January 27, 2020

Spring Semester Welcome

Welcome back to the campus for the spring 2020 semester. I am looking forward to starting another successful semester and continuing our journey of Racing to Excellence together with our strategic priorities of academic excellence, student success and the long-term viability of the university.

Our outstanding faculty have returned energized for a new semester encouraging our students to be bold in their pursuit of excellence. During the Faculty Institute, they began to dive deeper into the high-impact educational practices that support student success and the processes of effective shared governance. I look forward to also engaging staff and students in this discussion.

Very important work in preparation for our Middle States reaccreditation review in 2021 is continuing. Supporting this effort must be a high priority for every member of the campus community. The steering committee is doing a wonderful job compiling and organizing a tremendous amount of data for the review that is vital to the future of the university. I ask that you respond in a timely manner to all requests from the committee.

In the coming months, you will also see and hear about the rollout of our multi-year, comprehensive fundraising campaign designed to secure resources to support student success and ensure the long-term viability of the institution. Fundraising support is accelerating and we are on track to raise the most dollars ever this year. I encourage you all to include Bowie State in your philanthropic giving and to share your pride in the tremendous work we do here with others who can also support our efforts.

With the 2020 Legislative session already underway, I have been meeting with legislators in Annapolis advocating for more resources for the university. I will testify before the budget committees on Thursday, January 30 and Monday, February 3, and will testify in March in support of our capital budget, including the new Humanities Building. I will also join legislators, alumni and partners in Annapolis on Wednesday, January 29, where we will celebrate BSU’s excellence.

As you may be aware from media reports, the university is a potential recipient of some of the land occupied by the Bowie Race Track, a few miles from campus. Along with important deliberations on our FY 21 operating and capital budget allocations, the parcel of land on Race Track Road is the subject of debate in the legislature. This property would allow us to expand recreation and athletic space for our students and the greater Bowie community. I will be advocating in Annapolis for this donation, and I invite you to reach out to your state legislators and express your support for BSU receiving this property. If you are a resident of the city of Bowie, consider attending the Mayor’s Listening Session on Wednesday, January 29 or sending your comments to the mayor at publicinfo@cityofbowie.org stating your support for BSU receiving this donation. For more information on how you can help advocate for BSU, please contact our Government Relations team, Attorney Karen Shaheed, at kshaheed@bowiestate.edu or Mr. Derrick Coley at dcoley@bowiestate.edu. 

I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming University Town Hall this week as part of our shared commitment to greater transparency in our community. Please bring your ideas and concerns as we come together to share and celebrate the university’s successes and highlights from last semester. I invite each of you to join us in the discussion:

University Town Hall

Wednesday, January 29, 2020, 1 p.m.
Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Nursing, Beacon Room

As we move forward into the spring semester, I would like to call special attention to a few highlights that have occurred since the end of the fall semester:

• The search processes for the Vice President for Student Affairs and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs are underway. Please visit the website to follow progress in these two important searches.
• We welcomed a new chair for the Department of Nursing, Dr. Jacqueline Hill and the new dean for the College of Business, Dr. Lawrence McNeil, Jr.
• New Bowie Bold messaging is appearing online and in the community highlighting stories of BSU achievement.
• The AASCU Student Success program, that BSU and four other institutions are piloting, was awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Parking lot I near the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex has opened 140 spaces to provide additional parking for the campus.
• The long-awaited renovation of the pool in the James Gym is completed and will be open for use by students, faculty, staff and the community.
• Darsana Josyula and Rosemary Shumba hosted several hundred 4^th-8^th graders in a qualifying robotics competition for the First Lego League Maryland State Championship.
• Julius Davis partnered with Howard County Public Schools to create a new pathway for paraeducators to earn a degree and become certified teachers.

As you can see, the future for BSU is very bright because we are building on strength and excellence across the campus and with our community partners. Thank you for the positive difference you are making in the lives of our students!