University of Maryland, Baltimore County
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
UMBC is actively involved in engaging with local communities (specifically Catonsville and Arbutus) to achieve/maintain a Sustainable Communities Designation by The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's Sustainable Communities Program ("the program").
UMBC's Office of Sustainability and Climate Action Plan transportation working group is actively encouraging and working with Arbutus Community, via the Greater Arbutus Community Association, to pursue and achieve this designation.
The program is a place-based designation offering a comprehensive package of resources that support holistic strategies for community development, revitalization and sustainability. Led by the Department, Sustainable Communities has provided local governments with a framework for promoting environmentally, economically and socially responsible growth and development in existing older communities.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
1) UMBC's President supports Maryland's Dream Act (a MD law that offers in-state public tuition rates to certain undocumented immigrants)
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/umbc-president-shows-support-for-dream-act/6494685
President Hrabowski said "we stand firm in our support for undocumented students' access to public education, particularly our own 'dreamers,' students of diverse backgrounds earning degrees at UMBC through provisions of the Maryland Dream Act"
https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-dreamers-on-campus-20170906-story.html
https://www.proquest.com/openview/4c255203887060ee601cac406aa400e1/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=27805
2) UMBC's President Hrabowski advocates to stop youth incarceration and calls for police reform in MD
"Every public entity with a mandate or mission to serve underrepresented communities has a responsibility to act...
we intend to expand access to the Choice Program, a longstanding partnership between the [MD] Department of Juvenile Services and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, which seeks to disentangle young people from the juvenile justice system and to strengthen youth and family ties to the community through increased educational and vocational opportunities. The program will now serve even more youth - specifically Black children and other youth of color - while also addressing some of the long-standing challenges to making progress toward equity in our juvenile justice system....The guiding principle is simple: we must stop incarcerating youth of color for low-level offenses. Incarceration should only be used when a person poses an unreasonable risk to community safety....We [UMBC] are publicly committing to this work and to reporting regular updates on our progress. This is the right thing to do for our children, and it is the right thing to do for our community."
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0830-juvenile-justice-racial-disparities-20200828-sjlp7gtc65firijnzyvgwx7z6y-story.html
https://afro.com/diversion-works-criminal-justice-reform-will-rebuild-communities/
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
1) UMBC's President Hrabowski actively engaged the US Congress to take action to protect DACA
https://umbc.edu/stories/president-hrabowski-signs-letter-urging-u-s-congress-to-take-action-on-daca/
https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-dreamers-on-campus-20170906-story.html
“We stand firm in our support for undocumented students’ access to public education, particularly our own ‘Dreamers’, students of diverse backgrounds earning degrees at UMBC through provisions of the Maryland Dream Act.”
– UMBC Leaders in response to DACA decision
2) President Hrabowski, Provost Rous, and other leaders signed a letter to Maryland’s Congressional delegation in support of a Congressional Resolution, which calls for the establishment of the U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial healing and Transformation
https://umbc.edu/stories/umbc-leaders-and-community-support-congressional-resolution-for-national-racial-healing-work/
3) UMBC is a proud "We are still in" participant with Second Nature. Our membership in this group asserts that:
1. In the absence of Federal support, states, cities, colleges and universities and businesses will pursue ambitious climate goals, to ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in reducing emissions.
2. In the U.S., the actors that will provide the leadership necessary to meet our Paris commitment are found in city halls, state capitals, colleges and universities and businesses.
3. We will remain actively engaged with the international community as part of the global effort to hold warming to under 2°C and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
1) UMBC Partners with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to promote sustainable development goals
UMBC's Provost Philip Rous was part of a meeting at the U.N. General Assembly week with the Executive Director of UNITAR and United Nation's Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Nikhil Seth, hosted by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York, gathering university leaders to discuss and lay out an action plan. The meeting focused on conversations about how higher education, internationally, can support sustainable development through education, research, and service.
Close to 50 leading public universities in the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as higher education associations committed to raising awareness and align its curricula and research with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a new partnership, launched by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). The joint Declaration on University Global Engagement issued by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and UNITAR provides an opportunity for higher education institutions worldwide to publicly affirm their commitment to global engagement for solving the world’s most pressing problems, as articulated through the SDGs.
https://www.unitar.org/about/news-stories/news/unitar-partners-leading-public-universities-promote-sustainable-development-goals-curriculum-and
https://umbc.edu/stories/times-higher-ed-names-umbc-top-10-u-s-leader-and-top-200-global-leader-in-social-and-economic-impact/
2) UMBC is a signatory of THE UNIVERSITY COMMITMENT TO GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
About: https://globallyengageduniversities.org/declaration/
Signatories: https://globallyengageduniversities.org/signatories/
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.