BreakingGround Digest

BreakingGround, which launched last week, is a true campus-wide collaboration: inspired in part by student initiatives, building on a variety of successful service-learning and social change projects, supported by faculty from many disciplines, deeply rooted in UMBC's culture and history of innovation and entrepreneurship.  

In the wake of calls for higher education to become far more creative and effective in supporting democratic learning and engagement, BreakingGround is UMBC's way of helping to "make the road by walking."

Be sure to check out the BreakingGround website (breakingground.umbc.edu), learn about the initiative, check back for new stories, and think about what stories you would like to share. Here is a quick summary of posts on the site from the past week: 

• I start things off with a post about UMBC's culture, and our participation in national civic engagement initiatives.

• WILL program director Kate Drabinski describes connecting with her communities and her research through bike rides and blog posts.

• UMBC alum Richard Blissett draws lessons from a year of service as an Americorps Vista volunteer in Baltimore's Brooklyn neighborhood.

• Women's Center Director Jess Myers and sophomore Max Barnhart (on video) share a new initiative bringing men on campus together to talk about what manhood means.

• SGA President Kaylesh Ramu  talks (on video) about the "greater purpose" of a college education, and issues an invitation.  Kaylesh will be appearing Tuesday morning with the U.S. Under Secretary of Education on a panel at the National Press Club focused on civic engagement.  You can watch live online.

• UMBC junior Caitlyn Leiter-Mason and alum Mitch Case are in Charlotte this week as delegates to the Democratic National Convention.  You can follow their adventures on their blog, A Tale of Two Delegates.

--David Hoffman

Co-Create UMBC is a blog for and about UMBC, written by David Hoffman and Craig Berger from the Office of Student Life. Join the Co-Create UMBC group on MyUMBC. Like Co-Create UMBC on Facebook. And follow David and Craig on Twitter.

• More Information about BreakingGround Digest