The building features a two-story likeness of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III, who was killed at UMD in 2017, who’s parents Richard Collins Jr. and Dawn Collins were in attendance. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Seven years ago, Bowie State University President Aminta Breaux made a promise to 1st Lt. Richard Collins’ parents.
That promise, she said Tuesday, was that every generation of Bowie State students would know Collins’ name and the impact he had on the campus community.
Now, a towering two-story silhouette of Collins inside the historically Black university’s newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. Center forever marks the killed student’s memory.
“It is truly bittersweet,” said Dawn Collins, Collins’ mother. “There’s this misnomer that you get over something like this, but you don’t. It’s a pain that never goes away, and you live with it.”
On May 20, 2017, Collins was just days away from graduating from Bowie State, set to begin his commission as a second lieutenant in the Army, when he was stabbed at a bus stop while visiting the University of Maryland. He was 23. The man who killed him, Sean Urbanski, was convicted of murder and sentenced in 2021 to life in prison.
“Events like today help us to stay connected to our son — it’s therapeutic, it’s healing,” said Richard Collins Jr., Collins’ father. “It helps us to feel that there is a reason for hope, even in the midst of what seems to be total despair.”
Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony included vocal performances from the Bowie State choir and spoken word from Saniya Pearson, the 2024 Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate, as well as remarks from state, university and construction officials. Del. Kym Taylor and Del. Marvin Holmes, Jr., both Democrats representing Prince George’s County, presented Breaux with a citation from the General Assembly.
The university’s newest building, home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program, pays homage to both Collins and its namesake, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., through artistic depictions spanning its three floors.
An image of King, as well as inscribed words from his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech, greets students at the building’s southern entrance. Panels aligned to simulate sound waves are visible through a glass facade at the northern entrance. An alcove dedicated to Collins is on the second floor, offering students a collaborative space with tables and chairs.
“There’s nothing more worthy than the work to which Dean [George] Acquaah and his faculty are dedicated: developing the next generation of leaders who will leave this building better thinkers and better scholars, leaders who, in their capacity to reflect on our past, on our history, will become the architects of our future,” said Jay Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland. “That’s what this building is — it’s the future, and I think Dr. King would be very proud indeed.”
Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, a Democrat, praised the university for completing the project on time and under budget.
Saniya Pearson, 2024 Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate, recites her poem. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The building features a two-story likeness of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III, who was killed at UMD in 2017, who’s parents Richard Collins Jr. and Dawn Collins gave remarks. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The Bowie State University Choir performs to begin the program. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The building features a two-story likeness of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III, who was killed at UMD in 2017, who’s parents Richard Collins Jr. and Dawn Collins were in attendance. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Bowie Mayor Tim Adams listens to the choir ing Lift Every Voice. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The building features a two-story likeness of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III, who was killed at UMD in 2017, who’s parents Richard Collins Jr. and Dawn Collins were in attendance. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Guests Rhonda Thomas, left, and Tammie Owens photograph a likeness of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The Bowie State University Choir performs to begin the program. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The building features a two-story likeness of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III, who was killed at UMD in 2017, who’s parents Richard Collins Jr. and Dawn Collins were in attendance. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The Bowie State University Choir performs to begin the program. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Bowie State president Dr. Aminta Breaux gives remarks. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Attendees stand during Lift Every Voice. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
USM Chancellor Dr. Jay Perman Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Lt. Governor Aruna Miller arrives. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The ribbon is cut by school faculty and government officials. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
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Saniya Pearson, 2024 Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate, recites her poem. Bowie State held a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a new building that will be home to the communications and humanities departments, as well as the military science program. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Bowie State broke ground on the 192,000-square-foot building in May 2022. The inside of the building, which features nearly two dozen classrooms, digital and broadcast studio spaces and a 1,500-seat auditorium, was finished this summer ahead of classes starting Monday. The $166 million project replaces the former Martin Luther King Jr. Center, which opened in 1973.
“This space will do more than just educate,” Miller said. “It will empower students to discover their own voices, tell their own stories and to know that they are enough, just as they are.”
She also commended the Collins family for being “champions of opportunity” in the face of tragedy.
“You took a dark moment in your life and when most people may have just retreated, you didn’t do that — you took that to light the path for others,” Miller said. “We will never, ever forget your son.”
