UMBC and the Center for Democracy and Civic Life are featured in a new e-book, The Place Collaboratory: Higher Education, Community Engagement, and the Public Humanities. Dr. David Hoffman Ph.D. '13, is also one of the book's contributing writers. The chapter "University of Maryland, Baltimore County and and Community Precarity" begins on page 47.

From 2019 to 2022 UMBC participated in a national partnership called the PLACE Collaboratory, organized by Bringing Theory to Practice and funded by the Mellon Foundation. The partnership explored how humanities methods could be used to support community-driven social change. UMBC's Baltimore PLACE Project involved community organizing in two Baltimore City neighborhoods, Brooklyn and Curtis Bay. 

Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff played leading roles in designing and implementing UMBC's Baltimore PLACE project along with Center for Social Science Scholarship Associate Director Felipe Filomeno, also an associate professor of political science and global studies, and eight undergraduate fellows. Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Romy Hubler, former Center for Democracy and Civic Life associate director, developed and co-taught a class with Dr. Filomeno to prepare the PLACE fellows for their roles.

"The Baltimore PLACE Project was a wonderful opportunity to blend insights from the humanities with the community organizing and community-building approaches at the heart of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life's work," says Hoffman. "The work Center leaders did with Felipe Filomeno and the undergraduate PLACE fellows was deeply meaningful and empowering, as the book describes: a student affairs/academic affairs collaboration that really worked well. All of us on the UMBC team shared stories and learnings with partners across the U.S. as we adapted to the COVID-19 lockdowns and supported imaginative work toward community-identified objectives."

Learn more about UMBC's PLACE project and how it empowered students as civic actors.

Dear Students,

Student Affairs leadership wants to get to know you, hear how your semester is going, and listen to your hopes for your time at UMBC. Sign up for a 30-minute slot to have a conversation with our vice president and acting associate vice presidents. Chats will begin in February 2024.

Dr. Renique Kersh, Vice President for Student Affairs 

30-minute slots, weekly on Wednesdays,  4 - 7 p.m. 

The Commons 319

Schedule a time with Dr. Kersh!

Fritzie Charne-Merriwether, Acting Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Diversity

30-minute virtual slots twice a month on Thursdays, 4 - 6:30 p.m. 

Schedule a time with Fritzie Charne-Merriwether!

Topics that Fritzie Charne-Merriwether can offer resources and support for include:

**Campus life and engagement opportunities (clubs, greek life, intellectual sports)

**Campus events and facilities scheduling

**Cultural, religious, spiritual, and LGBTQ+ programs and organizations

**Democracy and civic engagement opportunities

**Food and financial concerns

**Leadership development opportunities

**Academic support and concerns  

Dr. John Fox, Acting Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

30-minute virtual slots twice a month on Tuesdays, 4 - 6:30 p.m. 

Schedule a time with Dr. Fox!

Topics that Dr. Fox can offer resources and support for include:

**Living on campus

**Commuting and Transit ridership

**Campus engagement, particularly for transfer, veteran, and adult learners

**Food, financial, and housing concerns

**Mental/physical health and well-being

**Student conduct and behavior

**Navigating academic concerns

We are excited to offer the UMBC community a 1-day skills-based training course designed to teach participants how to:

**recognize signs of mental health or substance use disorders.

**identify community resources.

**link people in crisis to the proper resources.

The course will consist of a 2-hour self-paced introduction course online, followed by a 6-hour virtual skills session with Mental Health First Aid instructors. You will learn a 5-step action plan and practice applying it throughout the skills section of the course.

Space is limited! You must register NO LATER than one week prior to the date of the training.

Upcoming dates:

**Feb. 29, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

**Apr. 11, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

**June 7, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

"Three Questions With" is an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about staff in the Division of Student Affairs. We're excited to kick off this series with Katie Chrzanowski '07 in DoSA Creative Services (who designs and produces "DoSA Matters")!

Want to suggest a Student Affairs colleague for "Three Questions With ..."? Email elewis@umbc.edu