• Graduate students to gain professional and interpersonal experience. Depending on your field, your time as a student may not open you up to many client-facing interactions, and this is a pathway to gaining that experience. If you are considering a career in academia, meanwhile, advising experience is highly sought-after in faculty openings.
• Part-time faculty to gain advising experience – highly sought-after in faculty openings – as well as to interact with students outside of the classroom. As an adjunct faculty member myself, I can absolutely say that my teaching effectiveness has been augmented by my advising experience.
• Full-time faculty and staff to begin to engage with your department’s incoming students at the earliest possible juncture: to give them the best possible head start in their studies (and to make your own future advising appointments easier!).
• Staff to engage in professional development in ways that may not be otherwise available – and then bring those skills back to your home department. Orientation advising requires and trains diverse skillsets, such as one-on-one academic advising and counseling, university-wide policies and protocols, inter-office collaboration, and much more!

What Effect Does a School University Partnership Have in Urban Baltimore City Public Schools?

Come see this poster presentation at 1-2:30pm in the UC Ballroom on Wednesday!

Hilary Grace Lahoury, Amber Brock
Mentor: Susan Sonnenschein, Psychology

Many children, in urban school systems, especially those from families of color or low-income households lack adequate learning opportunities (Anyon, 2014), which affects their academic progress and success. A school-university partnership which included the Literacy Fellows Program (volunteers) was implemented between Fall 2019 and Spring 2022 in two local schools to improve first and second graders’ literacy skills. We interviewed classroom teachers (N= 14) and undergraduate volunteers (N= 26) to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the program. We considered the nature of instruction, relations between the teacher and volunteer, and relations with the students in the class. Teachers and volunteers were highly positive about the program. Volunteers stated they enjoyed working with students on literacy tasks. Their assistance allowed the teachers to give much needed individualized attention to more students than when volunteers were not there. Volunteers also helped manage behavioral issues, formed meaningful relationships with the students with whom they worked, and served as role models for them. Teachers mentioned how they benefitted from an extra set of hands for students to receive extra individualized attention and to improve their reading skills. Among negative comments were insufficient training and difficulties maintaining relations with students during COVID-19.

See the full URCAD schedule at URCAD.umbc.edu

Ladew Topiary Gardens (Ladew) seeks an Associate, Annual Fund and Membership to continue building on the fundraising program’s success in recent years. Reporting to the Senior Director, Development and Communications, and working closely with the Director of Development, the Associate, Annual Fund and Membership will nurture positive relationships with all constituencies, including current and prospective donors of less than $1,500 annually, current and prospective members, other friends of Ladew Gardens, and a collegial staff.