The stripes that make the Tigers

August 20, 2022

With the 2022-2023 academic year starting in a week, it’s worth getting to know Towson University and what makes it special.

With more than 150 years of leadership advancing higher education, Towson University serves as an anchor institution for Greater Baltimore and Maryland, committed to making a difference and transforming lives throughout the region.

Here are some of the ways it happens.

Innovative education

TU’s distinguished faculty mentors push the possibilities of engaged learning, create in-demand academic programs and initiate cutting-edge instruction in each of the colleges and interdisciplinary programs.

TU features a campus with high research activity, where students are afforded opportunities in the field. This past spring, three Bridges to the Doctorate (B2D) program students graduated from TU and will move into doctorate programs next fall. In their time at TU, these newest alumnae were recognized for their award-winning research on colon cancer, won awards as part of the American Association of Immunologists, and had a research paper published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

Meanwhile, TU was again named to Money Magazine’s Best Colleges in America by Value. Washington Monthly ranked Towson University in the top 35 national public universities in its 2021 College Guide and Rankings.

Inclusive Excellence

TU is committed to building an even more inclusive, equitable and diverse campus community each day. The institution enrolls the second-largest population of minority students in the state of Maryland. The 2021 Towson University incoming first-year class was the most diverse in school history, with 59% identifying as a racial or ethnic minority.  

Black students have surpassed the overall degree completion rate at TU eight years in a row. Washington Monthly celebrated TU’s success in social mobility, placing it as the only Maryland institution in its top 50.

Insight into Diversity Magazine has honored TU each of the last two years with a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only national award for recognizing U.S. colleges and universities for demonstrating “outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion across their campuses.

TU’s Research Enhancement Program (REP) received the 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award last week from INSIGHT Into Diversity. Towson University Athletics also earned the 2021 NCAA and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association’s 2021 Award for Diversity and Inclusion.

Prepared to lead

TU graduates leave with the vision, creativity and adaptability to craft solutions that enrich the culture, society, economy and environment of Maryland, the region, and beyond.

During his final year at TU, David Hislop ’22 assisted a geologist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum with a study in Hawaii to help with a geology-based research project.

TU’s Department of Biological Services and the Center for STEM Excellence brought Maryland K-12 teachers on campus to learn how to integrate studying insects into their lesson plans.

When students graduate from TU, there are also opportunities for leadership development. The Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute at TU was created in 2021 to prepare the leaders of the future. The Institute builds on TU’s commitment to community and business engagement while serving as a key regional asset—uniquely supporting leadership recruitment, development and retention in our state and region.