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 5 Questions With...
Deb Moriarty
Vice President for Student Affairs
Q: Towson University recently received recognition for strong retention rates among African American students, what can this be attributed to?
A: A number of factors contribute to the success of our African American students. Over the years Towson University has built strong programs to support the success of our historically underrepresented groups including academic support programs such as the Academic Achievement Center, financial support through the CEEP program (Community Enrichment and Enhancement Partnership Award), and mentorship through the SAGE program (Student Achieving Goals through Education). In 1969, the office of Minority Affairs was establish by then President James Fisher "to help facilitate the access and integration of Black students into the university and to advocate on their behalf." This office exists today as the Center for Student Diversity. More recently we have increased our recruitment and retention efforts by extending our outreach to historically underserved schools in both Baltimore City and Baltimore County. With those efforts, we have also placed additional emphasis on academic advising and academic support through programs such as the S3 program (Support for Student Success) which provided focused attention throughout the first year of a student's time at Towson.
Q: TU places high importance on student involvement outside of the classroom. What programming is currently in place to support this mission?
A: Many studies provide evidence that meaningful engagement outside of the classroom results in higher student satisfaction and success. These positive outcomes come not only from the structure and the relevance of the co-curricular opportunity but significantly from the peer interaction that is such a critical part of the college experience. While there are many examples of these types of opportunities across the university experience, for our African American students the CEEP and SAGE programs have a long history of success in supporting new members of the community.
Q: Can you explain the goals of the SAGE Program (Students Achieve Goals Through Education) on campus?
A: SAGE is designed to foster academic achievement and a sense of belonging for entering first year under-served students. SAGE pairs new students with peer mentors. In return, peer mentors assist participants in attaining their academic goals and encourage involvement in campus activities and organizations. The program plans weekly activities and events that address academic success, diversity, career development, stress management, financial planning, interpersonal development, course scheduling strategies and opportunities to network with peers and university officials.
Q: What other student populations are served through special retention programming?
A: Towson's programs are designed to support all students who might need additional support to navigate the college environment. In addition to historically underrepresented groups such as African American and Latino students, we place a strong emphasis on providing support for first generation and low income students who may be particularly vulnerable to the challenges that come from the transition from high school to college. At an institution the size of Towson, it is important to create cohort opportunities where students can make connections with others who share similar interests and goals. Examples of these include student athletes, STEM (science technology, engineering and math) students, and students with disabilities to name a few.
Q: What specific role do you think peers contribute to the success of our students?
A: The value of the peer interaction and influence cannot be overstated. While we have outstanding faculty and staff who are supporting and guiding our students throughout their educational pursuits, students are dependent on their peers for support and guidance in succeeding in college. I believe this is a big part of why Towson University has been successful with our strong retention and graduation rates among African American students. Programs such as SAGE and CEEP are built on the importance and value of this peer interaction in helping students get connected, become involved, identify the myriad support systems available, and provide the mentors and role models who are critical in paving the way for new students as they enter college.
Culminating the 2010 Plan
Serving as the oldest and largest producer of teachers in the state of Maryland, Towson University is an established center for excellence in the teaching profession, and will continue to produce well-qualified teachers to fill the 2.2 million teaching positions that will be needed nationally in the next 10 years. TU's teacher education programs receive full accreditation from the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and in 2008 Towson University was named the recipient of the prestigious Christie McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education by the American Association of State College and Universities. Through Towson's Professional Development School Network, teacher candidates receive hands-on training in the classroom and guidance from experienced mentor teachers. This approach significantly improves teacher retention, saves public education dollars, and contributes to an improved learning environment for students.
2010 Plan | Report Card | Guiding Principles
New in the News
Read up on the latest higher education issues that have appeared in the news recently:
 Legislative Bills
Budget Update 3/30/2010:
Thank you for your emails, letters and phone calls to your legislators. The budget process is still underway in Annapolis and your contacts are making a difference for higher education.
The House of Delegates will debate the FY2011 Operating budget on April 1st. The House Appropriations Committee took the following actions which will affect the USM directly:
- An additional reduction of the USM fund balance by $10M for a total reduction of $61,731,321 from the USM fund balance for FY2011.
- A cut of $2M to the USM budget for the purpose of obtaining additional savings from the dismantling of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI).
The Senate of Maryland passed the Governor's budget last week. The cut made to higher education in the Senate version is an additional reduction of the USM fund balance by $3.8M for a total reduction of $55,532,294 from the USM fund balance for FY2011.
Please continue to communicate your thoughts regarding higher education funding with your legislators. Your elected officials can be contacted by using the USM's Government Relations page which will allow you two options for letters you may customize regarding higher education funding and send directly to your legislator.
USM link: http://www.usmd.edu/usm/legislative_relations/
Thank you for your advocacy for higher education in Maryland.
Bill Information:
The following is a status report of bills relating to higher education in the 2010 General Assembly.
Bills passed in the House:
- HB 209 General Obligation Bonds for Capital Projects - Required Reports. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation.
Assigned to House: Health and Government Operations and Senate: Budget and Taxation. (Hearing: March 30, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- HB 257 Evidence - Journalist's Testimonial Privileges - Student. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Judicial Proceedings.
Assigned to House: Judiciary and Senate: Judicial Proceedings (Hearing: March 30, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- HB 466 Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Education Health and Environmental Affairs. Assigned to House: Ways and Means and Appropriations and Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs.
- HB 506 Higher Education - Delegate Scholarships - Summer School.Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Education Health and Environmental Affairs. Assigned to House: Ways and Means and Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs (Hearing: March 31, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- HB 943 Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Education Health and Environmental Affairs. Assigned to House: Environmental Matters and Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs.
- HB 348 Public Senior Higher Education Institutions - New Design and Substantial Exterior Modification - Notice. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation. Assigned to House: Appropriations and Senate: Budget and Taxation and Education Health and Environmental Affairs. (Hearing: March 31, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- HB 1370 Public-Private Partnerships - Oversight. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation. Assigned to House: Appropriations and Ways and Means and Senate: Budget and Taxation. (Hearing: April 1, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
Bills passed in the Senate:
- SB 80 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Office of Student Financial Assistance, Bill is in the House - First Reading Ways and Means. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Ways and Means. (Hearing: March 31, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- SB 91 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Exempt Institutions. Bill is in the House - First Reading Appropriations. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Appropriations. (Heard: March 25, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- SB 141 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2010. Bill is in the House - Favorable with Amendments Appropriations. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
- SB 275 Education - Maryland Longitudinal Data System. Bill is in the House - First Reading Ways and Means. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Ways and Means and Appropriations. (Hearing: March 31, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- SB 286 Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland. Bill is in the House - First Reading Ways and Means. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Ways and Means and Appropriations. (Hearing: March 31, 2010, 1:00 p.m.)
- SB 311 Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program. Bill is in the House - First Reading Environmental Matters. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Environmental Matters.
- SB 598 Public Utility Companies - University of Maryland, College Park Bus Service - Motor Carrier Permit Exemption - Removal of Sunset and Service Expansion. Bill is in the House - First Reading Economic Matters. Assigned to Senate: Finance and House: Economic Matters.
- SB 693 Green Maryland Act of 2010. Bill is in the House - First Reading Health and Government Operations. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Health and Government Operations and Environmental Matters.
- SB 829 Teachers' Retirement and Pension Systems - Reemployment of Retirees - Retired Higher Education Faculty. Bill is in the House - First Reading Appropriations. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
For more information on bills with an unfavorable report and those that are awaiting votes, please click here.
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