The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) are partnering to kick off a five-part leadership and voter education series entitled ‘Informed, Engaged, Empowered = Ready – Set – VOTE!’ on Sept. 15 – International Democracy Day – with the inauguration of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership. The series of virtual community-focused events to promote voter education, civic engagement and personal empowerment are a collaboration between the center, CSM’s Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office and Student Life Department; and SMCM, the Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM Student Activities Department. The events are aimed to prepare students and the Southern Maryland community for the upcoming elections.
CSM established the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership a year ago in September to support students, faculty and rising community leaders who demonstrate and inspire leadership in others. Maryland’s Sen. Miller was the nation’s longest serving state senate president, having been a member of the Maryland Senate since 1975 and serving as the president of the Maryland Senate from 1987 to January 2020. A resident of Calvert County, the Senate President Emeritus continues to serve District 27.
Antonio Ugues
During the series’ kick off Sept. 15, students will hear a message from Miller on leadership and his lessons for bridging political divides with a focus on how all citizens can work together for the good of our communities. Student leaders from CSM and St. Mary’s College of Maryland will then share thoughts on unity and the future of American Democracy in a panel moderated by the center’s director, CSM Communication Professor Denise Gilmer-Knudson and Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy Dr. Antonio Ugues.
Sybol Anderson
The ‘Informed, Engaged, Empowered = Ready – Set – VOTE!’ series continues with a National Voter Registration Day virtual event Sept. 22 hosted by the Calvert County League of Women Voters entitled “Your Vote. Your Choice. Your Future.” On Oct. 8, CSM and SMCM will virtually host “A Pledge to Truth and Civility” that focuses on the need for media literacy and civility in public discourse and an Oct. 22 event entitled, “Liberty and Justice for All? The History of Voting Rights in America.” The series concludes Nov. 10 with “Indivisible: A Post Election Debrief.”
The Sept. 22 and Nov. 10 events are for CSM and SMCM’s student, faculty and staff. The three other events will be open to the public.
The CSM Foundation has established an endowment in Miller’s name that funds, in part, the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Leadership Academy which provides a framework agreed upon by the Maryland Community College Activities Director’s Association (MCCADA), that will help students become engaged leaders.
Denise Glimer-Knudson
About the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership: The purpose of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership is to serve and connect the College of Southern Maryland and surrounding region by offering leadership training and other opportunities to develop student and community leaders who contribute to their local and global communities. For more information, visit www.csmd.edu/community/miller-center-for-leadership/.
Calendar:
One Community: Bridging Divides: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. 7-8 p.m. The public is invited to listen and watch the inaugural event of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership which celebrates the leadership of Senator Miller and his legacy of reaching across the aisle to create positive change for Maryland. Hosted College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Student Life Department, and Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM’s Student Activities Department. Registration is required for this free Zoom event. Register here. https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIofu-gqT8sH9xLOkKqfb0N8mxS3XEGPuW5.
A Pledge to Truth and Civility: Oct. 8, 2020. 7 -8 p.m. The public is invited join CSM Professor of Communications Michelle Christian and CSM Instructor of Media Studies, Journalist and CSM Non-Profit Institute Coordinator Cara Fogarty discuss how to spot fake news, the importance of checking facts and sources of information, and a variety of strategies for maintaining civility while engaging in difficult political conversations. Hosted by the College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Student Life Department and Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM’s Student Activities Department Date, registration is required for this free Zoom event. Register here. https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuceCvqjgjGtIQTs5BvgvLRF_L3TZqgSwm.
Liberty and Justice for All? The History of Voting Rights in America: Oct. 22, 2020. 7-8 p.m. The public is invited to hear CSM Professor of History and Humanities and Social Sciences Department Chair Dr. Christine Arnold-Lourie travel through history to discover the evolution of American voting rights: How certain populations were denied the right to vote, the hard-fought battles to gain suffrage and discriminatory voting practices that still exist today. Hosted by the College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike” Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Student Life Department and Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM’s Student Activities Department, registration is required for this free Zoom event. Register here: https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAsce6rpzktHtYABah3xjbVCaSaaE0fXl9L.
CSM established the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership a year ago in September to support students, faculty and rising community leaders who demonstrate and inspire leadership in others. Maryland’s Sen. Miller was the nation’s longest serving state senate president, having been a member of the Maryland Senate since 1975 and serving as the president of the Maryland Senate from 1987 to January 2020. A resident of Calvert County, the Senate President Emeritus continues to serve District 27.
Antonio Ugues
During the series’ kick off Sept. 15, students will hear a message from Miller on leadership and his lessons for bridging political divides with a focus on how all citizens can work together for the good of our communities. Student leaders from CSM and St. Mary’s College of Maryland will then share thoughts on unity and the future of American Democracy in a panel moderated by the center’s director, CSM Communication Professor Denise Gilmer-Knudson and Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy Dr. Antonio Ugues.
Sybol Anderson
The ‘Informed, Engaged, Empowered = Ready – Set – VOTE!’ series continues with a National Voter Registration Day virtual event Sept. 22 hosted by the Calvert County League of Women Voters entitled “Your Vote. Your Choice. Your Future.” On Oct. 8, CSM and SMCM will virtually host “A Pledge to Truth and Civility” that focuses on the need for media literacy and civility in public discourse and an Oct. 22 event entitled, “Liberty and Justice for All? The History of Voting Rights in America.” The series concludes Nov. 10 with “Indivisible: A Post Election Debrief.”
The Sept. 22 and Nov. 10 events are for CSM and SMCM’s student, faculty and staff. The three other events will be open to the public.
The CSM Foundation has established an endowment in Miller’s name that funds, in part, the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Leadership Academy which provides a framework agreed upon by the Maryland Community College Activities Director’s Association (MCCADA), that will help students become engaged leaders.
Denise Glimer-Knudson
About the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership: The purpose of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership is to serve and connect the College of Southern Maryland and surrounding region by offering leadership training and other opportunities to develop student and community leaders who contribute to their local and global communities. For more information, visit www.csmd.edu/community/miller-center-for-leadership/.
Calendar:
One Community: Bridging Divides: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. 7-8 p.m. The public is invited to listen and watch the inaugural event of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership which celebrates the leadership of Senator Miller and his legacy of reaching across the aisle to create positive change for Maryland. Hosted College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Student Life Department, and Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM’s Student Activities Department. Registration is required for this free Zoom event. Register here. https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIofu-gqT8sH9xLOkKqfb0N8mxS3XEGPuW5.
A Pledge to Truth and Civility: Oct. 8, 2020. 7 -8 p.m. The public is invited join CSM Professor of Communications Michelle Christian and CSM Instructor of Media Studies, Journalist and CSM Non-Profit Institute Coordinator Cara Fogarty discuss how to spot fake news, the importance of checking facts and sources of information, and a variety of strategies for maintaining civility while engaging in difficult political conversations. Hosted by the College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Student Life Department and Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM’s Student Activities Department Date, registration is required for this free Zoom event. Register here. https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuceCvqjgjGtIQTs5BvgvLRF_L3TZqgSwm.
Liberty and Justice for All? The History of Voting Rights in America: Oct. 22, 2020. 7-8 p.m. The public is invited to hear CSM Professor of History and Humanities and Social Sciences Department Chair Dr. Christine Arnold-Lourie travel through history to discover the evolution of American voting rights: How certain populations were denied the right to vote, the hard-fought battles to gain suffrage and discriminatory voting practices that still exist today. Hosted by the College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike” Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Student Life Department and Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Center for the Study of Democracy and SMCM’s Student Activities Department, registration is required for this free Zoom event. Register here: https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAsce6rpzktHtYABah3xjbVCaSaaE0fXl9L.