The University of Maryland Eastern Shore: A Legacy of Education and Opportunity
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a historically black land-grant research university in Princess Anne, Maryland, stands as a testament to the power of education and perseverance. As part of the University System of Maryland, UMES has evolved over a century, adapting to the needs of its students and the surrounding community. Its journey from a humble academy to a comprehensive university reflects its commitment to providing opportunities and fostering leadership.
Origins and Early Years
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore had its origin on September 13, 1886, when it opened its doors as the Delaware Conference Academy under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Greeting the nine students who showed up that Monday were two educators, Benjamin O. Bird and his wife, Portia. The institution was founded by the leaders of the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church as the Delaware Conference Academy for Negroes, under the general control of Centenary Bible Institute in Baltimore. The school was at first envisioned as a preparatory school for the private Centenary Biblical Institute in Baltimore, which was affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Records reveal that 37 students were enrolled by the end of the year.
The institution's early years were marked by uncertainty, but its commitment to providing educational opportunities for African-American students remained unwavering. Maryland State embraced a reputation of reaching out to students who otherwise might not continue their education beyond high school.
Transition to State Control and Expansion
A change in governance structure initiated by the Legislature placed UMES under the University of Maryland System in 1988. In 1890 it changed its name to Morgan College to honor the first chairman of its board of trustees; and is now the public Morgan State University. Because of segregation in the state, African-American students could not enroll in the Maryland Agriculture College in College Park, which offered advanced instruction in farming techniques and related trades commonplace in the late 19th century. Congress enacted the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which required states to establish colleges for African-American students in order to continue to receive gain land-grant funds. Subsequently, the institution bore the title of Industrial Branch of Morgan State College, still under the influence of the Delaware Conference. The State of Maryland, in operating its land-grant program at the Maryland Agricultural College at College Park, to which Afro-Americans were not admitted as students, sought to provide a Land-Grant program for Afro-Americans and assumed control of the Princess Anne Academy, renaming it the Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Agricultural College. By the second Morrill Act of 1890, the Academy received federal funds and was renamed the Princess Anne Academy. This funding created a relationship with the then Maryland Agricultural College, although the campus continued to be a part of Morgan College, at the time, a private institution.
College level work began at Princess Anne in 1927. In the midst of the Great Depression, Maryland courts directed the state to admit qualified African-American applicants to its publicly funded law school in Baltimore. Fifty years after opening, the school formally passed from church control to state ownership with the first of four $25,000 installment payments - just as it was developing as a baccalaureate degree-granting college. Maryland's public flagship campus in College Park was designated its administrative agency. In 1926, the College passed into complete control and ownership of the State and the University of Maryland was designated as the administrative agency. In 1936, Princess Anne Academy became part of the University of Maryland, bearing the name of Maryland State College from 1948 until 1970.
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The Eastern Shore campus of the University System of Maryland had diverse affiliations and several names before becoming the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) at Princess Anne in 1970.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Era
On July 1, 1970, Maryland State College became the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In 1970, the College was renamed University of Maryland Eastern Shore and, in 1988, it joined the University of Maryland System (Chapter 246, Acts of 1988). Today it is one of 12 University System of Maryland public institutions of higher education.
Today, the University offers major programs leading to the B.A. and B.S. degrees in 26 disciplines in the arts and sciences, professional studies and agricultural sciences. UMES offers graduate degrees in the following fields: Marine-Estuarine and Environmental Sciences at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels; Toxicology at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels, M.S. Within the Division of Academic Affairs are five schools: Agricultural and Natural Sciences; Business and Technology; Education, Social Sciences and the Arts; Graduate Studies; and Pharmacy and Health Professions. Degrees are offered in thirty-eight bachelor, fourteen masters, and eight doctoral programs. Some distinctive bachelor degree programs are Agribusiness, Aviation Science, Construction Management, Criminal Justice, Engineering Technology, Environmental Science, Golf Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Rehabilitation Services. Master degrees are offered in Agriculture and Extension Education, Applied Computer Science, Cybersecurity Engineering Technology, Food and Agricultural Sciences, Guidance and Counseling, and Special Education. Basic and applied research covers International and Domestic Agriculture Sciences, Marine and Environmental Sciences, and Computer and Mathematical Sciences.
Within the last decade, UMES has added 17 new degree-granting programs to its academic roster. The newest programs on the UMES campus also look toward current and future needs of the Eastern Shore. Airway Science, Law Enforcement and Rehabilitation services have all been recently added to the University’s offerings.
Campus and Facilities
From its original building known as "Olney," constructed in 1798, when George Washington was still alive, the University now has over 600 acres, 28 major buildings and 41 other units. UMES campus is located on 620 acres of land in Princess Anne, 15 miles from Salisbury. In addition to 745 acres on its main campus in Princess Anne, UMES also operates a 385-acre research farm in southern Somerset County, and the Paul S. Today the University offers not only a well-constructed and varied academic program, but a beautiful campus. It boasts of a peaceful community environment which is excellent for learning. The state’s famous seaside resort, Ocean City and other cultural and recreational facilities of Washington, D.C.
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At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Frederick Douglass Library was constructed in 1968. It is named for Talbot County native, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who was born enslaved on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Within the Library are seven departments: Access Services; Cataloging; Information Technology; Media Services; Reference; Serials/E-resources; and Special Collections/Archives.
Long-term plans include expanding the curriculum for graduate study, new construction and renovation projects for classroom and administrative buildings, and an improved physical plant.
Athletics
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was one of the founding members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1970. The school left the MEAC in 1979 but re-joined in 1981 and has been a member ever since. Their 15 sports teams commonly known as Hawks represent UMES in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, and tennis; women's sports include bowling, softball, and volleyball; men's sports include baseball and golf.
The school was once a powerhouse in black college football, producing five undefeated seasons between 1947 and 1960. As at many smaller colleges, the high costs associated with operating an NCAA Division I football program and complying with the federal Title IX gender-equity law became too much of a burden. After a consultant produced a study in 2012 on the feasibility of reinstating football, President Dr. Juliette B. Bell put together a task force to assess whether football should be reinstated.
UMES is tied with Florida State for the most alumni appearing in a single Super Bowl game. The UMES women's bowling team won the NCAA Bowling Championship in 2012 in Ohio against Fairleigh Dickinson University and in 2008 in Omaha, Nebraska against Arkansas State University. They won the series 4-2 (in a best of 7 match). The team was led by All-Tournament players Jessica Worsley (who was named the tournament MVP) and Maria Rodriguez. With the series win, UMES became the first HBCU to win a women's NCAA national championship. The UMES women won their second 2011 NCAA Bowling Championship in Taylor, Michigan against Vanderbilt University, also winning the series 4-2 (in a best of 7 match). Kristina Frahm (named tournament MVP) and Maria Rodriguez were named to the All-Tournament team en route to their victory. That season, along with the NCAA Championship, UMES also won the USBC Team Championships over Lindenwood University, as well as the MEAC Championship. In 2007, the women's bowling team came in second at the NCAA National Championship in Orlando, Florida and fell to Vanderbilt in a 4-3 series. The team was led by All-Tournament players Marion Singleton and Jessica Worsley.
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UMES men's basketball is coached by Jason Crafton. The school led the nation in scoring during the 1973-1974 season with 97.6 points per game, including future NBA picks Rubin Collins, Talvin Skinner, William Gordon and Joe Pace. The team defeated Manhattan College 84-81 in the first round of the 1974 NIT and fell to Jacksonville University 85-83 in the quarterfinals. During the 2010-11 season, UMES had a men's and women's basketball player surpass the 1,000-career point mark. Hillary Haley passed the mark on the men's side with a 24-point performance against Coppin State on February 19, including his first season at St. Bonaventure. On the women's side, Casey Morton scored 10 points against Savannah State to surpass the mark, finishing with 1,230 in four years with the Lady Hawks.
Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and subsequently was the highest ranked team in the state of Maryland.
The UMES women's volleyball team won its first MEAC championship in the history of the school in November 2011 with a win over Florida A&M in the title game, earning its first NCAA Tournament berth ever. The Hawks fell to eventual national champion UCLA in the first round. In 2012, the team repeated as MEAC champions with another five-set win over Florida A&M to advance to the NCAAs again, falling to 4-seed Nebraska in its first match.
Notable Alumni and Faculty
UMES has produced a number of notable alumni who have made significant contributions in various fields, including:
- Emerson Boozer
- Roger Brown
- Earl Christy
- Clarence Clemons
- Jim Duncan
- Carl Hairston
- Merrecia James
- Charles Mays, Sr
- Dr. Wanda Peters
- Earl S. Richardson
- Johnny Sample
- Art Shell
- Charlie Stukes
- Bill Thompson
- Linda Y.
- Earl S.
- Heidi M.
- Ulysses S.
Challenges and Triumphs
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s first 75 years were a period of perpetual uncertainty balanced by unwavering perseverance. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the college found itself justifying its existence. Founded as a private, historically black institution, Maryland State was surprisingly diverse; yearbooks of the era show. Nevertheless, Williams, a strict disciplinarian, found himself in a maelstrom buffeted by rebellious students and a state-level power structure perceived as giving lip service to its claim of supporting the college.
Howard Emery Wright took over from Williams and was interim leader until replaced by Archie L. While new buildings were welcomed - and celebrated - outsiders continued to scrutinize the university’s quality. Then along came William P. Hytche , whom Williams hired as a math professor in 1960 and who steadily climbed the leadership ladder. When yet another panel - this one headed by respected Salisbury attorney John W. T. Hytche ushered in a new academic era at UMES, winning support for eight new undergraduate degree programs, a stand-alone graduate program and a joint graduate program. His son, William Jr., said the elder Hytche believed that “when a student came to campus, everyone was expected to toe the line. Hytche pursued establishing international partnership with vigor. Hytche found an ally in John S. Toll. As president of the University of Maryland starting in 1978, Toll championed UMES’ cause for fair treatment by the new governance system under which both campuses operated. While adding new undergraduate programs were important to stabilizing the university, Hytche also saw the value of its heritage by fostering agriculture instruction and research. To lead that effort, he hired a Tuskegee-trained educator, Mortimer H.
In 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $20 million to UMES.
UMES Today and its Vision
Today, UMES provides today’s student, through a versatile student life, an opportunity to develop into a well-rounded individual who is able to assume leadership in today’s society. The prediction is that this local enrichment will continue as more students enroll in the University’s programs of business and economics, physical therapy, hotel and restaurant management, poultry technology and management, and computer science. As the Eastern Shore continues to gain in productivity and recognition, UMES will continue to serve the needs of the industries and people around it.
UMES maintains a legacy of an HBCU that offers equal education opportunity to all students. It is classified among "Research Colleges and Universities". Instruction, research, and service are provided through major academic clusters. These clusters include liberal arts and sciences, agriculture, business, engineering and technology, education, marine and environmental sciences, allied health, hospitality and special academic services. Professional accreditation in 27 areas of study includes chemistry (ACS); construction management (ACCE); education (NCATE); human ecology (ADA); physical therapy (CAPTE) and rehabilitation service (NCRE).
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