Coppin State University

DINNER AND A SHOW" REACHED new heights at the Lyric Opera House recently, as Coppin State University held its Second Annual Vision Award Celebration there. Hundreds of formally dressed folks gathered on the mezzanine level for a pre-show party before they would head into the theater to see performances by singer Nancy Wilson and comedian Bill Cosby. Guests browsed the dinner buffet and caught up with old friends. For incoming Coppin president Reginald Avery and his wife, Esther, it meant meeting a lot of new friends.

Maryland's in-state undergraduates will pay a few hundred dollars more per semester this fall under a new tuition-and-fee plan approved Wednesday by the university system's Board of Regents. Out-of-state students will be hit a little harder, paying as much as $1,060 more, for example, at the University of Maryland, College Park. The plan marks the fourth year that tuition for resident undergraduates at most Maryland schools has gone up 3 percent — an increase characterized by university system officials as moderate and lower than many states.

Frederick Douglass High School in West Baltimore has a proud and storied history, but by any measure, it languishes today. There are no Advanced Placement classes. The carpet in the library is taped to the floor. Ninety-five percent of students failed last year's state test in algebra. Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele says "enough is enough." He is making a personal commitment to turning the school around and adding his weight to a proposal that nearby Coppin State University take over its management.

Letter writer Gary Bohlke suggests that Coppin State University has failed and should be closed ("Admit Coppin is a failed institution and close it," May 7). I disagree strongly. The outreach programs at Coppin State receive high marks. As a current month-long visitor to Baltimore, I have participated regularly in outreach programs at Coppin, and my experiences there have been nothing short of fabulous. Coppin's wellness program offers Baltimore residents use of modern athletic facilities for various sporting activities at a very low cost.

The University System of Maryland loses the last of its "colleges" today, when Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. signs a bill creating Coppin State University. The dropping of "college" from the West Baltimore school's name was approved unanimously by the General Assembly. It leaves St. Mary's College of Maryland, which operates independently of the university system, as the only public four-year college in Maryland. "We deserve it," said Coppin President Stanley F. Battle, who has been pressing for the name change since he took office a year ago. "We worked very hard for this.

Coppin State University has a serious problem with very low rates of student retention and graduation. Last December, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents created a Special Review Committee to look into this problem further and make recommendations. This is of special interest to me, as I served as a member of the faculty at Coppin for 12 years, from 1999 until 2011, including service as Faculty Senate president in 2005-2007. Historically, Coppin's core mission has been to provide much-needed access to quality higher education for the citizens of Baltimore City, especially African-American men and women who often must contend with social and economic barriers because of race.

On December 11, 2006, VASHTI MINOR JUDE; mother of Elise Jude Mason, Esq., Laura Gardner; grandmother of Fred D. Mason, III. Also survived by other relatives. Family will receive friends at St. James Episcopal Church, Lafayette and Arlington Avenues, Friday 11 A.M to 12 noon with Mass to follow. Interment Arbutus Memorial Park. Family request donations to be made payable to Coppin State University. Services entrusted to Phillips Funeral Home, 410-523-4918.

To answer your recent editorial, "Which way for Coppin?" (July 25), my response is - up! Back in June 2009, Coppin State University President Dr. Reginald S. Avery wrote, "We understand our obligation to be good stewards of the public's investment in us and that we will be held accountable. " The priority of Coppin State University today must be the enrollment, retention and graduation of students. Coppin, much more than any other university in Maryland, has a tremendous challenge in addressing a significant number of disadvantaged Maryland residents.

On June 18, 2003 BAIL L. RAO, born in India, son of the late Bail and Laxmi Gopalakrishnaya. He received his PhD in England and worked for several major companies including Clairol and MaxFactor as a Research Manager. From 1968 to 1985 he was the Chairman of the Department of CHemistry at Coppin State University. In 1985 he retired andobtained a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Baltimore. He is also survived by a nephew and a grand-niece. He enjoyed reading writing and the horse races.

On Sunday, October 19, 2003, LILLIAN DABNEY DEARING, Ph.D., a resident of Baltimore, MD., passed away at the Independence Court of Hyattsville. She was a retired professor of education at Coppin State University, born in Washington, D.C. Daughter of the late William H. and Minerva G. Dabney. Left to cherish her memory are; her sister Ruth C. Smith and brother-in-law William R. Smith. Family will receive friends during viewing on Monday, October 27 from 10 A.M. until Funeral Service 11 A.M. at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 1225 R St., NW, Washington, D.C. Interment Maryland National Memorial Park.

Your article on Coppin State University's new science building truly boggles the mind ("Science center may help Coppin close the gap," May 3). The state is spending $80 million for a building the university admits it does not have sufficient funds to operate or maintain. That is a staggering admission. May I suggest one of two other possibilities for that $80 million. For a four-year university with a six-year graduation rate of 15 percent - one of the lowest in the country - how about requiring higher academic standards?

Coppin State University has a serious problem with very low rates of student retention and graduation. Last December, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents created a Special Review Committee to look into this problem further and make recommendations. This is of special interest to me, as I served as a member of the faculty at Coppin for 12 years, from 1999 until 2011, including service as Faculty Senate president in 2005-2007. Historically, Coppin's core mission has been to provide much-needed access to quality higher education for the citizens of Baltimore City, especially African-American men and women who often must contend with social and economic barriers because of race.

Embattled Coppin State University President Reginald S. Avery will step down in January, nearly a year after faculty gave him a vote of no confidence for lacking vision and before his initiatives to improve the state's lowest graduation rates have shown any progress. Avery, 66, who announced the move Wednesday, said that the vote did not factor into his decision, but that he felt the time was right to "step aside" after five years leading the West Baltimore institution. He acknowledged that a turnaround hadn't occurred, but said he plans to return to the classroom where he would continue seeking to improve student engagement on the campus and in the community.

Regarding your recent editorial about our school, for nearly the last five years, I have had the distinct privilege of serving as president and CEO of Coppin State University ("Which way Coppin?" July 25). Our faculty, staff, and administration have worked tirelessly to provide an opportunity for students to receive a quality education. A majority of our students are first generation college students. They come from families who have not experienced the challenge of college life or had the opportunity to achieve a college degree.

To answer your recent editorial, "Which way for Coppin?" (July 25), my response is - up! Back in June 2009, Coppin State University President Dr. Reginald S. Avery wrote, "We understand our obligation to be good stewards of the public's investment in us and that we will be held accountable. " The priority of Coppin State University today must be the enrollment, retention and graduation of students. Coppin, much more than any other university in Maryland, has a tremendous challenge in addressing a significant number of disadvantaged Maryland residents.

Dr. Elizabeth A. "Betty" Edmonds, a longtime city public school principal who was fearless in her efforts to straighten out troubled schools and later joined the faculty of Coppin State University, died May 21 of pneumonia at Sinai Hospital. The longtime Ashburton resident was 87. "She was a great American story and that's why her life is so inspirational. She had the old-fashioned educational values and was an educator's educator," said Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, an old friend.

Special Olympics athletes from across Baltimore dribbled, shot and scored at the citywide Special Olympics Adult Basketball Championships last Monday. Nearly 80 adult Special Olympians competed in three events: basketball skills, which tested passing, dribbling and shooting; a 3-on-3 basketball game; and a 3-on-3 game that paired Olympians and their mentors. About 50 Coppin State University students volunteered and cheered on the athletes in the school's third year hosting the championships.

Letter writer Gary Bohlke suggests that Coppin State University has failed and should be closed ("Admit Coppin is a failed institution and close it," May 7). I disagree strongly. The outreach programs at Coppin State receive high marks. As a current month-long visitor to Baltimore, I have participated regularly in outreach programs at Coppin, and my experiences there have been nothing short of fabulous. Coppin's wellness program offers Baltimore residents use of modern athletic facilities for various sporting activities at a very low cost.

Police have identified the 18-year-old woman found stabbed to death Tuesday afternoon in her home in North Baltimore's Remington neighborhood. The body of Jhoma Blackwell was found about 4:30 p.m. by relatives. Police said the Coppin State University nursing student had been stabbed multiple times. Detective Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman, said investigators "believe that this is not a random act of violence. " Neighbors said they had heard fighting earlier. Blackwell had been a student since the fall, said Coppin spokeswoman Tiffany Jones.

Endings are usually bittersweet, often unwelcomed and sometimes contentious. That might best describe the potential end of Ron "Fang" Mitchell's 25-year basketball stewardship at Coppin State University. If this is his farewell script, it will not be a good one for the man who built a dominating Division I program in West Baltimore in the 1990s, only to see it sputter and stall in the last decade. Mitchell's departure this year is not certain. But his contract expires at the end of the season, the athletic director says he hasn't made a decision to retain — or remove — the coach, and Mitchell himself speaks only in cryptic phrases, if at all, about his job status.