Faculty & Staff Resources

BTU is dedicated to supporting, aligning and elevating collaborations between Towson University and its community partners.

In addition to convening and best practice events and recognition opportunities, BTU provides strategic support to faculty and staff involved in community engagement and partnership work. 

BTU supports this work in a variety of ways

  • Hold discovery sessions with faculty, staff and partners to navigate, connect and support their work. Outcomes may include strategic support of existing partnerships, connecting and convening key internal and external partners, expanding efforts across campus, marketing, communication and storytelling support.
  • Provide critical funding resources to enhance and sustain community engagement work. Learn more about funding opportunities and guidelines below.
  • Collect and utilize data through the BTU Database to measure and share information related to partnerships and community engagement.
  • Hosts an annual cohort of Community Engagement Faculty Fellows to expand and institutionalize partnerships related to the BTU Impact Areas, while supporting rising engagement colleagues. 

Public Scholarship & Engagement Huddle

This one-year cohort-style program helps faculty and staff expand community and civic engagement knowledge. Participants complete the Learn, Connect Act: Training for Justice-Centered Community Engagement training while connecting with TU and national experts to explore resources to support their work.

Apply for the 2026–2027 Huddle by April 30 

Ongoing Funding Opportunities

BTU resources support partnership and community engagement work of faculty, staff and students. This work can take many different forms in higher education. At Towson University, this work is seen as “a dynamic relational process that facilitates communication, interaction, involvement, and exchange between an organization and a community for a range of social and organizational outcomes” (Johnston 2018). Individuals seeking BTU support should craft requests with these parameters in mind.

Enrichment Support

BTU Enrichment supports engagement activities such as event and material supplies, catering or meal needs, workshop supplies, external subject matter expert support, gap funding, equipment, marketing materials, honorariums, stipends, and other activities directly related to qualifying community engagement and partnership work. To further TU’s economic inclusion efforts, BTU asks that all efforts be made to purchase from local, small, minority-owned businesses. Enrichment Support requests are limited to $1,000.

Transportation Support

BTU supports the use of Towson University shuttles, the rental of vans and parking codes for faculty, staff or students traveling off-campus, or partners traveling on-campus for partnership and community engagement projects.

Submit FUNDING OPPORTUNITY request