February eNewsletter - Transform Mid-Atlantic

Dear Friends,

Throughout February, member institutions and communities have been commemorating Black History Month - from guest lectures and campus dialogues to engaged community action. In his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote: "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." It is in this spirit of inclusive mutuality and community that Transform Mid-Atlantic supports more equitable, just, and responsible engagement between its member campuses and their constituent communities through our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Initiative. The challenges that our region and world face are too great for any one individual or community to overcome alone. We must embrace our shared commitment to realize a more just, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future. In the words of the author Alice Walker, truly, "we are the ones we have been waiting for."

Civic and community engagement programs and activities on college and university campuses in our region provide an avenue to catalyze such positive social change through understanding and action. In March and throughout the spring, TMA is offering many opportunities for its member campuses to advance their work and mission to do just that. From participating in the Spring 2023 JEDI-CCE Institute to nominating a TMA Civic Fellow, or applying for a 2023-2024 project through the TMA / The Facing Project partnership to participating in the Transform 2040 pilot program to screen a film and convene a community conversation around youth advocacy and leadership - we hope that you and your campus will join us!

As always, we remain grateful for your partnership, engagement, and commitment to advancing the public purposes of higher education.

In Service,

The TMA Team

TMA Civic Fellowship Nominations Close Tuesday, February 28!

Presidents of TMA member institutions are invited to nominate one student for this impactful leadership development fellowship. The TMA Civic Fellowship will provide students from across the region high impact opportunities to develop their leadership skills and understanding of civic and community engagement so that they may better serve as leaders in their communities and collectively create solutions to our region's most urgent problems. Deadline: February 28, 2023.

Click below to visit the program's website and to learn more about how to nominate a fellow from your institution! Questions about the program should be directed to Anthony Wagner at wagner@transformmidatlantic.org.

More Information & Nomination Form

2023-2024 TMA / The Facing Project Partnership Program Info Sessions

Join The Facing Project co-founder and president J.R. Jamison, leaders of 2022-2023 TFP/TMA projects at Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and TMA staff to learn more about how your campus can "face" complex and difficult community issues through dialogue and storytelling during the 2023-2024 academic year!

Information sessions will include more details about the purpose and goals of The Facing Project, spotlight the work of TMA member campuses selected to create projects in 2022-2023, and details about how your campus can apply to lead a 2023-2024 project.

Information sessions will occur on Wednesday, March 1 from 11:00am-12:00pm and Friday, March 10 from 12:00pm-1:00pm on Zoom. Click below to learn more and register!

More Information & Registration

Apply for a 2023-2024 Project

Spring 2023 TRANSFORM 2040 Pilot Program: Apply Now!

TMA invites member institutions to apply to become part of a pilot project: TRANSFORM 2040. Building on the recommendations of the Global Citizenship Initiative Taskforce, colleges and universities in our network are invited to work with their community partners to invite area youth to share their visions for 2040 by participating in a screening of the documentary film 2040 and a community conversation focused on engaged youth leadership and action during Earth Week 2023 (April 16-22).

5-7 member institutions will be selected to host a film screening and community conversation.

Participating campuses will receive a:

License for a public screening of the film 2040
Marketing materials for the screening
Resource kit for educators
Discussion guide to lead post-screening community conversation

TMA will host a follow-up panel discussion featuring the voices of global and regional youth leaders after Earth Week. More details to come!

To learn more and apply to participate in the TRANSFORM 2040 pilot program, click below! Applications are due by Friday, March 17.

Learn More & Apply

VISTA Blog Post - A Return to Service: Reflections from TMA VISTA member Linda Thiele

TMA VISTA Member for Communications & Strategic Partnerships Linda Thiele reflects on her first term of AmeriCorps service at the University of Alabama's West Alabama AIDS Outreach program in 1995-1996. Linda was part of one of the first national cohorts of AmeriCorps members. She writes about how the personal relationships she developed during her year of service affected her career plans and story. Read Linda's reflection by clicking on the button below!

Apply for UMBC's new Community Leadership Graduate Programs

Change is inevitable and creates both challenge and opportunity. The Community Leadership Programs at UMBC prepare aspiring and practicing leaders with the skills and experience needed to generate transformative social change.

Scholarships are available, click below for more details.

Learn More

Institutional Change that Promotes Lasting Community Engagement: The Promise of University-Assisted Community Schools Series

This two-part series will explore examples of university-assisted community school partnerships in NY and PA, along with other national examples that are mutually beneficial for higher education and their communities. We’ll look at how these partnerships work across disciplines, policies, and practices in higher education to successfully advance community engaged research, scholarship, and long-term, place-based democratic community partnerships that are mutually transformational. Facilitated by Corey Bowman (Associate Director, UPenn Netter Center for Community Partnerships) and Dr. Naorah Rimkunas (Professor, Binghamton University).

Part 1: March 20, 11am EST

Part 2: April 17th, 11am EST

12th Annual Regional Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship

The Frostburg State University Center for Teaching Excellence is hosting its 12th Annual Regional Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship on March 17. The conference is supported by a 2022-2023 TMA Faculty Development Mini-Grant. Registration is free. View the conference agenda and register by clicking below!

Learn More & Register

On February 22, TMA AmeriCorps VISTA project supervisors and VISTA members from across the region are participating in a workshop at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland focused on the 2023-2024 program year. Participants will be sharing their work, goals, and opportunities to collaboratively learn and engage alongside each other in the year to come. Many of these project sites will be hiring new VISTA members starting later this spring to begin their service year in the summer. To learn more about the TMA AmeriCorps VISTA program, visit the program's webpage! You can also reach out to Martha Bishai, Director of Education & Program Development, to learn more at bishai@transformmidatlantic.org.