Morgan Choir Named AMERICA'S BEST COLLEGE CHOIR by ...

Office of the PresidentPRESIDENTIALPERSPECTIVEGreetings:Welcome to the Spring, 2004 issue of Morgan Magazine.The past few months have been busy times here on the campus. Several new projects are now underway andwe are generally pleased with the enhancements we have been able to make to some of our programs.The long-awaited new, five-story library that is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2006, promises tobe a showcase facility. It will contain study areas, classrooms, computer labs, and meeting rooms with stillenough space to add 5,000 volumes each year for the next twenty years.Also under construction are the new student center and parking garage with a capacity of over 500 cars, alongwith the new communications building that will include a footbridge connecting the north and south campusesfor the first time. Located on the site where Soldier’s Armory once stood, the new student center will be home toa cyber café, retail shops with a bookstore, 800-seat theatre and ballroom, a food court and meeting rooms. Ofcourse, I hope all of you are as proud as I am about the renovations recently completed to Alumni House. It isyet another must-see for those visiting the campus.You should know how proud I am to announce to many of you that we have added another arm to our alreadydistinguished School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences. We are calling it the Morgan State UniversityEstuarine Research Center. It is a research laboratory located on the banks of the Patuxent River in SouthernMaryland. This new extension of the university is going to help us to have an even greater impact on diversity inthe field of science.I believe you will enjoy reading in this issue about the successes of Morgan’s School of Engineering, preparingstudents to meet the challenges of their profession across the globe. Even in Afghanistan, these young engineersare carrying the Morgan banner to new heights.Yes, we have been very busy here on the campus, and so, too, have Dr. Nathan Carter and the Morgan StateUniversity Choir. They are back from a history-making visit to St. Petersburg, Russia where they wowed audienceswith two performances. It was, we are told, the first time an African American choir has ever performed in Russia.You will read more about the choir and their performances in this issue. However, I wanted to be the first to tellyou of some more exciting news – Reader’s Digest, in its May, 2004 issue, names the Morgan State UniversityChoir the “Best College Choir in America.” It is a distinction they deserve by their hard work and I know you willwant to join me in offering congratulations.And finally, our capital campaign, New Horizons: The Campaign for Morgan State University, is doing verywell after only two years. In fact, we are closing in on our goal of $25 million each and every day. Let me say‘thank you’ to those who have already given to vital fund-raising effort and ask those who have not yet done so,to please help a deserving young student to achieve his or her dream of a college education. In the process, youwill be helping Morgan to do more of the great things you will read about in this issue of Morgan Magazine.Enjoy!Sincerely,Earl S. RichardsonPresident1700 E. Cold Spring Lane • Truth Hall, Room 403 • Baltimore, MD 21251(443) 885-3200 • Fax (443) 885-3107MORGAN MAGAZINE 2