|
|
from the desk of
Anthony L. Jenkins, Ph.D.
| |
May 28, 2026
Dear Eagle Nation,
As we honor the Class of 2026, we also celebrate the collective commitment of the faculty, staff, families, alumni, donors, volunteers, and supporters who helped our graduates reach this important milestone. The joy, energy, and sense of community throughout the ceremony reflected the very best of Coppin State University.
Our graduates leave Coppin prepared to lead, serve, innovate, and make meaningful contributions to their communities and professions. They are a reflection of our mission, our values, and our continued momentum as Baltimore’s Hometown University.
I extend my deepest gratitude to the many individuals and teams whose work behind the scenes made this year’s commencement ceremony such a success. From the commencement planning committee and event production teams to facilities, housekeeping, public safety, transportation, communications, technology support, student affairs, volunteers, faculty marshals, and student leaders. Your professionalism, long hours, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment ensured a memorable experience for our graduates and their families.
I know many members of our campus community worked tirelessly for weeks and months in preparation for this important occasion, often outside of regular responsibilities and without public recognition. I acknowledge and am sincerely grateful for your dedication to Coppin and to our students.
Congratulations once again to the Class of 2026. We are proud of all you have accomplished, and we look forward to the impact you will continue to make in Baltimore and beyond.
| |
| Commencement 2026: A Day to Remember
| |
We conferred 339 degrees, including 291 bachelor's, 45 master's, and 3 doctoral, to a graduating class that exemplifies the multicultural, multigenerational cadre of students Coppin attract: the very best of what Coppin produces: first-generation scholars, veterans, working professionals, parents, researchers, and emerging leaders across health sciences, education, business, STEM, liberal arts, and criminal justice.
Our keynote speaker, U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, gave our graduates a direct and powerful charge: "Go out into the world, take up space, and show up in every room where decisions are being made," she said. Her reinforcing message empowered the class to boldy step into their futures.
This year's ceremony also affirmed something we are deeply proud of at Coppin: our student-athletes continue to lead by example. Coppin State Eagles graduated at a 92 percent rate, surpassing the national average and leading the MEAC conference for the fourth time in the past five years.
This achievement is a credit to our student-athletes, our coaches, our faculty, our academic support team, and a culture that says winning in the classroom matters just as much as winning on the field, the court, or the track. When our students graduate at rates like these, it sends a clear message about who we are: an institution where scholars and champions are made.
Take a moment to see the full graduating class. Every face. Every name. Every Eagle who earned this moment.
| |
| Honoring Our Golden Graduates, Class of 1976
| |
We also paused on Commencement Day to honor a group whose legacy made this moment possible: the Golden Graduate Class of 1976, celebrating 50 years since they walked across our stage.
Alumni like Gloria Anderson Gilliam, Dr. Nancy Lowe Connor, Gregory S. Matthews, and Gus Herrington returned to campus and reminded all of us that the HBCU experience is not just an education in the classroom, but becominga part of a lifelong family, creating a foundation for service, and a commitment to lifting others as you rise.
In the spirit of that commitment, members of the Class of 1976 are raising $25,000 to establish a Foundation Merit Scholarship that will support future Coppin Eagles. Their giving back is exactly the kind of legacy we hope every Coppin graduate continues to build.
Read the full story
| |
Graduate Spotlight: She Kept Going
| |
Dawn Roberts | Master of Science, Clinical Mental Health Rehabilitation Counseling | Baltimore, MD
Somewhere in the audience at Commencement on May 22, a little girl watched her mother do exactly what she had promised. Dawn Roberts crossed the stage and received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Rehabilitation Counseling, closing a two-year chapter that nearly stopped her more than once.
Her journey began in 2024 with a high-risk pregnancy and the birth of a daughter with serious health concerns. Dawn spent her early semesters balancing coursework with feedings, follow-up appointments, and the constant vigilance of a new mother whose child needed close care. "My baby was born with health issues, and I still wanted her to know mommy was going to keep going," she said.
She kept going. Then came July. Just after midnight on her 39th birthday, Dawn was struck in the back by a stray bullet outside a Federal Hill bar. She was not the intended target, but the wound was real, and so was the recovery. She started the fall semester in a sling, navigating blood clots, specialists, and physical therapy, unable even to lift her own daughter. She enrolled in four classes anyway.
The field she chose is no accident. After more than a decade in human services with the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services and The Arc, Dawn now steps into clinical counseling with the lived experience to match her training, the kind of understanding that comes only from walking through what your clients are walking through. She graduates as a wife, a mother, a survivor, and a Coppin Eagle whose work begins now.
| |
More Faces of the Class of 2026
Behind every degree conferred is a story worth telling. The Class of 2026 is full of Eagles whose paths to this stage were anything but ordinary. Here are a few more we are proud to celebrate:
| |
Ayreonna D. Terry | Bachelor of Social Work | Baltimore, MD
After experiencing homelessness, the loss of the godmother who raised her, and years away from school, Ayreonna balanced motherhood, work, and volunteer service to earn her degree in social work. She heads next to Barry University for her Master of Social Work. Read her story.
| |
Tiwalola Balogun | Biology | District Heights, MD
A full-ride Presidential Scholar, four-time Dean's List student, and undergraduate researcher, Tiwalola plans to pursue admission into a Physician Assistant program. "Coppin saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself." Read his story.
| |
William Erik Tonnessen | Entertainment Management | Baltimore, MD
After a 24-year absence, William returned to Coppin to fulfill a promise made to his mother. He earned Dean's List honors while continuing to serve as a Lieutenant with the Baltimore City Fire Department. Read his story.
| |
Angel Love | Accounting, Summa Cum Laude | Prince George's County, MD
A first-generation scholar who graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Angel is headed to the University of Maryland, College Park for her Master of Science in Accounting and CPA licensure by Spring 2027. Read her story.
| |
Lawrence Young | Applied Psychology | Baltimore, MD
A non-traditional student who built campus-wide conversations around mental wellness, Lawrence will continue at Coppin to pursue his master's in clinical psychology. Read his story.
| |
Larry Gill | Urban Arts, Magna Cum Laude | Durham, NC
A first-generation student from North Carolina, Larry served as the 25th Mister Coppin State University while building a career in technical theatre and lighting design. Read his story.
| |
In Their Own Words: "Dear Freshman Me"
Scholars of the Class of 2026 wrote letters to the freshmen they used to be. Letters to the version of themselves who first stepped onto our campus carrying nervous excitement, family expectations, and the quiet question every new student asks: Am I supposed to be here?
Their answers, honest, tender, and unguarded, are a self-portrait of who Coppin is and who we continue to become. Take a moment you to read their letters. They are a gift to every student who will follow them.
| |
Looking Ahead: A Record-Breaking 23,000 Applications
| |
As we celebrate the graduates soaring to higher heights, Coppin is preparing for its next cohort of scholars.
This year, Coppin State University received more than 23,000 undergraduate applications, the highest number in our history. At a moment when many institutions across the country are facing enrollment challenges, Coppin is moving in the opposite direction.
The momentum is no accident. It reflects years of focused investment in:
- Expand Eagle Nation, our outreach and engagement initiative
- Summer SOAR, academic advising and up to six free credit hours for eligible students
- Summer Academic Success Academy (SASA), our summer bridge program for incoming students
- Career development, mentorship, wellness, and hands-on learning opportunities that prepare students for life beyond graduation.
Students and families across Maryland and beyond are recognizing what we have always known: Coppin is a place of opportunity, transformation, and excellence. The belief in Coppin has never been stronger.
READ MORE >>>
| |
|
Stories connect us and showcase the impact of what we are building at Coppin State University. Share your story so we can highlight the excellence, momentum, and transformation happening across our campus.
| |
Take care, be well, and Go Eagles!
| |
Anthony L. Jenkins, Ph.D.
President
Coppin State University
| |
| | Follow Coppin State University
| |
|
|
|
|
|
