Concludes 40-year career with multiple HBCU executive appointments.
Concludes 40-year career with multiple HBCU executive appointments.
Bowie State University President Mickey Burnim announced his retirement today, telling faculty and students assembled for the school’s annual fall convocation that he will end his 11-year tenure on June 30, 2017.
Burnim will end his career with distinguished stops at Bowie State, Maryland’s oldest historically black college, and as chancellor of Elizabeth City State University, where he also served for 11 years.
In a statement, Burnim said that he took special pride in the growth of students and of the university’s brand throughout Maryland and beyond.
“My tenure here at Bowie State has been one of challenge, personal growth, and gratification that comes from the many successes that we have experienced together. My interactions with students at our home and on campus are sources of fond memories. Seeing and hearing students report on their research findings during our Student Undergraduate Research Institute has been a source of real pride and delight. I have also enjoyed great satisfaction seeing our student athletes and our Honda Campus All-Star Challenge teams compete, and witnessing young scholars being inducted into their various honor societies. There have been many, many wonderful experiences with our students, faculty, and staff which I will forever cherish!”
Burnim’s announcement follows an enrollment increase for the fall semester, with BSU welcoming a freshman class with a record 950 freshmen. Along with increases in graduation rates by more than 27 percent, he is credited with the construction of three academic buildings, and a successful $15 million capital campaign in 2009.
Burnim said that STEM workforce development partnerships with Lockheed Martin and predominantly white system peer institution University of Maryland Baltimore County, were at the core of the university’s future trajectory of success.
“Solidifying the foundations to support faculty innovations, international experiences for students and our position as a leader in meeting the national demand for cybersecurity professionals is critical to assuring that Bowie State continues on the path to greatness in a changing world,” Burnim said. “With your unrelenting dedication and support, the future for Bowie State is limitless.”
State legislative and higher education officials tweeted support for Burnim shortly after the announcement.
