Towson University’s advocacy efforts are “In Session”

February 19, 2010

Bobbie

We are just over a month into the 2010 Maryland Legislative Session.  The 90 day session will end on April 12th (unless we see a joint resolution passed to extend it) and will include actions on over 2300 bills and the passing of the state budget.  Within all of those bills just about every industry is affected and higher education is no different.  Because Towson University is a public-state institution we pay very close attention to what is happening in Annapolis and do our best to be actively engaged with our legislators and elected officials.

“The Towson Advocacy Program (TAP) is a grass-roots effort to gain support for public higher education in Maryland, and more specifically, for Towson University’s legislative initiatives”

TAP is coordinated through our Office of Alumni Relations and is open to Towson alumni, staff, and friends who are interested in supporting Towson University’s advocacy efforts.   By “Tapping In” you will receive a weekly e-newsletter that includes valuable information on upcoming bills, interviews with important state officials, and updates on Towson University initiatives.   Most importantly, you will be provided with the resources and support needed to effectively advocate on behalf of Towson University.  I recently attended the TAP Legislative Luncheon to learn about what to expect this session, click here for pictures!

President Caret has said on numerous occasions that Towson University needs the support of our Alumni and Friends in many ways including; Financially, Politically, and Emotionally (especially when things get tough).   Each session, President Caret presents testimony on behalf of Towson University to both the House and the Senate, TAP members are invited to attend these testimonies which will take place next Monday and Tuesday.

Yesterday, 80 Towson University students met with legislators as part of the 11th annual Tiger Pride Day in Annapolis.  This annual event is a great opportunity for the legislators to hear both from TU students and in some cases their own constituents about how their decisions in Annapolis are affecting them including, tuition affordability, access, and civic concerns. Each year the Student Government Association publishes the Student Legislative Agenda to articulate their priorities for the year.  To view the 2010 agenda, click here.

2010 Tiger Pride Day, February 17, 2010

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Business + Basketball

January 27, 2010

Bobbie

“Building your Network” is no new concept, but in this economy the importance of getting your name out there is more imperative than ever!  There is no shortage of networking opportunities in the Baltimore region but in two weeks Towson Athletics is giving networking a different spin.

On February 10th, Tiger Men’s Basketball is taking on the  UNC Wilmington Seahawks at home in the Towson Center Arena.  From 5:00-7:00 TU Athletics, in partnership with Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, Towson Chamber of Commerce and many others, will be hosting the first “Tiger Networking Event!”

Why I’ll be there:

  • Access to business leaders from across the Baltimore Metropolitan Area
  • The perfect networking event to tag-team with my sports enthusiast fiance
  • Registration includes heavy hors d’ourves and drink tickets
  • Chance to use my yellow foam finger to cheer on the Towson Tigers!

Attendees will also have a chance to be a part of the LIVE broadcast “CAA Game of the Week” that is televised regionally on MASN.

Register Now because space is limited and is filling up quickly.

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Meet our Team – Mike Schroder

January 14, 2010

Bobbie

Building something from the ground up is something Mike Schroder is pretty familiar with.  Hired by Jim Clements (previous VP for DECO and Provost at Towson) over 5 years ago to launch Extended Education and Online Learning (EEOL), Mike has built a team that provides a wide array of training, workforce development, and educational opportunities for just about every population!  EEOL is also one of the primary outreach arms for Towson and Mike works with several organizations including the Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum, a membership organization of CIOs in the region headquartered at Towson. I recently sat down with Mike to pick his brain on what people can and should be doing during the current economic climate to ensure they are well positioned for the next job!

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

A Signature Partnership: Towson University & Building STEPS

December 9, 2009

Bobbie

Building STEPS was founded in 1995 by Matthew Weinberg, CEO of The Weinberg Group, and is structured as an internship program designed to expose minority students to workplace dynamics and encourage post high school education, with an emphasis in science and technology. The decade old non-profit is headquartered at TU and their offices are right across from where I spend most of my day typing away on my mac in the Administration Building.

The Building STEPS program has served over 252 high school Juniors and Seniors since their inception and continues to have astounding results, like:

  • 94% of their students have gone on to college
  • 11 of their students are in masters doctoral programs
  • 100% of their students receive academic scholarships for college

The exposure these students receive is first-rate and includes seminar days to Northrop Grumman, a behind the scenes tour at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, University of MD Biotechnology Institute, and a visit to Dr. Jim Saunders’ classroom in our very own Smith Hall.  This year, Dr. Saunders hosted 60 Building STEPS students in October.  Some of the hands-on activities in the past have included a:

Lab experiment with Dr. Saunders

The Division of Economic and Community Outreach has been fortunate in the past few years to have a few Building STEPS interns with us over the summer.  Recently, we interviewed them for our ongoing “Education Meets the Workforce” series.

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Lunch with Steve Peck, TU’s first CEO in Residence

November 9, 2009

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Bobbie

Global Growth: Local Opportunity: This was the theme for three recent brown bag lunches hosted by TU’s first CEO in Residence, Steve Peck.  TU President Bob Caret launched the Executive in Residence Program this year with a mission of connecting business & government leaders with our dynamic students, faculty research projects, and community engagement initiatives. One of the first outcomes of the program was recently connecting with student leaders from the College of Business and Economics, Campus Activities, and the Career Center.

I was lucky to attend each lunch with Steve and thought I’d provide some of the take-aways.  First, we have INCREDIBLE students—the students each provided their resumes ahead of time and came prepared with pertinent questions.   Second, one discussion that seemed to come up at each lunch was…

What do CEOs want to see?

  • Integrity, passion, and hard work will set you apart from your peers
  • Great eye-contact, a strong hard shake, poise, and articulating your strengths really count
  • “Corporate Citizenship,” your volunteer and philanthropic experiences are a great asset you can bring to the company—highlight them
  • The workplace and workforce are truly Global now—study abroad, foreign languages, and international experiences are important

stevePeck

Steve also talked about his experience as a Towson University Business student.  We learned that Steve and a few of his buddies ran the campus hot-dog stands around campus and the experiences of keeping inventory, managing employees, making revenue projections, and paying the expenses played a big role in his future career choices and opportunities.

While Steve provided helpful feedback for the students preparing to entire the workforce, our students also reinforced what makes the Towson student stand out.  A College of Business and Economics student said it best, “The job market is not what it was five years ago but I am confident in the skills and experiences I’ve gained at Towson and know I am going to succeed out there.”

To learn more about the TU Executive in Residence Program or to contact Steve, visit our website.

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Meet our Team – Dyan Brasington

October 29, 2009
Bobbie

Bobbie

Bringing over 30 years of economic development experience, Dyan Brasington became TU’s Vice President for Economic and Community Outreach in 2007.   I recently sat down with Dyan to learn a little more about her past experiences and find out how she views DECO’s role both within the university and in the larger community.

One thing I have learned working with Dyan over the past several years is she definitely takes our division’s responsibility seriously as one of the primary outreach arms for the campus but also makes having fun at work a priority for all of us!

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Because Place Matters–The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities

October 7, 2009
Bobbie

Bobbie

The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) is an organization of 85 universities that recognize their shared mission to use the power of their campuses in education, research, and service to enhance the communities in which they are located. The best practices organization is headquartered at Towson University and operates a quarterly journal, monthly e-newsletter, annual conference, and promotes the Urban and Metropolitan agenda both regionally and on the federal level.

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This coming weekend marks the kick-off of the 15th annual CUMU Conference!  This year the conference is hosted by Widener University in Philadelphia and is titled “Building Community Resiliency: The Role of University Leadership.”  The conference includes over 100 concurrent presenters and will bring together 300 of the nation’s leading faculty and administrators from Urban and Metropolitan Universities!  This year there are a few sessions I wanted to highlight that especially focus on advancing the CUMU mission:

Fattah & Ivey

Fattah & Ivey

Congressman Chaka Fattah will provide an update on the role of Urban and Metropolitan Universities in the current administration and will update the attendees regarding upcoming legislation and appropriations related to our universities.

Sherone E. Ivey, Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will talk about the initiatives of HUD’s Office of University Partnerships under the Obama Administration and will lead a town hall format discussion on best practices in university partnerships.

Identify the Office of University Partnerships (OUP) as a Budget Priority for 2011!
CUMU recently co-authored letters to both the Secretary of HUD and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget urging the current administration to incorporate several of the key recommendations from the Retooling HUD for a Catalytic Federal Government report. One of these key recommendations is reinvigorating and funding the existing the COPC program through the OUP. The COPC program has awarded grants to many CUMU institutions in the past to fund programs that have had significant impacts in our communities.

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Economic Stimulus + Towson University

September 17, 2009
Bobbie

Bobbie

It has been just about 7 months since the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) was passed by the House.  Since then, the Federal Government has invested billions in tax relief, research projects, job creation initiatives, and Cash for Clunkers!

Here in Maryland, we have been on the forefront of the ARRA Movement.  Governor O’Malley was featured in a GovTech Article and as a lead speaker at the ESRI Conference for his commitment to GIS in StateStat and Maryland’s Recovery & Reinvestment Website is  ranked #1 in the Nation for Reporting of Spending.

bobbie2aAccording to Recovery.gov:

  • Under the stimulus plan 66,000 jobs in Maryland will be created/saved over the next two years
  • $4.1 Billion has been “announced” for projects in Maryland
    • $3.26 Billion of that has been “made available”
    • $988 Million has been “paid out”

Consider This—Texas has seen $16.9 Billion Announced while Wyoming has only seen $632 Million Announced for investments in their state!

ARRA + TU! Our exceptional faculty, with support from the Office of University Research Services, have secured six Stimulus funded projects that support our Metropolitan University Mission!  Snaps for all those involved!

Spectrometer

400 MHz NMR Spectrometer (example)

Clare Muhoro and Lev Ryzhkov, Chemistry, “MRI: Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR Spectrometer to Support Undergraduate Research and Chemical Education at Towson University,” National Science Foundation, $307,323, August 15, 2009 through July 31, 2012.

Roland Roberts and John LaPolla, Biological Sciences, “Improvements to the Botanical And Entomological Collections at the Towson University Biodiversity Center,” National Science Foundation $273,214, September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2012.

Timko

Timko

C. Alix Timko, Psychology, “Acceptance-Based Separated Family Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa,” National Institutes of Health, $216,865,  May 5, 2009 through April 30,2011

Jeremy Tasch, Geography and Environmental Planning, “Collaborative Research: Territorial Imaginaries and Arctic Sovereignty Claims,” National Science Foundation, $116,610, September 1, 2009 through February 29, 2012.  Collaborative research with the University of West Georgia and Florida State University.

Thomas met with 4th graders in Ellicott City as part of a program called <i>From Myth to Mars</i>.

Thomas met with 4th graders in Ellicott City as part of a program called From Myth to Mars.

David Vanko, Dean’s Office, Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, with Katherine  Denniston, Provost’s Office, Todd Kenreich, Secondary Education, Donald Thomas, Willard Hackerman Academy, and Jane Wolfson, Environmental Science and Studies, “Towson University Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program,” National Science Foundation, $900,000 June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2014.  These are scholarships for students who will teach in STEM subjects.

Vonnie Shields, Biological Sciences, “Peripheral Processing and Coding of Gustatory Input – Administrative Supplement Request,” National Institutes of Health, $35,519, July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.

TU’s faculty and DECO staff members continue to look for opportunities to support the mission of the ARRA while fulfilling our role as Maryland’s Metropolitan University!

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell

Blogging–just another movement!

September 1, 2009

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According to wikipedia, a corporate weblog is published and used by a corporation to meet its organizational goals. People.Partners.Projects. hopes to do exactly that for TU’s Division of Economic and Community Outreach! Our contributors will be posting on a wide variety of topics including technology reviews and tips, project highlights, event wrap-ups, staff profiles, campus happenings, vendor recommendations and more.

In drafting my first post I reflected on “the blog” and what that really meant for me.  As a millennial (generation jargon), I’ve been exposed to computers and the web for more or less my entire life.  Really, blogs are just one of the BIG MOVEMENTS caused by the World Wide Web—so what are some of the other movements that have impacted me the most:

  1. AIM—I still have my screen name “Bobbie256” (my middle school locker number).  While I don’t use AIM too much these days, I have recently seen a resurgence of AIM in the workplace, note: Disable AIM when giving presentations :) .
  2. The MP3—The days of Napster have come and gone but the ability to share and download tunes at the click of a mouse has transformed the breadth of music I listen to and further perpetuated my need for instant gratification
  3. Online Travel Booking—Whether you use Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, or any of the now hundred of travel sites, one thing is for sure—you have no excuse for getting ripped-off!
  4. Ebay and Online Auctions—Can you remember when a time when you couldn’t just type in “Authentic Grass Skirt” and get infinite options at the tip of your fingers!
  5. Social Media Platforms—Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have changed the way I connect with colleagues, friends, and potential clients!

As we embark on our new blog we hope you’ll let us know what we are doing right, wrong, sideways, and so on! 

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Posted by Bobbie O'Connell