Congressman Addresses Winter Grads

U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) delivered the winter commencement address to UMD graduates on Dec. 19 and received an honorary doctorate of public service.

Before an estimated 4,600 degrees were conferred, Cummings encouraged graduates to direct their ambition toward a greater good. “Our personal dreams mean nothing if they do not benefit other people,” he said.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Cummings became the first African American to be named speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates. He has represented the state’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1996.

Also at the ceremony, 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III was awarded a posthumous Bachelor of Humane Letters degree. He was killed on campus last spring, just before he was to graduate from Bowie State University.

“This is a fitting memorial to a young man whose life and death have touched our community so deeply,” UMD President Wallace D. Loh said.