Supporting the Campaign
Innovation
Pioneering intellectual work to make an impact on the world
The most exciting advances today will come to those with the nimbleness and nerve to take on very new, very big ideas. Creative faculty and graduate students will see the need and the hope on the horizon and respond with innovative programs, projects, and research.
We need to offer our academic entrepreneurs substantial investment to seed their initiatives. Whether it is with current use or endowed funds, venture philanthropy at UMB promises extraordinary satisfaction and results.
You can help us reach our goals by supporting philanthropic investments with transformative potential. Special programmatic opportunities that require funding include faculty- and student-driven programs and research initiatives. The following are a sample of specific areas to which your gift can be designated:
Health Sciences/Human Services Library (HS/HSL)
Quality information underpins every aspect of the UMB community. The HS/HSL provides the expertise, content, and the physical and virtual space to access and effectively use that information. Whether using the library’s online virtual resources from Africa, tapping into Maryland Health® Go Local from West Baltimore, or collaborating with friends in one of the many study rooms, the library is the information hub for the UMB campus community. A donation to HS/HSL benefits every facet of the campus. A gift to the library is a gift for everyone.
Center for Health and Homeland Security (CHHS)
Founded in 2002, the Center for Health and Homeland Security (CHHS) brings together the expertise and experience of UMS’s professional schools to provide grounded solutions to homeland security challenges. In five years, the center has grown from two part-time staff to 40 legal, health, public policy, communication, and management professionals. Working alongside federal, state, and local emergency managers, the staff applies its expertise to challenges in emergency preparedness, health facility surge capacity planning, “hardening” mass transit and rail facilities, critical infrastructure protection, legal preparedness, and preparing vulnerable populations for disasters. We share our expertise through training, field and tabletop exercises, conferences, and technical assistance. The Center also enjoys a national reputation as a leading authority in the law of public health emergencies. On this foundation, CHHS has built a strong program in Continuity of Operations Planning for educational institutions, hospitals, and nonprofits, emergency preparedness for vulnerable populations, and homeland security fellowships.
Global Health Initiative
The Global Health Initiative was created in response to UMB’s drive to make an impact worldwide. This program includes funding student and faculty overseas research projects; developing a curriculum in Global Health; maintaining a resource center and Web site; and creating links among persons in UMB's different schools involved in overseas projects or other interests in global health.
University Student Government Association (USGA)
The USGA mission is to establish and maintain a representative campus-wide student government; provide an effective means of addressing student concerns; improve the quality of life and general welfare of all campus students; promote the free exchange of ideas between all students and foster a sense of community across the campus; provide funds for the support of campus student groups; and advocate student rights and concerns to the campus, system, city, and state administration and governments.
Project Jump Start
Project Jump Start is an interdisciplinary, community-based, student-led outreach program that provides comprehensive health and advocacy services for homeless persons in the Baltimore metropolitan area. In addition to providing meals, clothing, toiletries and other items to the homeless, Project Jump Start trains outreach volunteers, participates in the local homeless census, and works to help clients obtain permanent housing.
A Bridge to Academic Excellence (ABAE)
A Bridge to Academic Excellence is a community service project targeting high school students with an interest in pursuing an advanced degree in the health and human services arena. The program currently involves more than 80 students from five Baltimore City and County high schools. The Student Government Association currently pays all fees to have the students transported to the campus every Saturday during the academic year. More than 60 tutors representing the schools of dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work volunteer their time to help these students in the areas of math, science, and English.
National Museum of Dentistry
The National Museum of Dentistry is supported by leaders in the dental profession and members of the community who generously share their skills, expertise, and resources with the museum as donors, members, and volunteers. Gifts to the museum are used to provide experiential learning opportunities for students, preserve historic artifacts, and present innovative exhibitions and programs that expand public awareness of the importance of oral health in overall health.
Visit each school or unit to learn more about other programs in this strategic area.