Dear Bowie State University Campus Community,

Welcome to the 2025–2026 academic year—a season filled with renewed energy, purpose, and promise. The campus is once again alive with activity, and I am grateful to see our community gathered with a shared commitment to excellence and opportunity.

Our newest class of students joins us from 36 states and 49 countries, bringing with them diverse perspectives that enrich our campus and inspire us all. Their presence reminds us that Bowie State continues to be a beacon of access and possibility, just as it has been since its founding in 1865.

This year carries an especially important milestone—the 160th anniversary of Bowie State University. From our beginnings as a teacher training school for newly emancipated citizens to our role today as a comprehensive university shaping leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset, BSU has remained steadfast in its mission to provide opportunity, foster excellence, and uplift communities. This milestone is a celebration of the past, and a call to embrace the future with the same courage and determination that guided our founders.

At the same time, we embark on our new strategic plan, Boldly Forward. The plan reflects our belief that no matter how much the world around us changes, BSU will continue to adapt, embrace opportunity, and chart a course toward a brighter future. I encourage each of you to engage deeply with its goals, as they represent a roadmap for progress, hope, and collective action.

Together, we also celebrate extraordinary achievements that demonstrate the strength of our faculty and staff. Your unwavering dedication has propelled BSU to national recognition, including a #11 ranking in U.S. News & World Report and the Carnegie Research Colleges and Universities designation. These honors affirm the important and impactful research taking place here and the excellence that defines our community.

As we look ahead, I encourage everyone to honor our proud traditions as Maryland’s oldest HBCU. One of the most meaningful is Convocation, where we gather as a campus community to open the academic year and formally welcome the incoming class into the BSU family. I invite you to join me on Wednesday, September 10, at 10:00 a.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. Center Auditorium for this year’s Convocation. With Grammy award-winning gospel artist James “J.J.” Hairston as our keynote speaker, we will celebrate our students and the enduring spirit of unity and hope that defines Bowie State.

We stand on the shoulders of our founders, whose vision and perseverance built this institution against all odds. Their legacy calls us to move forward with courage and determination. As we honor the past, we also look boldly toward the future—together.

Let us step into this new year with confidence, purpose, and pride.

Let’s move Boldly Forward!

Best wishes,

Aminta H. Breaux, Ph.D.
President
Bowie State University