Tuesday, May 5, 2009
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – Some 370 UMES seniors are counting the days to the 2009 spring commencement ceremony, where 77 of them will graduate with honors. Dr. Randal Pinkett is the keynote speaker for the event, which begins at 10 a.m. in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center arena on Friday, May 15.
Pinkett is co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm based in Newark, NJ. BCT works with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the areas of housing and community development, economic development, human services, nonprofit and community technology, healthcare and education. BCT clients include, but are not limited to, Johnson & Johnson, the Ford Foundation, Pfizer, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Hewlett-Packard, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Microsoft.
A sought after public speaker for corporate, youth and community groups, Pinkett has been featured on nationally televised programs such as The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and CNN, as well as in Parade magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. He has appeared and re-appeared on The Apprentice as a boardroom advisor and is a regular segment host for CEO Exchange on PBS.
The recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Pinkett holds five academic degrees. From Rutgers University he earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. As a Rhodes Scholar and the first African American in history with the distinction, he earned a Master of Sciences degree in computer science from Oxford University in England. He went on to earn a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering at the MIT School of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree at the MIT Sloan School of Management. At the MIT Media Laboratory, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Pinkett is a published writer and maintains an active involvement in community service. He serves as a national spokesperson for Autism Speaks, the National Black MBA Association’s Gold Key Access events, the New Jersey Reads Change a Life Through Literacy campaign and the Junior Achievement of New York’s Groundhog Job Shadow Day program. He currently resides in Somerset, N.J., and is married to Zahara Wadud-Pinkett.
Joining Pinkett for the event are Rilous Carter, vice president of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida; Neil M. Meltzer, president and CEO of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Md., and senior vice president of Life Bridge Health; Stephen L. Powell, president and CEO of Powell Steel Corporation in Lancaster, Pa.; Ellis M. Stanley Sr., director of western emergency management services for Dewberry, LLC in Los Angeles, Calif.; and Dr. Darlene F. Williams, general deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Administration for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carter, Ellis and Williams are slated to receive honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees, and Powell and Meltzer will receive honorary Doctor of Science degrees.
In addition, the title professor emeritus will be conferred upon Dr. Richard C. Keen
an, former chair of and professor for the Department of English and Modern Languages, in recognition of his years of distinguished service to the university. Keenan retired June 2007, after nearly 35 years of service.
UMES, twice named in the top tier of America’s Best Black Colleges by U.S. News and World Reports, emphasizes selected baccalaureate programs in the liberal arts and sciences and career fields with particular relevance to the Eastern Shore and its land-grant mandate, offering programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. For more information about UMES, its offerings and accomplishments, visit www.umes.edu.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
MAY 2009 COMMENCEMENT BY THE NUMBERS
UMES Graduation Facts:
319 graduating with undergraduate degrees
49 graduating with master s degrees
2 graduating with doctoral degrees
Top Programs (based on number of graduates):
Criminal Justice – 53 graduates
Biology – 18 graduates
Business Administration – 26 graduates
Human Ecology – 22 graduates
Sociology – 27 graduates
Hotel and Restaurant Management – 29 graduates
Rehabilitation Services – 16 graduates
Maryland’s Eastern Shore Graduates = 57
Maryland Graduates = 229
International Graduates = 22
The University has had a global presence since 1983.
Construction Management Graduates = 16
Eastern Shore new Mecca for retirees
Millions of dollars of construction in the pipeline
Teacher Education Graduates with Bachelor’s Degrees = 7
Teacher Education Graduates with Master’s Degrees = 18
Master of Arts in Teaching Graduates = 3
For more information about the May 15 commencement ceremonies, go to www.umes.edu/commencement or call 410-651-6669.
