TU honored as “Engaged Campus”

University receives three awards from higher education association Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic

By Rebecca Kirkman on November 9, 2018

Towson University’s commitment to community engagement was repeatedly highlighted at Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic’s 2018 Awards, where the university was honored three times—the most of any university in the association.

Held at Gallaudet University on Thursday, Nov. 8, the awards recognized achievements by member colleges and universities committed to promoting engaged citizenship as an aim of higher education.

CCMA award ceremony — Interim provost David Vanko and vice president for student affairs Deb Moriarty, center, receive the Engaged Campus Award.

TU received the Engaged Campus Award, recognizing a college or university with exemplary commitment to being a community-engaged campus and actively seeking to fulfill the public purposes of higher education.

Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic pointed to the prominence of leadership and civic engagement in the university’s mission statement, as well as faculty dedication to experiential learning for students on and off campus.

It also commended one of President Kim Schatzel’s priorities: extending the university’s impact into the community as an anchor institution through BTU—Partnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore.

“Our involvement in the community is important because we live and work here, and with that we’re part of the community ourselves,” said Christopher Jensen, director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility. “All of the institutions in the University System of Maryland are doing great work, and this was an opportunity for us to highlight what Towson has been doing for the past several years.”

Additionally, associate professor of education Jessica Shiller was awarded the Alan G. Penczek Service-Learning Faculty Award in the public institution category for her Honors College course on urban education.

The P20 Partnership Award went to TU’s Model United Nations program with Baltimore County Public Schools, led by political science professor Alison McCartney. The award recognizes partnerships addressing civic readiness through student engagement.

TU’s commitment to community engagement has been nationally recognized for more than a decade. It is one of just three Maryland institutions with a Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university was first awarded the classification in 2008 and received a renewal in 2015, making it one of just 361 campuses nationwide to hold the title.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: BTU-Partnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore.