The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law has established a scholarship honoring cherished alumnus Elijah E. Cummings, JD ’76, who died in October 2019.

Congressman Cummings frequently returned to Maryland Carey Law, exhorting students to work for positive change in the world.

Under the leadership of chair Robert J. Kim ’83, the Maryland Carey Law Board of Visitors, of which Cummings was a longstanding member, created and swiftly funded the scholarship in the weeks after the congressman’s death. The Cummings Scholarship reached its initial endowment goal of $50,000 before the end of 2019.

“We lost a great man whose contributions to the law school, Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and the nation are immeasurable,” Kim said. “The Cummings Scholarship honors Elijah by continuing his legacy of empowering students to become legal leaders, using their education to do good in the world.”

Awarded to one recipient per year, the scholarship will support Maryland Carey Law students who have an interest in public service, a record of academic excellence, and demonstrated financial need.

“Congressman Cummings meant so much to our community, and I am incredibly grateful to the Board of Visitors for their leadership in creating and supporting this scholarship,” said Maryland Carey Law Dean Donald B. Tobin, JD. “We will carry on Elijah Cummings’ legacy for years to come and look forward to selecting the inaugural Cummings Scholarship recipient.”

The law school also will honor Cummings’ memory by posthumously awarding him Maryland Carey Law’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Alumni Honors Banquet in April. He will be only the second recipient since the award’s establishment in 2016. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the Alumni Board at the discretion of the dean.

A Baltimore native, Cummings graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University before completing his JD at the University of Maryland School of Law in 1976. At the time of his death, Cummings was in his 13th term advocating for Maryland’s 7th District in Congress and had risen to the powerful position of chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, the main investigative committee in the House of Representatives.

Even with his demanding schedule, Cummings was a consistent presence at the law school, serving on the Board of Visitors and mentoring and supporting current students and recent graduates.

“The Cummings family is delighted that the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law decided to honor our beloved Elijah with an annual needs-based scholarship for a student interested in a public service career,” said Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, PhD, MA, the congressman’s widow. “This scholarship is consistent with Elijah’s passionate belief that financial challenges should not prevent promising students from receiving a quality education.”

To donate to The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings ’76 Scholarship Endowment, please visit www.law.umaryland.edu/CummingsScholarship.