Morgan State University - Promethean Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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MOflRlS A. UBfUftr 00649 0f or like Prometheus. Life bringing, creative or courageously original. Promethean person in spirit or deeds. Promethean Promethean MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Baltimore, Maryland University Volume IV MCMLXXIX LYNN KNIGHT-Editor in Chief MICHAEL SHEFFEY-Assistant Editor DR. BURNEY HOLLIS-Advisor

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This edition of the Promethean is a very special one as it is representative of the class of 1979 which is the first university graduating class. We attained University status only four short years ago and the transitional period has been a complex one. Morgan State College is now Morgan State University and what are the under- lying implications? Are we a University in name only or are we an institution of exceptional quality dedicated to the ideals of academic and personal enrichment through educational experiences? It is our hope that we are the latter. Morgan has a proud past. The wisdom and acumen of the late Dr. Martin Jenkins built Morgan State College into a prominent and academically sound institution. Morgan has an extensive record of producing ex- ceptional alumni and had mastered the ability to transform mediocre or less than average freshman into academicians. Morgan has been a viable force in the Black community for years. In 1979. we. the Morgan Family, are faced with a particularly complex dilemma. That being the future of Morgan State University. Morgan State College was an excellent post-secondary institution but can Morgan as an university, claim that status? Did we put our foot in our mouths by demanding University status? Did we go over our heads? Is it the fate of Morgan to become a mediocre University? Was University status really that important, or did we stigmatize ourselves in the name of egoism? In 1979. Morgan finds itself in a maze of external and internal complexity. Internally, we are facing a qundary of impassivity among students and faculty, nonchalance toward academe and complacency in reference to the external dynamism that threatens our survival as a Black collegiate institution. Externally. Morgan faces the dilemma of the Maryland State Board for Higher Education's Master Plan and other varying degrees of institutional racism. We must face the realization that the State of Maryland seems determined to starve Morgan of the resources necessary to function as a quality institution. The facts are clear. Maryland State government consistently appropriates Morgan less money for academic enrichment and development than Towson State. University of Maryland Bal- timore County and other comparible institutions in the state, while some of these same institutions serve smaller student enrollments than Morgan. Additionally, from 1963-1977, Frostburg State College received con- siderably more money than Morgan for capital improvements while their student population is only half of Mor- gan. No to mention U. M. B. C.. which received twice the amount of money for capital improvement than Mor- gan. while they too serve a smaller student population than Morgan. Our attempts to expand University pro- grams are thwarted in the name of duplication.” We are given straw and expected to erect monuments. Under the title, University, we are now comparable to other Universities in the state. It is now our task to make Morgan worthy of the notability that was as- sociated with Morgan State College. We have accepted the challenge of University status and we will deter- mine the future of Morgan. As a people, we have overcome many trying times. Our capacity to endure is in- credible and our ability to produce in the face of equivocal odds has been our source of strength in the past. We as Morganites accept the challenge of building our proud alma-mater into a great University dedicated to cultural enrichment and academic excellence, thereby justifying Morgan State University as it now stands. }