University Achievements
Points of Pride
Bowie State University is committed to delivering high-quality, affordable education that empowers diverse students to excel. As a national leader in graduating underrepresented student groups, the university plays a crucial role in shaping the leaders of today and tomorrow.
With a focus on academic excellence and leadership, Bowie State equips graduates with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a dynamic world, making a lasting impact in their communities and beyond.
16th Among HBCUs
Ranked No. 16 among the nation’s top HBCUs
Best Value
Ranked among ‘Best Bang for the Buck’ institutions by Washington Monthly (2024)
6 Consecutive Years
Designated a Military Friendly School since 2019, including a Military Friendly School '24-'25 Gold designation
Top Graduate School
One of the nation’s top graduate school programs in nursing, computer science, education and public affairs
Faculty Achievements
University System of Maryland Board of Regents Announces Winners of Faculty Awards
The University System of Maryland Board of Regents named five Bowie State University faculty members among 20 winners of its prestigious Faculty Awards, the highest faculty honor bestowed by the board, recognizing excellence in teaching, mentoring, public service, creative activity and scholarship or research.
Bowie State’s award recipients include Professor Kathryn Kawecki, Professor Elena Velasco, Dr. Anne Osano, Dr. Otis Williams and Dr. James Hyman (pictured below, left to right). They were honored with other winners during the Board of Regents meeting at Bowie State on April 19, 2025.
A faculty nominating committee at each university recommended candidates to its president, who forwarded them to USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. The Regents Faculty Review Committee made the final selections.
Dr. Otis Williams III, chair of the Department of Counseling & Psychological Studies, earned the Excellence in Mentoring award. Williams co-developed African-centered rites of passage for youth, founded the African Psychological Students Association, and mentors students, junior faculty and community members.
Dr. James Hyman, an assistant professor of public administration in the College of Business, received the Excellence in Public Service award. He launched Bowie State’s philanthropy initiative and is developing a master’s program in philanthropy and nonprofit management. Hyman’s philanthropy fellowship program offers graduate students hands-on experience with leading organizations growing from three students in the first year to eight in the second cohort. Hyman also secured $2 million from fundraising to support the initiative.
biology, Osano researches plant metabolomics, aquaponics and hydroponics, and food security. Her lab addresses key questions in human nutrition and health through plant metabolomics and advances sustainable food production via aquaponics. With more than 80 scholarly publications and over $3 million in grants, Osano leads students to Kenya for plant and food security research.Dr. Anne Osano won the Excellence in Scholarship or Research award. A professor of
Kathryn Kawecki, an associate professor of fine and performing arts, earned the Excellence in Creative Activity award. Kawecki’s theatrical design work, including sets for “A Song for Coretta,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Medea,” serves as scholarship. She won a national award for Outstanding Set for “Pipeline” at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. As a theater artist and educator, Kawecki prides herself on “bringing the stage into the classroom and her classes to the stage.” She uses storytelling to build relationships with students and is dedicated to mentoring them and smoothing their career paths.
Elena Velasco, an associate professor of theater and production, also won the Excellence in Creative Activity award. One of the region’s few bilingual directors, she inspires Latinx artists. Her productions, focused on wellness, equity and diversity, are innovative tools for teaching and social improvement. In the 2022-23 season, Velasco directed and choreographed five productions — “In the Heights,” “Alma” and “Arco Iris” among them — expanded representation by highlighting artists of color and migrant communities. Velasco also stages bilingual work at GALA Hispanic Theatre, Washington, D.C.’s premier Spanish-language theater.
Karen Cook-Bell Awarded Elkins Professorship to Advance African American Research
Dr. Karen Cook-Bell, a professor in Bowie State University’s Department of History & Government, has been awarded a 2023–24 University System of Maryland Wilson H. Elkins Professorship for her work in African American studies. Cook-Bell will receive $30,000 to support the research she began last year when she established the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for the Study of the Black Experience.
Cook-Bell is one of four professors from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Salisbury University, the University of Maryland, College Park and Bowie State University who received an Elkins Professorship. These awards honor researchers and professors who inspire students and whose scholarly efforts significantly benefit their institutions and across the University System of Maryland.
“The Elkins Professorship supports my research on African American women during the Civil War and Reconstruction era,” Cook-Bell said. “It also provides funding to continue the work of the Du Bois Center for the Study of the Black Experience at Bowie State University. At a time when there are attacks on the teaching of African American history, I am honored that the USM Board of Regents recognized the importance of my research and its implications for the nation.”
Last year, Cook-Bell was awarded $75,000 as an Elkins Professor to launch the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for the Study of the Black Experience, fostering research about African Americans and the African diaspora.
The Wilson H. Elkins Endowment funds the Elkins Professorships, supporting impactful projects in research, scholarship or community engagement that advance the teaching, research or public service missions of the institution and the USM.
“We’re creating true leaders and innovative thinkers.”
- Christopher Murray
Jabari Walker Recognized for Leadership in Clean Energy
Jabari Walker, Bowie State’s sustainability and energy coordinator, received recognition from a local clean energy group for his work promoting environmental sustainability.
Walker received the Visionary Award from the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition, a public-private partnership that promotes the use of clean, alternative fuels created by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Visionary Award recognizes “exceptional leadership achievement in clean energy and clean transportation. A strong commitment to new and emerging technologies, clean energy and clean transportation goals, policies and procedures.”
“It feels great and justified,” Walker said. “The team around me helps me put certain projects into action. It’s really good to be acknowledged in that way. It’s good to see these efforts being recognized for myself as well as the university.”
Since coming to Bowie State, Walker has led a range of sustainability efforts to help the campus become more environmentally friendly. He was instrumental in getting the campus’s first solar bus stop, which was installed in 2016 outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Arts and Humanities Building.
He also founded the Bowie State University Student Green Ambassadors, a student group dedicated to raising awareness about environmentally friendly practices. Walker planned a fruit tree orchard that was planted in 2020 near the Loop Road campus entrance. One of his latest endeavors was creating the Climate Career Expo, which connects students with employers recruiting for sustainability-focused jobs.
“I wanted to bring all the employers together,” Walker said. “I had so many reaching out to me to send job opportunities to students. I felt it was a good time to bring everybody together and just make it one event.”
Walker also helped Bowie State earn a Tree Campus Higher Education designation by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2022. Grateful for the award, he is committed to moving the university toward a greener, more sustainable future.
“I was honored to be considered a visionary,” Walker said. “I’m excited to continue these accomplishments for Bowie State University.”
Dr. Darsana Josyula Named to RealList Engineers
Bowie State University computer science professor Darsana Josyula was featured on Technical.ly’s RealList Engineers, spotlighting top technology and innovation leaders in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
“It was surprising when they reached out,” said Josyula, who serves as the director of Bowie State’s Autonomous Technologies Lab. She works with computer science students on a range of research projects that could shape the future of technology and how it is used. The projects range from countering malicious social engineering to designing machine-learning systems that are intuitive to users and addressing biases in the research and development stage of emerging technologies.
Josyula traces her interest in computer science back to fifth grade, when she saw a computer for the first time. She was fascinated by the computer’s ability to execute commands and complete tasks based on how it was programmed by the user. After losing her mother at a young age, Josyula found that computers gave her a sense of stability in a world filled with uncertainty.
“You write a program, you make the computer do something, and it works,” she said. “That was my way of making sure I live with something certain. That’s how I got into computer science.”
Since she started teaching at Bowie State in 2006, Josyula has made it her mission to ensure that her students have as many opportunities to succeed as those from larger research institutions. She draws inspiration from her father, who was also an educator and often filled their living room with adult literacy students. She was amazed by the look in their eyes, the excitement to learn, and she wanted to replicate that experience in her own teaching.
“I could go to a research institution, but that would just be focusing on the research,” Josyula said. “That wouldn’t give me the opportunity to make a difference in somebody else’s life.”
Beyond the technical challenges of innovation, Josyula sees the human tendency to resist change as the biggest hurdle to overcome as the adoption of new technologies accelerates. She believes the key to cutting through the distrust of new technologies is demonstrating how they can make life easier.
“Nobody likes change unless they’re convinced that change is useful,” Josyula said. “There’s anticipation and anxiety. I look at it as an opportunity for humans to be more productive.”
Christopher Murray Recognized by Pennsylvania Media for Sports Writing
Bowie State University literature professor Christopher Murray recently earned two top journalism awards for sports writing from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Murray won first place for sports column writing for a small newspaper from the Pennsylvania News Media Association for a column about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He also received first-place honors from the Society of Professional Journalists for a series of columns covering Hurts, Black NFL coaches, and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“This is probably one of the best,” Murray said, comparing his recent awards with others he has won during his nearly 40-year journalism career. “With the Society of Professional Journalists award, I went up against people from Philly, Pittsburgh, and the whole state. When you work in the Black press, you have to fight to get coverage. People who work in the Black press are just as capable as anybody else.”
Murray teaches composition and rhetoric in the Department of Language, Literature & Cultural Studies while continuing to work as a part-time journalist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and WURD 96.1 FM/900 AM. The Baltimore native originally wanted to cover politics before finding his niche in sports writing. Over the course of his career, Murray has covered three Super Bowls, two World Series, and multiple NCAA Tournament games. While proud of his professional accomplishments, he values working with students above the awards he has earned.
“You put the work in, and I’ll show you how to get there.I take more pride in the students I’ve helped than anything else,” he said. “Winning these awards is great, but I still love the teaching. There are a lot of good students I’ve helped over the years.”
Since rejoining the university in 2016, Murray has focused on using his experience to help young writers improve their craft. Beyond teaching students how to conduct research, structure stories, and master the mechanics of writing, Murray seeks to instill grit and determination in his classes to prepare them for their careers. And maybe they will earn their own awards along the way.
“I want these students to have a work ethic to empower themselves,” Murray said. “I want them to be professionals and do the work. They may forget my name five years from now, but I want to make sure they understand hard work.
2023 Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Monifa Love, from the Department of Language, Literature & Cultural Studies and associate dean in the College of Arts & Sciences, is the recipient of the 2024 Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Lifetime Achievement Award from the Caribbean Philosophical Association.
The Caribbean Philosophical Association presented Love with the award, which honors individuals who make major contributions to Caribbean art through novels, poetry, theater or cinema. The award is presented at the association’s annual international meeting.
Love will attend a special ceremony in Quintana Roo, Mexico organized by the Caribbean Philosophical Association and will focus on the theme “Shifting the Geography of Reason XXII: Decolonizing Epistemologies.
When asked about Love, Dr. Jacqueline Martinez, president of the Caribbean Philosophical Association, said, “Monifa Love’s life and work bring us in contact with the consequential nuance of life struggles in ways that are only possible with the highest levels of artistic expression. Deeply relevant for present struggles, Love’s poetry moves with incisive reverence for our collective histories.”
Helen Hayes Award Nominees
Two Bowie State University Theatre Arts faculty members, Elena Velasco and Kathryn Kawecki, were named Helen Hayes Awards nominees on January 15, 2024. Their nominations were drawn from a pool of over 2,000 pieces of creative work featured in 151 eligible productions performed in the Washington, D.C. area in 2023.
Velasco received two nominations: Outstanding Direction of a Musical for "In the Heights" at Next Stop Theatre and the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical Adaptation for "Arco Iris" at Arts on the Horizon. Kawecki was nominated for Outstanding Set Design for "How the Light Gets In" at 1st Stage.
Beyond these honors, both Velasco and Kawecki actively collaborate with their theatre companies to provide complimentary tickets to Bowie State students, offering them the opportunity to experience professional productions in the D.C. area.
Student Achievements
National Board Awards $10,000 to Mental Health Counseling Students
Four Bowie State University graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in the mental health counseling program — Keanna Siles, Giovania Jones, Erynne Dixon and Jada Brown — have each received a $10,000 Minority Fellowship Program grant from the National Board for Certified Counselors. The grants support their education and commitment to underserved communities.
Last year, one Bowie State student, Romuladus Emeka Azuine, received the award.
“These grants that our students receive will help increase the number of culturally competent mental health and addiction counselors available to focus on transition-age youth between 16 and 25,” said Otis Williams, chair of the Department of Counseling & Psychological Studies.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 55% of the public see young adult mental health issues as a crisis in the United States and that many teenagers are unable to get the mental health services they need. Deaths due to drug overdose among adolescents more than doubled from 2018 to 2022, with the largest increases among Hispanic and Black adolescents, highlighting the need for more counselors who can work in different cultural environments.
Dixon said one of the benefits of the grant is that it will help her achieve her goal of becoming a culturally relevant mental health counselor trained to work with diverse populations.
“The fellowship opportunity has given me the chance to connect with other like-minded students, university faculty and clinicians interested in advancing diversification in the counseling field,” Dixon said. “It also provided me the financial support to continue pursuing my master’s degree and research projects with more freedom. Now I can take a deeper dive into my interests, serving as a multicultural mental health counselor.”
Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder, are among the most common mental health conditions diagnosed in the United States, affecting 42.5 million adults, according to Forbes. But young adults in the United States experience the highest rates of mental illness (36.2%), followed by those ages 26 to 49 (29.4%) and adults 50 and older (13.9%).
“Our goal is to increase the number of Bowie State grant recipients each year to help expand the pool of culturally trained mental health counselors who can address the crisis impacting communities across the nation,” Williams said.
"We’re in a unique position. We’re the oldest HBCU in Maryland and want to be known as the preeminent program for training counselors."
- Dr. Otis Williams
Bowie State Wins $40,000 Experian Pitch Competition
Four Bowie State University business students traveled to Southern California for Experian’s #IYKYK Pitch Competition and won $40,000 for a plan designed to help students pay off their student loan debt within five years of graduation.
Co-sponsored by the Center for Financial Advancement Credit Academy, the second annual competition was designed to drive meaningful change in one of the biggest financial challenges for young adults: student loans.
Taylor Payton, Jazmin Feliz, Lauren Kelly and Calvin Charles defeated teams from North Carolina A&T State University and Alabama State University in the final round on Feb. 28. Starting with 21 teams from 12 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Bowie State students — all from the Center for Financial Advancement Scholars program — pitched Lotus Wallet, an app offering human AI financial advisors and prediction calculators to tackle debt.
“We just got together and asked what’s something that could be easy to learn,” said Payton, a junior business administration major with a marketing concentration. “We just implemented education and applied it to financial literacy in real life.”
The students weren’t surprised they made it to the final round, even though this was the first year Bowie State participated in the Experian challenge. They said reaching this stage demonstrates the creativity and intellectual prowess of Bowie State and proves they can compete against larger schools.
“It’s showing that we have true scholars here at Bowie State. We’re creating true leaders and innovative thinkers,” said Charles, a master’s in public administration student. “I have student loans already, so this prize money is going to be my way of paying down my debt and getting done within my five years.”
“I enjoyed working with my team,” Payton added. “If Experian decides to pursue this app, it’s going to change a lot of lives.”
The team hopes the win highlights the work happening in the Center for Financial Advancement program.
“I hope this encourages more people to apply for the Center for Financial Advancement,” Payton said. “It’s an earn-to-learn program. Each scholar gets a stipend. A college student could always use extra money, and we’re also learning about homeownership, the credit industry, and career readiness.”
14 Data Analytics Students Awarded Tech Credential Scholarships
A group of data analytics students became the latest scholarship recipients in a Bowie State University program aimed at diversifying tech-focused career paths.
Fourteen students each received a $2,500 scholarship as part of the Capital CoLAB Emerging Tech Talent program, which facilitates their work toward a Generalist Digital Tech Credential. The program was launched by Bowie State University and the Greater Washington Partnership, a collective of regional businesses, in 2021 to attract more minorities and women into tech fields.
The recipients are Daniel Aboagye, Alseny Bah, Keith Brown, Nigel Clark, Joshua Graves, Aaliyah Jackson, Ibiyemi James, Aaron Johnson, L.J. Ramirez, Senesie Sannoh, Kayla Shackleford, DeJoy Spruill, Ngoc Tran and Eden Tamene Waka. Since its start, 38 students have received the scholarship.
“This program plays an important role in supporting our students,” said Rand Obeidat, data analytics programs coordinator. “This scholarship program is open to all Bowie State undergraduate students.”
As part of the credential program, students are required to take courses that cover data science and analytics, data visualization and business statistics. Students are also given the opportunity to connect with Capital CoLAB-affiliated employers for networking and mentoring opportunities, which can include career mentorship, coaching, job shadowing, experience credit, resume guidance, priority interviewing for internships and jobs, exclusive meetings with top executives, and even financial bonuses for newly recruited employees.
“The CoLAB credential program allows students, coming from all majors, to take data analytics courses taught using problem-based and hands-on projects to develop knowledge, skills and abilities by working on projects with data coming from different domain areas,” said Azene Zenebe, chair of the Department of Management Information Systems. “Data science and analytics is about solving complex problems or making decisions about important issues using big data and emerging information technology.”
Data analytics is expected to see substantial growth in the near future. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for data analysts is expected to grow by 23% from 2021 to 2031
