Across Campus
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The Foreign Languages Building was renamed after literature professor Juan Ramon Jimenez
Professor Juan Ramon Jimenez, Spanish poet and author, is known as the pioneer of "pure poetry."
Terps alumnus, Jim Henson, receives an honorary statue and day at UMD
Jim Henson, the inventor of The Muppets, was honored with a statue of him and his beloved muppet, Kermit the Frog. Henson's journey to fame began during his first year at UMD when he created his first live-action program, Sam and Friends.
The Frederick Douglass statue is installed and dedicated
Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist, writer, and orator, was born into slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Following his escape, his work as an abolitionist began. The statue on Hornbake Plaza is the work of campus leaders seeking to honor his work.
Byrd Stadium is renamed
Byrd Stadium was named after the University of Maryland's former president, Curley Byrd who limited the enrollment of people of color from 1936 until 1954.
UMD changes the name of its Department of Women’s Studies to honor Harriet Tubman
The Department of Women’s Studies changed its name to The Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) to recognizer her legacy and commitment to liberation and justice and the department’s ongoing commitment to race, gender, intellectual freedom and social justice.
New dorms are named after students that generated change
Pyon-Chen Hall, part of the Heritage Community, pays tribute to Pyon Su, the first Korean to graduate from an American university in 1891, and Chunjen Constant Chen, the first Chinese student to enroll at the Maryland Agricultural College in 1915.
Yahentamitsi Dining Hall opens
Yahentamitsi Dining Hall, located on North Campus, is named to honor the Piscataway tribe whose ancestral lands the campus occupies.
UMD honors Lt. Richard W. Collins III with a campus Memorial
Bowie State University ROTC cadet Richard W. Collins III was days away from graduating when he was murdered on May 20, 2017 by a former University of Maryland student. The case led to changes in how hate-motivated crimes are prosecuted in the state of Maryland. In 2022, UMD built a memorial that honors his life.
Johnson-Whittle Hall opens to students
The Johnson-Whittle Hall honors African American students Hiram Whittle and Elaine Johnson Coates. Both broke barriers at the University: Whittle was the first African American male admitted to UMD; Coates was the first African American female to graduate with an undergraduate degree in 1959.
