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USM Recognizes UMES Faculty Through Regents’ Awards
PRINCESS ANNE, MD- April 22, 2010-Drs. Joseph Arumala and Raymond Blakely of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore are this year’s recipients of the University System of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Awards.
Established in 1995, the award is regarded as the highest honor presented by the USM Board of Regents to exemplary faculty members. Arumala and Blakely are among 16 other individuals throughout the university system, who were honored this year for their professional accomplishments in one of the following areas: mentoring; public service; teaching and research.
Each award recipient received $1,000 and a plaque of recognition for the honor. Arumala was recognized in the public service category and Blakely in the mentoring category.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Arumala began teaching in the UMES School of Business and Technology more than 14 years ago. Throughout his career, Arumala has focused on projects that benefit area youth on the Lower Shore.
In 2008, an outdoor athletic center opened on the former site of a dilapidated abandoned clam factory, thanks to a cooperative effort between the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the town of Princess Anne.
Arumala helped make the $1.5 million project a reality when he came to the town with information on a Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, grant for $340,000 that was specifically earmarked for historically black colleges and universities.
The grant was designed to allow these institutions of higher learning to benefit the community at large by putting money into projects.
In the end, the professor’s input helped save countless dollars in overhead for the Princess Anne athletic center that was later named the Garland Hayward Youth Center located on Hampden Avenue.
“It’s been very successful,” said Arumala, who has proposed future expansions to the property, which includes a gymnasium. “Before the athletic center opened, those kids didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Additionally, Arumala played a role in organizing the first Engineering Expos in both Somerset and Wicomico counties three years ago, which featured hands on demonstrations staffed by engineers and technologists from local engineering firms and UMES.
A native of Ohio, Blakely is a professor and the chair of the Department of Physical Therapy in the UMES School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. The department was established under his directorship in 1981 and has grown to become accredited and include a doctorial program.
Blakely’s career experience includes more than 40 years in clinical practice, 34 years in teaching and 27 years in administration for the Physical Therapy program.
Under his leadership, the program has resulted in exceptional first-time licensure pass rates and all graduates have found employment within the field.
“We make an effort to provide opportunities for students that go beyond the classroom,” said Blakely, who is also active in professional organizations involving allied health and rural health.
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Candice Evans, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-651-6669, caevans1@umes.edu.
Gail Stephens, assistant director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-651-7580, gcstephens@umes.edu.
Photo Top Leftt: William E. Kirwan, USM Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer; Joseph Arumala, professor in the UMES Department of Technology; Thelma B. Thompson, president of UMES; and Clifford M. Kendall, chairman of the USM Board of Regents
Photo Top Right: Clifford M. Kendall, chairman of the USM Board of Regents; Thelma B. Thomas, president of UMES; Raymond Blakely, chairperson and professor in the UMES Department of Physical Therapy; and William E. Kirwan, USM Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer.