As the office celebrates its 10th anniversary, it’s a time to look back and celebrate triumphs, recognize areas of potential growth, and plan for an even better tomorrow.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Office of Community Engagement (OCE) began with a simple mission: to bridge the gap between the University and the surrounding West Baltimore community. Founded in 2014, OCE was born from the anchor institution’s commitment to meet the needs of local community members, recognizing that UMB’s success is intertwined with the health and well-being of its neighbors.
At its inception, the office was composed of a small, dedicated team with big aspirations. UMB leadership, including former President Jay A. Perman, MD, played a key role in shaping the mission and vision of OCE. Perman, in particular, emphasized the importance of social accountability, advocating for the University’s responsibility to be actively involved in community improvement and engagement, especially given its West Baltimore location.
OCE was created as a means to focus UMB's resources toward these goals and facilitate mutually beneficial relationships. As the University’s first executive director of community initiatives and engagement, Ashley Valis, MSW, was instrumental in leading efforts to connect UMB with the West Baltimore community. Her work focused on building strong, trust-based relationships between UMB and local residents, community organizations, and stakeholders.
That strategy built on the work led by Brian Sturdivant, MSW, who served as the sole community engagement employee in UMB central administration for more than a decade. As a community engagement coordinator, Sturdivant had been singlehandedly leading programs that exposed West Baltimore schools to the expertise and educational opportunities across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at UMB.
Sturdivant also officially joined the new OCE in 2014. And the office soon launched additional initiatives to address urgent local needs, from expanding access to health care and education to promoting economic development.
A year after its inception, OCE opened UMB’s first-ever Community Engagement Center (CEC), which offered programs for adults and children and quickly outgrew its humble space. Bill Joyner, JD, MSW, was the first new employee hired by Valis, the original executive director.
“The Office of Community Engagement was established at a time when the University did not have any central coordination of the various community engagement and community impact programs and initiatives,” said Joyner, who now leads OCE as assistant vice president of community engagement and partnerships. “Our leaders at the time recognized that we were doing so much and doing it in so many places that many of our own change makers didn’t even know what else was happening across the University or in the community. So, to make our community impact more visible, more efficient, and more effective, a central coordinating body was established to really leverage the full breadth of the University’s potential for community impact.”
Bigger and Better Things
With the original CEC bursting at the seams in its location on West Baltimore Street, UMB decided to create a new CEC by renovating a historic building located just around the corner at 16 S. Poppleton St. Opening in November 2021 and expanding from 3,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet, the space significantly increased OCE’s capacity to serve the community.
During the following years, OCE has continued to grow and become a hub of collaboration, working closely with community leaders, residents, and students to create and evolve programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of UMB’s neighbors. Programs and offerings include but are not limited to:
- Health and wellness programs: Initiatives that provide access to health screenings, education on healthy living, wellness resources, and exercise classes.
- Educational workshops: Programs focused on literacy, job skills training, and financial literacy to empower community members. A modern, dynamic makerspace offers a collaborative and creative area where visitors can explore, learn, and create using various tools, technologies, and CEC-sponsored trainings.
- Youth engagement programs: Activities and mentorship opportunities for local youth, encouraging academic achievement and personal development, such as the Police Athletic/Activities League.
- Community resource navigation: Services that help residents connect with available resources in the community, including housing, employment, and health services.
- Collaborative partnerships: Engagement with local organizations and stakeholders to address community needs and leverage shared resources, such as the CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign at the CEC. It provides free tax preparation and financial education and resources to help community members improve their financial literacy and well-being.
Fast forward to today, and OCE has evolved into a force for change, tackling challenges such as public health disparities, unemployment, and housing insecurity. Its programs have expanded, with new partnerships helping address the root causes of systemic inequality.
Sturdivant said, “It's incredible to reflect on how far we've come during my time at UMB. What started as a single role in central administration overseeing our anchor work has grown into a thriving department with dedicated space, impacting countless lives in West Baltimore. I'm proud to be a part of this journey.”
Civic-Minded Mission
Looking forward, the office plans to expand its role in civic engagement, according to UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS.
“Beginning Oct. 1, the office will be changing its name to better align with its mission to empower communities to lead change efforts by developing the skills and accessing the resources needed for self-sufficiency and participating in our democracy,” Jarrell said. “The office helps foster this work by building new relationships, listening to the community’s goals around civic engagement, and supporting efforts that increase civic involvement. As such, the office’s name will change from the Office of Community Engagement to the Office of Community and Civic Engagement [OCCE].”
The addition of civic engagement as a UMB core focus reflects a commitment not only to addressing immediate needs, but also to fostering long-term community leadership and resilience. By equipping residents with the skills and resources to advocate for themselves, OCCE is not just a partner in development, but also a catalyst for transformative change, ensuring that the voices of West Baltimore are heard and valued in the pursuit of a brighter future. The ways OCCE will tangibly broaden its work include encouraging voter participation, organizing local advocacy, facilitating public forums for discussions on community development and policy changes, and providing leadership training to empower residents in civic matters.
In the immediate future, the Office of Community and Civic Engagement Advisory Network (OCEAN), an initiative being resurrected in fall 2024, will bring together a broad coalition of stakeholders to deepen OCCE’s impact on public health, community development, and civic engagement.
Likewise, UMB’s strong and collaborative relationship with the Southwest Partnership (SWP), a coalition of seven neighborhoods and seven anchor institutions in Southwest Baltimore, continues to grow. This partnership has been vital in aligning the University’s resources with the needs and aspirations of the community. UMB and SWP have worked on initiatives focused on affordable housing, education, public safety, and economic growth.
By leveraging the strengths of OCCE and SWP, the office has fostered a shared vision for the future — one where the University and surrounding neighborhoods thrive as one interconnected community.
“If you open up resources to every person who comes across that opportunity,” Joyner said, “then getting help meeting your basic needs is no longer stigmatized ... and it builds a sense of community.”
Also on the horizon, community research projects will be implemented, including collaborative efforts that involve community members in identifying issues and developing solutions.
An Evolving Approach
OCCE also is continually trying to move the needle when it comes to connecting with the surrounding neighborhoods. As an office and community partner, OCCE has progressed in the way it engages its work. Joyner highlights the evolution in UMB’s approach to community engagement. Previously, the focus was on periodic needs assessments through surveys and meetings, often centered on deficiencies. Now, UMB adopts a continuous and positive assessment model, considering not just needs but community goals, assets, interests, and needs (GAINS).
To this end, Joyner and OCCE staff attend monthly neighborhood meetings to understand local priorities, assets, and resources that exist outside of UMB. This shift has led the University to work with communities to enhance their capacity for self-led change, emphasizing resource access and skills-building to empower neighborhoods to manage and lead their own initiatives.
OCCE envisions a Baltimore where UMB and the community continue to grow stronger together by always prioritizing community-identified needs, including new initiatives focused on youth community leadership, workforce development, and sustainable urban renewal confronting public health disparities. The office remains steadfast in its belief that by empowering the community, it is building a brighter, more equitable future for all.
And as OCCE continues its journey, it carries the lessons learned over the past decade: that true progress is made hand-in-hand, and that the strength of a community lies in its collective effort.
From its early reliance on episodic needs assessments to a robust, continuous model that prioritizes the community’s GAINS, the office looks forward to an even more inclusive and empowering approach in community and civic engagement during the next decade.
“The OCE has grown in the last 10 years to be a strong, trusted community resource and, likewise, the CEC continues to be a safe place for the community to connect and thrive,” Joyner said. “By continuing to work together, the next 10 years will surely be filled with new and exciting opportunities and chances for meaningful advancements.”