded in 1886 and is a historically Black, Carnegie-classified doctoral research, land-grant institution offering more than 90 academic programs and concentrations leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate.

UMES provides affordable access to higher education while driving innovation in fields like agriculture, science, engineering, and aviation.

OUR VISION

OUR MISSION

UMES will be the preeminent public Historically Black University that is recognized for leadership in student-centered education, exceptional research, innovation, and inclusiveness.

As a public 1890 land-grant Historically Black University that embraces diversity, UMES is committed to serving first-generation and underserved students and providing educational, research, and community engagement opportunities to transform the lives of its students who will impact the state, region, and the world.

2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS

UMES Hits Milestone Enrollment Numbers The University of Maryland Eastern Shore hit a milestone this fall as its student population eclipsed 3,000 for the first time in five years.

UMES’ combined undergraduate and graduate total of 3,166 marked the fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth. Reaching the 3,100-student milestone was part of a goal set at the end of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Latoya Jenkins, UMES’ Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Experience.

“We were persistent in our efforts to create a plan based on our recruiting strategy to reach a large population of students that would be successful here at UMES,” Jenkins said. “We want to ensure that any barriers these students had to enrollment were removed so they could start their journey to change their lives.”

First-year enrollment led the growth, as 958 first-time students – 828 freshmen and 128 transfer students – became part of the Hawk family. In 2023, 733 new undergraduate students came to Princess Anne.

In order to meet the needs of a growing student population, Jenkins developed an experienced student affairs leadership team that leveraged skills from student retention to social life on campus to expanding career services.

Significant Technology Upgrades Underway The UMES Information Technology department began the campus-wide transition to the Windows 11 operating system, as well as migrations from Google Workspace to Microsoft Office 365 and a new phone system, and the switch to a new printing system.

“The main benefit is modernization,” said Mark Van Pelt, UMES’s chief information officer. “We want to be mobile-ready as a campus and allow people to have a more fluid way to work.”

In addition to the security benefits offered by Office 365, the switch allows UMES faculty and staff to collaborate with researchers more easily throughout the University System of Maryland as UMES works to develop its own research network.

2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS

UMES Hires Dean for School of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Stanley Robertson became the first permanent Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine on July 1 after a nationwide search. Robertson brings a broad spectrum of experience in veterinary medicine to UMES both in academia and in private practice. He has worked at other universities that, like UMES’s proposed Vet Medicine School, employ an accelerated three-year program. Most recently, he served as a professor and associate dean of clinical relations at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine in Oro Valley, Arizona.

“Dr. Robertson’s resume is exceeded only by the impact he had in his interviews with our search committee,” said Dr. Rondall Allen, UMES Provost. “He brings an impressive array of skills to this opportunity and has shown himself to be a talented practitioner, an accomplished academic, and a proven leader. From curriculum development to clinical research to student recruitment, Dr. Robertson has answered every challenge given to him. We are delighted that he’s agreed to join our efforts to launch the first in-state veterinary medicine program in Maryland and only the second at an HBCU in the United States.”

In addition to the University of Arizona, Robertson was a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University and held multiple positions at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. In private practice, Robertson served as Medical Director and Chief of Staff for Banfield Pet Hospital and also owned and/or operated veterinary clinics for 18 years in Mississippi and Pennsylvania.

“We have found an outstanding person to lead our School of Veterinary Medicine,” said President Heidi M. Anderson. “We owe a great deal to the search committee and our partners at Academic Search to helping us find a leader who fits our needs so well.”

2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS

UMES Students Travel Abroad in Record Numbers

University of Maryland Eastern Shore students participated in faculty-led excursions that covered six countries over three continents including Columbia, England, Denmark, Greece, Spain, and Zambia.

Center for International Education Global Director Phillip Broussard said there was a 100-percent increase in student participation over the past 10 years, and a 133percent increase compared with last summer. He attributed the growth in interest to both greater awareness of the study abroad programs and students wanting to travel more post-pandemic.

WESM GM Retires Gerry Weston, the general manager of WESM radio and later Delmarva Public Media, retired June 28, after nearly 50 years in radio.

As WESM general manager, Weston facilitated essential technical upgrades to the station. But his push to merge WESM’s operations with two other radio stations operated by Salisbury University, WSDL and WSCL, was revolutionary. This collaboration formed Delmarva Public Media. Delmarva Public Media’s launch, which happened in the middle of the pandemic, pooled together resources each of the stations lacked in one way or the other – management, fundraising operations, and on-air personalities.

“He’s done a lot for the station and we’ve come a long way,” said Daphne Chatham, the business office and bookkeeping specialist for Delmarva Public Radio. “But the collaboration was the biggest thing. Bringing three stations together was huge. Those are big shoes to fill.”

2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS

Major Campus Improvement Projects Taking Place Five major enhancement projects are taking place or have recently been completed around the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus. The projects, ranging from infrastructure improvements to building renovation and construction, play a vital role in the function of the institution.

“These projects may not be the glitzy ones, but they are necessary and overall, improve the operations here on campus,” said Wade Henley, Interim Vice President of Administrative Affairs.

Among the ongoing projects addressed this summer were the flood mitigation plan at several buildings, including Kiah Hall and Frederick Douglass Library, sewer pipe replacement to limit environmental impact on the Manokin River, and the conversion from diesel fuel to natural gas encompassing 11 campus buildings.

“With the completion of these projects, there will be fewer worries about flooding or utility issues happening to us,” Henley said.

Additional checklist items include the construction of a new 25,231-square-foot Agricultural Research and Education Center and renovations to the athletic fields, including the installation of turf fields for the baseball and softball teams.

UMES Chosen as a Patent and Trademark Center for Entrepreneurs In July, UMES became the fifth HBCU designated as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) – and the only one of its kind on the entire Eastern Shore.

Aspiring entrepreneurs at UMES and in the local community can now come to the Frederick Douglass Library for patent/trademark help.

New Head Golf Coach Selected

Jerel Walker was named head golf coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore by Vice President of Athletics Tara A. Owens.

"As we continue to develop our men's and women's golf program, we are excited to welcome Jerel Walker as the new head coach at UMES. Coach Walker has the knowledge and passion for the game of golf which we believe will best serve our student-athletes," Owens said. "Coach Walker has a great vision for Hawk golf and is focused on building a competitive and nationally recognized program. Under his leadership, our student-athletes will be motivated to reach new heights of success on the course, in the classroom, and in the community."

Walker is an esteemed member of the Golf Coaches Association of America, renowned for his expertise in golf instruction and player development. From 2012 to 2017, Walker coached at Jackson State University and in the 2016 season, Coach Walker's team won the academic championship as the squad with the highest GPA on campus while earning multiple team and individual victories including the 2017 South-Western Athletic Conference Champions runners-up.

"I have a profound love for the game and am committed to excellence," said Walker. "My goal throughout my career has been to inspire and empower golfers of all ages to reach new heights on and off the fairway. As I prepare for this opportunity at UMES, I appreciate and thank the campus community, President Heidi M. Anderson, Vice President Tara Owens and the search committee for selecting me to coach our women's and men's programs."

2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS

Athletics at UMES The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level intercollegiate athletic program. The University currently fields teams in 14 sports: women's volleyball, women's bowling, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field, softball, baseball, and men's and women's outdoor track and field. The UMES volleyball, bowling, basketball, softball, and cross country teams compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). UMES golf and baseball currently play as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC). Track & field holds dual membership and compete in the MEAC as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). UMES recently announced the addition of men's volleyball which will begin competition in the NEC beginning in 2025.

FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT GROWTH 354 endowment accounts for a total market value of $67,408,775 31 common trust & Title III matching accounts 91 operating accounts 75 scholarship accounts

GIVING FY 2025 $2,027,430

SCHOLARSHIPS 681 Awards $2,600,000

Giving Matters: Donate to UMES Today Help our student Hawks continue to soar above and beyond by making your contributions to UMES today!

Make checks* payable to the UMES Foundation and mail to:

Or, scan the QR code to make your donation securely online.

University Relations University of Maryland Eastern Shore 30665 Student Services Center Lane Princess Anne, MD 21853-9902 *Please include any designation requests

Questions?

Contact University Relations Vice President David Balcom at dabalcom@umes.edu or 410.651.6199.