Morgan State University Receives $3M In State Funds For School's First Endowed Professorships
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Morgan State University received $3 million in state funds to endow three new research professorships, creating new research positions to study the brain health of African Americans, predictive analytics and cybersecurity engineering.
The endowed professorships are the first in the Morgan's 154-year history, the university said.
In a statement, Morgan State University president David K. Wilson said the positions will help the university contribute to developing areas in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
"This is a significant first for our university, placing us in an advantageous position not only to build for our future but to ensure there is a future for others, and we're excited about all of the possibilities that await," said Wilson.
The Maryland Department of Commerce provided $3 million through the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative, a program designed to boost scientific and technological research at nonprofit colleges and universities in the state. Morgan is providing matching funds with a gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, giving each endowed professorship $2 million.
The Endowed Chair in Brain Science will anchor the new Center for Brain Health Disparities and contribute to research "on the brain health of African Americans," the university said. The position will be housed in the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences.
The Endowed Chair in Psychometrics and Predictive Analytics, housed in the James H. Gilliam Jr. College of Liberal Arts, will "develop and use culturally sensitive and technically appropriate assessment tools" to study and measure human behavior, the university said.
The Eugene M. DeLoatch Endowed Chair in Cybersecurity Engineering, named for for the founding dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering, will study secure system designs for devices with internet capability and worth with multiple departments at Morgan.
