The Key, March/April 2020 Edition

Celebrating

Women’s History Month

March/April 2020

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

Taking off in 2019

by Tiffany Jackson

I am a senior majoring in aviation science with a concentration in aviation management and I had an exciting year in 2019. During the spring, I studied abroad, traveling to six European nations. I completed a fall internship at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and I was fortunate to be selected for a fellowship in my field.

In February 2019, I began my study abroad program in the small eastern European nation of Estonia. I attended the University of Tartu and the Estonian Aviation Academy. The country’s native language, Estonian, is among the most difficult languages in the world to learn.

As it pertains to my major, taking classes internationally exposed me to the factors of international safety operations I

Tuskegee Airman (Col.) Charles McGee and Tiffany Jackson photographed after his 2019 Veterans’ Day visit at UMES.

never have before considered. I had the opportunity to design, build and operate remotely piloted aircraft (i.e. drones) while also becoming familiar with European laws and policies governing aviation. During my time in Estonia, I took classes required to graduate from UMES, which afforded me a different perspective of my field – and the career paths I was considering.

Another great part of studying abroad was the ability to see the world outside of Maryland and the United States. I visited Finland, Norway, Russia, Latvia and Sweden with friends I met from the program and Estonian locals with whom I developed close friendships. It’s nice to know now I have friends all around the world, and a place to stay when I decide to visit.

TAKING OFF / continued on page 3

President Heidi M. Anderson announced during spring break that UMES would join other University System of Maryland institutions by foregoing in-person classes for the remainder of the spring semester.

Students living on campus were asked to return at a scheduled time to retrieve belongings. The university set March 30 as the date classes would resume online to fill the breach.

The decision is following a recommendation from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who took tours a series of steps aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus that included and spring activation of the state National Guard and mandatory telework for noncommencement. essential state employees.

The UMES administration was All regularly scheduled social and academic weighing options on how it might recognize the events were cancelled, including the Class of 2020 with a formal ceremony once public health honors convocation in warnings subside.

April, campus Anderson urged UMES students, staff and faculty to limit travel outside normal routines to minimize potential exposure to the virus.

While no in-person classes were to be held, the campus remains open with the university putting in place a plan / policy allowing some employees to work from home.

9 1 D-

I V CO

Page 2

Homecoming Donations

Page 3

Excellence in Teaching Award Taking Off cont.

Page 4-5

Homecoming 2020

n o i t c a

Page 6-7

WHM: Marion Cuyjet

Page 8

Hawk Abroad

Page 9

Spelling Bee Winner

n a pl

Page 10

Q&A w/ Alum & TV Producer

Page 11 Page 12 Athletics

Leadership Md.

2 The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

Homecoming 2020

Helping Hawks with Hawk Pride Hawks return to the nest for Homecoming each year to revisit their roots and support their alma mater. At half-time during the Feb. 29 basketball game, the Greater Annapolis Alumni Chapter, the Baltimore Alumni Chapter, Groove Phi Groove, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., the Southern Maryland Alumni Chapter and the Tri-County Alumni Chapter presented checks for funds given in support of current Hawks at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Southern Maryland Alumni Chapter: (L-R) Latina S. Wilson (’95) and Teonna Wallop (’00)

Annapolis Alumni chapter: (L-R) Albert Cooks (’67) and George Trotter (’68)

Tri-County Alumni: Dr. James M. White Jr. (’82)

Baltimore Alumni Chapter: (L-R) Andrew Bates (’69) and Edith AydlettWhitmore (’71)

Kappa Alpha Psi: McKinley M. Hayes (’72) (Above) Groove Phi Groove: (L-R) Kevin Chase, Peter Benju, Jodei Drayton, Oliver Pope and Frank Ausby

(Left) Omega Psi Phi: (L-R) Terrell Byers (’96), Jerome Antone (‘81), Chuck Flowers (’84), Kevin Briscoe (’88) and Bruce Washington (’86)

School News TAKING OFF / continued from cover

Studying abroad was an eye-opening experience, which I believe has been integral to my development as an aviation professional. It was in Estonia that I learned about the Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program and submitted my application to the U.S. Department of Transportation hoping to become one of the 2019 fellows.

When my peers began to move back to campus for the fall 2019 semester, I was settling in at home in the Washington, D.C. area, preparing to begin my senior year with an FAA internship. I began my full-time internship, which was contracted through TSC Enterprise, LLC, at the end of August and finished in late December. Simultaneously, I also was completing a full-time course load of online classes at UMES. I worked as an analyst in the Office of Rulemaking, the regulatory office under the FAA’s Aviation Safety Organization. This assignment aligned perfectly with my career goals because of my interest in aviation safety and aviation policy. It was during my internship I was notified that I was named an Eisenhower Fellow and awarded a $10,000 grant. This meant I could begin my proposed research project, “The Future of Aviation: Who’s Next to Lead?”

As my internship was coming to a close, I was invited to complete another semester of internship, which I have been able to accomplish “remotely” because I needed to return to Princess Anne to complete the final semester of my undergraduate studies.

The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

3

GILL NAMED “Excellence in Teaching” award winner Dr. Cynthia H. Gill, an associate professor in UMES’ Department of Physical Therapy, will receive an ”Excellence in Teaching” award this spring from the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents.

The governing board will salute 17 honorees from nine of the system’s 12 institutions with 2020 USM Regents’ Faculty Awards during a ceremony at Bowie State University May 1.

“It’s very humbling and gratifying to be recognized for something … I take very seriously and am continuously attempting to improve upon – and have spent the majority of my professional life doing,” Gill said.

The awards are the highest honor the system’s governing board bestows upon faculty members.

Honorees exemplify excellence in five categories: Public Service; Scholarship, Research or Creative Activity; Mentoring; Teaching; and Innovation.

Gill joined UMES’ faculty in 1993, when the last group of UMES graduates at the time could only earn a bachelor’s degree and the curriculum was transitioning to graduatelevel instruction. Today, UMES offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree to meet professional standards of practice.

“Teaching appeals to me … because of the gratification I feel when a student experiences the ‘ah-ha’ moment,” Gill said. “I believe teaching healthcare professionals is very important because I assume what and how well they learn will impact their future patients.”

Nominating committees

at each USM institution make recommendations to their respective presidents, who review nominations and supporting material and then forward names to Chancellor Jay A. Perman. The Regents’ Faculty Review Committee makes the final recommendations.

Gill’s nomination described her as someone who “has excelled in the classroom, demonstrating a deep and abiding commitment to rigorous and innovative teaching.”

Her primary responsibilities include teaching gross anatomy (advanced human anatomy), analysis of human movement (kinesiology / biomechanics) and medical imaging for physical therapists.

Each award carries a $2,000 prize provided jointly by member institutions and the University System of Maryland Foundation. Perman and Regents’ Chair Linda Gooden will present the awards at the next scheduled meeting of the full board.

“Faculty are at the very heart of the student learning experience,” Perman said. No one has a deeper impact on what students put into their education and what they get out of it.

“And so we’re delighted to recognize these faculty members and to thank them for channeling their knowledge and passion every day into making a difference in our students’ lives,” he said.

The peer recognition at this point in her career, Gill said, deeply moved her.

“I feel honored and gratified to be recognized for something I love doing and am continually trying to improve upon,” she said.

4 The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

Homecoming 2020

(Left) Harry the Hawk shows off his muscle with Malik Harris who offers fitness training services during the Feb. 26 Pop Up Shop.

The ladies of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. took 1st place in the Homecoming Step Show.

(Below) A new class of Hawks were in inducted in the UMES Athletics’ Hall of Fame. (L-R): MaryEtta Lewis, Sandra Maresca, Megan Raymond, Kristie Minnis, Victoria Gay, Erin Fagan, Sharon Brummell, Vince Brummell, Patrick Doughty (seated), Merrecia James, Christina Estebane, Kimani Kirton and Marvin Blye.

Not pictured: Doug Dukes

President Heidi M. Anderson (2nd from left) and alums Allen Singleton, Dr. Carolyn Boulware, Melvin Hill and Hillard Boulware prepare for the double header vs. Delaware State University.

Homecoming 2020

The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

5

L to R: Nicquitta Wedderburn, JaMarcus Coley and Camilla Gavin show off their entrepreneurial spirit during the Human Ecology Club Pop Up Shop in the SSC Feb. 26.

Miss UMES Sarah Adewumi, Dr. Heidi Anderson, Audrey Gill and Mister UMES Hector Cime pose for a photo during Homecoming 2020.

(Left) Mr. Stanley B. Jones (’59) at Alumni Central as he returned to the nest to enjoy the Homecoming festivities.

(Right) Future Hawk Madison Moody and Harry the Hawk pose for a photo during the basketball game.

It’s a family thing.

Audrey Spence (’07) and her children, Shekinah and Zion, were all smiles during the Homecoming basketball game.

6 The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

Faculty News

Barre None: Marion Cuyjet – dance instructor and cultural activist Md. State College educator revered as a pioneer in African American ballet community

“For the culture” isn’t just a trendy 21st century phrase.

In post-World War II America, Marion D. Cuyjet of Philadelphia played an influential role in diversifying the classical ballet community; she saw a star student, Judith Jamison, go on to perform with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and made time to share her creative gifts with college students she taught in Princess Anne.

Cuyjet (SOO-jay) operated with that mentality as she provided access for children of color to the art of ballet in Philadelphia (1940s to 1970s). She is revered for her determined pursuit of cultural enrichment and opportunity through dance, which she made possible for her students of the Judimar School of Dance she founded in 1948.

Her commitment to equality in the arts was exhibited during her 14 years as an adjunct instructor at what was then known as Maryland State College (MSC) beginning in 1957.

Born Marion Helene Durham on July 29, 1920 in south Philadelphia, she was the youngest of three children. Her parents left Cheswold, Del. for Philadelphia in pursuit of a better life for their family.

As a mixed race descendent from the community of Delaware Moors (West African, Spanish as well as Lenape and Nanticoke Native American ancestry), Cuyjet’s fair complexion motivated her to seek equal opportunity and tear down color barriers for African Americans in the classical ballet community.

In a 1953 Pittsburgh Courier profile on Cuyjet’s impact within the ballet community, journalist Jack Saunders wrote: “Marion is recognized as one of the outstanding ballerinas of the United States, irrespective of race, color or creed.”

“She was a grande dame of her time,” said Gail NelsonHolgate, a former Princess Anne dance student and professional performer.

Nelson-Holgate, the daughter of Maryland State’s campus chaplain, was among local children who studied under Cuyjet. “She had stories to tell, I’m sure, because of the shade that she was at the time she grew up,” Nelson-Holgate said.

According to “Marion Cuyjet and her Judimar School of Dance”

by Dr. Melanye White Dixon, one of those stories happened in the 1930s when Cuyjet’s mentor, Essie Marie Dorsey, arranged for her to receive private lessons from Thomas Cannon and study with the Littlefield Ballet Company and school, which later became the Pennsylvania Ballet.

At that time, ballet classes were not open to African Americans in Philadelphia. As part of an ensemble, Cuyjet participated in two performances on Wednesday and Friday nights. Directors of the school realized they had mistaken Cuyjet for white after some Sunday school friends from First African Baptist Church came backstage looking for her following a performance.

Cuyjet began formal dance training at age 14 under Dorsey’s tutelage and would go on to partner with Sidney King to open the Sidney-Marion School of Dance. They parted ways as business partners in the late 1940s.

In 1945, she began teaching ballet in her home to provide therapy for her daughter Judith, who had rheumatic fever. She later founded her school at 1310 Walnut St., Philadelphia’s Center City district.

“She named it Judimar,” said Cuyjet’s daughter, a 1961 MSC alumna and retired educator. “My mother named the studio after me. Judith and Marion. I was included.”

Faculty News Cuyjet moved her studio three times to different locations due to racism. “Some business owners in the building didn’t like the fact that beautiful brown-skinned children were coming through their neighborhood, even though we were well-behaved,” Judith said.

Cuyjet staged many successful ballets, ranging from performances for the Philadelphia Cotillion Society-Heritage House to musicals and ballets at MSC in Princess Anne featuring college students and Judimar students.

She organized a campus performance annually at the historically black college.

The 1968 production of “Go Now, Pay Later” toured the state of Maryland. Her Maryland State productions included “Caribbean Capers” (1957), “Carmen Co-ed” (Bizet) (1958), and “Amahl and the Night Visitors” (Menotti) (two annual performances 19601961).

Cuyjet’s commitment to diversity and opportunity in the world of ballet is evident through the impact of her Judimar school.

Among her students who went on to professional acclaim include Delores Browne Abelson (New York Negro Ballet), China White (first dancer of color to receive a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Ballet Company), Lee Parham, Johnny Hines and Judith Jamison (Artistic Director Emerita, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater).

Dr. Melanye White Dixon, a retired professor of Ohio State University’s Department of Dance, interviewed Cuyjet from 1982 to

The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

1989. In her dissertation, Cuyjet spoke fondly of her time in Princess Anne.

“I took my little company to perform and I never left,” Cuyjet said.

“I stayed 14 years. The president of the college (John T. Williams) was very enamored with this ballet company, as he called it.”

“She was one of the ‘sheros’ who didn’t do her work for monetary gain,” White Dixon said. “It was her dedication to developing cultural arts in her community that kept her going.”

“She was a gutsy woman with a determined spirit. I want people to remember that she came before Misty Copeland and many of the people at the Dance Theater of Harlem. I want people to remember her, a pioneer,” White Dixon said.

Cuyjet was married to Stephen L. Cuyjet, with whom she had two sons, Stephen Jr. (MSC class of 1966) and Mark. Following her time at Maryland State, she worked as a movement therapist at Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry.

Her impact on black dance education and the nation’s culture was recognized as her obituary detailing her contributions was published in The New York Times. The headline read: “Marion Cuyjet, 76, black ballet pioneer.”

She died Oct. 22, 1996 in Philadelphia.

By Tahja Cropper Cuyjet teaches a class in the 1980s at Joan Myers Brown’s Philadanco studio.

7

Study Abroad

8 The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

A Month Abroad:

“There are people just like you all over the world” My name is Shaleia Jamerson and I had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain for the entire month of January. The Center for International Education assisted me with my decision to find the perfect program, CIEE. It consisted of field trips to the Chocolate Museum, Dalí Museum, FCBarcelona Stadium and Girona.

By taking the international marketing course, I received elective credit for my major at UMES. The professor was from one of the top business schools in the world and made class fun by being interactive.

My study abroad experience was very exciting. I was able to stay with a local family, which consisted of living with a Catalan woman and her dog. She made breakfast and dinner for me every day. All of the meals were of the Spanish culture and tasted delicious. She studied English for four years, so communication was easy.

Everyone mostly travels by bus and train, which made transportation very convenient.

The culture consisted of eating your biggest

The entire experience as a whole was definitely worth it. It was like living in New York, but more relaxed and Spanish.

My overall study abroad experience was positive. I learned there are people just like you all over the world. We all look different and have different cultures, but we are the same. We all want the same simple things in life.

I was able to make friends from New York, Toronto, Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Florida and Barcelona.

I recommend everyone should take a step out their comfort zone to try something new. You never know what you’re missing out on. I hope this inspires someone to take that step into a new direction, because that step can lead into a better life you have never imagined living.

By Shaleia Jamerson Shaleia Jamerson is a senior majoring in marketing. She studied international marketing during her month-long study abroad experience in Europe. meal at 2 p.m. and dinner at 9-10 p.m. This was very different from the United States but it allows you to get more done during the day. The people there were very friendly and laid-back, which relieves a lot of stress from transitioning into a new environment. All of the food there was very healthy and affordable, compared to the United States. When you eat at the restaurants, you have to ask for the bill, or else you would be sitting there drinking wine for almost three hours.

School Event

The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

Holly Grove eighth-grader wins 2020 regional spelling bee An eighth-grader from Eden who attends Holly Grove Christian School is the 2020 Maryland Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee champion.

Hannah McCabe said she entered her school-level bee reluctantly, yet performed well enough to qualify for Saturday’s eighth-annual competition sponsored by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Hannah and her friend Eliza Nguyen together decided to try their luck at competitive spelling “sort of as a joke.”

“I really didn’t take it that seriously,” Hannah said with a shrug and shy smile. “I figured ‘What did I have to lose’?”

Nothing, it turned out.

In roughly 70 minutes, the 13-year-old vanquished 23 other spellers with no-nonsense precision to earn a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. the last week of May. The 2020 regional bee had two runners-up; fourth-grader Abigail Tan of Greenwood Elementary School in Princess Anne and Anjan Kharel, a sixth-grader representing Bennett Middle School in Salisbury. Both performed confidently in the early going, but stumbled in the 10th round, opening the door for McCabe, who spelled “celestial” correctly.

When that scenario emerged, Hannah was still required to spell one additional word correctly, according to national spelling bee rules.

Pronouncer Marilyn Buerkle barely finished saying “defiant” when Hannah responded with the correct spelling.

She froze at the microphone, unsure she had accomplished what several weeks ago she dismissed as a lark.

While spellers are allowed – even encouraged – to ask background questions about words they are presented, Hannah forsook that option.

“I just kind of went for it,” she said.

When Hannah heard Buerkle pronounce the championship word, she said she realized instantly “I’m going to win this.”

It was the identical reaction Chris McCabe, her father, said he had sitting in the audience.

“I was nervous for her standing up there” with a chance to win, McCabe said. “Then, I heard the word and said ‘oh my gosh, she’s going to win this.’”

Hannah “has a way of excelling in a way I don’t think she even realizes,” her friend Eliza said.

So the private school in Westover known for its championship archers can now boast it also is home to the Lower Shore’s best speller.

9

Personal Story

10 The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

Hawk in the control room: Q&A with Carmen Frazier

Tamar Braxton is among the many people who Frazier meets when they stop by WJLA while in D.C.

Frazier poses for a photo with Raymond Santana, one of the “Exonerated Five.”

Frazier (left) seated with the WJLA team on set of Good Morning Washington.

Carmen Frazier (’14) is a producer at WJLA ABC7, the ABC network affiliate in Washington, D.C. The Montgomery County, Md. native earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a telecommunications minor. While at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, she was member of the softball team and she was involved in Discover UMES and Hawk Radio.

Q: What was your professional goal?

A: My professional goal was always to be in media. I was always a very talkative child and “always in grown folks business” so this felt like a natural thing to peruse.

Q: What or who influenced you to pursue a career in tv/ news?

A: No one influenced me to pursue a career in tv / news. I just knew this was something I wanted to do. My family has always encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams.

Q: How did you arrive at the current stage of your career?

A: My internship at WMDT in Salisbury, MD is where my career began.

There is where I learned local news is what I wanted to do. At first, I wanted to be a reporter but soon learned you can move up the career ladder much quicker if you choose a job behind the camera.

Q: Describe UMES’ role in your tv / media career?

A: I would not be where I am today if it was not for UMES. In college, I did not know exactly what I wanted to do in media but during my senior year my professor Marilyn Buerkle strongly encouraged me to take an internship at WMDT. It was a last-minute decision but turned out to be the best move I ever made.

Q: Name some things you gained from your student experience at UMES? A: Different communication job experiences and how to balance a busy work schedule.

Q: What advice do you have for someone looking to pursue a career in television and media?

A: Never stop being your own advocate, learn from your mistakes and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Also, whatever method you use to memorize stuff, keep doing it. You will get a lot of information at once at a fast pace and you have to be able to pick things up quickly. News waits for no one!

Athletics

The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

11

Phillip Named To MEAC All-Rookie Team Freshman Leads Team In Steals & Blocks

Photo: Joey Gardner

2020 MEAC men’s final regular season standings

Freshman Da’Shawn Phillip (Baltimore, Md.) was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Rookie team for the 2019-20 season on March 6.

The 6-5 guard led the Hawks in steals and blocks per game at 1.6 and 0.8 respectively. Those numbers placed him in the top 10 in the conference for the season in each category. He was the only player in the top 10 in both in the MEAC. Phillip was also the Hawks’ second leading scorer at 7.5 points per game and third in rebounds with 3.2 per game.

He was awarded the conference’s Rookie of the Week award four times this season. His top overall game came against Florida A&M on Feb. 17 when he had 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

His defensive prowess was on full display in two games early in the season. He had a game with six steals against Clarks Summit on Dec. 8 and a game with six blocks on Dec. 22 at Old Dominion.

Phillip was joined on the All-Rookie team by Joe French (Bethune-Cookman), Fred Cleveland (North Carolina A&T), Tyrese Jenkins (Norfolk State) and Wayne Bristol (Howard). Bristol was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

2020 MEAC women’s final regular season standings

North Carolina Central

13-3

0.813

17-13

0.567

Bethune-Cookman

15-1 .938 23-5 .821

North Carolina A&T State

12-4

0.750

16-15

0.516

Norfolk State

12-4

.750

18-11

.621

Norfolk State

12-4

0.750

16-15

0.516

Morgan State

12-4

.750

16-13

.552

Bethune-Cookman

10-6 0.625 16-14 0.533

North Carolina A&T

11-5

.688

19-9

.679

Morgan State

9-7

0.563

15-16

0.484

North Carolina Central

9-7

.563

12-17

.414

Coppin State

7-9

0.438

11-20

0.355

Delaware State

8-8

.500

12-17

.414

South Carolina State

6-10

0.375

11-17

0.393

Howard

7-9 .438 15-14 .517

Delaware State

4-12

0.250

5-25

0.167

Maryland-Eastern Shore 5-11

.313

8-21

.276

Maryland Eastern Shore 4-12

0.250

5-26

0.161

Florida A&M

4-12

.250

6-21

.222

Howard

1-15 0.063 3-28 0.097

Coppin State

3-13

.188

3-25

.107

Florida A&M*

10-6

South Carolina State

2-14

.125

3-26

.103

(*) ineligible for the conference tournament

0.625

12-15

0.444

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The Key / Mar/Apr 2020

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).

The Key is published by the Office of Public Relations umesnews@umes.edu, 410-651-7580 An archive is available at www.umes.edu/TheKey

Congratulations

to Dr. Robert Mock, chief of staff to President Heidi M. Anderson, as he was chosen to participate in the 2020 edition of Leadership Maryland’s professional development program. Beginning in April, Mock and 51 other leaders from across the state will take part in a “hands-on learning program focused on the state’s most vital social, economic and environmental issues.”

Mock joined Anderson’s administration in December 2018.

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