Winter graduation exercises at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore are Friday, Dec. 16, in the William P.Hytche Athletic Center. The 15th annual ceremony begins at 10 a.m.

UMES anticipates it will award approximately 240 degrees, including 35 master’s degrees and 10 doctoraldegrees.

The commencement speaker is Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who is in his second term working alongsideGov. Martin O’Malley.

Since taking office in 2007, Brown has been the point person for the O’Malley administration on expanding andimproving health care, helping victims of domestic violence and making higher education more accessible – especiallyfor veterans of the conflicts in the Middle East who are looking to re-enter the civilian world.

Brown is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, which makes him the highest-ranking elected official to have servedin Iraq, according to a biography on the official state website for the lieutenant governor’s office.

A two-time Harvard graduate – including a law degree – Brown served in the Maryland General Assembly for twoterms as a delegate from Prince George’s County and rose through the ranks to become majority whip. He is the fatherof two children and lives in Mitchellville.

Commencement guests are encouraged to be seated 30 minutes prior to the start of the student and facultyprocessional at 10 a.m. In keeping with tradition, the university’s Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble will perform.

No tickets are necessary. For more information, visit www.umes.edu/commencement.

A Sunday fire that investigators blame on spontaneouscombustion of peat moss heavily damaged a commercialgreenhouse used to grow orchids on campus.

If not for Leon Bivens’ good timing and commonsense, the blaze might have been tragic.

Bivens, who lives near the UMES campus, was out fora leisurely afternoon drive and traveling along CollegeBackbone Road when he noticed the first hints of smokecoming from the greenhouse. After calling 9-1-1 andcontacting campus security, the long-time physical plantdirector circled the complex to see if anyone was inside.

Bivens found two employees of U.S. OrchidLaboratory and Nursery Inc., which leases thegreenhouse, in a warehouse-type office building adjacentto the structure. The two men apparently were unaware afire might be spreading through the complex, Bivens said.

The state fire marshal’s office issued a preliminaryfinding Monday declaring spontaneous combustion ofmaterial used to grow and ship the exotic flowers as the

C I R C L I N G T H E W O R L D

Page 2Signs of the SeasonPAC 14

Page 3Q&A with Mrs. NeufvilleBoger Receives Award

Page 6Athletics

Page 7MANRRS

Page 8Ethnic Festival

THEA newslet ter for UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND EASTERN SHOREstudents , facul ty, s taf f, a lumni and fr iends

COMMUNICATION IS

December 2, 2011

Page 4 - 5UMES Students Support HALOThanksgiving Food DriveCancer Walk

INSIDE

Fire heavily damages orchidgreenhouse on UMES campus

Photo by Alverne Chesterfield

2011 UMES WinterCommencement

FIRE / continued on page 3

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown

2 C I R C L I N G T H E O V A LUNIVERSITY of MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE

The Key / December 2, 2011

“My favoriteholiday memory waslast Christmas. Myfamily had a surprisebirthday for mygrandmother and atthe end of the partymy parents had aconversation with meabout returning back

to UMES from the break. At the end of ourconversation they surprised me with a car.” Anthony Wise, a senior English major with atelecommunications concentration from N.J.

“My familytradition is thatwhoever has the newestedition to the familyhosts the annualChristmas breakfast.This years’ breakfastwill be at my sister’shouse.” Candra Jackson, asophomore rehabilitation services major fromBaltimore, Md.

Where’s Dr. James Junker?

UMES Interim President Mortimer Neufville taped a 30-minute segment of “One-on-One” with cable TV show host Phil Tilghman. The segment can be seen on PublicAccess Channel – 14 on the Comcast system in Wicomico County the first week ofDecember. Check the daily TV listings in The Daily Times or the “Programming”option online at www.PAC14.org.

Neufville onbeing back at UMES

He’s third from the left on the back row. By day, James Junker is UMES’pharmacy department chairman. In his spare time, he sings bass withthe Salisbury Chorale, which Nov. 19 and 20 performed “Best of theMagi,” a holiday concert at Wicomico High School. Junker, who hasbeen singing since childhood, finds the activity relaxing and rewarding.Photo courtesy of Ritch Photography LLC

Holidaymemories

and traditions

As the saying goes … “behind every great manthere’s a great woman,” so “The Key” asked MasieNeufville to share some insights into returning toUMES after a 15-year absence. Among the things welearned: she’s a vegetarian, she likes to garden andshe enjoys visiting with old friends.

How did you meet Dr. Neufville?My school, the Teachers’ College, had a debate withhis college, the School of Agriculture in Jamaica.After the dinner, he offered to take my chair to thedebate room. Upon returning to his school, westarted corresponding by mail. Upon graduation, wewere married. (The girls’ team’s lead debater wasThelma Thompson.)

How long have you been married?48 years. We will celebrate our anniversary Jan. 12th.

When did you know things clicked and that he was the “one.”After I graduated from Teachers College, Mort would travel a whole day’sjourney by bus to see me. I realized he was kind and thoughtful.

Your daughter, Tisha, was working near Ground Zero on Sept. 11,2001; describe that day:

My heart was pounding; I kept praying for my daughter’s safety. I triedcalling her phone several times and was not able to get in touch with her.Luckily … she lived three miles from where she worked, so she was able

3U M E S P E O P L EUNIVERSITY of MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE

The Key / December 2, 2011

HRM chair receives award

FIRE / continued from cover

to walk home and let me know she was okay.

What one book should every freshman readbefore enrolling in college?I would recommend every freshman to readautobiographies and inspirational works, such as“Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” by Ben Carson.

What is one of your favorite books?Alexander McCall Smith, “The No. 1 Ladies' DetectiveAgency”

What bit of advice would you offer every seniorbefore graduation?Try to get an internship with the government orbusiness to get experience that will ultimately lead toa professional career.

How would you describe UMES now compared to when you werebetween 1983 and 1996?UMES has grown, especially in enrollment. The campus is more beautifuland spacious. The university is a big part of my family. It’s like coming backhome.

What can you share about Dr. Neufville that might not be commonknowledge?He enjoys cooking. Our relatives are always excited to have “Uncle Morti’s”jerk chicken, roast fish or fried dumplings.

Meet Masie Neufville, the interim president’s wife

Photo by Jim Glovier

Dr. Ernest Boger, chair of the Department of Hotel and Restaurant Management, received the Tom Staed Award at arecent luncheon of the Hotel and Lodging Association of Volusia County, Fla.

“Boger was chosen because of his long-standing commitment to hospitality and education,” said Bob Davis, presidentof the association.

Prior to coming to UMES, Boger, a Tampa native, was the head of the Department of Hospitality Management inthe School of Business at Bethune-Cookman University. He was the first black graduate of the University of South Florida.

Boger is currently CEO of the consulting company, VIP Hosts Internationale Inc. He continues his contributions to thehospitality industry on Delmarva through his memberships in the Salisbury Rotary, Salisbury Sister Cities, Lower EasternShore Heritage Commission and the Maryland Life Magazine board.

Dr. Ernest Boger

source of the fire.An estimated 50 volunteer firefighters from two counties responded to

the blaze and kept it from spreading to other structures."We're very fortunate there were no injuries," said Ronnie Holden, vice

president for administrative affairs. "We want to thank all those volunteerfirefighters who came so quickly and put out the fire. It's impressive towatch them do their job in such a professional and efficient manner."

Motorists traveling along U.S. Rt. 13 as far away as Pocomoke City andFruitland reported seeing a plume of thick, black smoke.

UMES built and owns the 116,000 square-foot greenhouse that

occupies about 2½ acres east of the Center for Food Science andTechnology. It opened in early 2000 and since 2005 has been leased to U.S.Orchid as part of the university's economic development strategy of servingas a start-up business incubator.

The Rural Development Center at UMES was instrumental in bringingthe greenhouse project to campus, where U.S. Orchid's operation involvesgrowing 50 different varieties of orchids - most of them the Phalaenopsisvariety. The company sells potted orchids to wholesalers from New York toAtlanta and beyond, according to the Rural Development Center.

Holden estimated the replacement cost could be nearly $6 million. Nodecision was imminent about whether the structure could be salvaged andrefurbished, or should be demolished and rebuilt.

(I do) is for a purpose,” she said. Harris inspired and motivated her

campus group, the Caribbean InternationalClub, to get involved. Last year, she said,members collected “star pledges,” wherestudents could purchase a star for $1 anddedicate it in memory, or honor of, someone.The club sold over 300 stars with proceedsbeing donated to the Hirshberg Foundationfor Pancreatic Cancer Research.

“The Hirshberg Foundation was a sitethat was very helpful when my mom wasdiagnosed,” Harris said. Its signature event isthe “Purple Power: Fight of Your Life” walk,which the Caribbean International Club willadopt this year and hereon.

“The director of development there,Karen Affinito, has been great helping us putthe walk together,” Harris said. The UMESwalk is Sat., Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inthe Student Services Center courtyard.Registration is on site. Call Monique Potter-Tirado, the club’s advisor, at 410-651-6436for more information.

UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE

S C H O O L N E W S 54 The Key / December 2, 2011 The Key / December 2, 2011

UMESstudents and theOffice of CampusLife observedNovember asNational HomelessAwareness Month.

Over 30studentorganizationsbegan the monthby going door-to-door on campusto collectdonations forHope And LifeOutreach (HALO),a Christian-based,nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the homeless in WicomicoCounty and the surrounding area.

From Nov. 1 through 11, a little over $1,000 was raised “because ofour student organizations’ tireless efforts,” Qiana Drummond, assistantdirector, Campus Life said.

Ta-Sha Watkins, a member of Alpha Nu Omega sorority, the top-contributing campus organization to the effort, said, “It didn’t matter if weraised the most, we just wanted to help a good cause.” She said it was

Campus Life gives to homeless Campus organization sponsors walk for pancreatic cancer

Chantelle Harris, president of theCaribbean International Club, lost her mother,Everett Marie Travers, to pancreatic cancerduring her spring 2010 semester at UMES.

The impact it had on her and her familymotivated her to tell her story and raiseawareness about a cancer people know solittle about—one with the highest mortalityrate of any cancer.

“For my family, it was very traumatic formy mother to be diagnosed in October andgone in February,” Harris said. Her sister,Natalie Travers, a 1996 UMES alumna, was therock through it all, she said, for her and herbrother.

Pancreatic cancer is far from forgiving.Statistics claim that 94 percent of peoplediagnosed with the disease die within fiveyears of diagnosis and 74 percent die withinthe first year.

Harris’ goal is increasing early detectionthrough better awareness of the disease. “If Icould give one family, or one person, thatextra time that we didn’t have, then everything

The SSC game room is linedup with 300 cardboard boxesfilled with items for preparinga complete Thanksgivingdinner. Food items werecollected in donation boxesaround campus and fromcontributions from localbusinesses

Nearly 250 UMES volunteers swarmed the Student Services Center early Saturday, Nov. 19 to feed 300 needy families in Somerset County. Thisyear organizers added the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at SU to the effort, so that 300 families from Wicomico could also befeed.

For a Worthy Cause

Needy families receive holiday meals

surprising to seehow many peoplewere willing togive even if it wasa small amount,because “we’recollege studentsand don’t have alot of moneyourselves or togive.”

Watkinshopes the moneywill “help peoplewho need it forfood, clothing anditems for theholiday.”

To bring awareness to the plight of the homeless, Campus Lifesponsored a panel discussion “The Faces of Homelessness” Nov. 17 withrepresentatives from HALO.

“Those who attended the discussion, especially the students, weremoved by the presentation by one of HALO’s success stories, a client, whojust a week before, was homeless. She now has a job and a place to live,”Drummond said.

From left, UMES Office ofResidence Life Area DirectorsPhillip Thomas and CliftonHarcum, spearhead the eventwhich doubled its efforts thisyear—providing meals for600 families in Somerset andWicomico counties identifiedby area agencies andchurches as needing help.

Pho

tos

byJ

im G

lovi

er

UMES students,Janayne K. Johnsonand VicenteHernandez, distributethe boxes filled withthe makings for acompleteThanksgiving dinnerto awaiting familiesin need.

Photo by Valentine Anamelechi

The UMES volleyball team is headed for Los Angeles this weekend tocompete in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball Championshiptournament.

The Lady Hawks’ first-round match will be Friday evening (11 p.m.eastern time) against UCLA, the ninth overall seed. If they win, the Lady Hawkswould play the winner of San Diego-Long Beach.

The volleyball team earned its way into the national tournament Nov. 19by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship for the firsttime in the 28 years the university has fielded a squad in the fast-paced sport.

Led by freshman Saitaua Iosia of Long Beach, Calif., the Lady Hawksdefeated Florida A&M in a tough five-set match during the end-of-seasontournament held at Coppin State University.

Iosia was the MEAC conference “rookie of the year” during the regularseason and the 2011 tournament’s “most outstanding player.”

The Lady Hawks go into national tournament play with a 24-6 recordand a 19-match winning streak. The team finished the regular season with aperfect 12-0 (match) record.

During the Lady Hawks’ run to the championship, coach Don Metilnotched his 200th career win since taking the UMES job in 2007. Metil is the2011 MEAC coach of the year.

6 A T H L E T I C SUNIVERSITY of MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE

The Key / December 2, 2011

HAWK TALK

Lady Hawks California-bound in search of volleyball crown

7S C H O O L N E W SUNIVERSITY of MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE

The Key / December 2, 2011

MANRRS Chapter experiences successful year

Student members of UMES’ Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resourcesand Related Sciences celebrated many successes and had unique learningexperiences in 2011, said Corrie Cotton, chapter adviser and researchassistant professor, Agriculture, Food and Natural Sciences.

The year began with Kenneth Hudson and Margo Wright, plant and soilscience majors, studying abroad in Belize. Hudson worked with the CitrusGrowers Association and Wright worked with the Belizean AgriculturalHealth Authority.

“It was a great experience learning about integrated pest managementin a foreign country,” said Hudson, who traversed a daily route of orangegroves checking traps and recording data on the number of Mexican fruitflies.

For Hudson, it was his first time traveling overseas. Visiting a foreigncountry, he said, was an “eye-opening experience” both on a professionaland personal level.

“It humbled me and made me realize not to want for a lot of things,” hesaid. “It taught me to be content with what I have, because they don’t have alot of the resources and things that we have in the U.S.”

The department helped students line up some unique summerinternship experiences out-of-state. Crystal Adams was an intern at the U.S.Forest Service in New Mexico. Isaiah Adams interned with the Fish andWildlife Service in Iowa. Luke Lee, the May 2011 Most Outstanding Studentaward recipient in the School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, internedat Dow AgroSciences LLC in Indianapolis, Ind.

Internships nearby included: Devinn Esberry, Natural ResourcesConservation Service; Charlotte Thompson, World Outlook Board inWashington, D.C.; and Richard Stonebraker, Animal and Plant HealthInspection Service in Frederick, Md.

In September, Miriam Dorman, a general agriculture major studyingplant and soil science, won second place in the research poster competitionat the 2011 American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference inWaikola, Hawaii.

Dorman’s research was on beneficial microorganisms withhorticultural crops—something that could help greenhouse growers,nursery owners and landscapers.

“It centers on the overall reduction of chemical fertilizer and irrigationinputs, which would benefit the environment,” Dorman said. She is lookingto “help others go green” in her career. Following graduation, she plans toattend the University of Hawaii at Manao to earn a master’s in tropical plantpathology.

Ray Lockamy, a sociology major, took first place honors in the writtenessay contest at the MANRRS annual Career Fair and Training Conference inOverland Park, Kan.

MANRRS prepares students from minority racial and ethnic groups forleadership roles through mentoring, networking and the exchange of ideasamong members, Cotton said.

“The experiences of these MANRRS members are examples of how wellour students enhance their professional development,” Cotton said.

Miriam Dorman

Ray Lockamy

Kenneth Hudson

8 The Key / December 2, 2011

The KEY is published by the Office of Public Relations in the Division of Institutional Advancement.

EditorsGains B. Hawkins, Vice President for Institutional AdvancementWilliam Robinson, Director of Public RelationsGail Stephens, Assistant Director of Public RelationsAshley Collier, Public Relations Assistant

Design by Debi Rus, Rus Design, Inc. Printed by The Hawk Copy Center

410-651-7580 / 410-651-7914 fax / www.umes.edu

Celebrating the JourneyTHE UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND

EASTERN SHOREA RICH HISTORY OF PROVIDING EDUCATION

ACCESSIBLE TO ALL… SPANNING THREE CENTURIES.

Learn more about us this fall by visiting www.UMES.edu/125

UMES celebrates International Education Week with ethnic festival and debate

Submissions to The KEY are preferred via email. All copy is subject to editing.

The KEY is delivered through campus mail. Call 410-651-7580 to request additional copies. The Key is written according to the Associated Press stylebook.

UMESrepresentativespictured, fromleft, are: Dr.AnthonyJenkins, vicepresident forstudent affairs;JacklynClaxton,speaker and anagriculturaltrade specialist;Dr. SarahAcquah,director of theCenter forInternationalEducation; andDr. MortimerNeufville,interimpresident.

Baruch Volkisof Israel, agraduatestudent intoxicology,shares ethnicfood with afestival goer.

Chang Liu ofChina, a juniorin accounting,displays itemsfrom hercountry forcuriouspasserbys.

The Center for International Education at UMES observed the 12thannual International Education Week, Nov. 13 through 18, with anethnic festival and debate.

Representing more than 50 countries, international students fromthe university hosted an ethnic festival featuring an exhibition of culturalartifacts, demonstrations of dancing and modeling in traditionalcountry attire, and sampling of authentic foods.

Guest speaker Jacklyn Claxton presented “The Role of the PrivateSector in the Feed the Future Initiative and African Agriculture.”Claxton, a UMES agricultural trade specialist, works under anagreement with the USDA. She is assigned to USAID. Claxton receiveda bachelor’s degree from Yale University and two master’s degrees asa David L. Boren Graduate Fellow in Kenya.

The university’s International Student and the Student Governmentassociations held a debate on the topic, “Should Study Abroad BeConsidered as an Institutional Requirement for Graduation?”

“International Education Week gives us the opportunity tocelebrate connections with people far and near,” said Dr. SarahAcquah, director of the Center for International Education at theuniversity. “The current economic dilemma reflects the urgency ofproviding our youth the knowledge and skills needed to succeed inthe competitive global economy.”

UMES has nearly 200 international students. Some of the countriesthey represent are: Antigua, Argentina, Bolivia, Bahamas, Bangladesh,Bermuda, Canada, Cameroon, Chad, China, Congo, Colombia, Egypt,Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea,Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, SriLanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Trinidad, Tobago and Togo.

“I have had the opportunity to create relationships with studentsand staff from different parts of the globe,” said Daniel Muchai, a UMESsenior who grew up in Nairobi, Kenya. “This has allowed me to bemore aware of the importance of diversity, which will help me tosucceed after graduation.”

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S.Department of State and U.S. Department of Education designed topromote Global Education in the U.S. and abroad to encourage globalcompetency and competitiveness. This year’s theme was: “InternationalEducation: Inspiring Students Locally to Succeed Globally.”

During the 2010-11 academic year, nearly 724,000 internationalstudents studied in the U.S.

Photo by Valentine Anamelechi