Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Program

Abstracts of Activities

Information Technology – Digital Transformation

Activity Director: Tanya Jones

Providing pervasive, seamless, and intuitive access to technology enables faculty, staff, and students to be more productive and have ready access to the information and resources required to ensure success.

Holistic Student Enrichment

Activity Director: Keshia Ridley

The Holistic Student Enrichment Initiative is designed to provide vital staffing and supportive services to the processes and operations related to undergraduate admissions, retention, financial literacy, new student engagement, and residence life. With the expansion of the integrated approach, students, faculty, and staff will benefit from data-driven metrics designed to assess the effectiveness of existing processes and the use of innovative methods related to student outreach and engagement. Offices and departments essential to student success will work across the Division to create an interwoven network of student-driven strategies, services, and resources.

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE)

Activity Director: Dr. George Ude

The Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) Program at Bowie State University is one of distinction, leveraging high-impact practices to infuse experiential learning within the curriculum, so that everyone participates. Research data show that undergraduate research (CUREs) improves undergraduate student learning because accelerate student entry into the research pipeline. BSU’s program is unique because it features curricular integration at all levels of a student's undergraduate career and allow for close collaboration of students, research scientists, and faculty. The proposed activity aims to feature course-based immersive undergraduate research experiences in unique research streams across introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses within the departmental curriculum such that students can participate in a research learning community, and collaborative projects, and gain critical hands-on skills to prepare them as the future workforce. Students benefit by broadening their post-graduate experiences towards research-related careers, becoming more technically skilled and growing in their motivation and identity as scholars.

Advancing Library Resources and Student Services

Activity Director: Sophia Sotilleo

Bowie State University will create a common learning environment that will position the Thurgood Marshall Library as a 21st-century learning hub. Create online resources to provide greater access to digital and archival library resources to accommodate global, national, and local students. Library resources support productivity and access to learning resources that lead to student success. 

Strengthening Research and Innovation

Activity Director: Jhovita Williams

Bowie State University aspires to become a Research II institution according to the Carnegie Classification system with high research activity involving our faculty and students. To strengthen the University’s capacity for research, including supporting faculty with a focus on new and junior faculty in training and growing their research activities. This Activity also provides training in grants and contract management, strengthens research compliance areas, and provides funds management and other research services.  

Student Success Center

Activity Director: Ebone Johnson

The Student Success Center activity provides tutoring services and academic support to students enrolled in historically difficult courses and/or courses with high D/F/W rates at Bowie State University. The mission of the Student Success Center is to create a help-seeking culture at Bowie State University by guiding students to a proactive approach in seeking academic support, helping students overcome academic challenges, and leading students to become independent learners. The ultimate goal of the Student Success Center tutoring program is to increase student persistence, progression, and, ultimately, student retention for students at Bowie State University. The Student Success Center also encompasses decentralized tutoring units: The Writing Center and the Math Lab. The program offers three models of support: Traditional one-on-one tutoring, Supplemental Instruction (SI)/Embedded Tutoring (ET), and Student Success Workshop Leaders.

Institutional Academic Assessment 

Activity Director: Dr. Becky Verzinski

Expand institutional assessment structure to grow assessment of student learning outcomes and continue implementing curricular improvements resulting from assessment findings. Strengthen assessment and accreditation oversight and accountability via centers for academic assessment and the Academic Affairs Assessment Alliance. Grow faculty expertise in assessment by sponsoring faculty assessment fellows, analyzing assessment practices and related professional development, and providing opportunities to present and publish academic assessment research and findings. Implement the AEFIS assessment software and provide training for faculty, administrators, and staff on the use of the software to create detailed, robust assessments of programs and courses. 

Academic Excellence and Student Success in the College of Business

Activity Director: Nedra Mahone

To support student success during the traditional college tenure and beyond through alignment of academic programs with accreditation standards, systematically identifying and addressing retention impacting deficiencies in student college-readiness skills, developing relations with corporate, educational, and government partners to support internships, global experiences, and other high-impact activities, preparing students for tomorrow’s workforce by equipping them with in-demand workplace competencies and traits that complement the discipline-specific theoretical foundations provided by the curriculum and creating strong, mutually beneficial relationships with college alumni. 

Academic Programs Assessment - College of Arts and Sciences

Activity Director: Dr. George Accquah

The University’s culture of assessment for continuous improvement employs various measurements to determine whether the University and its academic programs are achieving stated programmatic objectives.  Student learning outcomes, assessment, and standardized testing are vital components used to provide specialized recommendations, changes, and feedback that will enhance and strengthen university business processes, curriculum design, pedagogy, advisement, course delivery, and tutoring. Results from an annual assessment of student outcomes (SOs) and securing and maintaining program accreditations are key components used to provide specialized recommendations, changes, and feedback that will enhance and strengthen university academic programs, curriculum, instruction, academic advising, and retention. Furthermore, assessment for continuous improvement guides practices at the course level and/or program level, and the university indirectly impacts student retention, degree competition, and graduation.

Academic Assessment – College of Professional Studies

Activity Director: Dr. Cheryl Blackman

Assessment is a vital and integral part of teaching and determines whether or not the goals of education are being met.  It determines whether the university and its academic programs achieve stated programmatic goals and objectives.   Assessment measures effectiveness, supports learning, provides accountability, and continuously improves teaching-learning.  Data from assessment measurements are used to recommend changes in areas such as student learning outcomes, curriculum design, accredited program support, and pedagogy.  These results guide practice at all university levels and directly impact student learning outcomes, retention, and graduation.

Administration and Finance

Activity Director: Cynthia Leland

This initiative provides people-oriented, technologically enhanced, and fiscally sound operational management in partnership with faculty, staff, students, and the campus community.

Faculty Development and Expansion

Faculty development at Bowie State University is a central expression of the University’s commitment to the faculty to help them maintain the highest standards of teaching and scholarship. The Faculty Development program includes support for a faculty scholarship. Through its support of such opportunities, the Faculty Development program fosters the pursuit of teaching and scholarly excellence. At Bowie State University, Faculty Development enhances the vitality and growth of the students, the faculty, and the University. 

Program Administration

Activity Director: Mililani Sinclair

The purpose of the Title III Program Administration Office is to serve as a resource to Bowie State University and as a liaison to the United States Department of Education. The Title III Administration Office’s mission is to assist the Institution President in securing Title III grant funds that support the strategic plan and strengthen a variety of targeted initiatives. This mission is accomplished by providing the required oversight and direction in compliance with the federal guidelines to deliver a positive impact through developing and implementing strategic program activities.