Annual Report 2020-21
President's Message
Building Community with Bold Innovation
President's Message
Determination and resiliency of the Bulldog spirit stood fast during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bowie State University community came together with a bold commitment to meet the changing needs of students and to keep pace toward the strategic goals of our Racing to Excellence plan. At the top of the agenda for our campus administration and shared governance leaders was taking responsibility to do whatever was necessary to assure that Bowie State continued to thrive. I am pleased to share this 2020-2021 Annual Report – Building Community with Bold Innovation – as a look back at the achievements that continue to propel Bowie State forward into a bright future.
A Commitment to Freshman Students
Through a collective effort, we resolved to not let the pandemic rob our freshman students of their first-year HBCU college experience. We successfully transitioned to online classes for most students while also offering an in-person, on-campus opportunity for new students – a Hybrid First-year Intensive model. Working together, our staff, faculty and administrators created systems and protocols to provide a protected, low-density environment for on-campus living and instruction.
Bowie State particularly recognized the importance of direct engagement with our faculty, along with immersive co-curricular activities in nurturing new students’ ability to persist at the university. Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, our freshman students developed a sense of community, learning BSU traditions and exploring new ideas around themes of social justice, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship.
As a result of this effort, BSU was the only institution in the University System of Maryland to achieve an increase in enrollment in 2020-21.
Innovations in Academics
With new tools at their fingertips, faculty took on the challenge of learning to transform courses to new teaching models to engage students across digital platforms. Students and faculty persevered through the transition, ultimately achieving highly successful instructional programs across every program. From lectures, to laboratories to performing arts, we mastered the digital transformation. We also assured that every student had the tools to succeed by providing free laptops, chrome books hot spots and other tools required for effective digital connectivity.
Additionally, creation of new academic programs and engagement of students in groundbreaking research continued to advance. Programs in natural sciences, computer science and data analytics are cultivating the next generation of scientists to shape the world of tomorrow.
Partnerships
A proliferation of new partnerships emerged to support our goals of preparing students for careers in the global marketplace. Corporations like Apple, Google, Laika Studios and Battelle have joined with BSU to offer mentorship, internship and skill development opportunities for our students in STEM, social sciences and the arts.
A Growing Culture of Philanthropy
Bowie State is committed to building a culture of philanthropy that begins when a student enrolls as a freshman. The goal is to nurture Bulldogs for Life. The value of investing in BSU received a significant boost in 2020 when philanthropist MacKenzie Scott included the university among 384 institution deemed worthy to receive a portion of her $4.16 billion award. Ms. Scott’s $25 million gift to Bowie State, the largest in the history of the university, has already been transformational, enabling a substantial increase in our endowment as well as student financial support and advances in academic excellence and innovation
The intent of the Scott gift was to spark others to see the value in the organizations she identified and to expand individual and corporate philanthropy to support them. We have already begun to see the positive impact with increased donations to university endowments and scholarship funds by alumni, friends and corporations, positioning the institution for an incredible future.
We remain Bowie Bold,
