For 40 years, CMSE has played an instrumental role in the upward trend of underrepresented minorities (URM) enrollments at the Clark School. Each year more URMs than ever before are enrolled and graduating in the Clark School. UMD is #7 in the number of BS degrees awarded to African American students. The work of CMSE has worked to increase the number of students graduating from The Clark School of Engineering. It is tremendous to highlight UMD Engineering Alumni, who have been and are on the cutting-edge in engineering, science, technology, education, business, medicine, and many other disciplines. CMSE and the Clark School Alumni serve as incredible role models for our CMSE students. Throughout the anniversary we will showcase the successes of our students and Alumni.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Thanks for your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM.
2020 Celebration Sponsors
With heartfelt gratitude for your sponsorships that defrayed the cost incurred even though we postponed the 39th Annual Student Recognition and Alumni Celebration due to COVID-19.
Platinum Sponsor Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsors
40th Anniversary Sponsors
Sincere appreciation for your acknowledgment of CMSE's milestone accomplishments. To learn more about how your company can support CMSE and underrepresented minority students in engineering, please contact Gertie Williams, Event Manager, at gwillia3@umd.edu.
Appreciation to the Engineering Alumni Association. Students are encouraged to become members of the Engineering Alumni Association and stay active beyond graduation. Association members receive many personal benefits, Clark School networking opportunities, and event connections.
Making Success, and Giving, Seem Natural
As a student at the University of Maryland in the ’90s, Chris Jones (Ph.D. ’97) was anything but average. He was already a captain in the U.S. Air Force with hundreds of hours logged on foreign ballistic missile and space systems. He had two graduate degrees, one in aerospace engineering and one in engineering management. He was one of just a handful of Black aerospace engineering doctoral candidates in the U.S.
CMSE 40th Anniversary Alumni Celebration Program Book
Our CMSE 40th Anniversary Alumni Celebration kicked off our 40 years of CMSE tribute and acknowledgment of accomplishment. We share the program book, which captures fond memories through photos and CMSE Alumni testimonies.
The CMSE 40th Anniversary Alumni Celebration had Alumni attendees from classes spanning more than 40 years and from as far away as Hawaii and Mexico City. The Alumni still have a special connection to the Center and with each other. Significant accomplishments have been realized and have achieved inspiring professional journeys. There is great gratitude to CMSE.
Acknowledging CMSE 40 Years of Impact
CMSE commemorates 40 years of providing academic support, services, outreach programs, and a warm, inclusive environment to minority engineering students. CMSE has a compelling story of impact for Underrepresented Minorities (URM) students. CMSE has created a culture in which all students, regardless of how they look or where they come from, have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. As a result, Alumni recognize and honor the staff who have been at the forefront of CMSE's accomplishments.
40th Annual Student Recognition Celebration Program Book
The 40th Annual Student Recognition Celebration occurred on Friday, April 30th, 2021, and it was a success! The celebration was a time for students to celebrate academic achievement, have fun, play games in breakout lounges, eat a celebration meal, win prizes, and connect with other students.
We share CMSE achievements and the excitement of the celebration with our electronic program, including the list of awardees and their respective awards. Since the celebration was a student-centered event, we share the program book with parents, relatives, and other significant special individuals to our CMSE students.
CMSE has served countless students for 40 years. CMSE is dear to the hearts of many students, and there are MANY testimonies to support this. Ms. Rosemary Parker, CMSE Director and Ms. LaWanda Kamalidiin, Associate Director and current staff; Ms. Marissa Massey, Program Coordinator for Outreach, Recruitment, and Special Programs; Ms. Migdalia Maldonado, Program Coordinator; and Ms. Chelsey Lamar, LSAMP Undergraduate Research Program Coordinator, and a long list of past staff have committed their lives to make the UMD experience as positive as possible.
As a collective group, the 40th Annual Student Recognition Celebration student attendees were asked to give one word to describe CMSE in their eyes, along with sharing what CMSE means to them. This word collage is the compilation of student responses and extraordinary pictorial evidence of the CMSE impact on students' UMD journey.
“See The Diversity in CMSE” Video
CMSE is DIVERSE with various unique and individual cultural differences. Diversity and inclusion create an appreciation for multicultural differences and helps create a better-balanced world. CMSE students celebrate who they are and are proud of their ancestry. CMSE is full of diverse people, which has helped make it what it has been for 40 years and still evolving in a magnificent way.
For the 40th Annual Student Recognition Celebration, CMSE is pleased to recognize the following: 181 students who made the Dean's List; 10 Students who have a perfect 4.0-grade point average; 26 students who have a perfect 4.0-semester grade point average; 250 students with a 3.0 or higher CUM GPA, and 12 students with a 3.0 or higher SEM GPA!
We have 342 seniors and 134 candidates for graduation in May 2021. Since 1981, more than 2,000 Black, Latinx, and Native American students have graduated into our alumni community and contributed to our CMSE legacy and success.
We present our parade of VIP stars as we CELEBRATE GREATNESS!!
Alumni COMMEMORATIVE TRIBUTES
CMSE Alumni shout out “ CONGRATULATIONS and GRATEFUL appreciation to CMSE for their heart work. ALL thank CMSE for living up to EXCEPTIONAL EXPECTATIONS and BEYOND. Among many goals, CMSE accomplished the intent to stop the revolving door of minority students entering and leaving without a degree. We are witness of the CMSE impact.
Surely there would NOT be a CMSE without every one of you. CONGRATULATIONS and thanks to the BEST of the BEST!!
Click here to view the Alumni Commemorative Tributes book.
Alumni Acknowledgements and Appreciation Video
CMSE has had a tremendous impact on minority engineering students. This success is manifested in the CMSE Engineering Alumni worldwide. They have been elevated to positions on the cutting-edge in engineering, science, technology, education, business, medicine, and other STEM disciplines.
Colleagues, Faculty, and Students Congratulations Video
There are “MANY” who have provided acknowledgments and too many to be able to share all the congratulations. CMSE has had incredible success over four decades, and its distinguished past as a pioneer in providing crucial resources for underrepresented minorities is remarkable. There is a rich legacy of providing a solid foundation to nurture numerous proficient and dedicated students to become engineers.
