Annual Report 2019-2020
Highlights: Academic & Research Excellence
Honoring Excellence
The following highlights celebrate outstanding examples of achievements in interdisciplinary research and scholarship. Enterprising faculty combined out-of-the-box thinking with expertise in their fields to develop projects with far-reaching impact.
Art Imitates Research
Professional actors perform a stage reading of a new play inspired by Bowie State research.
A staged reading for a new play inspired by research on conversations between teacher candidates at Bowie State University and Kent State University was performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2019. “How Can I Say This So You Will Stay?” is based on research by Bowie State and Kent State professors, who recorded their students’ facilitated discussion on perceptions of Africa, immigration, homophobia, bias, religious intolerance and other topics. A $10,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant, BSU’s first in more than 20 years, funded the play’s development and production.
“The students who were in this project were so thoughtful. In watching the casting call, I got really kind of emotional because I could hear one of my student’s voice in one of the characters. I thought, ‘This is the kind of perspective that needs to be heard,’” said Dr. Jacquelyn Sweeney, assistant professor and the BSU project lead.
Study Uncovers Past Gems
Students and faculty are using photos and videos to tell the stories of historic African American communities.
With a $160,282 National Park Service grant, a team of BSU faculty and student researchers is unearthing hidden gems about the history of African American communities that have lived and worked near the National Park Service's more than 180-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The researchers, all with backgrounds in history and the arts, are documenting their findings with photos, videos and other creative expression.
“We’re interested in the community having a voice and for the community to interpret their own history, their own past. It’s about what everyday people did every day just to make ends meet,” said Dr. David Reed, an assistant history professor and the team’s lead faculty member.
Next article: Partnerships Expand Impact
Browse Sections
President’s Letter Academics & Research Excellence Innovation in Teaching Celebrating Student Success
Donor Honor RollFinancials (PDF) Administration