Inside Higher Ed reported that on Tuesday, January 10, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter joined other Obama administration officials and higher education luminaries at the White House to make the case that an engaged citizenry will bolster the country’s democracy and economy.  The meeting follows a report  prepared by the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement that makes the case for an elevated level of civic knowledge and democratic engagement among college students.

Among the attendees at the White House event was Catie Collins ’12, the UMBC student government association president.  She said that such engagement “can be a great tool for students to get to know the world around them.” Collins serves as the nation’s only undergraduate student on the steering committee of the American Commonwealth Partnership (ACP), which has partnered with the U.S. Department of Education and Association of American Colleges and Universities to develop this initiative.

The story, “Call for Civic Learning,” appeared on Inside Higher Ed on January 10. Read more about Collins’ attendance at this event here.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program in

Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Science (EP-ADS) & Education Policy

The Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia

This fully funded 8-week internship that is designed to encourage students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the field of education research to consider careers in academic, policy, or research organizations. Rising seniors are eligible for these paid research internships at UVA during Summer 2012. Interns will work with faculty on ongoing research focusing on schools, classrooms, and other youth settings as contexts critical to child and adolescent development.They will have the opportunity to collect and analyze data, write a section of a research paper, participate in research meetings, attend a research conference, and participate in related workshops and a GRE prep course.

You can read more about our program and get the application form at http://curry.virginia.edu/SURP. The program is for students who will be entering their senior year in Fall 2012 and the deadline for applications is 2/1/12.

To:        The UMBC Community

From:    Freeman Hrabowski, President

 Philip Rous, Interim Provost

Re:        Regents Policy on Reporting Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect

The Board of Regents approved a policy in December for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect.  Recent events elsewhere demonstrate the need to establish and communicate policies that explain individual and institutional reporting obligations.  It is important to note that the new USM policy is based on existing State law.

The new policy requires each campus to designate an institutional point of contact for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect.  Stephanie Lazarus, Human Relations Manager, located within the General Counsel’s Office, is UMBC’s official contact for such reports.  She can be reached at 410-455-5745 or slazar@umbc.edu.

As the first step in communicating with the campus about this important matter, we are sharing a letter from Chancellor Kirwan regarding the new policy, along with the full policy document.  Additional guidance and education will be provided to the campus early in the spring semester.  Questions you may have about the policy in the meantime may be directed to Stephanie Lazarus.

Please read the Chancellor’s letter and the policy, both of which are attached to this email. *

* please note that both documents can be found in the "documents" tab of this group.

Empowering Students as Change Agents

UMBC is one of several universities working closely with the White House to launch a new effort to promote engaged citizenship. The initiative officially kicks off January 10 with “For Democracy’s Future: Education Reclaims Our Civic Mission,” an all-day event at the White House featuring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and education leaders from across the country.

Catie Collins, UMBC Student Government Association president, serves as the nation’s only undergraduate student on the steering committee of the American Commonwealth Partnership (ACP), which has partnered with the U.S. Department of Education and Association of American Colleges and Universities to develop this initiative. She will attend the White House event, which will also stream live at www.whitehouse.gov/live (2:00-4:00 p.m. ET and 5:30-6:00 p.m., with Secretary Duncan’s remarks).

This will launch what the White House describes as “a national conversation about the importance of educating all students, from grade school to graduate school, for informed and engaged citizenship” (see press release). It also coincides with the release of two reports from the Department of Education, “A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future” and “Civic Learning and Engagement in Democracy: A Road Map and Call to Action.”

UMBC has emerged as a leader in the movement to energize campus and community engagement. In a time of widespread skepticism about the capacity of our democracy to respond to society’s needs, UMBC programs and partnerships are demonstrating the power of individuals to foster meaningful change and renewal.  

This work is deeply embedded in a campus culture that builds community from diversity and celebrates ingenuity and resourcefulness. Over the past decade, UMBC has developed campus and civic engagement projects that have served as national models, such as Prove It!, featured in a video at the White House event.

Prove It! is an annual, campus-wide contest that funds student-led projects to improve UMBC, such as a program to convert waste oil from campus eateries into biodiesel fuel for university vehicles. Prove It! has been a powerful way to spread our student government’s core message: all UMBC students can apply their skills and energy to addressing community challenges.

In Fall 2012, UMBC will launch BreakingGround, a campaign to connect and make more visible courses, events and activities that embrace a culture of civic agency. BreakingGround will highlight the potential of UMBC students, faculty and staff to become problem solvers, resource creators, coalition builders and agents of social transformation.

To learn more about BreakingGround and UMBC’s role in the American Commonwealth Partnership, contact Communications Manager Dinah Winnick, dwinnick@umbc.edu. Press inquiries for the event “For Democracy’s Future” should be sent to Sara Gast, Sara.Gast@ed-gov. To become involved in the national initiative, visit http://civicyouth.org/democracyu.

(1/9/12)

Thanks to NYTimes.com

Yesterday, January 8th, marked the one year anniversary of the Tucson shooting that killed six people and injured 13 including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The New York Times has a nice piece profiling how Tusconans remember:

On this anniversary, there was the candlelight vigil, an interdenominational prayer service, a ringing of bells at 10:11 a.m. to mark the moment of the shootings and the reading of the victims’ names. There was Ms. Giffords herself visiting places that have become landmarks of the attack: the Safeway supermarket parking lot where it took place and the Intensive Care Unit at the University of Arizona Medical Center where the wounded were treated.

For a serene and close knit community, their the shooting was devastating and a year later they remember one thing; they will never forget.