The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is based in Maryland and is part of the University System of Maryland.
UMES dates back to 1886 and is a historically black university. Since, the university has grown to occupy over 745 acres with 32 major buildings.
The university consists of five separate schools, which are: School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, School of Education, Social Sciences, and the Arts, School of Business and Technology, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions and the School of Graduate Studies.
The university is known particularly for its courses in hotel and restaurant management, fashion merchandising, construction management, professional golf management, aviation science, and teacher education.
There are a wide variety of clubs and organisations on campus which students can participate in, which include: Gospel Choir, Caribbean International Club, Action Anime Society, Ambiance Dance Society and Diamonds Dance Squad.
UMES was in fact one of the founding members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1970. Athletic teams at UMES – known as The Hawks – compete in 15 sports at Division I level in seven different sports. These include: basketball, track and field, baseball, volleyball, soccer and bowling.
Notable alumni include Clarence Clemons, an American saxophonist, musician and actor who played alongside Bruce Springsteen for 40 years, Art Shell, Jr., an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, and Earl Christy, a former professional American football player who played cornerback for three seasons for the New York Jets.
