Bowie State University
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| Bowie State University | |
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| Bowie State University Seal | |
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| Motto: | "Prepare For Life" |
| Established: | January 09, 1865 |
| Type: | Public, HBCU |
| President: | Mickey L. Burnim |
| Faculty: | 205 |
| Undergraduates: | 3,988 |
| Postgraduates: | 1,466 |
| Location: | Prince George's County, Maryland, United States |
| Campus: | Suburban, 338½ acres (1.4 km²) |
| Sports: | Basketball Bowling Cross Country Football Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field Softball Tennis Volleyball |
| Colors: | Black and Gold |
| Mascot: | Bulldogs or Lady Bulldogs |
| Athletics: | NCAA Division II |
| Affiliations: | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Website: | http://www.bowiestate.edu |
Bowie State University ("Bowie State"), located on 355½ acres (1.4 km²) in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Located north of the suburban city of Bowie, Bowie State is part of the University System of Maryland. Bowie State is Marylands 's oldest historically black university[1] and one of the ten oldest in the country [2].
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[edit] History
Bowie State's history began on October 1, 1868 when the Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of Colored People established the Baltimore Normal School in Baltimore, Maryland to train African American teachers. In 1908 the school was renamed Normal School No. 3 after the state Board of Education provided funding for and assumed control of the institution. By 1914 the school had moved to Prince George's County, Maryland and become known as Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie. It became the Maryland State Teachers College at Bowie in 1935 and Bowie State College in 1963. On July 1, 1988, Bowie State achieved university status, reflecting the significant growth of the school's programs, enrollment and service to the local area. On the same day, it also became one of the constituent institutions of the newly formed University System of Maryland. [3][4].
In 1925, a two-year professional curriculum in teacher education was created and was later expanded to a three-year program. A four-year program was created in 1935 for the training of elementary school teachers. With approval from the State Board of Education, the program was expanded in 1951 to include training for junior high school teachers. Ten years later, a teacher-training program for secondary education was established. In 1963, a liberal arts program was started. [5].
Bowie State College was authorized to grant its first graduate degree, a Master of Education, in 1970. The school's first doctoral program would also be in the field of education, with a Doctorate of Educational Leadership, earned by sixteen students during the May 2005 commencement [6].
[edit] Overview
[edit] Academics & Programs
BSU has 25 undergraduate majors, 19 master’s programs, two doctoral programs and 9 post-baccalaureate certificate programs in disciplines as diverse as computer science, education, human resource development, organizational communication, and nursing, and two doctoral programs. In partnership with the University of Maryland University College, Bowie State University became the first historically black university to include overseas studies. It was also the first university in the nation to offer a bachelor degree in pedology. Programs also include a rare doctoral degree in education leadership, a program for educational administrators[7].
In 1995, NASA and the National Science Foundation awarded $27 million as one of only six schools in the nation declared Model Institutions for Excellence in science, engineering, and mathematics. This led to a strengthening of the already growing computer science program; in 1999, the Maryland Higher Education Commission approved the schools additional focus in computers and technology. Since then new technology related programs including music technology and a strengthened computer science department have been added.
[edit] Schools & departments
- School of Arts and Sciences
- School of Business
- School of Education
- School of Professional Studies
- Academic Support Services
[edit] Campus & facilities
The campus comprises over 24 buildings with more than 988,897 square feet (92,000 m²) of space. The campus is located in Bowie, Maryland between the metropolitan areas of Baltimore (25 miles) and Washington D.C. (17 miles). An on campus MARC Train Station and Metrobus stops provide access to local transit. It is a wireless campus equipped with Wi-Fi and public computer labs across campus for student use.
Twenty-three percent of students live on campus in seven residence halls. Cultural performances, lectures and sporting events are among the frequent on campus events. Built in 1921, the oldest building still in use is Harriet Tubman Hall. The $17.6 million School of Business and Graduate Studies is the newest building on campus[8]. Other recent additions to the campus include the Bowie Place dormitory, the New Science Building, and the $6.5 million Center for Learning Technology (CLT) that is a state-of-the-art facility serving the computer science and computer technology programs.
On campus, the Bowie State Satellite Operations Control Center (BSOCC) is an orbiting satellite operation and control center allowing students to gain the hands-on experience in such a facility. In 2003, the center went fully operational. It is a joint venture operated by the university, the Honeywell Corporation, the Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA in Greenbelt, MD [9].
In 2005, Bowie State University built a $1 million supercomputer in conjunction with Apple Computer, Inc. Xseed is a 224-node cluster based on Apple’s Xserve G5. The combination of this cutting edge technology puts Xseed among the world’s top 200 most powerful supercomputers on the TOP 500 list, which serves as a benchmark for ranking high-performance computing systems [10].
The university is also home to The Maryland Center, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 providing community services. In partnership with the federal General Services Administration, the campus also host the Bowie State University’s Telecommuting Center, which has state-of-art workstations and is opened 24-hours day, 7 days a week. The telecommuting Center can be used by anyone. [11].
In September of 2007, the University began negotiations with Prince George's County for the transfer of 214 acres (0.87 km²) of land to the school. According to county documents, the land, valued at $1.3 million, would cost the University nothing if used "for educational uses including facilities that benefit the welfare of students and faculty in their educational experience at the University." The addition of this land would grow the University by 63%. The main focus for the land is the development of additional dorms for students to reside on the campus. The land will also be used to establish several retail busiensses that will cater to both students and the community [12].
[edit] Department of Public Safety
The Department of Public Safety (BSUDPS, BSUPD or Campus Police) is the primary law enforcement agency for the university and is charged with the protection of life and property within its 338.5 acres (1.370 km²) of jurisdiction. The BSUPD is aided by the Prince George's County Police Department for major felonies (e.g., murder, rape, etc) and other incidents deemed appropriate by authority.
The BSUPD started its tenure as a security force at the university's conception on April 8, 1908 at the "Maryland Normal and Industrial School in Bowie" with an initial endowment of 187 acres (0.76 km²) of campus property."[13] All officers under the authority of the BSUDPS are, "vested with full police authority under provisions of Title 13, Subtitle 6, Section 13-601, Educational Article, and Annotated Code of Maryland. In addition, police officers are granted additional jurisdictional authority as prescribed in the Criminal Procedure Act, Title 2, Subtitle 1, Section 2-102."[14]
The Department of Public Safety reports directly to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life. In addition to enforcing laws of the State of Maryland and statutes of Prince George's County, the BSUPD is charged with enforcing regulations of the University and as such, regulations are enforced internally and handled by the Dean.[15] [16]
[edit] Organization
The current Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety is Ernest L. Waiters. The BSUPD has compliment of:[17]
- 14 sworn officers (not including the Chief)
- 3 communications dispatchers
- 10 Public Safety Aides (non-sworn security personnel)
[edit] Student life
[edit] Athletics
Bowie State's athletes compete in the Eastern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, participating in the NCAA's Division II.
The Bulldogs play the following sports[18]:
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cross Country
- Football
- Indoor Track & Field
- Outdoor Track & Field
- Softball
- Tennis
- Volleyball
They compete and/or train on-campus in Bulldog Stadium, the Leonidas James Physical Education Complex, and A.C. Jordan Areana[19].
[edit] Clubs & organizations
Bowie State has many academic clubs, fraternities, honor societies, organizations, sororities, and student associations on-campus. The computer, education, French, and history clubs are just few examples of the academic clubs. The art guild, concert and marching bands, jazz and brass ensembles, and others allow students to explore the fine and performing arts. Each National PanHellenic Council Organization, including Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Iota Phi Theta, is highly respected and well represented. Also present on campus are social and independent organizations such as Groove Phi Groove, their sister Swing Phi Swing, Alpha Nu Omega and Chi Eta Phi. The honor societies represented at BSU include: Delta Mu Delta, Lambda Pi Eta, and Sigma Tau Delta. The student newspaper, The Spectrum, and WBSU Radio allow for students to monitor campus events and news.[20].
The Symphony Of Soul, also known as SOS, is the name of the marching/concert/pep band at Bowie State University. Adolph E. Wright is the Director of Bands at Bowie State University, where he has successfully built the SOS from 30 members, upon his arrival at BSU in 1998, to 185 members by the fall of 2001. Under the leadership of Mr. Wright the "Symphony of Soul" has received rave reviews following collegiate performances, as well as when representing the University abroad. Each year, the SOS takes a trip to Montreal, Canada to perform for the Montreal Alouettes. During the fall, students always expect the usual impromptu parade through the campus by the SOS. They were also a part of the NFL 2007-2008 season opener as they performed the National Anthem with Aretha Franklin and shared the stage with other recording artist such as Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and others. The SOS was featured in the Original Battle of the Bands held at RFK Stadium and its drumline was named as one of Showtime Magazines top ten amongst HBCU’s.
[edit] Notable alumni
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joanne Benson | Maryland State Assembly Delegate | ||
| Toni Braxton | Singer, Songwriter | ||
| Gwendolyn T. Britt | Maryland State Senator, 2004 | ||
| Chris Holbert | (African American): Chief Financial Officer TechFaith Wireless Communication, China, effective on July 1, 2006 | ||
| Christa McAuliffe | Teacher | ||
| James Proctor, Jr. | Maryland State Assembly Delegate | ||
| James L. Walls, Jr. | Mayor, City of District Heights, MD | ||
| George Kelly | Contributor at Negrophile | ||
| Towanda Braxton | Singer, Songwriter | ||
| Randy "White Chocolate" Gill | current ABA all-star guard with the Maryland Nighthawks |
[edit] Notable faculty
| Name | Department | Notability | Reference |
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| Brenda DoHarris | Author, Professor of English |
[edit] References
- ^ The page cannot be found
- ^ Bowie State University - About Bowie State
- ^ Bowie State University - History
- ^ http://www.bowiestate.edu/about/mission2.asp#history
- ^ Bowie State University - History
- ^ Bowie State University - History
- ^ The page cannot be found
- ^ The page cannot be found
- ^ The page cannot be found
- ^ The page cannot be found
- ^ The page cannot be found
- ^ Bowie State University plans could bring new dorms, retail
- ^ http://www.bowiestate.edu/about/mission2.asp#history
- ^ http://www.bowiestate.edu/about/finance/pscp.asp?vm=t
- ^ http://www.bowiestate.edu/about/finance/auth.asp
- ^ Delegation brings home funds for police department
- ^ http://www.bowiestate.edu/about/finance/staff.asp
- ^ http://www.bsubulldogs.com/index.html
- ^ http://www.bsubulldogs.com/athleticdept.htm
- ^ http://www.bowiestate.edu/groups/organizations.asp
[edit] External links
- www.bowiestate.edu Official web site
- www.bsubulldogs.com/ Official athletics siteBowie State Fact Book
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