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November 2017
Message from the Vice President
The Division continues to do great work across the campus and the state while making changes to our structure, culture, budget, and name. Any one of these is a big change, but four is a massive change. As with any changes to an organization, many individuals may feel unsettled or disoriented or even wonder how they fit in to this new organization. These are all natural feelings and for many of you, these changes may not amount to much except for you may need a new set of business cards and that some of your client meetings will be here on campus instead of MDOT headquarters or MDE. On top of this, Towson University is going through its identity audit to develop and message the University’s brand.
I say all of this, not to add to the anxiety that you feel with the looming deadlines and impossible schedules as well as the upcoming holiday season, but to allay any concerns by stating that we will get through this together as a team—though we cannot do much about your in-laws visiting for Thanksgiving. I have an open door policy and I have been sighted at 7400 on occasion, so if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop in or drop me a line.
As we enter into the November sprint before the December rush, please take some time to add the Division as one of your LinkedIn contacts.
Divisional Budget Composition
This past summer, we introduced the FY18 Funding by Source graphic providing a high level overview of the divisional budget. Last month we looked at the FY18 Funding for Self Support. In this issue, we are taking a closer look at Continuing Education, which represents seventy percent (70%) of the projected Self Support revenue. CPS Continuing Education revenue is an open enrollment program based on individual registrations for both in class and online programs. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of those registrations are referrals that are paid contractually through a variety of agencies including: Maryland Career Centers, the mayor’s office of employment development (MOED), federal grant funds and the Veterans Administration. Each contract is customized to provide training services for specific individual needs. For contractual students, our role is upskill their competencies in order for them to compete for and find family sustaining jobs.
Many employees come to us seeking advanced skills for job growth and career enhancement. Last year, forty-three (43%) of the total continuing education registrations were identified as “self-funded”. In some cases, an employer may pay the fees directly to us, though most employees seek reimbursement after the class. Expanding the number of self-funded participants has provided new growth over the past few years.
In addition to open enrollment continuing education programs, the department runs courses for Cisco educators that contributes to about fifteen percent (15%) of its total revenue. Towson’s exclusive Cisco Academy designation requires us to provide instructor support and certification training for middle and high school teachers to teach the Cisco curriculum. These programs provide beginner level through advanced training to teachers in a variety of IT topics that support the goals of the Cisco Academy.
Click here to see full graphic
Division Updates
Applied Research and Technical Services
The Applied Research and Technical Services team has been busy working on a variety of contracts, strategic planning initiatives, and student projects. Here are a few highlights.
• CGIS and IT teams are diligently working on the GIS enterprise environment for the TU campus.
• The IT team is supporting two student capstone projects this semester a SOC2 Audit and PCI Audit. These capstone projects will support 12 students complete their studies.
• While continuing to work on projects for external clients, RESI is actively engaging with Towson University to meet the strategic plan goals and to support the university through projects with COFAC, TU Communications & Marketing, and the Office of the Provost.
• The expansion of the Maryland Defense Network has begun and there are some exciting new opportunities to expand the federal government’s use of the tool.
• CGIS is creating a TU timely warning mapping application to better assist police in generating e-mail notifications to the campus community advising of crimes that occur in the vicinity of TU.
Center for Professional Studies
• The Continuing Education team hosted 78 Cisco instructors from all over the state of Maryland for a professional development day. Cisco provided most of the agenda and shared new products, strategies and materials. The afternoon included breakout sessions in a wide range of hands-on topics. The program was very successful and the second year that Iris Kutch was at the helm of the ship.
• The Leadership and Organizational Development team has completed the fifth out of seven, full day session of the LifeBridge Leadership Academy for 27 vice presidents and directors. LifeBridge Health, a 2 billion dollar company operating in Maryland, provides a continuum of care that includes hospitals, ambulance services, rehab and hospice centers. The company is growing through acquisition and is operating in a fast changing health care environment. Towson University provides a leadership development curriculum designed to enhanced core leadership competencies, and advanced skills in leading organization change and an expanding and changing health care landscape. This is the second cohort to attend the Academy and brings the total executives participating in the program to 50. A third cohort is planned for Spring 2018.
The team completed two full days of leadership development training for FILA USA Inc for 50 vice presidents and directors. The curriculum focused on developing a corporate vision and creating personal leadership development plans. FILA USA is the second for profit partner to request leadership development training.
• The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute wraps up a successful fall semester on November 9th. Osher members explored the history of slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the great discoveries in archaeology, art in the wild 1980s, Bogart films, and a variety of other topics. The Osher members received their first online newsletter in October and will see a new design for the spring catalog when that comes out in early January. The long break between fall and spring semesters will be a chance for a few standalone lectures and activities on the theme of health and well-being. The break will also allow time for the Osher staff to train on new membership and registration software that will offer better data collection and online registration tools. Ultimately, this software will allow the Osher staff to provide even better customer service for a growing membership.
Office of Administration and Finance
• For those staff that have or need University benefits, open enrollment ends November 15, 2017. Please make any necessary updates or changes as soon as possible.
• Please remember that Unanet time sheets submissions are due Monday by 10:00 AM each week. Unanet time sheet approvals (Customers and Managers) are due Tuesday by 2:00 PM each week.
• Please note that the University is closed Wednesday, November 22 through Friday, November 24 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Please make sure you use the appropriate holiday codes in PeopleSoft and Unanet.
Office of Partnerships & Outreach
October was a busy month for the Division. The Office of Partnerships and Outreach (OPO) supported events including the CUMU Annual Conference in Denver, Envisioning Equity, EdTech Innovation Showcase, and the Economic Outlook Forum. Combined, these events attracted 1,128 registered individuals. This November, OPO will support the next installation of the Badolato Speaker Series (11/9) and Race and the Wealth Divide in Baltimore City: A Community Dialogue (11/13).
TU Incubator
• The EdTech Innovation Showcase was a huge success, with over 150 attendees and lightning pitches and demonstrations from 19 education entrepreneurs. Be sure to register for EdTech Stories on November 16, 2017. David Yaskin from Faculty Guild will share his story in the EdTech Industry.
• On December 6, join TU Incubator for networking and presentations on the Baltimore EdTech ecosystem at the Potential of EdTech (POE): Women. Wine. Wisdom.
• The Tech-Start Workshop series wrapped up recently and was a huge success and demonstration of a growing partnership between NMTC and TU Incubator
• TU Incubator's own Frank Bonsal III will be a featured speaker at CONNECTpreneur, a quarterly networking mashup with entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the country.
New members:
• Bangarang Books - 3D AR/VR platform for interactive, immersive & experiential learning in multiple languages.
• Because Learning - Exciting hands-on STEM curriculum and activities for the classroom and home.
• Proprep - Custom online course supplementation for higher education based on content from individual courses
• Selected - Online matching and hiring platform for teachers and schools
Support TU
In order to have a full year (January 1–December 31) of payroll deduction in place, please submit the faculty/staff giving cards to the development office by December 1. Please consider supporting the work faculty and staff are doing as well as helping students have fulfilling experiences here at TU. Support TU—any size gift makes a difference!
Follow us on social media
Follow the Division's accounts to keep up with research, partnerships, and industry news.
• TUInnovates: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
• RESIofTU: Twitter, Facebook
• TUIncubator: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium
• TU Center for Professional Studies: Facebook
• TU Professional Leadership Program for Women: Facebook
• Osher Lifelong Learning: Facebook
On-Campus Event Attendance
In an effort to provide staff members with more opportunities to attend events that best align with their work and interests, staff members can now choose which on-campus events they attend. Staff are encouraged to get pre-approval from their supervisor. Attendance must be reported via this form. Contact Julie Knight with questions.
Feedback
Have feedback or want to share an update, email innovation@towson.edu.
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