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September 2, 2025
Volume 56 Number 1
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Welcome Back!
Welcome back to FSU and the start of the 2025-26 academic year! You may notice that StateLines looks a bit different this year. We're excited to share that the former versions of StateLines and InvolveU are now combined into a new streamlined newsletter that will go out twice a month.
In addition to StateLines, you'll also receive a weekly events digest with some of the exciting happenings from across campus and within the community. We encourage you to submit your events to the campus calendar so they can be included on the website, as well as the weekly email.
If you have a story for StateLines, please submit your request through the StateLines Request on the FSU Portal WorkStream.
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FSU's Stevenson Named Interim AD
Rubin Stevenson, senior associate athletic director, has been named FSU’s interim director of athletics. He worked with former AD Troy Dell and University leadership in preparation for the upcoming academic year and athletic seasons.
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Weir Named to Daily Record's 2025 Leading Women Under 40
Frostburg State University’s Associate Director for Residential Education, Dr. Katie Weir ‘14/D’23, was among the 48 honorees named 2025 Leading Women Under 40 by The Daily Record. Those on this year’s list were chosen by previous winners and the publication for the notable achievements they have made thus far in their respective careers.
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Dunn-O'Farrell New PA Chair and Program Director
Laurarose Dunn-O'Farrell, MPAS, MS, PA-C, LCPC, was recently hired as the new director and chair of the Physician Assistant Program at FSU. Dunn-O'Farrell brings with her a wealth of knowledge, leadership, service, and contributions to the medical field, behavioral health, and higher education. Currently, Dunn-O'Farrell is a doctoral candidate in the inaugural Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) cohort from the University of Maryland-Baltimore.
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FSU PA Program Class of 2025 Cohort Earns 100% Pass Rate on National Certification Exam
The Frostburg State University Physician Assistant (PA) Program’s Class of 2025 cohort of 24 students was successful in achieving a 100% pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), exceeding the national exam pass rate of 92%.
| | Mathias Named Provost & VP of Academic and Student Affairs | Dr. Michael Mathias, former dean of Frostburg State University’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social & Behavioral Sciences, has been named Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. He assumed his new role July 9. | Combs Named Interim Dean of College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences | Dr. Steven Combs has been named Interim Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences. He comes to us through The Registry and will serve in this position through June 2026. Dr. Combs has served multiple institutions as a dean, provost, and president. In the coming months, FSU will launch a national search for a new Dean of the CHAS. Stakeholders from across campus will play a role in the search process, and regular updates on the status of the search will be shared once it commences. | Becker Named New Graduate Director of Admissions | Autumn Becker '06/M'10 has been hired as the new Graduate Director of Admissions. Ms. Becker will provide visionary and strategic leadership for graduate enrollment. Ms. Becker will join the Bobcat family on September 3. Please make sure to reach out to Autumn and welcome her to FSU! | | | Important Resources & Reminders | | | |
The Frostburg State University Police Department continues efforts to promote the safe disposal of expired or unwanted medication in the community. A free medication/drug disposal service is available 24/7/365 here at FSU. Simply bring in any expired or unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medications and deposit them in the green box, located in the lobby of the Frostburg State University Police Department. This service is available to anyone!
In addition, the Frostburg State University Police Department will be conducting a free medication/drug take back from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month (September 3, 2025, October 1, 2025, November 5, 2025, and December 3, 2025). Simply contact the police department’s non-emergency number (301-687-4223), inform us of your location, and an officer will pick up your medication for safe disposal.
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Fall 2025 hours will be announced soon.
The FSU Paws Pantry is a distribution partner of Maryland Food Bank.
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The PAWS Pantry is open and available to all students, faculty, and staff. Customers will complete a brief online intake and waiver form to register as a pantry member during their first visit. During regular hours, students may come to the pantry and shop from our selection of non-perishable foods, frozen foods, and household/hygiene products (when available).
Contact PAWS Pantry
Email: amdaniels@frostburg.edu
Phone: 301-687-7615
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Library Access & Contact Info.
Website:
https://www.frostburg.edu/library/
Phone: 301-687-4395
Email: libref@frostburg.edu
2025 Semester Hours
- Sunday 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Monday – Thursday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Saturday Closed
Research Help
(No appointment needed)
Monday - Thursday
10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday
2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
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SearchCat Library Interface
FSU's Ort Library, along with 16 other libraries in the University System of Maryland & Affiliated Institutions Consortium, migrated to a new library search interface. SearchCat went live last year! We’re still working out a few things and making some improvements, but we encourage you to check it out. Log in to your Library account, search for materials, and let us know what you think! If you have questions or would like a library staff member to provide an overview of the system, please contact us at libref@frostburg.edu. We’re happy to give you a tour of our resources or spaces either virtually or in person.
Facilities & Services
Students, faculty, and staff have access to a wide variety of materials, resources, spaces, technology, and services through the Library. Stop by the Library Services Main Desk located to the right just inside the entrance to ask about borrowing and requesting items, research help, study rooms, and more! For additional information about services, hours, or operations, check out our Frequently Asked Questions, send an email to libref@frostburg.edu, or call the Main Desk at 301-687-4395. You can also chat with a librarian or schedule a research consultation at your convenience.
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New Exhibits on Display
Two new exhibits are on display at the Lewis J. Ort Library this semester. On the Main Floor, next to the Main Desk, Frostburg State College,1970s - 1980s is displayed. This exhibit highlights student life at FSC during the 1970s and 1980s.
The new exhibit on the 4th floor is entitled The Development of Canal Place in Cumberland, 1993 - present. Learn about the origins of the replica canal boat "The Cumberland", the naming of the canal mule sculpture, the rewatering of the C & O canal at the historic terminus, along with other development projects at Canal Place, the main center of tourism in Cumberland, Md.
Older exhibits on display for one more semester include the student-curated exhibits Artmor Plastics Corporation on the 5th floor and Local Glassware on the 2nd floor.
All exhibits will be on display in the library for the duration of the semester.
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Mark your calendars for the 20th Annual Appalachian Festival Sept. 18-20!
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Bobcat Dining
Bobcat Dining invites faculty and staff to check out the newly renovated Chesapeake Dining Hall and all the exciting selections. Open 7 days a week, Chesapeake offers an "all-you-care-to-eat" dining experience, now with freshly updated features and menu items.
Every Friday, lunch is $8 for faculty and staff - don't miss out! Scan the QR code for the daily menu.
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Be a part of the FSU fun, October 2-5, 2025!
Our Offices of Alumni Relations and Student Engagement have planned a full weekend of events to celebrate our students, faculty, staff, alumni, retirees and friends during Homecoming and Family Weekend October 2-5. And, FSU and the City of Frostburg have revived a great tradition, the Frostburg Homecoming Parade. Please join us on Main Street Thursday, October 2 at 6 p.m. for this event as we showcase our community and celebrate Bobcat pride.
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Athletic Field Renovation Updates
Renovations are underway on FSU’s athletic field located at the corner of Braddock Road and University Drive to provide FSU with a second multipurpose turf field to be utilized by intercollegiate athletics; intramurals; club sports; and conferences and events. Upgrades will include lights and other amenities to support sporting events and recreation.
In its 2018-2028 facilities master plan, FSU proposed the development of a Regional Recreational Complex to expand recreational facilities for the University while also supporting economic development. The Maryland Stadium Authority, through a $5 million appropriation from the FY 2023 State of Maryland supplemental budget, conducted a feasibility and design study to gauge the possibility of this expansion and improvements to existing outdoor fields.
The work on FSU's fields is being funded by the remaining balance allocated by the appropriation, which can only be used for athletic facilities capital improvements, or be returned to the state.
| | | Community Partnerships in Action | | Thanks to Frostburg city workers who installed the new Frostburg State University banners along Main Street, right in time for students to return to campus for the fall 2025 semester. | |  | The educational leadership in Allegany County is forging strong partnerships. Pictured is Frostburg State University President Darlene Smith, the new Superintendent of Allegany County Public Schools Mike Martirano and Allegany College of Maryland President David Jones '92/M'94. | | | The official store grand opening is Sept. 2. | |
Our Pleasure
On Friday, Aug. 29, Frostburg State University held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its newly remodeled Chick-fil-A restaurant located in the Lane University Center on campus. Frostburg's President Darlene Brannigan Smith, PhD; Troy Donoway, FSU vice president for Administration and Finance; and Bill Boyer, owner/operator of the LaVale Chick-fil-A and FSU consultant all offered welcoming remarks.
Renovations to the new space took place over the summer to include a full-service menu and a dining room and were part of the University's new contract with Elior Collegiate Dining.
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Appalachian Festival Capstone Concert: Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius
The Cultural Events Series at Frostburg State University will present multiple Grammy Award-winning bluegrass legend Tim O’Brien and vocalist and mandolin player Jan Fabricius as the capstone concert to the 20th annual FSU Appalachian Festival at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, in Frostburg’s historic Palace Theatre, 31 E. Main Street. The event is presented in partnership with FSU Folklore and Folklife Programming.
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2025 Western Maryland STEM Festival
Mark your calendar! On Saturday, November 8 from 10 am to 2 pm, Frostburg State University is turning up the energy for the Western Maryland STEM Festival—a free, hands-on celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math! Headlining the day: the one and only Steve Spangler—Emmy Award–winning STEM superstar—bringing his high energy keynote, ‘Best Day Ever!’ presentation. Expect clouds of liquid nitrogen, jaw-dropping experiments, and science that will make you say, ‘Wow!’ Come and discover the spark of STEM for yourself.
This is one science festival you won’t want to miss! For more information follow the Frostburg State Chemistry and Physics Facebook page or visit the website, www.frostburg.edu/stemfest.
| | | Legendary jazz musician and trumpeter Randy Brecker and his band Tod Dickow & Charged Particles will be coming to Western Maryland for a residency September 15-16. There will be several educational opportunities that you and your students can attend for free. On Sept. 15 they will present two sets of fantastic music at Loft 129 in Cumberland. Tickets are selling quickly, so get them before they're gone! | |
The Bobcat Portal is Launching Soon!
The Office of Information Technology is proud to announce the upcoming launch of the Bobcat Portal, a reimagined version of the former Faculty/Staff Portal. The Bobcat Portal is designed to better serve the entire FSU community, including faculty, staff, and now students. This expanded access creates a single, unified entry point for important tools, resources, and information across campus.Check back often in the coming days to explore the new features and begin experiencing the Bobcat Portal.
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FSU Portal Highlight
In each issue of StateLines we'll highlight a different section of the FSU Portal. This internal website provides important updates and workflow procedures for FSU faculty, staff and - starting this semester - students. We encourage you to take advantage of this resource.
This month we're highlighting Town Square.
Town Square uses a message board format and allows users to post information and ask questions, while giving the capability to set individual channel subscription preferences. This allows each individual to monitor information and reduce the number of emails sent. Subscription preferences for each channel can be set to instant, daily or weekly - depending on your personal preference - or none if you would rather view posts directly on the portal.
Check out Town Square!
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