The Key September 25, 2015 Edition

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

September 25, 2015

Beatrice Wright commended by Board of Regents

Founders’ Day Convocation and Summer Commencement Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and UMES President Juliette B. Bell present legacy graduate Gregory James Morgan Jr. with his diploma.

UMES awarded 29 Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees during summer commencement exercises Sept. 10, including one that veteran faculty members are confident is a first for the program: a legacy graduate.

Gregory James Morgan Jr. of Catonsville is a member of the Class of 2015 and his mother, Karyn Adamecz Morgan, Class of 1987, was in the audience on graduation day to witness the big moment.

“She was very excited,” Gregory said. “She said, ‘I’m very proud of you. You did it.’”

When Gregory was an undergraduate at Roanoke (Va.) College, he considered pursuing a career in medicine. After doing an internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore where his mother is a senior physical therapist for home health care, Gregory decided instead to follow in her footsteps.

“I really liked how physical therapy was involved with how patients move, their anatomy and how therapists get to interact with a patient every day,” he said. “Doctors typically see their patients far less often. I like seeing results of my efforts.”

The Morgan family frequently vacations in Ocean City, so on one trip Gregory, now 25, detoured to visit his mother’s alma mater for the first time.

“It was a smaller school,” he remembered thinking. “I liked that aspect. The class size was around 30 students and the facilities are amazing.”

The University of Maryland in Baltimore was in the mix, but he decided he “didn’t want the city life. They have much bigger classes and it’s in the middle of big city. It didn’t really feel like a college.”

“I found the small student-faculty ratio allowed us to get to know professors at a unique level,” he said. “We weren’t just learning the sciences. They showed how to take everything we learned and provide the best patient care in a clinical setting.”

Gregory took classes at UMES from two faculty members, Dr. Raymond Blakely, the program’s

INSIDE

COMMENCEMENT/ continued on page 6

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State of UMES

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Faculty Spotlight

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The Art of Mike Zeck Sum Chairs Business Dept.

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UMES Ranks Upper Tier Delta Sigma Theta Gives Gift

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Beatrice Wright, assistant budget director at UMES, is among the recipients of the University System of Maryland’s Regents’ Staff Awards presented Sept. 18 in Baltimore.

Wright received the award for “Extraordinary Public Service to the University or to the Greater Community - Exempt Staff.”

Over a 30-year career at UMES, Wright has lead numerous community service and engagement initiatives on and off campus, including UMES’ participation in the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign.

Wright has also been an advocate of Women’s History Month programming at the university, bringing prominent speakers such as Beverly Bond, the founder of Black Girls Rock!, to campus to motivate and inspire women.

In her community, Wright is a member of Concerned Citizens for Somerset County, an advocate group for students in Somerset County Public Schools and is actively involved with the soup kitchen and community Thanksgiving dinner for her church, St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church.

Athletics Jackson Establishes Award

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Zip Cars Wellness Tour

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Calendar of Events

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The Key / September 25, 2015

Circling the Oval

State of the University President Juliette Bell delivers a “State of the University” address to new and veteran employees Aug. 24 at the Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts prior to the start of the academic year. Below is an excerpted summary of her remarks.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is and will remain one of the best universities in the nation and a great place to learn and work. I am more excited and energized than ever.

My vision for UMES is moving it “From Excellence to Eminence” – striving for distinction, fame and recognized superiority. “From Excellence to Eminence” is more than a slogan or mantra. It is a state of mind, a way of life – a statement of expectation. It is this university declaring we expect to start with excellence as the baseline. We expect to engage in continuous improvement.

At the 1963 March on Washington, the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about “the fierce urgency of now” to describe the need for “immediate, vigorous and positive action” on civil rights. I believe UMES has arrived at a “fierce urgency of now.”

Our students have choices. Our competitive advantages of access, affordability and a vibrant, interpersonal learning environment will be irrelevant if we in higher education do not place greater emphasis on student success. You want a good outcome when you go in for surgery and our students want a good outcome when they go to college.

Ensuring excellence is the baseline for everything we do. We cannot be mediocre, average or even good. We must begin with a baseline of excellence.

Some things we need to continue doing. Some things we need to start doing. And some things we need to stop doing. By ensuring excellence, we are committed to identifying what to continue, what to start and what to stop.

I have challenged every person at UMES to “Be the One.” The One to show up. The One to realize his or her unique value contribution. The One to be creatively non-routine. The One to make a difference. We must be

“The Ones” to “ensure excellence” for our students.

We must do a better job in improving student success outcomes.

While the needs and expectations of our students are important, state and federal accountability standards also demand improvement.

Creating a positive campus climate built on trust is critical to our success. We must ensure the pillars of “Hawkspitality” – the I-CARE core values of Integrity, Commitment, Accountability, Respect and Excellence are enforced and reinforced campus wide. Those core values undergird everything we do.

We also are committed to continuing initiatives to improve working conditions for faculty and staff.

And we are committed to providing resources to support a strong learning environment. We are in the process of developing a new 10-year facilities master plan, which will chart the footprint for an ever-expanding campus.

Later this academic year, we will occupy a new state-of-the-art engineering and aviation sciences building. At 163,500 square feet, it will be the university’s largest classroom building, and will feature a geothermal energy system. Soon, we will be focusing our attention on securing funds to build a new pharmacy classroom building and 21st century library.

It takes all of us, giving our best efforts, every day, to ensure excellence. UMES is important and impactful to the lives of everyone on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, in the entire state, the nation and the world. How we do our job here matters.

I am ready to create the future for UMES I know we can reach.

I have challenged the UMES community to believe that we can be “The Ones” who will make a difference – for our students and our university by “ensuring excellence.”

To read Bell’s entire State of the University address, go to www.umes.edu/president.

UMES People

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Fa c u l t y S p o t l i g h t UMES scientist contributes to universal concerns Dr. Salina Parveen, a professor in UMES’ Food Science and Technology program, has shared her research at several recent international speaking engagements. Her research focus is food microbiology and safety, water quality, molecular biology, antimicrobial resistance, and the pathogenicity and control of food- and water-borne pathogens.

Parveen traveled to the United Arab Emirates to discuss emerging techniques for detecting and characterizing food and water-borne pathogens for food safety and security at the International Conference on Global Warming and Food Security. The conference was organized by the Environment Protection & Development Authority in Ras al-Khaimah, a member of the UAE. In Bangladesh, her presentations addressed Salmonella in poultry.

In Santa Catarina, Brazil, she initiated partnerships among Brazilian researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students as well as international researchers in the field of good science.

A visiting doctoral student studying food science, Marília Miotto, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, arrived at UMES August 14 to work alongside Parveen over the next six months. The trip is the result of a scholarship Miotto received from the Science Without Borders Program of the Brazilian federal government.

Miotto has experience in food microbiology with emphasis in food control, research and the development of quantification methods for foodborne pathogens. She will be conducting research on the phyllogenetic analysis of Escherichia coli strains recovered from oysters harvested from Brazil and Maryland as well as the development of molecular methods to quantify oyster pathogens.

UMES scientist earns NOAA grant Dr. Bradley Stevens, the distinguished research scientist in the Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center at UMES, received $358,305 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Saltonstall-Kennedy program.

The grant funds will support a research project to determine if a newly developed technology can supplement or replace underwater surveys performed by divers. The project involves using the CamSled, a customdesigned underwater video camera sled, to photograph and count queen conchs (Lobatus gigas) in the ocean around Puerto Rico.

Wilmelie Cruz-Marrero, a graduate student in the UMES’ Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Sciences and native of Puerto Rico, will assist Stevens in the research project. Cruz-Marrero drafted the proposal as part of a seminar class on Caribbean Fisheries.

Read more at www.umes.edu/sans/sansnewsdepot.html

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The Key / September 25, 2015

School News

Dynamic Lines: The Art of Mike Zeck opens at Mosely Gallery UMES’ Mosely Gallery plays host to an exhibit featuring three decades of original works by sequential arts illustrator Mike Zeck. The 32 pieces on loan from a private collector represent the artist’s career from DC Comics to Marvel Comics.

The display opens with a reception September 28, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the gallery located in the Thomas Briggs Arts and Technology building on UMES’ campus.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Early illustrations of Zeck’s favorite childhood character, Captain America, will be on display as well as other characters created for the series of the “Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe,” Susan Holt, gallery director, said. “Several pieces reveal the creative process involved in developing his signature character, The Punisher.”

The exhibition, displayed in chronological order, “enables viewers to gain an appreciation of Zeck’s artistic development and dedication.” Much of the work is accompanied by written descriptions by the collector providing insight into the creative process and details of each character and contextual information, Holt said.

Spanning the early 1970s to 2000, the works include depictions of Batman and other commissions Zeck created while working for DC Comics to later pieces showing the influence of European comic book artists on his style. There are also examples of collaborative works with other illustrators that show the drawing, inking and coloring phases of sequential arts illustration—one of UMES’ unique concentrations in the Department of Fine Arts, Holt said.

Mosely Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 410651-7770 or visit www.mosleygallery.com for more information.

Sum assumes leadership role in business department Dr. Vichet Sum, an associate professor of finance who specializes in analysis of financial markets and macroeconomic dynamics, has been named chair of UMES’ Department of Business, Management and Accounting.

One of Sum’s first tasks is ensuring the department is prepared to earn reaccreditation from AACSB International in 2016. UMES initially qualified for accreditation in 2011.

Sum became a UMES faculty member in the spring of 2010 after earning his doctorate from Southern Illinois University.

The native of Cambodia began his career in education in Phnom Penh as an instructor for a non-governmental and non-profit organization then worked as a language training consultant. He also served as a quality assurance and legislation officer in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (Cambodia).

By 2002, he was in Taiwan, where he was a research assistant in the College of Management for National Cheng Kung University, earning a Master of Science in in industrial management. Two years later, he began graduate study at Idaho State University, where he received a

second master’s degree in human resource training and development. His doctorate is in workforce education and development with a minor in finance and economics.

He completed a post-doctoral program in finance at the University of Florida in 2011.

Since joining UMES’ faculty, he has published nearly four dozen peer-reviewed journal articles on such topics as market efficiency, asset pricing, investments, financial institutions and monetary economics.

Sum says he will push to use the Internet to connect experts with UMES classrooms so guest lectures from around the world can be delivered online.

Sum will place flags representing different countries on display in Kiah Hall along with a world map, clocks displaying times in major international cities and selected currencies of key nations that influence finances.

He wants to devote a room where students can meet with their peers and talk with advisers about potential business ideas and how to launch their own businesses and another location where undergraduates can participate in long-distance interviews with prospective employers.

School News

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U.S. News releases its 2015 HBCU rankings

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore continues to be among America’s top-rated historically black institutions, according to the 2015 Best Colleges survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.

UMES has been listed in the upper tier of black colleges since the survey’s inception in 2007. The 2015 edition rated 72 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in which UMES and Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University are listed 30th. Morgan State and Bowie State universities, two other public HBCUs in Maryland, were rated 19th and 24th respectively.

Only 17 of the 72 HBCUs in the survey had a higher “peer assessment” score than UMES, one of the leading factors in the publication’s ranking equation. Spelman College topped that category as well as the overall rankings.

“I’m pleased the 2015 survey continues to show that our peers hold us in high regard across important educational metrics,” UMES President Juliette B. Bell said. “Interpreted the right way, this annual ranking exercise can be a motivational tool for our entire university in our efforts to move from ‘excellence to eminence.’”

The publication asks senior administrators to rate the academic quality of peer institutions. Along with peer assessment scores, graduation and retention rates carry the most weight in the ranking equation.

Other factors also taken into consideration include the number of

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Gift

full-time faculty, student selectivity based on test scores and high school class standing, the institution’s financial resources and how large classes are. UMES’ student-to-faculty ratio is 14-to-1, and 54 percent of classes the university offers average fewer than 20 students.

Preliminary numbers for UMES’ just-entered freshman class indicate that group’s average grade point average topped 3.0, an indicator of a strong academic cohort that was the focus of an aggressive recruiting effort.

UMES recruiters will have a new tool to market to current high school seniors and those who follow because UMES anticipates opening a new science, technology, engineering and mathematics classroom building in early 2016.

Undergraduates at UMES can select from 38 degree programs, while graduate students can choose from among 16 master’s and seven doctoral programs. There is also increased emphasis on developing online degree programs to broaden accessibility to educational opportunities, including a new Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Engineering Technology, a degree program under development.

U.S News describes HBCUs as “an appealing option for applicants of all races.” Two-thirds of UMES’ student body was African-American during the latest survey period, according to the university’s institutional research office.

UMES recently received a gift from a group of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority alumni and friends and a matching grant from the University System of Maryland Foundation.

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Alumnae USM Endowment Fund will provide awards to students and faculty for professional development; attending conferences and membership in honor societies. The fund has topped $20,000 in gifts and pledges.

“Deltas recognize that we stand on the legacy of our sorority’s founders and those who built our university,” said Elizabeth Doane, Class of 1969 and a major contributor to the fund. “We honor these legacies with this endowment and hope that those who follow us and benefit from this fund will continue this effort.”

Delta members intend to continue growing the endowment. Current donors consist of Deltas and their family and friends who wish to honor them by contributing to the fund. Some were initiated at UMES, but obtained their degrees elsewhere. Some attended UMES, but were initiated in graduate chapters later. All have Hawk Pride Doane said.

“Our university is the place that gave most of us our start in life. It nurtured us and provided an opportunity not only to learn but to build lasting friendships in a family environment.”

“We thank the Deltas for their ‘forever gift’ and look to support students and faculty in their professional development growth,” said Dr. Veronique Diriker, UMES’ director of development.

Call 410-651-8142 or visit www.umes.edu and click on the “Delta/USM Fund” to contribute to the fund.

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The Key / September 25, 2015

School News

VB & X-CC teams off to strong start The opening month of UMES’ fall sports schedule has been chock full of … victories.

The women’s volleyball team got off to an impressive start, compiling an 11-2 match record in the first four weekends of play, including a school-record 10-match winning streak to begin the 2015 season.

The men’s and women’s cross country team matched that great performance; each squad won two meets – one held on campus and a second hosted by Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Delaware State University. Both finished second this past week to squads from the Naval Academy in the Cappy Anderson Invitational meet.

The volleyball team’s 10-0 record to begin 2015 came over three weekends of round-robin tournament play and was the best in school history. The squad went 3-0 during the UMES Fall Fling, sponsored by Courtyard, defeating North Carolina Central, Manhattan and Loyola. The superb playing Petra Jerabkova earned MVP honors amassing an amazing stat line of four kills, 71 assists, 18 digs, three aces and three blocks.

Also named to the All-Tournament team was Zuzana Ondruskova after totaling 31 kills, 21 digs, five aces and four blocks. Then, the MEAC

named Zuzana Ondruskova Player of the Week and Lucia Babic Rookie of the Week.

“Our team really battled … and won in key situations,” head coach Toby Rens said.

“I’m also very proud of the freshmen who have stepped up and made the adjustments to the college game quickly.”

The cross country team has not missed a beat after winning the MEAC Championships last year.

The men’s team finished in first place at the Delaware State Invitational.

Khalil Rmidi Kinini finished first for his team once again. The Lady Hawks also came in first at that meet.

“These great times and finishes are a testament to how hard these men and women train every day to compete at peak levels,” said Ernest Barrett, UMES’ men’s and women’s cross country coach. “They will continue to work hard and better themselves as the competition gets tougher.”

The women’s volleyball team begins (MEAC) conference play at the Hytche Center tonight (Sept. 25) at 6 p.m., while UMES harriers resume competition Oct. 3 at the Delaware State Farm Run Invitational.

UMES establishes award in honor of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s mother The announcement of the Helen Burns Jackson Award in honor of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s mother came during the university’s Summer Commencement / Founders’ Day ceremony, where the renowned civil rights leader delivered the keynote address.

Jackson’s mother died September 7. She was 92.

Starting in the spring of 2016, a cash award will be made to a member of UMES’ gospel choir as well as a second one to a concert choir member.

Jackson described his mother to journalists as “a talented musician” who loved her church and was his inspiration to become a community activist.

The university decided that establishing an award to recognize students who excel at music was an appropriate way to honor Mrs. Jackson and express appreciation to her son for participating in an important event for the institution during a difficult personal time.

Contributions may be sent to the UMES Foundation, c/o the Office of Institutional Advancement, Suite 2104 – John T. Williams Hall, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD 21853.

COMMENCEMENT / continued from cover

founder, and Dr. Joseph Beatus, who both taught his mother.

Beatus taught at UMES for three decades, when the program initially offered an undergraduate degree.

UMES faculty created an award in his honor after he retired in 2013 that goes to a “third-year” physical therapy student who embodies “the treatment approach and style demonstrated by Beatus, who made a lasting impression on his students.”

Lecturer Cindy Gill said Beatus led by example, instilling in students “his philosophy of providing high-quality, effective, patient-centered care.”

The 2015 winner of the Joseph Beatus Award for Excellence in Patient-Centered Care was Alexandra N. Georgiou of Severn, Md. Georgiou, Morgan and their 27 classmates – some hailing from Canada, California, Texas and the state of Washington – are now focused on studying for the national licensing exam that will be administered Oct. 28 by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy so they formally can begin their professional practice.

School News

The Key / September 25, 2015

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New program provides option to car ownership on campus UMES launched a new partnership with Zipcar to offer a car sharing program on campus. The transportation option is now available around the clock for students, faculty, and staff ages 18 and older, as well as members of the community age 21 and over.

Two vehicles, a Ford Focus and a Ford Cmax, will initially be offered. The Zipcars will have designated parking spots in a campus lot adjacent to the Student Service Center for convenient pick-up and return.

This year, UMES members can join for $25, with rates for Zipcar vehicles on campus starting at $7.50 per hour and $69 per day. After the first year, members will pay an annual membership fee of $35. Gas, insurance, and up to 180 miles of driving per day are included in Zipcar rates and cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days.

UMES students, faculty and staff can join Zipcar at www.zipcar.com/UMES. Participating members with smartphones may download the Zipcar mobile application to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles and honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone (1-866-494-7227) or on Zipcar’s website.

“The Zipcar program on campus gives students, faculty and staff

the freedom of using a car without the hassles of owning one,” said Katelyn Bushey, Zipcar director of university sales. “We’re happy to partner with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to give their community a transportation option to fit their needs and their wallet.”

Student organizations at UMES also now have the opportunity to participate in the “Students with Drive” grant program sponsored

by Zipcar and Ford Motor Company, which provides students with Zipcar membership and driving credit to support student organizations on campus.

Through the Students with Drive grant program, Ford and Zipcar will provide $200,000 in grants to be awarded to student organizations at eligible Zipcar colleges and universities. The program runs now through April 2016 and will culminate with a grand prize worth $25,000 in scholarships, cash and Zipcar driving. For more information and to participate in the program, students can visit www.zipcar.com/ studentswithdrive.

For more information and how to become a member of Zipcar at UMES, visit www.zipcar.com/UMES. Additional information and promotions can also be found by following @ZipcarU on Twitter.

UMES partners with Walgreens in wellness event The Walgreens “Way to Wellness” tour comes to the Princess Anne Village Shopping Center Tues., Sept. 29. The campus community and public are invited to participate in this one-day event offering FREE health services.

Walgreens will be partnering with the UMES School of Pharmacy and Health Professions faculty and students to offer flu shots, screenings and health education. Participants will receive a 20-minute evaluation and tests including cholesterol, glucose level, blood pressure and a seven-point comprehensive weight assessment.

Stop by the Walgreens “Way to Wellness” van from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Center at the intersection of UMES Boulevard and Route 13. No appointment is necessary; availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, visit walgreens.com/tour. The Somerset Wellness Center, AARP, the National Urban League and the UMES School of Pharmacy and Health Professions join Walgreens in co-sponsoring this event.

Sept. 29 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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The Key / September 25, 2015

Calendar

T H E UMES MISSION The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the state’s historically black, 1890 land-grant institution, has its purpose and uniqueness grounded in distinctive learning, discovery and engagement opportunities in the arts and science, education, technology, engineering, agriculture, business and health professions.

UMES is a student-centered, doctoral research degree-granting university known for its nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate programs, applied research and highly valued graduates.

UMES provides individuals, including first-generation college students, access to a holistic learning environment that fosters multicultural diversity, academic success, and intellectual and social growth.

UMES prepares graduates to address challenges in a global, knowledgebased economy while maintaining its commitment to meeting the workforce and economic development needs of the Eastern Shore, the state, the nation and the world.

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 nondiscrimination policies to University programs and activities may be referred to the Office of the 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 in the Office of the President 410-651-7580 FAX 410-651-7914 www.umes.edu Editors Gail Stephens, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Publications Manager Bill Robinson, Director of Public Relations Ashley Collier, Public Relations Assistant Design by Debi Rus, Rus Design Inc. Printed by The Hawk Copy Center Submissions to The KEY are preferred via email. All copy is subject to editing.The Key is written according to the Associated Press stylebook.