24 Faculty and Staff Members to Be Honored at Convocation

Awards recognize leadership, service and research achievements.

By Maryland Today Staff | Maryland Today

From discipline-altering research accomplishments to the peerless day-to-day teaching and service that keep an institution going, 24 faculty and staff members in the UMD community will be honored for their work today during the 39th annual Convocation.

“This year's Convocation honorees are a great example of how the University of Maryland strives to achieve excellence in everything we do while creating an inclusive, welcoming campus environment where anyone can meet their potential,” President Darryll J. Pines said. “The intelligence, imagination and dedication demonstrated by our fellow Terps are a key part of solving the grand challenges of our time. I congratulate all of the honorees for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to our campus.”

Warren Kelley, senior associate vice president for the Division of Student Affairs, will receive the President’s Medal, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the intellectual, social and cultural life of Maryland. Kelley, who first came to UMD in 1977 as an architecture student, has been a consensus builder and problem solver for 40 years, has directed units including the Counseling Center, Career Center, and Parent and Family Affairs, and guided initiatives such as the transfer of Sports Medicine from the Athletics Department to the University Health Center and the dramatic expansion of staff in the Accessibility and Disability Service.

History Professor Richard Bell will receive the Kirwan Faculty Research and Scholarship Prize for his book, “Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home.” A 2020 finalist for the George Washington Prize and Harriet Tubman Prize, Bell’s book was praised for uncovering harrowing details about the U.S. slave trade while demonstrating an ability to conduct important scholarly research and effectively communicate to a wide audience.

Read the full story in Maryland Today. 

Photo by John T. Consoli.