University of Maryland School of Law establishes U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings scholarship

Cummings died Oct. 17 at age 68. The scholarship was founded in Cummings’ name by the Maryland Carey Law Board of Visitors, of which the Democratic Maryland congressman was a longstanding member.

“We lost a great man whose contributions to the law school, Baltimore, the State of Maryland, and the nation are immeasurable,” said board chair Chair Robert J. Kim in a statement. “The Cummings Scholarship honors Elijah by continuing his legacy of empowering students to become legal leaders, using their education to do good in the world.”

The law school also plans to posthumously award Cummings the Maryland Carey Law’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Alumni Honors Banquet in April. He will be only the second recipient since the award’s establishment in 2016. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the Alumni Board at the discretion of the dean, the release states.

“The Cummings family is delighted that the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law decided to honor our beloved Elijah with an annual needs-based scholarship for a student interested in a public service career,” said Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the congressman’s widow. “This scholarship is consistent with Elijah’s passionate belief that financial challenges should not prevent promising students from receiving a quality education.”