UMBC is one of just 10 universities nationwide to be invited to join the 2025-26 Advanced Campus Pluralism cohort, a collaboration between Interfaith America and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). UMBC has received $25K to create a strategic plan to develop practices that lead to deeper engagement across differences, and integrate practices into the university's work in inclusive excellence. It will include partnerships between the Divisions of Student Affairs and Institutional Equity, as well as the Provost's Office and Academic Affairs, with input from campus leadership and stakeholders.

"We are thrilled to be joining this cohort of public universities committed to engaging civic pluralism on their campuses," said Matt Hoffman, director of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism in the Division of Student Affairs. "This grant will serve as a moment to intentionally pause and chart a course for how civic pluralism and the work of supporting religious and spiritual diversity can be a core part of UMBC's larger value of inclusive excellence. Through strategic partnerships, our planning team will be seeking out innovative ways to lift up the work already being done and seek outcomes that will impact our entire campus community."

Civic pluralism focuses on mutual dignity, shared responsibility, and principled engagement across lines of difference and emphasizes deep relational commitments to equity, belonging, and democratic coexistence. In the past few years, UMBC has expanded and invested in the shifting and growing needs of its campus religious and spiritual communities, building on an institutional commitment to inclusive excellence. The university is committed to creating spaces and resources for students with closely held religious and spiritual identities to find belonging on campus. 

UMBC's strategic plan will inform and guide how the university community will relate, learn, and build community across the diverse institution. Building a robust strategic plan for advancing pluralism on campus allows UMBC to continue to be responsive to the changing demographic needs of students, staff, and faculty as well as UMBC's historic commitment to "welcome and [inspire] inquisitive minds of all backgrounds." 

Dr. Jasmine Lee, associate vice president for community and culture and co-director of the Center for Social Justice Dialogue in UMBC's Division of Institutional Equity, said, "The beauty of this grant opportunity is that we get to receive funding to support work that is already happening on our campus. At UMBC, we are not new to civic pluralism - we call it inclusive excellence. The funding and principles driving the work of advancing civic pluralism through AACSU and Interfaith America are directly aligned with our vision of inclusive excellence at UMBC and will help us continue to bolster the meaningful work taking place."

UMBC will also use the grant funds to develop plans under three commitment areas: Capacity Building, Co-curricular Engagement, and Curricular Experiences. Staff who will be leading aspects of this work include Hoffman and Dr. Lee, with Dr. Renique Kersh, vice president for student affairs, as the executive sponsor.

Capacity Building will focus on updating a definition for inclusive excellence and how it incorporates and overlaps with civic pluralism; expanding the role of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism and creating a partnership with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, as well as building out the existing collaborations with the Center for Social Justice Dialogue and the institutionalization of restorative practices. Additionally, capacity building will focus on amplifying opportunities for faculty, staff, and students alike to develop and practice competencies and skills for dialoguing across difference, resolving conflict, and building bridges to collaborative solutions. 

Curriculum and Scholarships will focus on inventorying existing pluralism work on campus; creating a micro-credentialing and/or certificate program in civic pluralism; and developing opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to engage in transformative experiences and collaborations through existing or new programming.

Co-Curricular Engagement will focus on ongoing pluralism programming and student fellows, providing leadership opportunities, and reinforcing UMBC's commitment to pluralism beyond the classroom.

The grant will also fund The Dialogue Symposium: Bringing Colleges and Communities Together at UMBC on January 29, 2026. The symposium aims to highlight and strengthen dialogue practices that make campuses more connected, inclusive, and resilient. Grounded in the work of the Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center, this year's theme, "Dialogue as a Campus and Community Approach," explores how institutions and organizations can embed dialogic practices across curricular, co-curricular, and administrative spaces.

At the October 2025 Imagining America (IA) National Gathering, Dr. David Hoffman, Ph.D. '13, director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life was honored with IA's Randy Martin Spirit Award. The annual award recognizes an individual who embodies the unique combination of qualities that made the late Dr. Randy Martin, professor of art and policy in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, a beloved and valued member of the IA community. It is presented to a professional "working in and/or in-partnership with higher education who consistently achieve excellence and demonstrate original thinking and approaches in at least 3 of the areas in which Randy Martin excelled: scholarship, artistry, pedagogy, mentorship, and institutional leadership/administration. Recipients will be people who, within all their professional roles, exude the many of the human qualities for which Randy will always be remembered: generosity, sincerity, humor, joy, curiosity, clowning, and an irrepressible joie de vivre."

"There are few staff members that I have worked with in my 20+ years in higher education who truly enact the values of their position and unit more effectively than David Hoffman," said Dr. James DeVita, assistant vice president for academic partnerships and high-impact experiences. "Not only does David demonstrate an unwavering commitment to supporting students, staff, faculty, and all who engage with UMBC in experiencing the true meaning of community, he does so by enacting the values of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life in every aspect of his work."

Dr. DeVita added, "David regularly goes above and beyond as a member of the UMBC community by embodying the Retriever spirit in both his on and off-campus engagement, producing scholarship in the field of higher education, and contributing to numerous local and national efforts to enhance civic engagement that have made him--and UMBC's campus--a recognized leader in the field. This award appropriately honors David for both who he is as a person and as a professional."

In their nomination, Dr. Romy Hübler '09, M.A. '11, Ph.D. '15; Markya Reed,'18, M.A.'23, and Tess McRae '22, assistant director for connective learning, Center for Democracy and Civic Life, stated, "David Hoffman exemplifies Randy Martin's generous, sincere, curious, and joyful spirit through his mentorship, original thinking, and institutional leadership. As a celebrated civic engagement leader with 22 years of transformative contributions at UMBC and in national organizations, he has had a positive influence in the lives of thousands of students and colleagues, including the three of us. We each worked with David as students and continue to do so now as community engagement professionals. (Dr. Hübler is director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility at Towson University, and previously served as associate director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. Reed is assistant director of operations at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Social Concern. She was a graduate assistant with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. McRae was a student intern with the Center for four years.) 

Join us for Thrive Fest 2025, a celebration of mindfulness, wellness, and community! Thrive Fest offers opportunities to relax, connect, and recharge through creative activities, discussions, and self-care sessions.

Click the links below to learn more about each event and add them to your calendar. 

Wednesday, November 12 – Chai Chats: Look to the Future

Chai Chats @ The Mosaic (Commons 2B23) | 12–1 PM

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/themosaic/events/148129

Thursday, November 13 – ThriveFest 

Restore @ Lower Flat Tuesdays, 9:00 - 11:30: 

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/thegatheringspace/events/148248

Nourish @ Lower Flat Tuesdays, 12:00 - 2:00: 

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/thegatheringspace/events/148249

QT Hangout @ UC 101, 1:00-3:00: 

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/thepridecenter/posts/154303

Free Farmers Market @ ACC, 2:00 - 2:45:

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/retrieveressentials/events/146009

Explore @ Lower Flat Tuesdays, 2:30 - 4:30: 

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/thegatheringspace/events/148250

Queer Connect Cafe @ The Commons 318, 3:00 - 5:00: 

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/thepridecenter/events/148246 

Stop by our Mainstreet table from 10 AM – 4 PM for giveaways and info!

Thursday, November 20 – Thrive On

Dinner with the Center for Democracy & Civic Life @ UC 312, 5:30 - 7:30 (RSVP REQUIRED)

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/civiclife/events/148274