Towson University’s Outreach Blog

Lisa

Outreach is defined in Wikipedia as “an effort by individuals in an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public”.  At RESI ISS, we are a part of TU’s Division of Economic and Community Outreach.  We provide a variety of business and technical services to various agencies, which is a good thing, but not exactly what comes to mind when I think about “community outreach”.  That term somehow has a more philanthropic connotation for me.

We do however have a true “outreacher” on staff at RESI.  Christine Tennies, one of my fellow business analysts has made it her mission to actively reach out to our neighbor, the community of Towson High School.

Even before Christine joined us in 2007, we were impressed by her resume. Along with her professional background she had worked with homeless families and done volunteer work for the SPCA and Ten Thousand Villages.

Christine quickly became a faithful reader of the Daily Digest, TU’s daily email listing of announcements and upcoming events.  She was thrilled by the large variety of events that are regularly hosted by the University and immediately began attending, often with her daughter Hannah, a freshman at Towson High School.  She explains, “As a single mom on a tight budget it is phenomenal to be able to take my daughter to hear speakers like Angela Davis, Ilyasah Shabazz and Rory Kennedy”.

Rory Kennedy & Christine's daughter Hannah

Together they enjoyed numerous speaking events, concerts and plays and often invited some of Hannah’s classmates to join them.  It was during a speaker series sponsored by the Women’s Center that Christine thought “This is history. This can’t be missed”.  She realized what a valuable resource these activities could be to both the faculty and students at the high school.

Christine met with Bobbie O’Connell, Manager for External Affairs and Strategic Communication, and Louise Miller, Director of Marketing–Arts & Culture, to present her plan to disseminate items of interest to Towson High School, and received an enthusiastic response.  She then contacted the Principal of THS and offered to act as a liaison, sending information on lectures, plays, programs and other events of interest.

Once she got the go-ahead, Christine began diligently scanning the Daily Digest to match the program content to various classes and clubs at the high school. She regularly emails her suggestions to the administrators and faculty at THS.  Recently she has notified the following THS departments of upcoming events:

• Art Department – TU’s screening of “Shooting Beauty”, a documentary about a fashion photographer who adapted cameras for people with disabilities.
• Guidance Office and Phys. Ed. Department – “I Chose to Live: An Athlete’s Recovery” – a speaking engagement by a college lacrosse player recovering from an eating disorder.
• History Department – “The Road to Freedom: A Live Multimedia Experience” – a presentation about early Civil Rights activists.
• Spanish Department and Spanish Honors Club – Central American Celebration and “Carnaval Brasileiro”.
• Chinese Language Department – Chinese New Year Celebration.
• Music Department – Big Band Concert and Classical Guitar Ensemble.

Christine’s upbeat personality inspires us every day and her brand of outreach is absolutely an asset to the Towson community.