University of Maryland Eastern Shore, located on 620 acres (2.5 km²) in Princess Anne, Maryland, is part of the University System of Maryland.
The school was founded in 1886 through the offices of the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was known as the Delaware Conference Academy. Later UMES came to be called Industrial Branch of Morgan State College and Princess Anne Academy. In 1919 the state of Maryland assumed control of the academy and changed its name to Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Agricultural College. In 1948 the name was again changed, this time to Maryland State College. Finally, in 1970 the name became University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
UMES is an historically black university, as well as an 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant University.
The university is comprised of four schools:
- Agricultural and Natural Sciences
- Arts and Professions
- Business and Technology
- Graduate Studies
UMES also offers M.S. and Ph.D degrees in Marine-Estuarine and Environmental Sciences and Toxicology.
UMES athletic teams compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The school was once a powerhouse in black college football, producing five undefeated seasons between 1947 and 1960, but like many smaller colleges, the high costs associated with operating a Division I football program and complying with Title IX became too much of a burden, and the team was shut down after the 1979 season. NFL player and coach Art Shell attended UMES.
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