Through various programs, initiatives, and experiences, this Division of Student Affairs unit plays a leading role in UMB’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
To celebrate and promote the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) core values, the University hands out Presidential Core Values Awards, designed to recognize students, faculty, and staff who embody the seven values at the heart of UMB’s mission: accountability, civility, collaboration, diversity, excellence, knowledge, and leadership.
Excellence Award Winner: Intercultural Leadership and Engagement, UMB Student Affairs
With its varied lineup of programs and initiatives, the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Intercultural Leadership and Engagement (ILE) unit strives to bring out excellence and continued growth in UMB and the members of its community.
Founded in spring 2020, ILE immediately faced its first challenge: the dual crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism. The staff worked on anti-racism efforts, the promotion of virtual volunteering, and interprofessional collaboration programs.
“These various initiatives showcase how a small office can fully embody a core value and make it a shared priority of improving the whole campus community toward a similar goal,” Gregory Brightbill, MBA, MEd, associate director, Student Leadership & Involvement, ILE, said in nominating ILE for the 2021 Presidential Core Values Award for Excellence.
ILE “serves as a leading guide for UMB’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Rosemary Ferreira, MEd, associate director of ILE’s Intercultural Center, which provides resources for historically underrepresented students and promotes Universitywide programming that is grounded in equity and social justice.
ILE offers numerous programs that foster a sense of belonging and acknowledge the needs and lived experiences of historically marginalized students, staff, and faculty. The unit uses a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in its programming and engagement activities, which include heritage month programming, anti-racism and anti-oppression educational programs, and Safe Space trainings on LGBTQ+ allyship, advocacy, and education.
The team of four full-time staff has taken an academic approach to addressing issues that impact UMB, writing articles on the University’s COVID-19 response, racism and its impact on the University, and how experimental medicine on Black communities affects vaccination efforts.
Courtney Jones Carney, MBA, executive director, ILE, said the staff members were humbled to receive the award.
“As a unit dedicated to anti-racism work, we plan to use this award as fuel to continue to create and implement initiatives and experiences that better position UMB students, faculty, and staff to embody excellence through equity,” said Jones Carney, who also leads ILE’s Intercultural Center.
ILE’s initiatives include the President’s Student Leadership Institute, a co-curricular interprofessional program that engages students in service and inclusive leadership, career development, entrepreneurship and innovation, integrative health and well-being, and scholarly research and writing. In 2020 and 2021, the program had more than 600 students take part who volunteered more than 6,800 hours.
ILE sponsors the President’s Symposium and White Paper Project, which asks an interprofessional group of students known as the President’s Fellows to research a topic selected by UMB’s president and senior leadership and write a White Paper to address societal concerns. This year, the students researched Health Literacy as a Social Determinant of Health and will make recommendations to UMB leadership.
“These initiatives specifically focused on students provide them with many options to improve their leadership ability and career development,” Brightbill said. “The work done by ILE helps UMB’s students learn how to be better leaders for a future of excellence within the fields of health and human services.”
Honorable mention: Erik Neilsen, Communications and Public Affairs, UMB; Michele Ondra, MBA, MS, Francis King Carey School of Law; Bill Crockett, MS, RCRSP, Student Affairs, UMB
Intercultural Leadership and Engagement Team Members
Courtney J. Jones Carney, MBA, executive director, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement, and director, Intercultural Center
Cyndi Rice, director, Student Development and Leadership
Gregory A. Brightbill, MBA, MEd, associate director, Student Leadership and Involvement
Rosemary Ferreira, MEd, associate director, Intercultural Center
Mark Dixon, MA, assistant director, Youth Programs and Student Engagement
Jole’ Ruff, MSW, coordinator, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement
Katie Nenortas, food insecurity intern, Intercultural Center