University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Maryland Eastern Shore, located on 776 acres (2.5 km²) in Princess Anne, Maryland, is part of the University System of Maryland. UMES is a historically black university, as well as an 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant University.

History

The school was founded in 1886 by through the offices of the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was known as the Delaware Conference Academy. Later UMES came to be called Industrial Branch of Morgan State College and Princess Anne Academy. In 1919 the state of Maryland assumed control of the academy and changed its name to Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Agricultural College. In 1948 the name was again changed, this time to Maryland State College. Finally, in 1970, the name became University of Maryland of Eastern Shore.

Academics

Signature undergraduate programs are Hotel and Restaurant Management, Fashion Merchandising, Construction Management, Professional Golf Management, Aviation Science and Teacher Education. Business, Crminal Justice and Biology are the most popular majors. UMES offers M.S. and Ph.D degrees in Marine-Estuarine and Environmental Sciences and Toxicology, as well as doctoral degrees in Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and Organizational Leadership. It has a brand new 4 year engineering program.

The university comprises four schools: Agricultural and Natural Sciences
Arts and Professions
Business and Technology
Pharmacy and Health Professions

Student life

Athletics

UMES athletic teams compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The school was once a powerhouse in black college football, producing five undefeated seasons between 1947 and 1960, but like many smaller colleges, the high costs associated with operating a Division I football program and complying with Title IX became too much of a burden, and the team was shut down after the 1979 season. NFL player and coach Art Shell attended UMES.

UMES women's bowling team won the NCAA National Championship 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. The women's bowling team came in 2nd at the NCAA National Championship in 2007 (Orlando, Florida) who fell to Vanderbilt University in a 4-3 series. The team was led by All-Tournament players Marion Singleton and Jessica Worsley. UMES women's bowling team also won the MEAC Conference Championship in 2000, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

UMES is tied with Florida State for the most alumni appearing in a single Super Bowl game. In the 1968 game (Super Bowl III) between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts), UMES was represented by five alumni: Earl Christy (1961-1964), Johnny Sample (1954-1957), Emerson Boozer (1962-1965), Charlie Stukes (1963-1967), and James Duncan (1968-1971). In Super Bowl XL five (5) Florida State alumni also saw game action: Walter Jones, Peter Warrick, Michael Boulware, Chris Hope and Bryant McFadden.