Student Affairs participates in USM symposium

The University System of Maryland (USM) hosted a Civic Education and Civic Engagement Symposium on Friday, November 3, to focus attention on the urgent need to prepare students to engage productively in civic life. Vice President for Student Affairs Renique Kersh, Ph.D., and Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life David Hoffman Ph.D. '13, joined other staff, faculty, and student leaders as members of UMBC's delegation. UMBC Student Government Association President Musa Jafri '24, political science, addressed the gathering as part of a panel of student leaders.

Participants heard USM Chancellor Jay Perman identify "committed citizenship" as "the premise and the promise of higher education," and declare with respect to student learning outcomes that informed, engaged, ethical civic participation "matters more than anything else." U.S. Senator Ben Cardin added that from his perspective, "civilization is at risk today" because of the erosion of democratic norms, and that the role of higher education in strengthening democracy is to educate students for community leadership.

Jafri emphasized the importance of civic engagement in everyday settings, not just on Election Day. USM Associate Vice Chancellor Nancy Shapiro, the Symposium's convener, affirmed and amplified Jafri's statements, emphasizing the importance of local civic engagement, and naming that "local" for students includes the campus communities of which they are members.

Each campus delegation now has the opportunity to develop a grant proposal to assist with infusing civic learning into the curriculum.