INSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), the State’s Historically Black 1890 Land­ Grant Institution, is a teaching, research, and doctoral institution that nurtures and launches leaders in a student-centered environment. Committed to providing high quality programs in an ethnically diverse environment, the University prepares students who will serve and shape the global economy. UMES is a growing, primarily residential university with a mission focused on learning, discovery, and engagement. This is consistent with valuing the scholarship of faculty in discovering new knowledge, and disseminating and applying it to the extended community. The University recognizes its responsibility for developing human potential, enriching cultural expressions , and sharing its expertise with individuals, businesses, educational, governmental, and non-governmental organizations . These aspirations are in accordance with UMES’ legacy and mission as Maryland’s 1890 Land-Grant Institution. Founded in 1886 under the aegis of the United Methodist Church, UMES is proud of its long history of continuous educational service.

One of the original purposes of the land-grant institutions, the education of citizens for life in the American economy (then, largely agrarian , but now more diverse), included the disciplines of agriculture and mechanical arts. UMES continues to embrace the original purposes as well as its current expansions to include the liberal arts, scientific, business, technological, and education and cooperative ventures with foreign universities, governmental and non­ governmental organizations, and private industries.

Through the University of Maryland Extension Service and the Agriculture Experiment Station, UMES works collaboratively with the University of Maryland College Park, the 1862 land-grant institution. The University’s expanding instructional technology infrastructure supports the increasing externally funded research grants generated by campus personnel.

Quick responses to the economic and educational needs of the region and the State characterize the role that the University plays. The Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) Program’s provision of well-trained personnel for state and national tourism industry, and the work of faculty researchers that relates to conservation and use of natural resources including water, plant, and animal diversity exemplify this responsiveness. The Rural Development Center provides timely responses to businesses and government requests for financial, technical, managerial, organizational, and internet assistance. The seafood, poultry, and fresh produce initiatives assist businesses with the development of procedures that maximize quality, safety, and profitability of food products through the use of applied research, certified training, and educational materials.

UMES engages in numerous collaborative efforts to (a) increase access and opportunity for a broad spectrum of students including the economically and educationally disadvantaged, low­ income adult learners, and first-generation college students; and (b) to meet other state needs. Collaborative educational connections with local school systems address the Professional Development Schools, The Redesign of Teacher Education (including the PreK-16 initiative), and other programs. For instance, UMES and Salisbury University collaboratively operate the Master of Arts in Teaching, the dual degree in Sociology/Social Work, and Biology/Environmental Science Programs.

UMES supports the Eastern Regional Higher Education Center (ERHEC) at Wye Mills. Specifically, the Department of Human Ecology and Chesapeake Community College have implemented a 2+2 Child Development Program that is offered via distance education. Further, Allegany Community College of Maryland, Frostburg State University, and UMES collaboratively offer HTM course work to the Western Region. Additionally, UMES’ Hospitality and Tourism program and Construction Management Technology program are offered at the USM Universities at Shady Grove.

UMES provides Special Education Programs, a teaching area of great state and national need, on the Eastern Shore at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The University also has the only Agricultural Education and Technology Education Programs in Maryland. Access to the Salisbury-Ocean City Airport allows the Engineering and Aviation Sciences programs to establish strong links with airport personnel. Physical Therapy majors provide professional service alongside staff of McCready Hospital- a 16-bed acute-care rural hospital with a 60-bed nursing home- for home residents and hospital patients of Somerset County. Agricultural and Natural Science students and faculty leaders partner with local agricultural and aqua-cultural business persons, to conduct and apply appropriate research findings that improve their economic base. Career and Technology Education courses are offered outside of Princess Anne, such as in downtown Baltimore at the Maryland Center for Career and Technology Education Studies in the Baltimore Museum of Industry. These courses are targeted for technology education teachers who are seeking degrees and teacher certification. UMES offers the Ph.D. in Marine­ Estuarine-Environmental Sciences (MEES) and in Toxicology, in conjunction with other University System of Maryland institutions.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies UMES High Research Activity University. UMES has developed and implemented freestanding doctoral degree programs in (a) Food  & Agricultural Sciences, (b) Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences, (c) Pharmaceutical Sciences (d) Organizational Leadership, (d) Educational Leadership, (e) Toxicology, (f) Doctor of Physical Therapy and (g) Doctor of Pharmacy. To respond to widespread regional and national health care needs, especially those in rural areas, phase one of a new building will open in Fall 22 for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.

INSTITUTIONAL CAPABILITIES

UMES views, with pride, its achievements regarding the provision of high-quality academic programs and services for ethnically and culturally diverse students. Toward that end, the University offers programs and assistance that attract, serve, retain, and graduate first­ generation college students, nationally-recognized scholars, and international clientele as part of its core capacity. Students come from over 70 different countries. At the faculty level, the University is impressively diverse, with a variety of highly qualified faculty from various ethnic backgrounds .

Research and development activities focus on faculty and student development, agricultural and environmental sciences, renewable energy resource development, health sciences, and international development. Through those focus areas, UMES plays a pivotal role in responding to local, state, and international priorities through the unique initiatives as described below.

Faculty and Student Development

The university supports the Maryland State plan to develop a highly qualified workforce for the economic growth and vitality of the State by serving as a focal point for the advanced training

of elementary, junior and senior high school teachers, and students in marine sciences. As such, UMES is an ideal venue for field trips and instruction for the UMES/Salisbury University dual degree program in biology and environmental sciences. Coupled with the UMES MEES program are excellent facilities, which prepare post-secondary students for careers in research and public policy that support a sustainable harvest and conservation of the state’s and nation’s living marine resources.

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

The UMES Coastal Ecology Teaching and Research Center (CETRC), located at Assateague Island (six miles from the Chesapeake Bay and thirty miles from the Atlantic Ocean), plays a significant national role in the diversification of the work force of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST), which includes UMES (lead institution), the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology {IMET), and Morgan State University, is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CREST Center’s research focuses on the effects of: (1) land use and climate change on water quality; (2) water quality changes on microscopic algae and seaweed, including harmful species; (3) environmental factors on zooplankton populations, which serve as food for commercially and ecologically important fish species; (4) low dissolved oxygen and pollution on fish populations such as Atlantic croaker; and (5) water quality changes on the infection of blue crab by the parasite Hematodinium and on blue crab distributions in Maryland’s coastal bays.

Renewable Energy Resource Development and Implementation Strategies

UMES is currently leveraging the 17-acre, 2.2 MW solar farm located on its campus. The facility currently supplies approximately 15% of the university’s electricity needs. The university is committed to utilizing the engineering, agricultural and natural science faculty for the development of renewable energy resources and implementation strategies. This includes the investigation and use of solar, wind and biological resource development. By deploying state­ of-the-art wind measurement equipment, UMES engineering and engineering technology department faculty are developing wind resource evaluation standards for Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The biological energy recovery is focused on implementation of biodiesel and chicken­ litter digestion technologies. There are also plans to develop smart grid technology that will efficiently combine all three energy utilization technologies.

Health Sciences

UMES is home to a novel, 3-year accelerated Pharmacy program where the faculty in the areas of Pharmacy, and Physical Therapy are investigating new ways of treating patients. In the area of physical therapy, research is being conducted on capturing patient motion through the utilization of computer monitoring and simulation. The University also offers a hub to blend the experiences of students who major in health professions, coupled with research opportunities that motivate them to pursue graduate degrees in the health sciences.

International Partnerships

UMES has linkage agreements with 18 Universities and research institutions in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central America. These linkages enhance the university’s international education focus through: (1) student study and research abroad, (2) faculty and student exchanges, (3) international scholar-in-residence, and (4) international development programs. The University also has several cooperative agreements with the United States Department of Agriculture to provide technical assistance to the United States Agency for International Development.

INSTITUTIONAL OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

University progress depends upon the success of its accountability practices; therefore, strategic planning, assessment and evaluation are key to measuring an institution’s success. The University’s strategic planning process ensures that we use a systematic process to engage in ongoing, dynamic and comprehensive assessment of the annual UMES Strategic & Operations Plan. Goals are carefully tracked and reports are regularly disseminated to assist faculty, students and administrators in using data-based decision-making to map progress.

The 2020 Strategic Plan represents the collective effort of administrators, faculty, staff, students and community stakeholders.

The goals are as follows:

Goal 1: Support diversity and inclusion on and off campus and foster a climate of equity for all stakeholders.

Goal 2: Increase access, attainment and degree completion through improved communication and proactive data analysis.

Goal 3: Become a leading USM partner in research, innovation and economic competitiveness.

Goal 4: Meet the educational needs of the state of Maryland with high-quality and innovative academic programming.

Goal 5: Maximize University resources.

Goal 6: Achieve and maintain national eminence and global impact.