Parlett L. Moore Library is a member of the Library Information Management System (LIMS) of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI), a collaborative effort that permits state higher education institutions to share resources. LIMS provides a USMAI union on-line public access catalog that contains more than 1,400,000 titles

Moore Library has 5 floors, 2 computer labs for student use/work, 2 smart classrooms, 4 study rooms, the Parren Mitchell smart conference room, and the Cab Calloway room/art gallery.  

Latest Issues

Browse the latest issues of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (CBSS) Informant Newsletter.

Student Resources

Take advantage of the wide variety of services offered to our Nursing Students.

Nursing and Allied Health Honors Program

The Nursing and Allied Health Honors Program is an adjunct of the University Honors Program. To be eligible for any Departmental Honors Program, students must meet one of three criteria:

1. They must have accrued at least sixty credits and must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0
2. They must have successfully completed the General Studies Honors Program
3. They must have accrued at least sixty credits and must have demonstrated outstanding ability in their fields of study

Upon completion of the first two years of matriculation in the General Studies Honors Program and with the Dean's approval, nursing and allied health students may earn departmental honors through participation in the Honors program.

Learning Resource Center

The Resource Center (RC) is a clinical preparatory facility with standard healthcare equipment. Students practice actual one-on-one patient care simulations before entering a health care facility. The Computer Lab is equipped with computer hardware and software. Students may use software on an independent basis or with an instructor or staff person to enhance their nursing knowledge.

Simulation

Simulation is an integral part of the clinical experience in which realistic situations are utilized for the learner to gain knowledge and skills. Simulation is grounded in experiential learning theory; holistic learner-centered learning created through transformation of experiences (Kolb, 1984). Simulation is identified as focused clinical strategies using low, medium or high-fidelity simulation. Low-range experiences include: focused case studies, role playing, virtual clinical excursions and/or task-trainers. Medium range experiences include increased realism, screen-based simulators, synthetic models, moulage and live actors. High range fidelity experiences may include the use of simulators. Medical Education Technologies Incorporated (METI) and/or Laerdal simulators including the SimMan, SimBaby and additional technologies may be used.

Simulation Center

College of Health Professions – Academic Success Center

The College of Health Professions – Academic Success Center is strategically located within the College of Health Professions. The College of Health Professions – Academic Success Center serves students in the General Health Professions, Helene Fuld School of Nursing and the School of Allied Health. The main reason for this organizational structure is to systematically assess and evaluate admission and retention issues while developing new approaches. In collaboration with the various administration leaders, faculty, staff and students, The College of Health Professions – Academic Success Center is committed to using “Best Practices” to advise, recruit and retain regional, national and international candidates for our Accelerated Second Degree BSN, Traditional BS in Nursing, RN to BSN, BS in Health Information Management (HIM) both at the Baltimore campus and University System of Maryland – Hagerstown (USMH) campus, MSN for Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Post-MSN in FNP, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs that are offered through the College of Health Professions.

Academic Success Center

Grading

A student must attain a final grade of "C" in all nursing courses required in the Nursing Program of Study. Student performance in the clinical practice components will be graded on a pass/fail basis; the criteria for determining acceptable performance are included in the syllabus of each clinical nursing course. Satisfactory clinical performance is required to earn a passing grade in a clinical nursing course. A student who is not performing at a satisfactory level will be so advised at mid-point in the course. A student must pass both clinical and didactic components to pass the course. A student enrolled in the RN to BSN must submit a Portfolio as a part of the Graduation clearance.

The grading scale for all nursing courses:

A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 75 - 79
D = 69 - 74
F = 68 or below
Clinical Courses: PASS/FAIL
Requirements for Graduation

A Senior nursing student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater, and satisfactory completion of all courses in the nursing program of study (perquisites and major); and pass a standardized comprehensive assessment examination which predicts the students probability of passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) at the benchmark established by faculty in order to exit the nursing program.

The Laboratory for Environmental Contaminants (LEC) conducts research to advance knowledge in Monitoring and characterizing contaminants to fully understand their health impacts. Our research involves occurrence, fate, and transport of contaminants of emerging concern. We use socio-environmental synthesis approach and advanced analytical methods to study complex dimensions of water quality, social health, and air quality issues. Through our research we enhance academic programs and foster citizen education in such areas as contaminant science, environmental sustainability, and urban ecology.

Lab activities focus on research and education related to environmental contaminants including, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Monitoring concentration of contaminants in the soil and water systems
• Conducting laboratory and field studies on the fate of toxic substances in the environment and develop innovative technologies for the remediation of contaminated environments
• Foster relationships and ensure the exchange of data and information with local government agencies, institutions and neighboring community
• Advocate for citizen education on environmental health issues

Researchers

Lead Investigator

Mintesinot Jiru, Ph.D.

Mintesinot Jiru holds a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences from Gent University and is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at Coppin State University. He has over 20 years of teaching and research experience in areas of climate change and environmental systems. Dr. Jiru has done extensive work on land degradation, food security, and water management issues in Africa. Dr. Jiru’s research focuses on understanding the socio-environmental and biophysical issues encompassing water quality in Baltimore’s watersheds. Currently he is leading a research program on emerging environmental contaminants with a focus on microplastics, toxic heavy metals and pharmaceuticals (mainly estrogen in water). Dr. Jiru serves as the chief editor for the American Journal of Experimental Agriculture. He also serves as a member of the External Advisory Board for the National Socio-environmental Synthesis Center. Dr. Jiru served on various panels and task forces including Maryland governor’s task force to develop a proposal for graduate programs in alternative energy in historically black colleges and universities in Maryland.

Current Student Researchers

Annalyse Belton

Annalyse Belton is an undergraduate student at Coppin State University, majoring in Biology and Life Science with a Pre-Medical concentration and minoring in Chemistry. She aspires to become a medical physician specializing in oncology; however, her goal does not stop at patient care but extends to research into cancer health disparities. Her career journey has drawn her to the Lab for Environmental Contaminants as a student researcher. Annalyse’s research entails quantifying estrogen levels in Baltimore’s watersheds and correlating its effects on fish and the ecosystem as a whole. She has set her heart on making an impact in the world around her and always looks for new insight.

Muyang Chunga

Muyang Chunga is a Biology & Life Sciences Major with a Pre-Physician's Assistant concentration and a Chemistry Minor. Originally on a Bio-Medical track, she has fully immersed herself in her deep-founded love for Biosciences, since she began to work with Dr. Jiru as a student-researcher in the Laboratory of Environmental Contaminants. That is along with the opportunity to participate on an airborne and oceanographic research with NASA researchers as a member of the inaugural Student Airborne Science Activation cohort. Muyang is working towards pursuing a career as a researcher in Environmental and Chemical Science.

Tochi Iwuji

Hello! My name is Tochi Iwuji and I am a Biology and Life Sciences major with a concentration in Pre-Medicine and minor in Chemistry. My future aspirations in life involve becoming and obstetrician gynecologist, while gaining as much laboratory experience as I can and broadening my skills along the way. In the Laboratory for Environmental Contaminants, my research involves characterizing and analyzing phosphate and nitrate concentrations in various Baltimore watersheds. I also plan to conduct methods for the neutralization of these contaminants in water, and showcase their environmental impact.

• Nijah White (B.S. in Biology)
• Brenasia Lynn (Graduating senior - Biology)
• Ta’Shana Maddox (Graduating senior – Biology)

Recent Publications

• Vester M, Sobhi HF, Jiru M (2018) Disinfection Byproducts in Chlorinated Drinking Water. Int J Water Wastewater Treat 4(2): dx.doi. org/10.16966/2381-5299.156
• Richard Schulterbrandt Gragg, Aavudai Anandhi, Mintesinot Jiru and Kareem M. Usher. A Conceptualization of the Urban Food-Energy-Water Nexus Sustainability Paradigm: Modeling From Theory to Practice. Frontiers in Environmental Science. 6:133, 2018
• William Ghann, Tyler Harris, Daiyaan Kabir, Hyeonggon Kang, Mintesinot Jiru, Mohammed M Rahman, Meser M Ali and Jamal Uddin. Lipoic Acid Decorated Gold Nanoparticles and Their Application in the Detection of Lead Ions. Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology. Volume 10, Issue 6, 2019
• Aaliyah McCullough, Jasmynn George & Mintesinot Jiru. Detection and Quantitation of Estrogen in Watersheds. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 8, Issue 7, July 2018
• Mintesinot Jiru. Coal-fired Power Plants and Their Impact on Ecosystems Health. Physical Science International Journal, ISSN: 2348-0130, Vol.: 16, Issue: 4, 2018
• Jiru, M. North-Kabore, J. Roth, T. Studying Water Quality Using Socio-Environmental Synthesis Approach: A Case Study in Baltimore’s Watershed. Hydrology. Vol 4, 32, 2017,
• Mintesinot Jiru. Understanding Causes of Reservoir Water Quality Deterioration Using Socio-environmental Synthesis Approach Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology, Vol. 12, 2017
• Herald T. Douglas, Raymond L. Petersen, Mintesinot Jiru and Tatiana Roth. The role of dipteran larvae in controlling Euglena concentrations in the pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea L. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications. Vol 6, 2016.
• Amadi, L., Jenny, S.S., Ahmed, A., Brown, N., Yadav, S., Brown, D., Ghann, W., Gayrama, A., Jiru, M. and Uddin, J. Creation of Natural Dye Sensitized Solar Cell by Using Nanostructured Titanium Oxide. Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, 3, 25-35, 2015
• Jiru, Mintesinot. and Van Ranst, E. Increasing water productivity on Vertisols: implications for environmental sustainability. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 90 (13) 2276–2281. 2010

The Next Generation of Public Safety Leadership

The Justice Institute is a unique cross-disciplinary initiative that adds a liberal arts, public health, and mental health education perspective to any curriculum. Managed by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the Justice Institute offers training and academic certifications approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) as well as the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission.

The Institute works with the Department of Criminal Justice and provides hands-on career enhancement and retooling skills to help students prepare for advanced study and/or entry into federal, state, county, municipal, and private criminal justice and corrections agencies. 

The Justice Institute at Coppin will enhance the professionalism of public safety services encouraging leadership and innovation through education and training.

Bishop L. Robinson Sr.

Workforce Enhancement

Maryland has critical workforce shortages across several high-growth areas, including correctional services, health care, parole counseling, homeland security, school-based police support, transit systems, and private security details.

Program Areas

We've framed our program to:

• promote innovation and practice improvement across law enforcement, correction, and juvenile services.
• conduct research on effective policy and service delivery.
• foster effective partnerships between criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections, public safety, public health and non-criminal justice disciplines.

The Institute provides a prototype for customized cross-disciplinary training programs that link cutting–edge research to field practice. While participating in the Institute, students have access to our state-of-the-art facility with smart classrooms, forensics laboratory, moot court room, and a crime scene laboratory.

Recent Research

Coppin State University Gun Violence Study

Dangerous Recipe: Ingredients Contributing to African American Gun Violence

Purpose of Study: Principal Investigator and associate professor of criminal justice Dr. Johnny Rice II, and a trained team of Coppin State University student researchers investigated the contemporary causes of gun violence, specifically exploring why Black males ages 15-24 in marginalized urban communities possess and carry guns. The team also explored factors that influence the impulse to carry a gun and what serve as triggers for gun use, based on the perceptions of African American men interviewed, who live in affected communities in Baltimore City.

The study comprised two phases: 

1. a quantitative secondary analysis of existing data sources of each study site and
2. a qualitative participant component in which each site conducted qualitative in-depth interviews.

The project was housed and supported by the College of Behavioral Sciences and the Bishop L. Robinson Sr. Justice Institute. The Coppin State University research team interviewed eligible study participants, Black males aged 15-24 who reside in Baltimore City and have a history of gun possession. To learn more and to read the findings please review the publications below:

• Unlocking Gun-Violence Solutions: The Necessity and Power of Lived Experience
• Learning from Lived Experiences to Identify Gun Violence Solutions
• Understanding the Perception of Place and Its Impact on Community Violence

Background: The Grant award of $105,290 was to conduct qualitative interviews during PHASE II of the study. This research grant was awarded to CSU by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), which received a $1 million grant from the National Collaborative for Gun Violence Research. To implement the study, TMCF brought together leading HBCU Criminal Justice researchers in Houston, TX (Texas Southern University), Wilmington, DE (Delaware State University/Lead Research Partner for the collaborative project), and Jackson, MS (Jackson State University) to leverage the experience, knowledge, and status of HBCUs in the African-American community to conduct research on attitudes toward guns ownership, possession, and usage by urban youth; the dynamics of social transmission of gun ownership and possession, carrying a gun, using a gun to threaten someone; and escalation to gun violence.

The Freshman English Composition (FEC) Program is guided by a commitment to assisting learners of all levels and backgrounds advance their core competencies in three primary areas: Composition and Organizational Skills, Rhetorical Modes of Discourse, and foundations of Standard English Grammar.

Our program is dedicated to helping students understand writing as a process and focuses on the continual revision of written work. Students produce multiple drafts for each project and develop the ability to critique their own writing as they learn to critique the work of others.

We encourage students to explore various topics and perspectives to develop their writing skills and to communicate effectively in a wide variety of modes and environments. Students read and evaluate texts that are culturally diverse and relevant to contemporary problems facing urban and global populations in order to gain insights into the complex nature of ideas and issues. Our students learn to evaluate arguments and narratives, analyze claims and methods, scrutinize reasoning, and draw their own well-informed conclusions.

The Freshman English Composition Program requires a two-semester sequence for first-year students. The first semester (ENGL 101: Freshman Composition I) focuses on the principles and practices of effective reading and writing, with individualized attention to the fundamentals of Standard English Grammar, compositional and organizational skills, and the creation of a portfolio illustrating mastery of several rhetorical modes of discourse. The second semester (ENGL 102: Freshman Composition II) continues to build on these skills and emphasizes the use of research for effective arguments.

We use a systems approach to address social problems and on a micro, mezzo, and macro level, and encourage policy and legislation that help communities and individuals thrive.

Opportunities. Everywhere.

Our social work program gives senior students multiple opportunities to thrive, prepare for state licensure, and secure employment. And with a job outlook 13% faster than average, graduates are likely to find opportunities available for licensed BSW graduates.

The program also prepares students to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, and additional areas of specializations including but not limited to child welfare, addictions, as well as other issues of concern for vulnerable, oppressed, and impoverished persons and communities.

Core values:

• Utilization of cutting-edge technology
• Inclusion of Service Learning and Community Engagement Facilitation of Student-centered Advancement
• Promotion of Leadership Development

Learn about Social Work Core Competencies.

Accreditation

The excellence of CSU's Social Work program is evidenced by accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes 2023-2024

Prior years: 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | 2019-2020 | 2018-2019 | 2017-2018 | 2016-2017 | 2015-2016 | 2014-2015

Mission, Vision, and Core Values

Mission

The mission of the undergraduate social work program at Social Work is to prepare a diverse student population to become skilled, compassionate, and ethical generalist social workers capable of practice, research, leadership and entrepreneurship in a global society. Grounded in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion competency-based curriculum, the program equips students with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to work ethically and effectively with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of those in historically marginalized communities.

Central to the program is a commitment to Black liberatory frameworks, cultural humility, and anti-oppressive practices. These principles guide students in being self-reflective, understanding and dismantling systemic inequities, promoting equity, and fostering empowerment within communities. By integrating theoretical learning with hands-on field experiences, the program cultivates critically conscious practitioners who advocate for social justice, embrace diversity, and engage in lifelong learning to meet the evolving challenges of the profession. Coppin State University’s social work graduates are globally minded and grounded in principles of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Vision Statement

The Department of Social Work at Coppin State University envisions a world where social justice prevails, systemic inequities are dismantled, and individuals and communities thrive. Rooted in a legacy of empowerment and service, we aspire to be a leading force in preparing socially conscious, culturally competent, and transformative social workers who champion equity, diversity, and liberation. Through innovation in education, research, and community engagement, we aim to create a global impact by fostering resilience, advocating for marginalized populations, and advancing the profession of social work.

Core Values of the Department of Social Work

• Commitment to ADEI (Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
  Actively championing anti-racist principles and fostering an environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion thrive.
• Black Liberatory Frameworks Inclusive of Cultural Humility
  Centering Black experiences and liberation while embracing cultural humility to promote justice, equity, and empowerment for all.
• Inclusion of Service Learning and Community Engagement
  Building strong connections between academic learning and real-world service to foster community empowerment and social change.
• Facilitation of Student-Centered Advancement
  Prioritizing the holistic growth and success of students through tailored support and opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Utilization of Cutting-edge Technology
  Leveraging innovative tools and platforms to enhance learning, practice, and community impact.
• Promotion of Leadership Development
  Cultivating future leaders equipped to inspire, advocate, and drive meaningful change in their communities and the social work profession.
• Integration of Research, Policy, and Practice
  Bridging theory and action to address societal challenges with evidence-based solutions and informed advocacy.