The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) will celebrate the Class of 2023 at its annual commencement ceremony May 18 at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). This is the second year in a row that UMB will hold its Universitywide commencement at the UMBC venue after celebrating virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the ceremony, UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, will unveil a new University honor, the President’s Distinguished Gold Medal, and award it to Norman R. Augustine, MSE, the former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. Augustine also was named UMB’s inaugural President’s Distinguished Scholar in 2019. The gold medal is awarded to an individual who has provided outstanding service and leadership to UMB and beyond.

(l-r) Norman Augustine, Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, Martha Somerman, and Joanna Ye

Augustine has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in business and government, receiving numerous accolades including the National Medal of Technology, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Public Service Award, and the Department of Defense’s highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal, five times.

He also has chaired several notable commissions, including the Advisory Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program in 1990 and the National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” committee in 2005 — one of the first groups to sound the alarm on the United States’ slipping competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and math.

“Throughout Norm Augustine’s career, he has shown what it means to be a leader,” Jarrell said. “He is receiving UMB’s inaugural President’s Distinguished Gold Medal in honor of his exemplary service to the nation and service to UMB. I am proud to honor him at this year’s commencement.”

UMB also will award honorary degrees to Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, MAS, BSN ’80, RN, FAAN, and Martha Somerman, DDS, PhD. Nathan-Pulliam, a former Maryland state senator and delegate who is well-known advocate for expanding access to health care, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree. Somerman, the former director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), will be recognized as an Honorary Doctor of Science.

During her five-year tenure in the state Senate and 20 years in the House of Delegates, Nathan-Pulliam advanced numerous health policy initiatives, worked to reduce health care disparities and inequalities, and strived to strengthen the health care delivery system. She is an alumna of UMSON, which named her an inaugural Visionary Pioneer in 2014 and this year honored her contributions to nursing, education, and public health by adding her name to the façade of the school’s expanded footprint along Lombard Street.

“Sen. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam has had a profound impact on health care in the Maryland region. Keenly aware of problems with access and quality of care, she served as a leading advocate for improved health care for the underserved and for addressing health care disparities,” said Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the School of Nursing. “There is virtually no area of health care policy and legislation that was not touched by her during her 25-year tenure. She has substantially impacted the lives of thousands of individuals, particularly underserved populations.”

Somerman, who currently is the field chief editor of the journal Frontiers in Dental Medicine, was a University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) faculty member from 1984 to 1991. She went on to become a professor and department chair at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and dean of the University of Washington School of Dentistry before being named director of NIDCR. For more than 40 years, her contributions to research and learning have driven the advancement of oral care in the context of overall health and inspired multiple generations of scientists.

“During her tenure as NIDCR director, Dr. Somerman’s vision and oversight played a critical role in guiding clinical researchers as they delved into complex issues related to dental, oral, and craniofacial health and diseases, seeking pioneering methods of diagnosing and treating these diseases,” said UMSOD Dean Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA. “Her leadership, expertise, and mentorship as a clinician-scientist have advanced our understanding of dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases and led to novel discoveries and methods of treatment significantly improving the overall health of many.”

Joanna Zhao Ye, who will be receiving her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will be the Student Speaker. Ye is president of the University Student Government Association and the DPT Class of 2023. In addition to her studies and leadership roles, Ye has been active in research during her time at UMB, serving as a research assistant in geriatric physical therapy and physical therapy education.

“Joanna takes great pride in her experiences as a leader and advocate, and she has excelled in her time as a DPT student,” said UMSOM assistant professor Jason R. Falvey, PT, DPT, PhD. “She was an author on a peer-reviewed publication during her training and led the presentation of this work at a national conference — very impressive accomplishments for a DPT student.

The procession into Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena will be led by four marshals who have combined for well over 100 years of service to UMB:

• University Marshal: M.J. Tooey, MLS, AHIP, FMLA, former associate vice provost and dean, Health Sciences and Human Services Library, UMB
• Student Marshal: Raymond C. Love, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, professor and vice chair of collaborative initiatives, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
• Faculty Marshal: Erika Friedmann, PhD, professor and associate dean for research, University of Maryland School of Nursing
• Staff Marshal: Susan McKechnie, CPA, former assistant vice president for financial services and university controller, UMB

For more information about the ceremony and to read about the honorees and student speaker, go to UMB’s commencement website.