Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Summer is coming to an end and I hope you are all excited for the fall semester! This summer we welcomed two dynamic new presidents to the System and said goodbye to two outstanding presidents.  

	Aminta Breaux

As announced in this spring's LeaderNotes, Aminta Breaux has joined Bowie State University as the school's tenth president. She comes to the System from Millersville University in Pennsylvania where she served as vice president for advancement for three years. With the arrival of Dr. Breaux, we also say goodbye to Mickey Burnim, who served as president of BSU for eleven years. While under his leadership, BSU added eight degree programs, graduated a record number of students in 2016, and raised $15 million through a fundraising campaign that reached its goal ahead of schedule.

Peter Goodwin was named president of  UMCES in July. Goodwin will join UMCES on September 18 and comes to us from the Center for Ecohydraulics Research at the University of Idaho. With Dr. Goodwin's arrival, we must say goodbye to Don Boesch, who has served as president of UMCES for 27 years. Boesch will remain at UMCES as a faculty member. Under his leadership, UMCES became the state's leading authority on environmental matters, research grants more than tripled and diversified, and the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology was formed. Most recently, Don received a governor's citation for his role in advancing science and communication for the Chesapeake Bay. I have greatly enjoyed working alongside Mickey and Don and the Foundation thanks them for their fantastic  work over the years.

We also welcome UMCP's new Vice President of University Relations, Jacqueline Lewis. Jacqueline joins us from The University of Iowa Foundation, where she served as Senior Vice President for Development and led 160 fundraising, donor relations, and marketing and communication professionals. In this role, Jacqueline led and implemented a five-year strategic plan and helped oversee the completion of a nearly $2 billion comprehensive campaign. 

This summer, the Foundation hosted a successful Alumni Engagement Summit at Bowie State University, which brought together over fifty alumni relations, communications, and annual giving professionals from across the System. The event featured a keynote address from Chris Marshall of GG+A titled "Power in Numbers: A Million Reasons to Build - and Measure - Alumni Engagement as You Head into a Campaign." The day also featured a panel with vice presidents of advancement Kim Dumpson, Greg Simmons, and Theresa Silanskis and featured a number of breakout sessions led by our Alumni Relations Council. Thank you to all who attended and participated. 

	Chancellor Caret at Volvo

I had the pleasure of joining Chancellor Caret on a listening tour across the state of Maryland to meet with business people, civic leaders, and other regional groups to discuss ways the USM can work with them to grow Maryland's economy. In June, the Chancellor visited Frostburg State University, the Cumberland Times-News, and the Volvo Group Trucks' Hagerstown Plant. As the Chancellor says, we are working on Telling and Selling the USM story across the region, which helps work towards advancing the USM's strategic plan.

Lastly, former USM Chancellor Brit Kirwan was honored by The Baltimore Sun in June at The Baltimore Sun Business and Civic Hall of Fame induction dinner at The Sagamore Pendry Baltimore hotel. The Sun also ran a feature that calls Brit a "national treasure" in academic circles and tells the story of his career from his position as provost of UMCP in the 1980s to his recent role as chair of the Maryland Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education. Read the full article here.

Trif Alatzas and Brit Kirwan

As always, please contact me at [email protected] or 301-445-1941 with any questions or comments. 

Sincerely,

Leonard R. Raley

Professorships and Scholarships Around the System

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science welcomed Kenneth A. Rose to the Horn Point Laboratory as its first France-Merrick Foundation Professor in Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration. The endowed professorship was established to maintain Maryland's leadership in restoring the state's ecosystems in the face of growth and a changing climate. Individuals and foundations matched a $750,000 grant from the France-Merrick Foundation in Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration. The endowment for this fund stands at more than $1,700,000. 

	The Smiths, UMES President Dr. Bell, and Cynthia Williams

The University System of Maryland awarded Wilson H. Elkins Professorships for 2017-18 to four deserving professors across the System. The  award will support Kavita Hegde of CSU, Katherine Cameron of CSU, Rose Jagus of UMCES, and Katherine Holman of TU . The Elkins Professorship was established in 1978 as the first permanently endowed, university-wide professorship at the University of Maryland. This endowment widens the USM's margin of excellence in teaching, research, and service.

The owners and operators of Bennie Smith Funeral Home Inc. have established the Bennie and Shirley Smith Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to provide need-based scholarships to students. The Smiths hosted a holiday reception in 2016 during which over 700 guests made contributions that were matched by the Smiths. The Smiths then established the scholarship fund and pledged $100,000 to UMES. 

USM News Briefs

The System's institutions have been nationally ranked and recognized by a number of different publications and reports this year. Most recently, UMBC was named a top US university by Princeton Review in its The Best 382 Colleges guide in August. BSU was ranked 26 among historically black institutions by US News & World Report America's Best Colleges and SU's online M.B.A. was named to a list of "Best Online Programs" by US News & World Report. Read more here.

Towson University was featured in CASE's Currents magazine for their student philanthropy program. In 2013, only 20 TU students gave but in 2016, more than 950 students raised over $31,000 as a result of the program and the first student giving campaign in 2014, Gold and Black Giving Back. Towson's giving retention rate is 70 percent among young alumni who gave as graduating seniors and 80 percent among students who contributed within the past two years. 

Coppin State University was awarded the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Student Success in July. This award honors institutions whose creative program application has led to increased retention, increased completion, and improved outcomes. President Thompson and four others from CSU were honored at Blackboard's annual user conference in New Orleans this past July. Read more here.

The bwtech@UMBC research and technology park has received Regional Institution Strategic Enterprise (RISE) Zone designation from the Maryland Department of Commerce. bwtech@UMBC is one of the largest research parks and incubation programs in Maryland that works with companies within the US and abroad to grow their businesses. The designation supports companies and UMBC faculty that are interested in commercializing their work. Read more here. 

The USM has named David W. Wise director of Maryland Momentum fund, a $25 million fund to support startups formed within the 12 USM institutions and their incubators. He joins the System by way of Pharos Biologicals, LLC, where he served as CEO. Wise has been the venture advisor to the president of the Abell Foundation on its direct investment program and an advisor to UM Ventures. Read more here.

BSU Opens Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Nursing

In June, Bowie State University opened its new Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Nursing. The $102 million, 149,000-square-foot center will promote innovation in collaborative teaching and research and represents BSU's new hands-on approach to the instruction of the STEM fields. 

The center took two years to complete and features a 25,000-square-foot space made of dynamic glass called the Beacon, which tints on-demand and will significantly lower heating and cooling costs. The center contains a state-of-the-art nursing simulation center where students will practice on computerized mannequins to simulate clinical and hospital settings. The center also has a fully enclosed greenhouse for students and faculty studying plant sciences. 

Click here for more information.

CSU Joins Mayor Pugh to Help Make College More Affordable

Coppin State University has joined Baltimore Mayor Pugh to make college education more affordable for graduates of Baltimore City Public Schools. CSU will offer any Baltimore City Public High School graduate two years free tuition after they have received an Associate's Degree from Baltimore City Community College (BCCC). CSU will cover any shortfalls in tuition that qualifying students have after applying for federal student aid. This initiative will take effect with the entering class of 2018.