The Key, February 2021 Edition

February 2021

A newsletter for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $20 million to UMES

The University after day.” of Maryland Eastern In July 2020, Scott Shore received a released $1.7 billion transformational $20 in support of 116 million donation in organizations engaged mid-December – the Photo: MacKenzie Scott/Medium.com in nine areas of largest gift in the school’s134interest to her; that list year history - from philanthropist and novelist included Spelman and Morehouse colleges, MacKenzie Scott.

Hampton, Howard, Tuskegee and Xavier (La.) UMES was among 384 organizations – universities, all private, historically black including 17 historically black institutions – institutions. that collectively will benefit from $4.15 billion Scott called the emergence of the in the latest round of donations from the coronavirus pandemic “a wrecking ball in ex-wife of Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos. the lives of Americans already struggling.

“We’re grateful to Ms. Scott for Economic losses and health outcomes alike recognizing the great work we do at the have been worse for women, for people University of Maryland Eastern Shore – of color, and for people living in poverty. especially with first-generation college Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the students and under-represented minorities,” wealth of billionaires.”

President Heidi M. Anderson said.

Scott said she challenged her advisers to Scott wrote in an online statement Dec. identify “organizations with strong leadership 15 that the “384 carefully selected teams teams and results, with special attention to have dedicated their lives to helping others, those operating in communities facing high working and volunteering and serving real projected food insecurity, high measures of people face-to-face at bedsides and tables, in racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and prisons and courtrooms and classrooms, on low access to philanthropic capital.” streets and hospital wards and hotlines and SCOTT / continued on page 2 frontlines of all types and sizes, day after day

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Cover stories cont.

Page 3

Virtual graduation celebration

Page 4

Inauguration of VP Kamala Harris

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UMES’ new degree program

Page 6-7 Student Stories

Page 8

Q&A with NAA President

Page 9

New roles at UMES

We still need your support

David Balcom The news of MacKenzie Scott’s tremendous gift to UMES announced this past December was definitely the high point of a year punctuate by so much death, illness, racial unrest and political vitriol. Of course, a gift of this magnitude is also every fundraiser’s dream.

It wasn’t long before we started hearing some alumni say, “my $100 can’t do much in comparison.” Or, “why do they need my charitable gifts now?”

Because Ms. Scott’s gift has been put into an endowment for perpetual use over many decades, the amount of available annual resources is significant, but not as much as many might believe.

The fact is, we do still need the generous support of our alumni – principally for scholarship dollars to recruit, retain and graduate more students each year. We also need support for special university initiatives, such as a new Student Ambassadors SUPPORT / continued on page 2

Page 10 Apple partnership

Page 11 Athletics

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Virtual BHM/WHM Event Retool Your School

2 The Key / February 2021

School News

SUPPORT / continued from cover

Program, which we had hoped to launch last year before the pandemic.

Alumni support is one of the key indicators of a university’s health and philanthropic culture. Giving by some provides the essential “gravitational pull” to encourage others to be involved.

As we seek to rise in national rankings among HBCUs, one of the determining factors is the percentage of alumni giving. With support from the UMES National Alumni Association, we have increased alumni giving – and we need to sustain giving rates going forward.

Many generous UMES alumni have established endowments to provide long-term, sustainable support that will last in perpetuity. We are grateful for this support and need to build on it. As one of our current students recently said, “I don’t know what I would do without the scholarship support provided by generous alumni.”

“Alumni must feather the Hawk nest so students can compete.

That’s why I always return to UMES and I don’t hesitate to donate.”

Dr. Michael Casey, Class of 1975

David Balcom Vice President of University Relations Photo: Joey Gardner

SCOTT / continued from cover

The pandemic has put renewed focus on the role financial aid can play in helping students from families struggling economically to afford tuition, room and board, even at public institutions like UMES, especially for minority students.

Intermediaries for Scott discretely approached the UMES president this past fall as her team did research on potential beneficiaries for the next round of donations. She was especially interested in supporting those involved in gender equity, climate change and public health.

UMES plans to use Scott’s donation to make strategic investments to benefit students short- and long-term. Among the university’s top priorities is financial assistance for students, many of whom face challenges finding ways to pay for their college education.

“Most of this generous gift will be put in the University’s endowment,” Anderson said, increasing the university’s endowment from $30 million before Scott’s announcement to approximately $50 million.

Graduation 2020

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UMES holds 2nd commencement celebration online Seniors who persevered through pandemic disruptions get their moment in the spotlight

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore bid farewell to its December Class of 2020 with a 36-minute commencement celebration video in lieu of a traditional ceremony typically held in front of thousands at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center.

The global pandemic forced UMES to start and end the fall 2020 semester earlier than normal -- and subsequently prevented smallgathering graduation events around campus that the university had hoped to hold Nov. 20.

The accelerated spread of COVID-19 in early November led elected and public health officials to issue directives that made UMES’ strategy to hold intimate, in-person commencements obsolete.

The university subsequently dusted off a plan it initially crafted in the spring, when in-person classes were replaced the final seven weeks with students dialing into lectures via digital platforms. The UMES administration produced an online tribute in May featuring recorded remarks from President Heidi M. Anderson, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in addition to voluntary testimonial videos from seniors and a robust carousel of campus life photos set to music.

The December commencement followed the same script the university found itself scrambling to assemble in less time. It nonetheless reflected the joy associated with the rite of passage for some 230 graduates.

“Congratulations to the class of 2020,” Bryanna Turman of Clinton, Md. said into a cellphone-recorded video. “We did it, despite all that we’ve gone through. We were able to make it and graduate. I wish everybody the best of luck on their future endeavors.”

Ashley Nwamara of Hyattsville, wearing her cap and gown, smiled broadly into her camera-phone and declared: “The time is here. It’s the end of an era. Now on to the next chapter.”

Olawoyin Akintelure of Capitol Heights, Md. challenged classmates to “let’s go make UMES proud.”

In addition to remarks from Anderson and Hogan, a parade of faculty members offered heartfelt messages, including a handful who are also alumni.

Business professor Dr. Bryant Mitchell, class of 1978, invited

graduates to “think of yourself as a Hawk for Life.”

Dr. Tiara Cornelius, a 2007 alumna and math professor, said “I know from personal experience, once a Hawk, always a Hawk.”

Perhaps the most animated testimonial came from Billy Dillon, director of UMES’ PGA golf management program, which this cycle had one graduate – Young Lee of Mt. Airy, Md. “I don’t think anyone has gotten as much out of their degree as you,” Dillon said of Lee. “You served the program very well. You are the ’total package,’ my man. I want to thank you for the mentorship of the students coming behind you.”

Seniors in the 2020 November-December graduating class endured mandatory COVID-19 testing, had no intercollegiate athletic competition and fewer social activities. They finished the final semester of their undergraduate career following a “hybrid” schedule that meant they sometimes attended classes in person, and other times participated online.

When state and University System of Maryland leaders directed public colleges to take more aggressive safety steps to head off the spread of the virus, UMES invited December degree candidates to visit during exam week and have their pictures taken in caps and gowns at favorite locales.

Students embraced the offer along with submitting their own images that went into the celebration video. If those pictured were saddened by the disruption, the photos revealed an outward exuberance of reaching a milestone.

“This is the closing of one chapter of your life and the beginning of another,” said Dr. Marshall F. Stevenson Jr, dean of the School of Social Sciences, Education and The Arts. “You are ready to make your mark on the world.”

Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes, a professor of English and Modern Languages, said graduation is akin to the light at the end of a tunnel.

“Welcome to the light,” she said. “You are standing in it.”

A sentiment echoed by Dr. Richard Warren, a three-time UMES graduate and professor of education: “Welcome to the family.”

4 The Key / February 2021

Faculty Essays

‘Prosperity and tranquility’

What Jan. 20, 2021 means to two UMES faculty members

In June 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at the Valedictory service of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. The next day, he was given the keys to the City of Kingston, the nation’s capital.

The Gleaner quoted Dr. King saying: “In Jamaica, I feel like a human being.”

The civil rights leader said he was proud to be among his brothers and sisters, and was inspired “by this independent Black Country.” The Gleaner reported in a special edition commemorating Jamaica’s Independence.

Sixty-five years later, “This has been a century torn by Jamaica remains an the often-murderous imposition inspiration internationally. of ethnic … racial boundaries, The island is an and by the struggles to overturn educational and cultural them.” – Rituals of Blood by super-power, and now, Jamaica native Orlando Patterson, one of our own, Kamala John Cowles Professor of Harris, has risen from our Sociology, Harvard University. ancestral soil to become the first woman, and the first Black woman, to serve as Vice-President of the United States.

As a Jamaican and American woman, I join with fellow Jamaicans, African diasporic people and allies, to celebrate this historic achievement. Black Lives Matter. They belong to human beings.

The Vice President’s path had been a mix of setbacks and opportunities. But, as her Jamaican father overcame many obstacles to become the first Black professor to be tenured in Stanford’s economics department, so too has Vice President Harris adopted the immigrants’ motif of resilience with precision.

Students at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, stay focused on your goals. Don’t be distracted by hate. Your best life awaits you.

Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages and a former dean, Graduate School, University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

In my life, many women have inspired, encouraged and empowered me.

My mother, who was an embodiment of equanimity and strength, instilled in me the confidence to overcome every hurdle with valor, intention and resilience.

The rise of women in leadership roles is gaining momentum despite barriers.

As a woman, a black woman, and an Asian-Indian woman, Vice President Kamala Harris not only shattered the glass ceilings for all women, but also illustrated the aspirational power of the American dream.

In Hindu mythology, “Kamala” is “Laxmi, the goddess of prosperity and tranquility”, and her middle name, “Devi” in Sanskrit, means, “a goddess with many manifestations”.

While watching Kamala Devi Harris getting sworn in, my heart was filled with immense joy and pride for her and our great nation, where intersections of multiple identities thrive with optimism and grace.

As an Asian-American immigrant, I felt her ascendancy to the Vice Presidency represented a victory for everyone – especially amid celebrations of the centennial of the 19th amendment, which granted women voting rights.

Vice President Harris has lighted the torch of freedom and rekindled the hope for a more inclusive America I always dreamed about as a child ... a nation where diversity is celebrated, and equality with respect to gender, race, identity and orientation, and color honored; and a nation, where loving-kindness becomes the foundation of one’s existence.

Dr. Madhumi Mitra, a professor in the Department of Biology & Environmental Science, is also coordinator of biology and chemistry education programs.

School News

The Key / February 2021

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Digital media studies is

UMES’ new undergraduate major

File photo 2016

A digital media studies degree will be added to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s roster of undergraduate majors beginning in the fall 2021.

The Department of English and Modern Languages currently offers courses in production and programming of audio and video as well as interviewing and broadcast performance that until now has qualified as a minor in digital media studies at graduation.

A curriculum expansion that received state regulatory approval in late 2020 will “produce graduates who will be viable candidates for entry-level media positions across a broad cross-section of the (communications) industry … such as (a) production assistant in a broadcast newsroom, an account assistant in a public relations firm, a videographer in a commercial production house or a social media coordinator.”

In a letter accompanying the proposal, President Heidi M. Anderson wrote the university “hopes to afford underrepresented students an opportunity to pursue a structured yet dynamic educational program that focuses on the media and entertainment” industries.

UMES alumni who took media studies courses as a minor have found employment with NBC’s ”Early Today” show in New York, in standards and practices at OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) and in promotion at FOX Sports, both in Los Angeles; on a field crew at C-SPAN, producing a lifestyle show at WJLA and directing live news at WTTG, all in the nation’s capital.

The university is poised to produce “a well-qualified, diverse pool of applicants who can participate at the highest level of decisionmaking with global media companies,” Anderson said.

UMES’ Engineering and Aviation Science Complex, which opened in early 2016, has $3 million in digital audio and video production equipment, industry-specific software, a graphics lab, and multiple

audio and video studio facilities.

“The building was designed to bring many of UMES’ technology programs under one roof,” said Marilyn Buerkle, an instructor and former TV broadcaster who helped shape the expanded sequence of courses. “We believe (these) state-of-the-art resources will serve as a valuable recruitment tool, ensuring the success of the new degree program.”

Buerkle and faculty colleagues anticipate UMES students who will be sophomores this fall and currently earning digital media credit hours may opt to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field.

By year four, the hope is UMES will produce five-to-10 graduates annually, she said.

In addition to fulfilling a 14-class, 42-credit “core curriculum,” digital media studies majors also must take two foreign language courses and earn 18 digital-media elective credits, which could include off-campus internships.

Buerkle and one other fulltime faculty member teach digital media courses alongside adjunct instructors who are fulltime professional communicators. As enrollment grows, Buerkle said the state-approved plan anticipates a faculty member will serve as program “coordinator,” and that several fulltime instructors “who would each bring specific expertise” will be hired.

“We expect specialists to have experience in journalism / public relations / social media as well as film / video and audio production, graphic / web design and animation,” Buerkle said.

Other UMES faculty members who participated in creating the digital media studies curriculum were Dr. Amy HagenraterGooding, Dr. Cynthia Cravens, Joseph A. Davis and Dr. Dean Cooledge, chairman of the Department of English and Modern Languages.

6 The Key / February 2021

School News

How social media led to a Los Angeles internship offer Masiel Ramirez came up with an idea for a “Kodak moment” – have keepsake pictures made with two older sisters, each sporting swag from their respective alma maters, to celebrate her December 2020 graduation from UMES. “I know how my mom is with pictures,” Masiel, 21, said. “She likes to hang all our accomplishments on the wall.”

On a quiet Sunday in mid-November – ahead of what was supposed to be a small-gathering commencement ceremony for criminal justice majors – Masiel (pronounced mahSEE-elle) invited siblings Mabel, 24, and Madeline, 28, to come to Princess Anne for a discrete photo shoot.

Madeline proudly modeled her Hampton sweatshirt and Mabel donned her Coppin State counterpart.

Each sister wore coordinating jeans and stylish above-the-knee boots. With help of a talented photographer, the trio posed for pictures at iconic venues around campus.

The result conjures comparisons to tasteful album cover images befitting Destiny’s Child – or for baby boomers, The Supremes.

“I was really excited to see how they turned out,” Masiel said. “We heard from a lot of people.”

A surge in COVID-19 cases elsewhere in Maryland prior to Thanksgiving prompted a gubernatorial order to limit the size of gatherings and prevented UMES from holding in-person graduation exercises. Nonetheless, the pandemic neither distracted nor deterred Masiel.

She earned her degree in 3½ years, graduating magna cum laude.

Circumstances, she said, forced her to better manage and allocate time devoted to academics, especially when it came to the pacing of taking online courses.

The Ramirez sisters, who trace their family roots to the Dominican Republic, were so pleased with the photos that Masiel shared the images on social media.

One Instagram post expressing pride in being a criminal justice major who just graduated caught the attention of a Los Angeles-area law firm that specializes in criminal defense cases.

The firm contacted Masiel and after some long-distance interviewing, offered her a post-graduate internship she’s hoping might lead to a full time job. She said she’s been told she’ll be doing the kind of research and fact-checking that defense attorneys need to prepare cases for clients.

The internship also offers her an opportunity to gauge whether a long-held interest in the field of crime scene investigation that influenced her decision to study criminal justice degree was the right one. She hasn’t ruled out the possibility of applying to law school, either.

“I always wanted to go to an HBCU,” Masiel said. UMES was “not too close to her (Hyattsville, Md.) home, but not too far away either” – and enabled her to follow in her sisters’ footsteps.

As an undergraduate, Masiel said she enjoyed being a member of the popular UMES Diamonds’ dance team, and briefly served as a cheerleading squad manager. She also was a member of the campus group, Women of Respect, Tact and Honor – W.O.R.T.H. “I met friends I’m going to have for life,” she said.

As for moving to the West Coast to start her post-graduation life, Masiel said, “I like to experience new things. I like to get outside my comfort zone.”

Alumnus News

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UMES alumnus is the 2020 top U.S. Army soldier

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is the alma mater of the U.S. Army’s 2020 Soldier of the Year.

Sgt. James B. Akinola, a combat medic assigned to Moncrief Army Health Clinic at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., earned the honor this past fall with the best cumulative performance on a series of physical, military skill and written tests.

“I always had that sense to serve,” Akinola said during an interview on a “Military Matters” podcast. “I always wanted to give back to the country.”

A 2009 Bowie High School graduate, Akinola shared with podcast host Rod Rodriquez that he is the son of Nigerian immigrants and views military service as a way of showing appreciation for a nation that provided his family an opportunity for a new life.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UMES in 2015.

Akinola enlisted in 2017 and recalled in the November podcast interview a conversation with a friend where one of them said “let’s continue the greatness we started in college” by joining the army.

“I took that leap of faith,” he told Rodriquez, “and it hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

The 19th annual “Best Warrior Competition,” conducted during the early fall, was modified because of the novel cornonavirus pandemic.

Organizers took “unprecedented steps to ensure the safety of our soldiers, while still creating a positive environment to encourage competition and recognize the best,” said Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, according to the competition’s website.

Akinola and 10 other finalists completed a standard “combat fitness test,” demonstrated weapons’ marksmanship, endured a (timed) 12mile trek known as a “ruck march” over rough terrain that included carrying a rifle and a 45-pound load and performed other “warrior tasks and drills.” Competitors also wrote an essay and met with senior enlisted leaders for an interview.

“There’s a lot of tests, both physically and mentally,” Akinola told the Federal News Network’s Tom Temlin. “My leaders helped me prepare for it. And when it came to actually competing … all I had to do was execute.”

While in the midst of pursuing the title of top enlisted man, he earned a promotion to sergeant.

In addition to being named 2020 Soldier of the Year, Akinola participated in a socially distanced dedication ceremony Nov. 11 at the Museum of the U.S. Army in Fort Belvoir, Va. CBS Evening News reporter Chip Reid interviewed him as they strolled among the new museum’s exhibits.

In the November Military Matters podcast interview, Akinola said he was honored to be among the first to see the museum’s 1,300 artifacts, including a moving exhibit about integration of troops.

“To see what people who came before you have been through, what they used and what you use today – and how time has changed” impressed him.

“I’m very happy and humbled to continue the legacy that was left for me to continue passing (on),” he said. “I feel like I’m holding the Olympic torch.”

“I’m just ready to inspire the next generation and continue to (be) inspired (by) my battles,” Akinola said during the interview. “Anybody who feels like they want to make it to this level, I want to assure them they can make it.”

His immediate career goals include qualifying for an Expert Field Medical Badge and completing Airborne School.

School News

8 The Key / February 2021

Meet Dr. James White, Jr. …

… the newly elected president of the UMES National Alumni Association (NAA) and former university administrator. After graduating in 1982 with a degree in physical education / sports management, White earned a master’s in human resources and a doctorate in education innovation from Wilmington University.

How long have you been involved with the NAA? Since 2017, when I retired from the university. Because of the nature of my positions while a UMES employee, my (NAA) involvement spans some two decades.

Why take on the challenge of serving as NAA president?

It is my chance to give back to my alma mater, which I genuinely love. I wanted to use skills developed over 35 years of administrative

experience at UMES and nine years as a Princess Anne Town Commissioner as well as from professional organizations in which I have held memberships.

What does it mean to serve in this role?

I can remain engaged with a love that has been a major part of my life for nearly four decades. I’ve devoted my life to the mission of UMES; assisting persons who historically have been denied access to higher education to be successful. Being NAA president is an extension of that commitment.

Have you heard from your classmates?

My email and Facebook page were overloaded with messages of congratulations, as well as my home and cell phones. Several told me they would join the NAA – and they did.

Why is being an NAA member important in 2021?

HBCUs continue facing the greatest impediment to educating students just as they did when the first one opened its doors – access! Whatever the NAA and I can do to ensure access to our students is important.

As an alumnus and former university administrator, I have a unique perspective. I also have working relationships with several of the past NAA presidents.

What ideas do you have to make the NAA more relevant in the third decade of the 21st century?

We have more than 17,000 living alumni, yet our association membership numbers are not as high as I would like.

Most important is that we attract and activate recent graduates, as well as reclaim some of our senior alumni. Alumni want to be reached. They want to know what is going on and how they can help.

The NAA and alumni can do a lot to leverage our professional experiences, associations and our own funds to give back to UMES. The university, in turn, has to ensure the doors remain open and alumni feel free to return to campus and not just for homecoming.

It is just as important for the university to receive $5 contributions consistently as it is to receive donations of millions from a philanthropist. Think of the impact we would make if 90% of our alumni would give just $5 on the same day! No amount is too little.

How is the NAA working to attract more recent graduates to join?

We purchased a new membership data system, revamped our website, made online payment accessible for alumni, expedited the process of forming chapters and utilized popular social media platforms to engage alumni. A new Membership App, created by 2nd Vice President Teonna Wallop, is on the horizon and will go a long way to reaching and engaging alumni.

School News

The Key / February 2021

New roles at UMES

Latoya Jenkins is serving as vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Experience. She takes over on an interim capacity for Hans Cooper, who stepped down from the cabinet level post prior to the Thanksgiving holiday in the fall semester.

Dr. LaKeisha Harris, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, will represent UMES this year in the White House Initiative on Historically Black College and Universities in a free pilot program to train administrators at those institutions how to “enhance (their) capability to successfully compete for federal contracting opportunities.”

Dr. Jun Zhang, left, has been appointed interim chair of the newly formed Department of Computer Science and Engineering Technology. Dr. Jeffery Molavi is serving in the same role of the newly formed Department of the Built Environment. Both units were previously under the now-defunct Department of Technology and are part of the School of Business and Technology.

Dr. Tiara Cornelius, a 2007 UMES alumna, is the new chair of the Department of Mathematics, which is now a unit of the School of Education, Social Sciences, and the Arts.

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School News

10 The Key / February 2021

App development instruction coming this fall

Tech giant Apple enlists UMES as a Community Education Initiative partner

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore celebrated Computer Science Education Week 2020 in early December with an announcement its curriculum will expand this fall to include instruction in programming language for Apple’s X-code platform.

The university was selected a “Community Center for Coding and Creativity” – a collaboration between the renowned technology innovator and Tennessee State University.

Apple’s Community Education Initiative supports Tennessee State’s “HBCU C2” efforts to “bring coding and creativity experiences to historically black colleges and universities and their communities.”

“Being designated as a HBCU C2 local center,” said Dr. Derrek Dunn, dean of UMES’ School of Business & Technology, “will provide the needed tools for the university to implement an educational and workforce training program centered around Apple’s Swift programming language.”

Partnering with Apple, Dunn said, “will also allow UMES to encourage the entrepreneurial spirits of students and the Eastern Shore community while expanding their skills for careers in software development.”

Dr. Weiwei Zhu Stone, a UMES computer science professor, will be the project leader responsible for its implementation. She’ll be assisted by Joel Tomlinson, an instructor in the university’s electrical/ electronic engineering technology program.

UMES will add two courses on coding and application development to its computer science curriculum, including one for non-majors.

“Mobile application development has become very important in the software development field,” Zhu Stone said. “More and more

universities are offering the mobile application courses to prepare computer science-major students for careers in software development.”

“Young people represent a majority of mobile app users and have the most creative ideas and inspirations,” she said. “A journalism student needs an app to develop news stories in the field, or a music student wants to compose music using an app in different music styles, or an art student wants to compare several sketches before drawing. They can develop these mobile apps with minimal training using the iOS Swift programming language.”

In addition to exposing UMES students to new academic material, the Apple partnership includes a component that will enable the university to offer people in the surrounding community access to free instruction.

“I believe the course will not only ignite interests in teenagers as mobile app makers,” Zhu Stone said, “but this rewarding experience will also encourage these new programmers to choose UMES as their college of choice.”

The university plans to hold free workshops for secondary school students utilizing Apple’s free coding and creativity curriculum along with Apple devices.

Zhu Stone and Tomlinson “will participate in Apple’s Community Education Initiative Learning Series to learn about coding and app development,” the company said. “As part of that ongoing professional development, educators will explore … ways to engage with learners using Apple’s comprehensive curriculum, which utilizes its easy-to-learn Swift programming language.”

Dunn said he’s appreciative of Apple’s efforts to support UMES and is hopeful the partnership might lead to future collaborations.

Athletics

The Key / February 2021

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Bandy resigns as head bowling coach

Plans to launch a student-athlete consulting business Kayla Bandy, a four-time MidEastern Athletic Conference coach of the year, is stepping down as head coach of the Lady Hawks’ bowling team.

Bandy, who dabbles in the offseason as a professional bowler, is leaving competitive coaching but not collegiate-level bowling. She plans to start a consulting business to help prep bowlers find the right fit academically and athletically when choosing a college.

“I’m super excited about the future,” Bandy said.

“In order to operate the business — Bandy Lane — with integrity, I need to step away from a specific college bowling program.

“I love my student-athletes and serving them has been wonderful throughout the years,” she said. “At this stage of my career … what I need to be doing and what I am most passionate about is focusing on studentathletes and higher education. That is why I decided to create this business.”

During eight years as UMES head coach, Bandy’s teams won four MEAC conference championships and qualified for three NCAA tournaments.

Her teams won more than two-thirds of their matches (a .686 winning percentage) and the Hawks had the nation’s best win percentage (.743) a year ago when the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She coached 11 All-Americans, three MEAC Bowlers of the Year, three conference Rookies of the Year and 15 All-MEAC performers.

“We appreciate the contribution that coach Bandy has made to the Hawks bowling program and wish her the best of luck as she moves

on to a different chapter of her life,” athletics director Keith Davidson said.

“She has been a wonderful steward for the program and the unselfishness of making this decision now, leaves us in the best position to find the right successor.”

The pandemic forced UMES to cancel not only the intercollegiate fall sports calendar but also all competition this spring.

Bandy said she announced her departure now so UMES would not be rushed in searching for her replacement for the 2021-22 season.

“It wasn’t fair to the student athletes — or to all the hard work that I put in to build the program — for me to wait until July to resign and then put it on the athletic department to try and hire somebody quickly,” Bandy said.

“That was not going to be an ideal situation, so I decided it was time to tell Mr. Davidson — in the best interest of the program — to go ahead and use this time to transition the program in a healthy way to new leadership.”

Bandy is the third person to coach bowling at UMES; she succeeded alumna Kristina Frahm, who took over the reins from Hall of Fame coach Sharon Brummell, who launched the program.

“Athletically speaking, we did a lot of great things in the last eight years,” Bandy said. “We won MEAC Championships and made it to several Final Fours at the NCAA Championship. That was an awesome experience and we worked really hard for those things. It’s nice to see your hard work paying off. I wanted to protect the program and what we have built. In order for that to continue, I have to step away at this time.”

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The Key / February 2021

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).

UMES is participating in Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” program. Voting is unlimited.

The voting period begins February 15 at midnight through March 15 at 11:59 p.m.

Please vote early and often at www.retoolyourschool.com or use this hashtag:

#UMES_RYS21 on Instagram and Twitter. Hawk Pride!

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