Sept. 20, 2019
A newsletter for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends
Founders’ Week 2019 Summer Commencement
The 45 graduates who were celebrated during the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s summer commencement included an athlete who found UMES while competing for an in-state rival, a couple who met in class and plan to marry, and an entrepreneurial undergraduate with a big heart. The 2019 edition of the university’s September graduation exercises featured a new wrinkle -- the inclusion of a handful of undergraduates who completed degree requirements before the traditional December ceremony. Held during Founders’ Week, past September graduations typically were for graduate students who completed their doctor of physical therapy studies so they could qualify to take a national licensure exam in October. FOUNDERS’ WEEK / continued on page 2
UMES’ 16th leader inaugurated on Founders’ Day
INSIDE
Dr. Heidi M. Anderson was formally inaugurated Sept. 13 as the 16th leader of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on the 133rd anniversary of the institution’s founding. When Anderson took office on Sept 1, 2018, she became the fourth woman in the 21st century to serve as UMES’ president. The university opened its doors as a private prep school on Sept. 13, 1886, when nine students were welcomed by principal Benjamin Oliver Bird and his wife, Portia, who eventually became its first female leader in 1897 after her husband died. “It is with pride and humility,”Anderson said, “I acknowledge that I stand on shoulders of not only our founders, but also all the previous presidents who have served our great institution.” The serendipitous alignment of the calendar one year into her tenure inspired Anderson to pick Founders’ Day 2019 for the tradition-rich ceremony held in the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts. Among those on hand were colleagues who lead other University System of Maryland institutions, and Dr. Helen Giles-Gee and Dr. Linda Bleicken, two mentors whom Anderson singled out and thanked in her inauguration speech. Anderson’s installation as UMES president marks the pinnacle of a four-decade career in
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Dean on lynching Founders’ Week commission graduation cont. NIH pharmacy grant New Faculty
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Rev. W. Tycer Nelson Freshman Move In Day 2019
higher education that began as a graduate teaching assistant at her alma mater, Purdue University, where she earned three degrees, including a doctorate in pharmacy administration in 1986. She is a first generation college graduate. “I am now privileged to lead at a pivotal moment at this institution and in the town of Princess Anne,” she said. “I am heartened and energized by the vast store of goodwill from a number of people who believe in our institution. People recognize this university embodies hope and represents the future for many students, and they want to help us succeed.”
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Founders’ Week 2019 and Inauguration events
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Station1 Fellowship Summer experience Alum named MANRRS President
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Athletes Greet GES students 1st day of school Class of 1969 Reunion