Outreach Abstract

Over the course of the fall 2007 semester I had to pick a topic that I cared about for my "Writing for New Media" final project. The topic that I chose was university community outreach in the Baltimore metro area. The Cherry Hill Learning Zone Initiative which was put forth by Towson University is a way that the university and its students can have an impact in Baltimore City. The key feature of many of the outreach programs that I have found involve education. Not only the efforts by Towson in Cherry Hill but of the University of Maryland as well as Anne Arundel Community College in tutoring both their own students as well as area high school students in need of assistance. But it is not nearly enough just to educate the community these universities are in. An area where local universities including Towson in addition to Goucher College are involved in Habitat for Humanity. This is a way for college students to help build up the community around them by giving one family at a time a new home. And in order for universities to become more aware of all of the different programs and initiatives that are available and in practice there is an organization that helps to facilitate communication. The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities is an organization that is devoted to the mission of striving for excellence while contributing to the development of the communities surrounding the metropolitan member universities. At the conference there was a chance to sit down and discuss the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities organization and its conference on top of Towson University's outreach efforts. I was able to acquire two podcasts from these interviews. Both podcasts include Towson University staff members. The first is with Dr. James Clements, Acting Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President of the Division of Economic and Community Outreach; and the second is with Dr. Deb Moriarity, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Darci Acardi, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Coordinator of Civic Engagement Initiatives. Through this conference and these interviews it is easy to see how important broadening your horizons and listening to other universities ideas is. Another portion of the assignment included writing a blog about our topic and brainstorming ideas for each of our individual modules. With my blog, I took university community outreach to a national level to examine the different concepts that universities have developed. This provides a way for universities to see what other universities across the country are doing in their communities.

Click above to view a slideshow on a Sandtown Habitat for Humanity project.

Last changed: 12/05/07