Latest news with #UniversityofMarylandCollegePark
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
$12 million in research grants, contracts at University of Maryland impacted by Trump DEI cuts
More than 40 research grants and contracts at the University of Maryland College Park have been canceled due to cuts by the Trump administration, according to The Diamondback, the independent student newspaper associated with the university. The grants and contracts total about $12 million. UMD's president, Darryll Pines, said that the Trump administration was "using a filter of DEI as a lens to cancel, pause or delay the funding of a proposed research topic for one of our faculty or a group of our faculty." According to Pines, the grants and contracts canceled or paused at UMD include funding from the National Institute of Health, the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. UMD is not the only Maryland university that has lost funding due to recent federal cuts. In March, the Trump administration said it was investigating 45 universities, including Towson University, for alleged racial discrimination over the schools' ties to The PhD Project, a non-profit that helps minority students get degrees in doctoral programs. Also last month, Johns Hopkins University said it was laying off more than 2000 employees after it lost funding from USAID. Some employees were in Baltimore, but others worked across 44 countries to support JHU's Bloomberg School of Public Health, its medical school, and its affiliated non-profit. Trump administration continues anti-DEI crackdown President Trump's executive order on Jan. 21 titled "Ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity" ended DEI programs within the federal government. In February, the Trump administration ordered U.S. colleges and universities to end diversity programs or have their federal funding pulled. DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, was a term adopted to describe practices aimed at increasing diversity across professional spaces. Age-old policies like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, professional groups based on shared identities, and the now revoked Equal Employment Opportunity rule that was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 have all been considered DEI initiatives. Since existing laws do not provide a strict definition of what a DEI program is, the federal government has discretion over determining which programs it believes fall under the DEI umbrella. What is the debate surrounding DEI? Opponents of DEI have argued that it undermines merit-based opportunities, while DEI proponents say it prevents discrimination and creates fair and healthy environments within professional spaces. While Mr. Trump's executive power allows the administration to cancel DEI programs at the federal level, individual states, institutions, and organizations still have autonomy over their respective policies and programs. Those establishments, however, like Towson, and the University of Maryland, can still face scrutiny if they rely on federal funding. In February, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown joined 16 state attorneys general in issuing guidance on how employers should approach DEI programs in the workplace.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Eric Ara Holder, pastor of Grace Baptist Church and ‘gentle giant' to community, dies
Eric Ara Holder, the Grace Baptist Church pastor recalled for his service to the community, died of influenza Feb. 15 at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 60 and lived in Coldspring Newtown. Born in Washington, D.C., he was the son of O'dell T. Holder Sr., a federal worker, and his wife, Dorothy Bell Holder, a nurse. He was a graduate of Parkdale High School, where he played basketball, football, and baseball. His classmates called him 'Varsity.' He entered the University of Maryland College Park on a football scholarship and was a wide receiver. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity's Epsilon Psi Chapter. He joined the District of Columbia's Pretrial Services Agency and retired as program director for supervision services. He was also a coordinator for the Pop Warner Football League and coached the Woodlawn Falcons and the Northwest Bulldogs. In 1985, he met his future wife, Toni Downey on the campus of the University of Maryland. They married Dec. 24, 1992. 'Eric liked to laugh and everybody was his family,' his wife said. He joined the Garden of Prayer Baptist Church in Baltimore's Homestead neighborhood in 1991. He preached his first sermon in 2004. He attended the Washington Bible College and entered the ministry in 2007. He was schooled by the Rev. Melvin B. Tuggle II, a well-known Northeast Baltimore pastor. In November 2009, he was elected as the pastor of Grace Baptist Church on the Alameda in Northeast Baltimore. As a pastor, he established an annual prayer vigil at Stadium Way to pray for the sons and daughters of the area who had been killed by violence. He also led prayer walks through the Coldstream Homestead Montebello neighborhoods in East Baltimore. 'His commitment to community outreach resulted in food and clothing giveaways, partnerships with nonprofit organizations, and a thriving annual Community Day,' said Troy Buckson, chair of the church deacon board. 'Pastor was a leader who served with humility, patience and compassion,' Mr. Buckson said. 'He loved unconditionally, led with wisdom, and worked tirelessly to uplift others. He always put people before himself.' 'Eric was a gentle giant. He was caring and he always looked you in the face and smiled,' said Mr. Buckson. News Obituaries | Donald J. Slowinski, former president of CCBC Essex, dies News Obituaries | Charles Barry Truax, former advertising executive, dies News Obituaries | Rosetta Webster Graham, founder of the Family Bereavement Center, dies News Obituaries | Dennis Patrick O'Brien, former Baltimore Sun reporter, dies News Obituaries | Jane Blunt Clemmens, former pediatric nurse, dies Friends recalled that the Rev. Holder would pay rent or buy groceries for those who needed help. 'He loved life and was always good for a laugh,' his wife said. 'He could be caught singing the incorrect lyrics to a song, and when called on it, he would sing his version of the song louder. You knew you were in the family when he said, 'We have to find a nickname for you.'' Survivors include his wife, Toni L. Holder, a minister and life coach; two sons, Jalen Holder, of Orlando, Florida, and Emmanuel Holder, of Woodlawn; a daughter, Ryan Holder, of Baltimore; a brother, O'dell T. Holder Jr., of Philadelphia; two sisters, Sherease Doublin, of Clinton, and Lisa Thompson, of Charles County; and three grandchildren. A daughter, Taylor Holder, died in 1991. Services were held Friday at Huber Community Church. Have a news tip? Contact Jacques Kelly at and 410-332-6570.
