
PRINCESS ANNE, MD
– May 12, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of
Food and Agriculture announced today that the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore is one of four 1890 land-grant institutions set to receive funding from its
total investment of $5.76 million reserved for 1890 Centers of Excellence
grants.
“The 1890
Centers of Excellence awards are an effort to increase rural prosperity and
economic sustainability of food systems in underserved farming communities,”
said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. “These grants will support projects
that address critical needs for developing global food security and defense;
enhancing academic and career activities for students pursuing careers in food
and agricultural sciences; and addressing vital needs in nutrition and health
to improve the quality of life of underserved populations.”
UMES will develop the 1890 Universities Center of Excellence
for Global Food Security and Defense to foster international partnerships that
strengthen agricultural development in developing countries and engage
international researchers in addressing new and emerging animal and plant
diseases, and agricultural disaster recovery.
“We count it a privilege to be named among the four 1890s entrusted
with leading Centers of Excellence on behalf of all 1890 land-grant
institutions,” said Dr. Heidi Anderson, UMES president and member at-large of
the Council of 1890 Universities. “We are indebted to Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC)
and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for their role in writing the 1890 Centers of
Excellence provision that was included in the 2018 Farm Bill. In addition, we
are grateful to Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and
Jeff Markley (D-OR), along with other congressional agriculture leaders in the
House and in the Senate, for their help in seeing the funding through.”
UMES joins Tuskegee University (Center for Farming Systems,
Rural Prosperity and Economic Sustainability), Southern University (Center of
Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life) and North
Carolina A&T State University (1890 Center of Excellence for Student
Success and Workforce Development) in providing leadership and working
collaboratively with the 1890s in its respective area of excellence.
“We are
delighted to have this opportunity to coordinate concerted efforts that bring
together all nineteen 1890 universities to address critical issues around food
security and defense as well as the development of talent to fulfill
the nation's need for a skilled workforce to operate in a global
workplace,” said Dr. Moses Kairo, dean of the UMES School of Agricultural and
Natural Sciences. “Together, the nineteen universities have unique capacities
to bring to bear on these issues; and based on UMES’ previous experiences in
international development, the university is well-positioned to provide
the necessary coordination to ensure effective and efficient
implementation of the center's activities.”
About NIFA:
NIFA invests in and advances
agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make
transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports
initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated
approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related
sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In
FY2020, NIFA’s total investment was $1.95 billion.
Visit the website: www.nifa.usda.gov;
Twitter: @USDA_NIFA; LinkedIn: USDA-NIFA. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on
agricultural science (searchable by state or keyword), visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts.
About the Land-Grant Mission
One of the strongest identifying
characteristics of UMES is its status as an 1890 Land-Grant Institution. The Second Morrill Act of 1890 was enacted
to grant land to select historically black institutions of higher education to
educate citizens of color. Hence, the 1890 institution. Today, nineteen 1890 institutions
share the common goal of producing graduates who contribute to the world while conducting
research and extension programs that address critical challenges. The land-grant
mission at UMES serves to improve the standard of living and the quality of
life for diverse populations, including limited-resource persons. Visit https://www.umes.edu/home/
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Suzanne Waters Street,
agricultural communications specialist, School of Agricultural & Natural
Sciences, 410-651-6084, sstreet@umes.edu.
*Photo: J.T. Williams Hall by Todd Dudek