Latest news with #TowsonUniversity
Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Some Md. colleges lay off workers, freeze hiring after $155M state cut
At the University of Maryland at Baltimore, administrators are laying off about 30 people and eliminating about 30 vacant positions. Towson University is implementing a hiring pause. And Morgan State University is consolidating some programs in addition to cutting jobs and vacancies. The moves come as the Trump administration threatens to further cut research and other federal funding to universities, and after the Maryland state legislature passed a budget with deep reductions to help close a $3 billion spending gap — and amid an already-difficult fiscal environment for smaller state schools.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical examiner audit reclassifies dozens of police-restraint deaths as homicides
Jeff Kukucka, a Towson University psychology professor, led a team that reviewed 1,300 cases handed by former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler. He announced the findings Thursday with Attorney General Anthony Brown (left) and Gov. Wes Moore. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Dozens of police-custody deaths that were ruled accidental or of unknown causes have been reclassified as homicides after a four-year review of more than 1,300 cases handled by former Maryland State Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler. The results of that review, announced Thursday, also highlighted potential racial and pro-police biases in the medical examiner's office at the time that may have contributed to the mischaracterizations. The audit, led by Towson University psychology professor Jeff Kukucka, looked at roughly 1,300 in-custody deaths between 2003 and 2019 — a period corresponding with Fowler's time leading the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), who announced the findings with Kukucka and Gov. Wes Moore (D), said the report raises 'profound concerns, and they are well founded in the audit.' 'The audit report's findings reveal significant discrepancies that demand our attention and response,' Brown said. 'Our research has determined that OCME was especially unlikely to classify death as a homicide if the decedent was Black or if they died after being restrained by police,' Brown said. 'These findings have profound implications across our justice system. They speak to systemic issues rather than individual conduct.' The audit, released Thursday afternoon, will be presented Friday to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. 'The findings of this audit are deeply concerning.,' Moore said. 'It's going to take time to digest a report prepared over the course of four years and two different administrations. 'But if there's one takeaway that we've already drawn at this very early stage is this: We have to make sure we are continuing to make Maryland a model for public safety and transparency and equal justice under the law, and one is not more important than the other,' he said. Moore said the audit is the first of its kind in the nation, and should set 'the standard for what this type of investigation can, and what this type of investigation should, look like' in other states. 'Blazing new trails is never easy,' Kukucka said, 'but someone has to lead the way, and we believe that Maryland can and will be that leader in terms of strengthening death investigations across the country. 'We hope that our rigorous audit procedure will provide a blueprint for other states to conduct similar audits, and that implementing our recommendations will establish Maryland's OCME as a gold standard to which other agencies can aspire,' he said. The audit released by the Office of the Attorney General included the names of 41 people who died soon after being restrained by police. The majority included an 'undetermined' cause of death ruling. As a result of the audit, all 41 are reclassified as homicides. Shawn Floyd, 2018, Anne Arundel County Gregory Williams, 2003, Baltimore City Shawn Bryant, 2004, Baltimore City Rodney Wilson, 2005, Baltimore City Dondi Johnson, 2005, Baltimore City William Washington, 2006, Baltimore City Carlos Branch, 2007, Baltimore City Thomas Campbell, 2007, Baltimore City Eric Dorsey, 2001, Baltimore City Jontae Daughtry, 2011, Baltimore City Tyrone West, 2013, Baltimore City Ricky Artis, 2014, Baltimore City George King, 2014, Baltimore City Antonio Moreno, 2014, Baltimore City Thomas Rawls, 2006, Baltimore County Ryan Meyers, 2007, Baltimore County Carl Johnson, 2010, Baltimore County Mary Croker, 2010, Baltimore County Tawon Boyd, 2016, Baltimore County Dominic Edwards, 2018, Carroll Jarrel Gray, 2007, Frederick Anthony Casarella, 2007, Frederick Terrance Watts, 2018, Frederick David Matarazzo, 2007, Harford George Barnes, 2007, Montgomery Kareem Ali, 2010, Montgomery Delric East, 2011, Montgomery Anthony Howard, 2013, Montgomery Ricardo Manning, 2019, Montgomery Cedric Gilmore, 2004, Prince George's James Jackson, 2003, Prince George's Marcus Skinner, 2007, Prince George's Alexis Caston, 2007, Prince George's Deontre Dorsey, 2015, Prince George's Anton Black. 2018, Talbot Theodore Rosenberry, 2006, Washington James Adell, 2013, Washington Darrell Brown, 2015, Washington Ronald Byler, 2005, Wicomico Yekuna McDonald, 2012, Wicomico The review began in 2021, sparked by an outcry over Fowler's testimony in the trial of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in the 2020 death of George Floyd during an arrest. As part of that arrest, Chauvin knelt for up to nine minutes on the neck of Floyd, who said repeatedly that he could not breathe. Fowler, who resigned as the chief medical examiner in 2019, was called as an expert witness for Chauvin. He testified that Floyd's death was caused by 'excited delirium,' rather than police actions. Excited delirium was a catchall term used to describe aggressive behaviors related to mental health or substance abuse issues. It has been disavowed by the American Medical Association and the National Association of Medical Examiners. Fowler came under fire for his testimony in the highly publicized case. The audit was triggered by a 2021 letter from 450 medical experts, who called on Maryland officials to investigate deaths in police custody and practices in the medical examiner's office under Fowler. 'These members of the medical community were concerned that our state's death determination has been tainted by racial or pro law enforcement bias, or were otherwise inconsistent with the standard practices for investigating and certifying in custody deaths,' Brown said. Among the report's findings: Excited delirium or the synonymous agitated delirium was cited in the death statements made by Fowler's office in 42 of the more than 80 in-custody deaths that came shortly after an episode of police restraint. Researchers reviewing the initial 1,300 in-custody deaths focused on 84 cases of individuals who died soon after being restrained by police. Those cases were reviewed by 12 forensic pathologists, randomly divided into three-member panels. Sensitive and identifying information about the dead, including race, was redacted from reports reviewed by the teams. In all, the teams disagreed with 41 cause-of-death determinations issued by Fowler's office. In 36 of those cases, all three panel members determined the cause of death to be homicide; in the remaining five, two of the three experts called the death a homicide. In 34 of those cases, the medical examiner's office reported that the cause and manner of death was undetermined. Five were ruled accidental and another two were ruled death by natural causes. 'Those discrepancies suggest that OCME practices during the audits time frame were out of step with national standards for death certification, namely the 'but for' standard, which states that any death resulting from the actions of another person, regardless of that person's intent, should be classified as a homicide,' Kukucka said. 'As a result, it appears that OCME undercounted restraint-related homicides during the audit time frame,' he said. 'We also found that they undercounted homicides even more in cases where the decedent was Black or was restrained by police, which raises the possibility of racial and pro-police bias.' Those deaths have now been reclassified as homicides. Of the 41 cases, 14 occurred in Baltimore City and five each were in Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Officials cautioned that the reclassifications do not equal a finding of criminal activity or culpability. Instead, it means that the deaths occurred as the result of the action of another person. 'There's no suggestion that anyone is currently culpable, but it's our responsibility to go through these files, beyond the OCME report, beyond the medical and the original forensic examination, look at the entire file, which means engaging law enforcement as well to make determination,' Brown said. Kukucka stressed the report comes with two caveats. First, the review is retrospective, looking at a specific period of time. The most recent case reviewed is six years old. Kukucka said that 'makes it impossible to know whether racial or pro-police biases truly affected OCME determinations. Those disparities could instead reflect factors other than bias.' And he repeated Brown's caution that the findings do not imply criminal wrongdoing or liability. In addition to the release of the report and broader review of the deaths at the county level, officials announced a series of reforms meant to improve death investigations within the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Moore, prior to the release of the report, signed an executive order directing Brown's office to work with state's attorneys to review each case. Those reviews could potentially lead to reopening investigations. Moore also ordered the Maryland Department of Health to work with the medical examiner's office to implement best-practice investigation policies. The department is ordered to report on its progress by Dec. 31, 2026. Finally, Moore's order creates a new task force to work on policies to reduce in-custody police restraint deaths. That panel will include health and legal experts, law enforcement and community members 'Maryland was the first state in the nation to launch a comprehensive audit on the office of chief medical examiner, and today, we are proud that we'll also become the first state in the nation to respond to such an audit with swift and targeted action,' Moore said. 'I hope that our work will inspire others around the country to take similar steps as we work together to strengthen our system of justice,' he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
08-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
The Baltimore Chinese School is home to a young dragon dance team that shares stories about their heritage
Baltimore's Chinese School is home to a dragon dance team led by some of the region's youngest minds. Their goal is to perform and tell stories about their heritage so it will live on for generations to come. WJZ heard from the young dragon dancers during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. A Dragon: A symbol of good fortune Dulaney High School student Jingwei Lau knows how to keep a dragon in its place. "A dragon is a symbol of wealth, prosperity, good fortune," said Lau, the president of the Dulaney High School and Baltimore Chinese School dragon dance teams. Most Sundays, Lau and his dragon team practice at Towson University before classes begin at the Baltimore Chinese School. "We have classes not only to teach the Chinese language and Chinese culture – we also teach painting, dancing – lots of teams," Lau said. "It is one of our clubs." Students in third through 12th grades perform the traditional Chinese dragon dance to tell stories of their heritage and culture. Baltimore's Chinese School is home to a dragon dance team that shares stories about their heritage. Matthew Callahan/CBS News Baltimore "Especially in this cultural melting pot…in America, to really represent our culture in the area," Lau explained. The team is led by students and is one of a few in the Baltimore region. Sharing Chinese culture with Baltimore "In the past, we never really had a chance to experience this culture in our area, like we don't have a Chinatown in Baltimore, so we would have to go to, like, Philadelphia or D.C.," said Kai Lau, the co-instructor of Dulaney High School and Baltimore Chinese dragon dance teams. "I felt the need to bring other Chinese people of Chinese heritage together, and I wasn't seeing that very much in our community, so I definitely thought that it was a very good bonding experience to meet other people with the same heritage," Kai Lau said. At many Lunar New Year celebrations, Chinese dragon dance teams perform a vibrant dance using a long, colorful dragon puppet held up by a team of performers. The dragon's movements are coordinated to stimulate the mythical creature. "It's not just performing. It's about unity. 10 people get together to reach one goal," said Han Fang Lim, the founder and logistics coordinator for Baltimore Chinese School Dragon Dance. From the head to the tail, each person must act as one. "We need the whole dragon to be working together," said Ryan Xu, the vice president of Baltimore Chinese School Dragon Dance. "So, I depend on the dragon to follow my movements, and they depend on me to make the movements." "Most people, generally, you're working on your own part, but in a lot of movements," Kai Lau explained. "You have to be very aware of what else is happening and the things around you, so that you can be fluid." Baltimore's Chinese School is home to a dragon dance team that shares stories about their heritage. Matthew Callahan/CBS News Baltimore Bringing people together with a dragon dance The group unites young people in the community while promoting cultural awareness through the traditional art of dragon dance. Many of the members have also formed another dragon team at Dulaney High School, which has become an extension of their efforts to share Chinese culture. "People can gain, like, a sense of understanding, and it's just, it's very fun to talk about it, just to start many conversations," said Xu. "We have many members who aren't of Chinese heritage," Kai Lau said. "We're always open to new members, any age, any culture, so you can always just join." "We want to bring good impact to our community and the dragons is a way that we share our blessings while we share our heritage," said Lim.
Associated Press
16-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Buying From Locally Owned Businesses Just Got Easier at Towson University
TOWSON, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 16, 2025-- Towson University will hold its second vendor fair on April 29, from 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., in the University Union. Hosted by the Office of Partnerships & Outreach and the Procurement Department, the Towson University Vendor Fair is an opportunity for any program managers and procurement representatives to network with and explore products from locally owned businesses from across greater Baltimore. Vendors represent a variety of industries, including IT, supplies and equipment, maintenance services, novelty goods, apparel and more. 'We recognize that our purchasing power is an opportunity to drive meaningful change,' says Ben Lowenthal, senior vice president for finance and chief fiscal officer at TU. 'By prioritizing locally owned businesses, we strengthen our regional economy. Buying from them is an investment in a stronger, more vibrant future.' This event is free to attend for procurement representatives, individuals who make purchases for their organizations and anyone interested in promoting and supporting local purchasing. Register here to explore products and services from a wide array of businesses and diversify your procurement activities. For additional questions about the event, please contact [email protected]. About Towson University Towson University is Maryland's university of opportunities. With more than 150 years of experience pushing possibilities, TU is a nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, social mobility, research and discovery. As the largest university in greater Baltimore, TU's momentum is always accelerating, with nearly 20,000 students and 200 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and applied professional fields. Located amid one of the East Coast's cultural and economic epicenters, TU is a beacon and powerful catalyst in the Mid-Atlantic, partnering with hundreds of businesses and organizations, impacting communities and fueling change. TU meets the holistic needs of each student to achieve success, a result of a deeply inclusive culture with a focus on equity among all students, faculty and staff. View source version on Media Contact: Jamie Abell ([email protected]) KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA MARYLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OFFICE PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY CONTINUING HUMAN RESOURCES UNIVERSITY SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OTHER RETAIL OTHER TECHNOLOGY SPECIALTY FASHION SOURCE: Towson University Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 04/16/2025 07:39 AM/DISC: 04/16/2025 07:39 AM
CBS News
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Women of the World Festival brings community leaders, members together for a day of empowerment
The Women of the World or 'WOW' Festival took over downtown Baltimore on Saturday. Leaders, community members, and game-changers celebrated women's achievements while addressing their challenges. Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and Maryland native, was recognized and awarded for her achievements while serving as the festival's headliner. WJZ's very own Denise Koch had a sit-down conversation with Dawes during the event as well. The WOW Festival, founded by Jude Kelly in the United Kingdom in 2010, has brought together over five million people through these events across six continents. "I started it because I was a woman in the arts. I'm a senior woman in the arts," Kelly explained. "And I felt as if there just weren't enough stories of the lives of girls and women being told across the world about all the things we've achieved, all the success, the many battles that we had to face, the ones that we still have to face." Kelly's vision is to bring together leaders, changemakers, and community members to celebrate women's achievements and find solutions to overcome inequities. "And I thought if we could get together and celebrate the ideas together, and the history together, then we could have a much greater excitement about what change could look like," Kelly told WJZ's Janay Reece. Baltimore was selected as one of two locations in North America where the festival is held every other year. Maricka Oglesby is the executive producer for the WOW Festival in Baltimore and helped bring the event to life in Charm City. "We are celebrating the strengths of the women and girls who build, care, and create Baltimore. It is about the stories, the real grit, the perseverance and resilience of our city and our women and girls and the contributions they made," Oglesby explained. The day is filled with live panels, performances, and interactive workshops on mental health, creativity, and activism. Chinenye Ofor and her friends are a part of the Hill-Lopes scholars program at Towson University. On Saturday, they were among the nearly 500 attendees at the Women of the World 'WOW' Festival. "I think it's just nice to see what's going on in the community and all over the world," Chinenye Ofor said. "Nice to see women from like different disciplines at different places all over the world, take what they really believe in and what they learn and translate it into everyday action and belief and tangible efforts." "I think that as a young really important to see that representation and to just be able to learn from them," McKenzie Horne said. "I just thought it was a really good opportunity to, you know, come and like, immerse myself into a different area," Izzy Cole said. Jude Kelly made it clear that the festival is not only for women, but men too: "...it's something where I say, if you know a woman or you're a woman, it's for you." Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU), a private Catholic institution established in 1895 to educate leaders to transform the world, served as the event's main sponsor. "We are very proud to be the first Catholic College for Women to award the Baccalaureate degree in the country. So great alignment with the viewpoints of WOW, and many in demand, academic programs," Carroll Galvin, the VP for Institutional Advancement and University Communications at NDMU, said. "[We are] really looking to help the community."
