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from the desk of
Anthony L. Jenkins, Ph.D.
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April 21, 2026
Dear Eagle Nation,
We are entering the final stretch of the academic year. Across campus, the pace has quickened. Students are preparing for final exams. Faculty are guiding them through the last steps of their academic journey. Our graduating seniors are beginning to look ahead.
This is a season of completion. It is also a season of momentum.
Across the country and around the world, institutions are entering commencement season, celebrating students who have reached a defining milestone. At Coppin, that moment carries a deeper meaning. It reflects not only academic achievement, but the power of access, opportunity, and community.
In just a few weeks, we will gather on the Physical Education Complex Soccer Field to celebrate our 126th Commencement Ceremony and confer degrees upon more than 300 graduates. We are honored to welcome Angela Alsobrooks as our commencement speaker, joining us to mark this important milestone. Each represents what is possible when opportunity meets discipline, purpose, and support.
What we are witnessing across Coppin is not routine progress. It is meaningful, measurable advancement. Our students are succeeding. Our faculty are leading. And our university is demonstrating what leadership in urban higher education looks like.
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| Resilience on the Mound: Jackson Montgomery’s Comeback Story
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Coppin State baseball student-athlete Jackson Montgomery is earning national attention for his remarkable journey of resilience and determination, recently featured on NBC Chicago.
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2024, Montgomery faced a redshirt season and significant health challenges that tested both his physical and mental strength. Through discipline, focus, and an unwavering commitment to his goals, he returned to the mound, rejoined the Eagles' roster, and continued his Division I career.
Today, Montgomery is also a member of the 2025 Dexcom U roster, using his experience to mentor and support other young athletes navigating similar diagnoses.
His story reflects the strength and perseverance that define Coppin students and underscores the university’s commitment to supporting every student’s success on and off the field.
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| Rooted in Purpose, Rising in Excellence: Celebrating Our Top Scholars
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On April 16, Coppin State celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Senior Academic Achievement Awards, honoring the highest-achieving graduating seniors from every academic department. This year's theme, Rooted in Purpose, Rising in Excellence, captured both the weight of this tradition and the promise of this class.
Held as an elegant evening ceremony and dinner, the event recognized the dedication and intellectual curiosity of our top scholars, while also honoring the faculty, families, and communities that supported their journeys.
For two decades, this ceremony has represented more than recognition. It affirms the standard we hold at Coppin and the excellence our students consistently reach. Congratulations to every scholar honored, and to the faculty who helped shape these remarkable journeys.
READ MORE ›››
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Advancing Male Student Success
At a moment when institutions across the country are grappling with declining male enrollment, Coppin State continues to lead. Between 2021 and 2025, male enrollment at Coppin grew by more than 54 percent, and Coppin remains the only Maryland HBCU to increase its male enrollment every year since 2021.
That growth is matched by retention. While the national male retention rate averaged 67 percent between 2022 and 2023, Coppin's male retention rate during the same period reached 77 percent — ten points above state and national benchmarks.
These outcomes reflect deliberate institutional investment. Through the Eagle Achievement Center, academic coaching, peer mentoring, and wraparound services, we are meeting our students where they are and preparing them for where they are going. The national narrative on male enrollment does not have to hold. At Coppin, we are demonstrating that with intentional action and a culture that honors the intellect and aspirations of young men, a different outcome is not only possible, it is already here.
READ MORE ›››
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| A First in 27 Years: Coppin Hosts MAWCA 2026
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On March 27–28, the Coppin State Writing Center welcomed tutors and administrators from across the mid-Atlantic to West Baltimore for the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Writing Centers Association (MAWCA) Conference. The event marked the first time since 1999 that an HBCU hosted the annual regional conference, and set new post-COVID benchmarks for registration and attendance.
Held under the theme Cities That Write: Place, Space, and Writing Center Geography, the conference brought participants from Delaware, Maryland, northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, with attendees arriving from as far as Charlotte, North Carolina, and Ithaca, New York.
The programming featured a workshop led by Lena Tashjian and the tutors of the Baltimore City College Writing Center. The keynote was delivered by Dr. Rachel Azima, Writing Center Director and Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In addition to hosting, Coppin State Writing Center staff led three presentations. Associate Tutor Jordan McMillian and peer tutor Sayniel Sawmadal guided a roundtable titled Let Us Cook: HBCU Tutors on the Flavors of Their Writing Centers, gathering HBCU perspectives to add more tutor voices to writing center studies. Gilliann Kenerly presented on the development of the Writing Center’s Blackboard presence and its role in expanding indirect engagement with students. Matthew Kenerly discussed how Fanny Jackson Coppin’s autobiography offers a unique archival, place-based pedagogy that can inform the Writing Center’s continued vision for growth.
MAWCA 2026 reflects how the Coppin State Writing Center mirrors this university’s intent — forging connections across Baltimore and the region, advancing our strategic plan, and creating the conditions in which every Coppin writer can thrive.
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| TeachForward: Accelerating Pathways to the Classroom
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Maryland continues to face a significant need for qualified teachers. This month, Coppin State launched TeachForward (P2P 3.0), the next chapter of our decade-long Pathways to Professions initiative, designed to accelerate pathways into the teaching profession across the state.
TeachForward will establish a multi-agency Credit for Prior Learning system that recognizes prior experience, streamlines credentialing, and reduces the time required for aspiring educators to complete their licensure.
“The Pathways to Professions initiatives have always been grounded in access, innovation, and student success. TeachForward builds on that foundation by creating a more flexible and responsive system that values experience and accelerates progress,” said Dr. Yi-Ping Huang, Executive Director and Principal Investigator, College of Arts and Sciences and Education.
For ten years, Pathways to Professions has positioned Coppin as a leader in workforce-aligned education. TeachForward extends that leadership, strengthening the educator pipeline and expanding opportunity for working adults, career changers, and paraprofessionals who are ready to serve Maryland's students.
READ MORE ›››
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Countdown to Compliance: Digital Accessibility Training Is Here
On April 24, 2026, the DOJ's Web Accessibility Final Rule takes effect for Maryland public higher education institutions, including Coppin State. That means the digital content our faculty and staff create every day, documents, PDFs, presentations, spreadsheets, emails, and web pages, must meet accessibility standards as part of the University's programs, services, and activities.
The IDEA Team is ready to help you get there.
Our Digital Accessibility Foundations training breaks it all down into 6 core skills you can start using right away. Sessions are two hours, hands-on, and designed to meet you where you are, whether you're brand new to accessibility or just looking to sharpen what you know.
Hour 1 covers what digital accessibility means, why it matters, and the six skills you'll use in your everyday work. Hour 2 is all practice, with real tools and your own materials. Bring your laptop if you have it ( optional).
Face-to-face sessions are available now through April 30, with multiple time slots each day:
April 22, 24, 27, 28, 29, and 30 | Morning and afternoon slots available
Ready to sign up? Visit Digital Accessibility Foundations Survey to choose your date and time. You can also explore the Accessibility Hub for resources and guides to get a head start.
Questions? We're always here. Reach out to tlt@coppin.edu.
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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.
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In these final weeks, as our students prepare for exams and complete the work that will carry them across the stage, I ask that we continue to lead with intention and care.
This is where our impact is felt most. In the support we provide, the standards we uphold, and the example we set each day.
Our students are watching. Our communities are counting on us. And the Coppin legacy we are shaping will extend far beyond commencement day.
Thank you for being part of this community and for the many ways you support our mission of lifting lives and livelihoods. Your commitment, both seen and unseen, continues to strengthen our students, our university, and the future we are building together.
Take care, be well, and Go Eagles!
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Anthony L. Jenkins, Ph.D.
President
Coppin State University
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