Jena FrickThe University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Community Campus is the centerpiece of UMB’s deep commitment to West Baltimore and to the collaboration — undertaken with its neighbors — that will strengthen it.
Located immediately west of UMB’s academic campus, the Community Campus allows UMB to meet and serve residents where they are.
In fall 2015, under the leadership of UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, the University opened its Community Engagement Center (CEC) in West Baltimore’s Poppleton neighborhood. The temporary facility has enlivened UMB’s community engagement mission and deepened its relationship with its closest neighbors.
The center engages hundreds of students, faculty, and staff from all seven UMB schools to provide vital health, wellness, employment, education, and social services to nearby residents of all ages, and effectively partners with neighbors to create and sustain projects that strengthen community development and invite external investment.
That will only grow with the cornerstone of UMB’s Community Campus — the opening of a vibrant, new permanent home of the CEC at 16 S. Poppleton St. Seven times the CEC’s current size, the 20,000-square-foot historic building is in need of complete renovation. Bringing this beautiful, distinctive property back to a useful life will significantly expand the CEC’s capacity, making possible additional youth programming, workforce development support, health education, and social work assistance services that neighbors have requested — transforming the lives of children and families in one of Baltimore’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
With access to each other’s expertise and resources, the University and its neighbors can marshal these attributes to address complex challenges, improve the community, and attract external support. C
