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UMD Names First Associate Provost for Community Engagement

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UMD Names First Associate Provost for Community Engagement


The University of Maryland on Thursday named a University of Minnesota Twin Cities researcher and professor as its inaugural associate provost for community engagement, effective Aug. 1.

Tania D. Mitchell will lead UMD’s new Center for Community Engagement, guide the development of a vision and mission for the center’s work, and collaborate with campus partners to expand and support community engaged research, teaching, learning and service activities. She will also oversee the coordination of campuswide community engagement efforts—elevating existing partnerships and creating new programs and initiatives.

“An internationally recognized scholar committed to diversity and inclusivity, Dr. Mitchell brings decades of experience that is essential to developing collaborative relationships with communities,” said UMD Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice. “I am confident that her leadership will cultivate mutually beneficial community partnerships that support our strategic vision to advance the public good through impactful teaching, research and service activities. This mission-critical work will help prepare students to be civic leaders that serve communities across our state and nation and around the globe.”

At Minnesota, Mitchell serves as professor and chair of the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development, and is the Rodney Wallace Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Her scholarship and teaching focus on fostering students’ leadership capacity for social change and social justice; and the pedagogy, philosophy and practice of service-learning and community engagement in higher education.

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“I am excited by the opportunity this position offers to align my education and professional work while also supporting the University of Maryland in building, strengthening and advancing community-engaged teaching, participatory and community-centered research, partnership development, and other community-facing efforts,” said Mitchell.

As associate provost, she will work to integrate service learning and civic engagement into courses and academic programs, and expand our impact through research partnerships with local, state, national and global stakeholders. To support these goals, the existing Office of Community Engagement will join the center and continue to work with the campus community and surrounding neighborhoods to create mutually collaborative educational, business, government and community partnerships.

With professional experience in admissions, student activities, residential life and academic affairs, Mitchell is a scholar and practitioner who has taught at Stanford University, Mills College, California State University Monterey Bay and the University of Massachusetts. She has been recognized with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award and the Early Career Research Award by the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement and is also an inducted member of the Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship, honoring her scholarly contributions.

Mitchell’s scholarship has been published in numerous books and journals, and she is an editor of four books: “Civic Engagement and Community Service at Research Universities: Engaging Undergraduates for Social Justice, Social Change, and Responsible Citizenship,” “Cambridge Handbook of Service Learning and Community Engagement,” “Educating for Citizenship and Social Justice: Practices for Community Engagement at Research Universities” and “Black Women and Social Justice Education: Legacies and Lessons.”

She holds a B.A. in political science and communications from Baylor University, an M.S. in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University, and a graduate certificate in feminist studies and an Ed.D. in student development from the University of Massachusetts.

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Maryland confirms 5 new measles cases, bringing year’s total to 9 – WTOP News

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Maryland confirms 5 new measles cases, bringing year’s total to 9 – WTOP News


The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”

Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.

“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.

The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.

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Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.

Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.

It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.

The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.

“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.

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Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning in October

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Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning in October


Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.

This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.

This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.

“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”

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In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.

Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:

Online:

  • Adults: $8
  • Senior Citizens (60+): $6
  • Children (ages 6-12): $4
  • 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only

At the door:

  • Adults: $10
  • Senior Citizens (60+): $8
  • Children (ages 6-12): $4
  • Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only

Special Offers:

  • Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
  • Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.

The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.

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Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’

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Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’


Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.

The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.

Emily Mullen, a Pet Supplies Plus employee, holds Magnolia. Photograph: Beltsville Community Cats

“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.

Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.

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A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.

“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”

Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.

Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.

Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.

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According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.

Magnolia, our sweet 3.5-month-old tuxedo kitten, had quite the adventure today after being stolen from her adoption habitat at Pet Supplies Plus in Beltsville. Photograph: Beltsville Community Cats

That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”

“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”

Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.

Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.

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The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.

Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.



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