Anchoring Our Community

Gifts are funding community-based programming and engagement and supporting TU’s position as a critical anchor institution for our community and state.

Community-based programming and engagement activities are fueling economic and cultural leadership and helping us prepare students to lead in twenty-first century industries.

Community-focused programs and initiatives are driving the entrepreneurial energies of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. RISE Campaign support is having a direct and positive impact on communities in our region and the state of Maryland.

Our TU community commitment is driving a wide range of initiatives including BTU Partnerships for Greater Baltimore, the StarTUp Accelerator, cultural programming, literacy, community wellbeing, entrepreneurship programming and leadership development programs.

Gifts Are Supporting These Projects

Asian Arts and Culture Center

Asian Arts and Culture Center

As the Asian Arts and Culture Center turns 50, supporting and amplifying Asian American and Pacific Islander voices is more important than ever. Supporting community-based programs and exhibitions, such as the Asia North Festival, battles xenophobia and contributes to civic health on campus and beyond.

Model UN

The Towson University–Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) Model UN program provides civic engagement learning experiences for students in Baltimore County Public Schools and provides TU students with hands-on opportunities to mentor high school students. The programming increases college access, civic readiness and provides TU students an opportunity to be active participants in the Greater Baltimore community.

CLA Faculty Community-based programs

CLA Faculty Community-based programs

Through course offerings and operational programming, students will engage in social justice and community service work across the region, including programs like Forensic Anthropology Field Work and the Inside Out Prison Exchange program. Providing support for supplies, stipends, equipment, transportation and lodging ensures this real world learning continues.

Literacy Center and Reading Clinic

Literacy Center and Reading Clinic

Help bring reading confidence and literacy to those who want to learn and enjoy the gift of reading. The TU Reading Clinic helps families and participants of any age, develop literacy skills for learning, comprehension and reading enjoyment. Our team includes experienced classroom teachers in the final stages of the graduate reading education program who share a passion for literacy instruction.

Serving Children with Autism (and the Teachers who serve them)

Serving Children with Autism (and the Teachers who serve them)

Help elevate the Teacher as Leader in the ASD M.Ed. program. As a leader in autism study and training, the TU Training and Immersion Classroom offers effective early intervention for young children with social communication impairments through the Baltimore County Infant and Toddler Program. This hands-on learning creates immersion training opportunities for Towson University pre-service students as well as in-service educators in Baltimore County.

Serving English Language Learners

Serving English Language Learners

You can enhance the opportunity for teachers to work with the growing population of English learners in today’s classrooms. Through research, innovative undergraduate and graduate programs and professional development using advanced technology, your support offers both teachers and English learners the opportunity to succeed.

Creativity Incubator Gallery/Performance and Event Space

Creativity Incubator Gallery/Performance and Event Space

Offering cultural events, in a dedicated space, brings the community together to explore topics like literature and diversity. Author talks springboard into larger global issues and spark transformation in our communities. A larger and more flexible space will bring students and community together, to explore meaningful topics.

Institute for Well-being

Institute for Well-being

The Institute offers students and faculty specialized involvement in active practice settings and offers community participants the benefits of team-based care. Based on clinical education and best practices, it offers students unique opportunities to work across professions to manage and provide outreach services. Housed in the Institute are the Hussman Center for Adults with Autism, Hearing and Balance Center, Speech Language Center, Occupational Therapy Center and Interprofessional Practice Programs including: WISH (Wellness in Stroke and Head Injury), Children’s Therapeutic Program, Work Skills, CAPS (College Autism Peer Support) and the Memory Café – Dementia Support Group.

Capacity Building for Minority-Led Nonprofits

Capacity Building for Minority-Led Nonprofits

Supporting the work of nonprofits is crucial in addressing the needs of our neighboring communities, the economic impact on Maryland, and the academic and professional success of our students. BTU is launching a new grassroots nonprofit incubator which includes coaching and leadership development support, a research and referral library, collaborative research opportunities, and a workshop and technical assistance series.

BTU Student Corp

BTU Student Corp

Serving the public good through community-engaged research and internship experiences, donor support will take this work to the next level offering increased opportunities for hundreds of students who work alongside faculty and community partners to address the needs of our community in areas such as education equity, economic recovery, health and family support structures, and capacity-building.

Access to Educational and Co-curricular Experiences for K-12 Students

Access to Educational and Co-curricular Experiences for K-12 Students

Since 2019, BTU has supported K-12 youth in arts & culture, college readiness & access, environmental education & sustainability, health, mentoring & leadership development, reading literacy, and STEM. Expanding K-12 education is transformational for students’ growth and by offering transportation to and from campus, meals, hands-on curriculum, and exposing students to a college campus environment, TU enhances the learning experience and invests in Maryland’s future.

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Endowed Executive Director and Professor of Practice

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Endowed Executive Director and Professor of Practice

Support will ensure this position exists in perpetuity and provides the resources and prestige necessary to recruit and retain an eminent scholar and leader for the Institute. Endowed professors of practice carry a special responsibility to address areas of critical importance, strengthen the discipline and build a network of experts. Ultimately, this position will serve as a resource for the community, industry and other academics, while also raising the profile of Towson University.

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Next-Level Leaders Program

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Next-Level Leaders Program

Identifying, cultivating and training leaders of the future is central to the work of the Institute. Contributions in support of the Next-Level Leaders Program will ensure the Institute has the necessary resources to support a robust learning experience for individuals from a multitude of industries and sectors.

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Professional Leadership Program for Women Endowment

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Professional Leadership Program for Women Endowment

Established in 2015, the Towson University Professional Leadership Program for Women was designed for women committed to increasing their capacity for leadership and influence. A permanent endowment will support continued expansion and provide much-needed financial assistance for women from organizations challenged to invest in their future leaders.

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Institute Impact and Collective Leadership

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Institute Impact and Collective Leadership

Offering a robust selection of industry-leading training and signature programs, that build capacity and inspire leaders, is central to the work of the Leadership Institute. Local individuals and organizations, without access to training and leadership resources, will also find support and advanced leadership training through coaches and innovative programs which address evolving/emerging trends and challenges in leadership.

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Visiting Scholar/Visiting Executive Endowment

Professor lecturing to a group of students

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Visiting Scholar/Visiting Executive Endowment

Funding will ensure the Leadership Institute attracts nationally and internationally renowned leadership experts. These scholars will work for the Leadership Institute for up to two years. The goal is to have the first visiting scholar/executive in place by spring 2022.

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Fellows Program Endowment

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Fellows Program Endowment

Faculty and visiting fellows will build a collaborative team, which might also include graduate and doctoral students in real-world learning environments. Supporting these multi-year appointments will strengthen cross-disciplinary research endeavors and allow fellows to conduct meaningful longitudinal assessments of the program and its outcomes.

StarTUp Accelerator

StarTUp Accelerator

This intensive eight-week, cohort-based fellowship provides new ventures with a stipend for residency and collaboration to accelerate their work. Accepted ventures receive a $10,000 equity-free stipend as well as mentorship, founder-centric programming and exposure to successful ventures who are alumni of this model. Selected founders take up residency at the StarTUp at the Armory—TU’s new state-of-the-art, entrepreneurship space in downtown Towson. To expand entrepreneurship at TU, roles within the Accelerator will be added, including Builders in Residence, a team of TU computer science majors who will assist ventures with the launch of their mobile application and/or web site.

Stories that Inspire

“When I think about my legacy at TU—it is my mentors who moved me to give back. It’s a privilege. Being civically engaged in the community makes you think about how to help those who come after you. My gift funds Model UN, conferences and research positions for students.”

Lauren Calahan ’18

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“TU brought me to Special Olympics—it got me to a place I love and connected me to the people and a field I love.”

Jeff Miller ’24

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Towson University was the first Maryland higher education institution invited to adopt the UTeach program, which today includes 46 universities in 22 states and Washington, D.C.

UTeach Program

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“Great leadership always matters. The Institute will serve greater Baltimore, our state, the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. It will challenge the status quo of leadership development and propel our region forward.”

Dr. Nancy Grasmick

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TU's new state-of-the-art, entrepreneurship space will serve as TU’s front door for start-ups, small businesses and our region’s largest corporations.

The Armory Building

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Student working on laptop with the RISE shape

COOKIES & PRIVACY

Anchoring Our Community

Community-based programming and engagement activities are fueling economic and cultural leadership and helping us prepare students to lead in twenty-first century industries.

Gifts Are Supporting These Projects

Asian Arts and Culture Center

Model UN

CLA Faculty Community-based programs

Literacy Center and Reading Clinic

Serving Children with Autism (and the Teachers who serve them)

Serving English Language Learners

Creativity Incubator Gallery/Performance and Event Space

Institute for Well-being

Capacity Building for Minority-Led Nonprofits

BTU Student Corp

Access to Educational and Co-curricular Experiences for K-12 Students

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Endowed Executive Director and Professor of Practice

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Next-Level Leaders Program

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Professional Leadership Program for Women Endowment

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Institute Impact and Collective Leadership

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Visiting Scholar/Visiting Executive Endowment

Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute: Fellows Program Endowment

StarTUp Accelerator

Stories that Inspire

“When I think about my legacy at TU—it is my mentors who moved me to give back. It’s a privilege. Being civically engaged in the community makes you think about how to help those who come after you. My gift funds Model UN, conferences and research positions for students.”

“TU brought me to Special Olympics—it got me to a place I love and connected me to the people and a field I love.”

Towson University was the first Maryland higher education institution invited to adopt the UTeach program, which today includes 46 universities in 22 states and Washington, D.C.

“Great leadership always matters. The Institute will serve greater Baltimore, our state, the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. It will challenge the status quo of leadership development and propel our region forward.”

TU's new state-of-the-art, entrepreneurship space will serve as TU’s front door for start-ups, small businesses and our region’s largest corporations.