TU honored as 鈥淓ngaged Campus鈥�

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

By Rebecca Kirkman on November 9, 2018

Towson University鈥檚 commitment to community engagement was repeatedly highlighted at 鈥檚 2018 Awards, where the university was honored three times鈥攖he most of any university in the association.

Held at Gallaudet University on Thursday, Nov. 8, the awards recognized achievements by member colleges and 麻豆传媒 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鈥檚 mission statement, as well as faculty dedication to experiential learning for students on and off campus.

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

鈥淥ur involvement in the community is important because we live and work here, and with that we鈥檙e part of the community ourselves,鈥� said Christopher Jensen, director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility. 鈥淎ll 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.鈥�

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鈥檚 program with Baltimore County Public Schools, led by political science professor Alison McCartney. The award recognizes partnerships addressing civic readiness through student engagement.

TU鈥�s commitment to community engagement has been nationally recognized for more than a decade. It is one of just with a 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鈥檚 priorities for Towson University: BTU-Partnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore.