This Fall the nation will continue to confront the implications of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) which leads to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).  This speaker series will feature experts in politics and policy who will describe the implications of COVID-19 on

• Why do states and localities differ in their responses to COVID-19?
• What role does intergovernmental relations play in the politics of this issue?
• How does media and information impact these political decisions?
• How should we evaluate the responses by governments and on what outcomes (public health, economics, etc.)?
• What impact will this have on economic growth, higher education, state and local finances?

This speaker series will be facilitated by Eric Stokan, Ph.D. (UMBC, Political Science) and will take place virtually on Mondays from 12-1 p.m.  Webex links for each session will be posted here as the dates approach.

Schedule of Speakers

• September 14th: Dr. Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor at UMBC and Dr. Zoe McLaren, Associate Professor at UMBC:  Laying the foundations for the series and describing what is known and unknown on COVID-19 at this point. 

Politics

• September 21st: Hon. Steven M. Bieda, Former State Rep and Senator from MI:  Describing the politics of state legislative decisionmaking regarding COVID-19 in an intergovernmental structure.
• September 28th: Dr. Christopher Goodman, Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University:  Describing the intergovernmental dimensions of COVID-19 policies and particularly state pre-emption of local decisions.
• November 16th: Dr. Susan Serett, Professor & Director, UMBC & Dr. William Blake, Assistant Professor, UMBC:  Understanding the constitutional dimensions and ramifications of COVID-19.

Data and Decision-making

• October 5th: Dr. Aaron Deslatte, Assistant Professor, Indiana University (Virtual ahead of time and then will call in for Q&A): Understanding citizen and bureaucratic perspectives through experimental studies.
• October 19th: Dr. Nick Hart, President of the Data Foundation: Using survey data to better understand citizen perspectives and implications for citizens.

Policy Implications

• October 12th: Gregory Simmons, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, UMBC: Implications of COVID-19 on higher education: Industry, Athletics, and Entrepreneurship
• October 26th: Jeff Finkle, President and CEO of International Economic Development Council:  Understanding the economic implications and role of economic developers in stabilizing communities due to the public health crisis.
• November 9th:  Alison Ciborowski, President of Leading Age Maryland: Understanding the public health impacts on our aged population and what actions are being taken to help this vulnerable population.
• November 23rd:  Bill Wells, Senior VP Baltimore Housing: Understanding the implications that COVID-19 might have on housing within Baltimore City.
• December 7th:  Meredith Cohn, Reporter, Baltimore Sun: Understanding COVID-19 disparities and the role of journalism in informing our policy-making process around this issue.

This is a free webinar specifically for DC, VA, and MD area universities, though we do ask folks to please register in order to receive the Zoom link.

• Hiring a research assistant in the Baltimore region or elsewhere;

• Purchasing necessary software or hardware upgrades;

• Purchasing research materials (e.g., books, photocopies, materials provided by archives, transcription services or interview devices);

• Small honoraria for external research partners; small faculty development funds for UMBC research partners;

• Travel (if and when the “non-essential” travel ban is lifted).
  

• A brief narrative statement (300 words max) describing your research, its humanities and social justice (if appropriate) focus, and its significance, your revised or re-adapted research goals, and how you will use the funding

• A short, summary budget

• A two-page CV