BEMO BROWN: Standing tall, 125 years in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland, Coppin State University, the emblem for light and love exemplifies the passion of a community infused with the indelible purpose of a Historical Black College and University.

The story of HBCUs, the story of Coppin State University is the story of how people seek the tools to grow, to heal and to advance and to become a community.

So what's poppin' at Coppin?

Let me tell you.

How about an unprecedented rehabilitation center that's focused on healing the community?

How about a daycare and high school housed on Coppins' campus to help grow and sustain the community?

And when we talk about advancement, Coppin State practices, innovative mental health practices, they have state-of-the-art justice programs and a community-oriented center for entrepreneurship.

Now, above all those accomplishments, and somehow simultaneously at the core of Coppin State's mission is a feeling of authentic family.

The alumni group here is so strong that every summer they can host their own concert series.

It's so family on Coppin's campus that you might bump into the first lady while walking through campus.

Or you might have class with Alicia, the president's daughter, just as a regular student.

Now, you and I, we have seen the countryside, we have seen the county side, we've seen the other side of town.

But today I cannot wait to show you Coppin State.

We're gonna have a special conversation with my co-host, Tetiana Anderson, as she sits down with the president of Coppin State, Dr.

Jenkins.

We're gonna talk to some students at The Talon, we're gonna talk to some faculty in their department, we're gonna even see Dr.

Jenkins sign a scholarship live.

And if you're lucky, you might even see me do the electric slide.

Alright?

So let's not waste another minute.

Welcome to HBCU Week.

Come on, let's go check it out.

Uh, right now we on the, the campus of Coppin State, I believe we are in the, the cafeteria for the new student orientation.

TETIANA ANDERSON: It's an exciting day.

You can feel that energy.

BEMO: You can, you heard all the freshmen come through the front door with all that energy.

You know, do you remember being a freshman?

TETIANA: Yes, orientation... BEMO: Yeah.

TETIANA: That's when you met like some of your closest friends who become your lifelong friends.

I mean, I remember all of that being young and impressionable and curious.

BEMO: Yeah, I remember the cafe was kind of like the, where you get the show out.

You know what I'm saying?

I got my new shoes for the school year.

I'm coming to the cafe, that's where I'm going, that's right.

Welcome, I'm here with my friend Alicia.

Alicia, what's up?

ALICIA JENKINS: What's up?

Nice to meet you.

BEMO: Nice to meet you as well.

Can you do me a favor?

ALICIA: Yes.

BEMO: Can you explain to me what's going on behind us?

So back here we have our NSO leaders.

We're doing new student orientation for all the upcoming freshmen.

Um, they get to, uh, see the campus and everything that, um, all the resources there for them.

BEMO: Well, how did you get involved in new student orientation?

ALICIA: You know, um, as a freshman I wanted to help other freshmen, you know, so I think this is a great way to showcase that.

BEMO: Yeah, I agree with you.

I think, um, I think the position that you hold is very important... ALICIA: Mm-hmm.

BEMO: ...to the energy... ALICIA: Yes.

BEMO: ...of Coppin State.

And so I keep hearing that Coppin State is like a family.

ALICIA: It is.

BEMO: Can you talk to me about the family atmosphere here at Coppin?

ALICIA: So yes, the Coppin, Coppin is definitely like family oriented.

It doesn't matter what background you have, we treat everybody like siblings.

BEMO: Yeah.

ALICIA: Um, and you get, it, it feels very like you're at home when you're at Coppin.

BEMO: How did you know what HBCU culture was gonna be before you even got to campus?

ALICIA: So, I mean, I knew a little bit from, you know, obviously my dad being president and vice president of other HBCUs.

So, I got a little, um, eyesight on that.

BEMO: Yeah.

ALICIA: Um, but coming in, you know, 'cause HBCU for other people might, you know, mean that Black love and all that, but it's more than just Black love.

You know, we have Latinas, we have Hispanics, we have Islanders, all that.

So I really think that HBCU has evolved from just that to like everybody.

BEMO: Okay.

ALICIA: You know?

BEMO: Okay, okay.

Well, I appreciate that.

Um, tell me, so you are the president's daughter?

ALICIA: I am.

BEMO: I don't know if I've ever talked to a president's daughter before, I don't think I ever, no, never.

Well, thank you for your time.

I appreciate it.

ALICIA: Thank you.

BEMO: And we'll be right back with more “Welcome to HBCU Week.” BEMO: Alright, welcome back to HBCU Week.

I'm here with my friends Jordan and Dr.

Min Zhang.

How y'all doing?

BOTH: Great.

How are you?

BEMO: I'm wonderful.

Can y'all do me a favor?

Can we explore the, uh, department real quick?

I want to, I wanna see all the things.

JORDAN HOLLAND: Come on.

BEMO: You know, where I wanna start first?

JORDAN: Where?

BEMO: The crime scene.

JORDAN: Okay, come on, let's go.

BEMO: Let's go to the crime scene.

Lead me to the crime.

I'm scared, I'm be honest with you.

DR.

MIN ZHANG: Um, here in our program we have a course called, "Crime Scene Investigation."

So in that class, students, they have this hands-on experience.

For example, this mock scene crime room, this is just part of it.

So sometimes we bring students outdoors to the field to do the mock crime scene investigation as well.

JORDAN: First thing you wanna do is make sure you have your protective, um, gear on.

So that's your gloves.

DR.

ZHANG: Where's your protection gear?

BEMO: I did the crime.

JORDAN: You wanna make sure you have your gloves and things of that nature.

Um, second thing, you want to talk to the police officers that are on scene, um, learning a little bit about what they think may have happened.

Next thing you would like to do is take pictures.

Um, so you would do closeup mid-range, and then overall.

BEMO: Alright, so this is a little scary for me, okay.

Can we go somewhere safe?

JORDAN: Gotcha, let's go.

BEMO: Let's head that way.

You wanna go to lab first?

DR.

ZHANG: The lab, because the evidence will be submitted to the Crime Laboratory and then, you know, people, they testify in court.

BEMO: Right.

Okay.

DR.

ZHANG: So let's go to the lab first.

BEMO: So now we have the evidence from the crime.

DR.

ZHANG: Yeah.

BEMO: Which is, Jordan, I think I was hearing you talking earlier and you too, professor, that's kind of like the, in the field.

DR.

ZHANG: Mm-hmm.

BEMO: But there's another level after the field.

DR.

ZHANG: Yes.

BEMO: Which is the lab.

DR.

ZHANG: Yes.

So in order to work in the lab to test all the samples, the evidence you collect from the crime scene, right?

So you need to be a real forensic scientist.

So, Jordan, what, what evidence did you collect just now?

JORDAN: Bullet casings.

DR.

ZHANG: Uh-huh.

JORDAN: Um, and I believe there was five, there was three cups, but it was only two bodies.

BEMO: Oh, you see, I didn't catch that.

JORDAN: Well, who did the third cup belong to?

DR.

ZHANG: Okay.

All right.

So you, you mentioned bullet casings, right?

JORDAN: Yeah.

DR.

ZHANG: So why don't we just test the bullet casings first?

BEMO: Okay.

DR.

ZHANG: So let's go over here.

BEMO: Oh!

DR.

ZHANG: Okay.

BEMO: Oh.

DR.

ZHANG: So, now we have the bullet casings as evidence, right?

So what we do is we use the microscope, which is called comparison microscope, to put the bullet casings.

One is your reference sample.

One is a sample you actually collected from the crime scene, the mock crime scene in our case.

So we mount them under the microscope, and then we use a microscope to look at the evidence to compare... BEMO: Okay.

DR.

ZHANG: Were they fired from the same weapon?

BEMO: Right.

DR.

ZHANG: Uh-huh.

BEMO: I think when people think simulation, they think kind of like a game or drama, like a script.

But there's another part of simulation that we don't often talk about, which is the honesty that happens between your peers and your professors.

So, professor, you can start here.

How do you develop that honest communication with your students, especially in a situation in simulation so serious as this?

DR.

ZHANG: So, um, we all, as professors, right, we all came from the, the, the student stages, right?

So we, and then later we enter into our own careers.

So most of our, most of our faculty members in our department, they're, they were actually, um, they were actually practicing in the field in the past.

So, um, we know what students needs to get prepared for their future careers because we practiced as practitioners in the past.

So we know what can connect our facility with the real, the reality and what students can practice here with us in our programs to get into the field.

BEMO: Well, thank y'all for showing me through the Criminal Justice Department.

Uh, this is a wonderful time.

I've learned so much here at Coppin State.

I think I might re-enroll.

Alright?

JORDAN: Come on, now.

Come on.

BEMO: You're like, “Join the club!” Let's see what else we have for HBCU Week.

BEMO: All right, y'all, we are gearing up for a riveting conversation between Tetiana Anderson and Coppin State University's President, Dr.

Anthony Jenkins.

But first we have to highlight this special moment.

Dr.

Jenkins awarding and signing a scholarship for a very fortunate young student.

This is what it's all about.

Now let me turn it over to the wonderful Tetiana Anderson for this One-on-One exclusive conversation.

TETIANA: Welcome to Coppin State University.

I am joined by President, Anthony Jenkins.

Um, Dr.

Jenkins, thank you so much for taking the time to be here.

DR.

ANTHONY JENKINS: Well, listen, it's an honor to be with you, and thank you for being here on our beautiful campus, and I look forward to talking a lot about all the great things going on at Coppin State.

TETIANA: So it's a special year here at Coppin.

Tell us what it is and, and why.

DR.

JENKINS: Coppin was founded in 1900 and this year, uh, 2025.

We celebrate 125 years of nurturing potential and transforming lives.

Um, what started in the basement of a local high school, uh, today is a leader in urban higher education, a university that, um, brings nearly 3,000 students from around the world to West Baltimore.

Um, an institution that, um, continues to develop, uh, thought leaders who are committed to fighting for a more just society, um, for what is right, transforming every environment that they, they enter.

Um, and so we're excited about what's been going on this, this year.

Uh, we have, um, uh, some special events coming up, um, that are going to continue to celebrate Coppin and all of her, um, greatness.

And the men and women who have walked these, these hallowed grounds, um, will be able to come back and to really embrace how she has grown over the years.

Um, so I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm very excited to be president at this time of 125 years because we get to look back and glance over a rich, storied history, and then we turn and pivot and make sure that we position her for the next 125 years.

And, uh, it is, it is going to be exciting.

TETIANA: So, we're gonna get more into your family and Toinette later, 'cause I know that's such a large part of your life.

DR.

JENKINS: Yes.

TETIANA: But I wanna stick on, on the university theme here for, for just a second.

Since you've been in office since 2020, what are some of the things that, um, you would highlight as your biggest accomplishments?

DR.

JENKINS: Um, I'm gonna put a, to the side, getting through COVID, um, because that was something that none of us walking this planet today had ever lived through.

But beyond that, when I arrived at Coppin, I noted that our pace was going to be brisk and our trajectory was going to be north.

Um, and I wanted folks to understand that we were going to introduce and reintroduce Coppin State University.

And so, I came with this, um, ambitious understanding that we were going to embrace a renaissance of purpose and progress.

And that's what we've been committed to over the last five years.

And so that's why I'm extremely proud of, uh, what started in the basement of a local high school in just one room as a teacher, preparatory school today is a leader in urban higher education.

TETIANA: It's about controlling the narrative; it's about telling your own story... DR.

JENKINS: It is.

TETIANA: ...and as a university, um, that's so very important.

Um, and part of your story is the programming that you have for your students here.

DR.

JENKINS: Yes.

TETIANA: And you're talking about leading the way and moving forward.

And when I look at some of the things you're doing, they're quite innovative, um, from, you know, mental health to the health field to criminal justice, I wanna ask specifically about entrepreneurship.

It's something that has been talked about in the country as a whole, but it's also something that is very relevant these days for Black folks.

Talk to us a little bit about encouraging Black people to become entrepreneurs and, and why that's so necessary now.

DR.

JENKINS: Listen, that's a great question, I think that we are in a very interesting space right now where entrepreneurship, um, is starting to, uh, gather more traction.

Here at Coppin, we have, on our campus, a Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship, um, we value entrepreneurship because in this time that we find ourselves, we believe that not only do we want our students to be prepared to go into the workforce and work for someone and help change the world in that perspective, but we also want them to have a, a entrepreneurial mindset.

And that's why we have that across every discipline at our institution, not just in our college of business.

And Dr.

Williams, Ron Williams, who runs our center, he's committed to working with industry, uh, startups, um, um, uh, Fortune 500, 100, um, uh, type companies, um, to make sure that we can expose our students to what this looks like.

And so, for us, it's about how do we help our criminal justice students have an entrepreneurial mindset?

How do we help our dancing students have an entrepreneurial mindset?

That, that student studying psychology may wanna open up her own business one day, that student studying dance may wanna open up their own studio, that student studying criminal justice and then wants to go to law school, may want to open up their own firm.

And so, we believe entrepreneurship should be something that is pushed across every corner of our institution, and we are committed to doing that.

We're also committed to bringing corporations and industries onto campus to talk with our students, to work with our students, to understand that entrepreneurship is hard and to prepare them in the best way possible to be successful.

And the backdrop to that is our new College of Business, uh, and I'm very excited that we were able to have a ribbon cutting and to bring that facility online, uh, just a year and a half ago.

It's a state-of-the-art facility that complements the academic components, the, um, experiential learning components, and blending those things so that our students have a place to accomplish everything that I just talked about.

And so, we are very excited about what our College of Business is doing and our Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship.

TETIANA: Criminal Justice is another space that I know that you're focusing on in terms of programming... DR.

JENKINS: Yes, yes.

TETIANA: Um, and you have these sort of mock courtrooms, mock forensic science labs.

Why is the hands-on aspect something that you wanted to bring to Coppin State?

DR.

JENKINS: Well, because to me, experiential learning is so important.

Um, experiential learning complements what our students are learning inside the academic classroom.

It allows them to connect the dots.

80% of a student's development and overall growth occurs outside of the academic classroom.

TETIANA: Okay.

DR.

JENKINS: 80%.

And so, we take the actual theoretical and the philosophical, and we apply a, a, a hands-on application, but just not in criminal justice.

We're also doing it in, in other ways.

We have several centers on our campus where students, regardless of where they want to go, regardless of what they wanna do in life, they can get there from Coppin State.

Experiential learning is so important to the overall growth and success of our students.

Our data and research shows that.

That is why in our centers of excellence, whether it's our Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship, our Center for Nanotechnology, our Center for um, Inclusive Education, and our Bishop L. Robinson, uh, Justice Institute, which is connected to our criminal justice, um, academic program, where that center is focusing on police reform, is focusing on community policing, is focusing on building stronger relationships between police and Black and Brown communities.

And we have faculty members like Dr.

Johnny Rice, who's doing groundbreaking research and driving the narrative across the nation on what that looks like.

Our students are involved in that real, hands-on, real-time experience.

They then take that experience and we expose them to state, regional, national conferences.

They present at those conferences.

They then worked to get publications before they leave here, as you know, undergraduates, making them more competitive at the undergraduate level.

All of that is important when you talk about the wholistic experience and success and retention, and graduation of our students.

And so that's why I'm so committed to it, because I know it works and I've seen it work and I've done it at other places.

And we are doing it here at Coppin.

And that's why we have a historic retention rate, uh, now compared to what we had five years ago.

And so, all of these things are falling into place, our students are enjoying it, and they're having a more well-rounded and more fulfilled college experience.

TETIANA: So, it's all like wholistic.

DR.

JENKINS: It is.

TETIANA: You know, when I hear you talk, whether it's about the beginning of your journey, you know, your education, or, um, applying some of these lessons here at, at Coppin State University.

DR.

JENKINS: Yes.

TETIANA: It's not only about raising the profile of the university, but leaving the students with something valuable.

DR.

JENKINS: Sure.

TETIANA: So, you're creating a network of family and, and I wanna ask, how important is family, especially at an HBCU?

I mean, you know, you've got students, you've got faculty, you've got all the employees.

How important is that to helping you create your legacy, building the strength within that?

DR.

JENKINS: So, I was just talking about this at new student orientation.

Uh, I was talking about family.

Listen, HBCUs and especially Coppin State University, we still believe in something called "in loco parentis,” that is Latin for “In place of the parent.” See the parent and Coppin, we have a partnership, we have an agreement.

You are entrusting us with your greatest asset, I am accepting that asset with the understanding that I am going to educate them, feed them, keep them safe, I'm going to help them evolve.

Because we tell our students that earning your degree doesn't make you educated.

See, education is about transformation.

And that's why we nurture potential and transform lives.

And then, as I tell parents, in four years, you're gonna come back to get them.

And they're going to be brighter, smarter, more confident, and ready to go soar and accomplish anything that they want.

That happens through that partnership, and that family foundation is important because we do not spoon-feed our students.

We do not handhold them.

We support, we nurture, we hold them accountable, as a parent would.

And so, we want them to be successful.

We want them to understand what it means to join this community of scholars.

TETIANA: So, there's this larger community, but there's also the smaller community of family.

And in your younger years, how important was your family to you?

What did they mean in your world?

DR.

JENKINS: Yeah, so, you know, I, I, I have two beautiful daughters, and I tell them all the time that family is everything.

And that's, I, I say that because one, I believe it, and two, it connects to everything that I've been taught and how I was raised.

Uh, I'm one of four children.

Um, my mother and father divorced when I was four, I was, uh, raised by a single mom.

Uh, I have a beautiful sister and, uh, two brothers.

And my mom did an incredible job, in my opinion, of keeping us from the distractions of Southeast, D.C.

And she was committed to making sure that her children, um, were good citizens, that they were good people, that they understood that they had, um, the ability and the intellect to be successful.

And she always instilled in us that family in this world is the only thing that you really have.

And so that's why today, my sister and my brothers and I are extremely close.

Uh, we talk often, probably weekly.

Um, but that's something that has been extremely important to me.

And she instilled that in us early on.

And it's something that we now have passed on to our children.

TETIANA: And it's something that you seem to really have lived by.

There are a variety of programs that you have that touch everything from mental health to criminal justice to entrepreneurship.

But there's another component, housing.

Coppin State sits in the middle of Baltimore, which is a hugely urban area.

So, how important is housing when it comes to safety and security?

Talk to us a little bit about how you have led the charge on that at Coppin State University.

DR.

JENKINS: We sit in West Baltimore.

Um, it is not lost on anyone, um, that one drive down West North Avenue that you see that this is a area that has been disinvested in for decades.

And yet, as you travel West North Avenue, you then come to this oasis, which is called Coppin State University.

People judge the house by the curb appeal.

And so, it is important that the curb appeal meets the beauty of the home.

And this is why lawmakers have tapped Coppin State University, along with our faculty and their expertise, and the expertise in our leadership to lead the West North Avenue Development Authority.

Coppin State University is the only HBCU in the nation to ever be tapped to revitalize a major corridor of a major U.S.

city.

That says a lot about what people believe in our ability to transform and our commitment to West Baltimore.

And so, we are committed to making sure up and down West North Avenue between Coppin and Micah, that we transform that entire community so that it is one that brings back pride and home ownership and reduces crime.

And young people and old people can go out and enjoy their community, that they should, uh, rightfully be able to, you know, do.

And so, we're leading that charge, and as the chair of the West North Avenue Development Authority, that's a huge responsibility.

But I'm honored to have that responsibility.

In spite of that, the community of West Baltimore values Coppin State University.

They see us as a beacon of hope.

And that's why I am proud as one of 12 schools in the university system of Maryland; we have the second safest campus in the university system of Maryland.

We have the number one safest campus, residential campus in Baltimore City.

And we're committed to making sure that when students come here from around the world, that safety is not something that they have to be concerned about.

That they can come study, grow, excel, build lifelong friendships, and focus on the more important aspects of their wholistic development.

TETIANA: Well, we've talked about everything today, from your journey, to your leadership, to your legacy, is there anything that you want to leave us with before we go?

DR.

JENKINS: You know, I, I'm, I'm in my fifth year now and here at Coppin State University, and in a time where, across the nation, we don't see a lot of presidents getting to that fifth year.

We have something special here at Coppin.

Uh, we have, uh, we have an institution that is starting to hit on all cylinders, and, um, I want parents, and I want students to know that regardless of what you're looking for, regardless of where you want to go, you can do that from right here.

Uh, we have renowned faculty, we have state-of-the-art facilities.

Um, you have a, a, a President and a First Lady that if you are committed to Coppin, we are committed to you through and through.

Um, I want students to enjoy their college experience, and if not here at Coppin, and I couldn't understand why you would wanna go anywhere else, um, I just wanna see more students go.

And, um, uh, we are in need of that, especially in the Black and Brown communities.

TETIANA: Dr.

Jenkins, thank you for your leadership and for your conversation today.

DR.

JENKINS: Listen, thank you.

And I want to thank you for everything that you're doing, thank you for using your platform to not only highlight HBCUs, but to tell a very important narrative, um, that is critical to American history and American progress.

TETIANA: And thanks to you as well for joining our conversation here at Coppin State University.