The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and St. Marys 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 theThomas 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, CSMs 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.Marylands Sen. Millerwas the nations 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.

Imagine being a young person today, trying to find your footing and make sense of the world amid chaotic public discourse and polarized news sources, CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy said at a fundraising event last fall that established an endowment in Millers honor to support the center. Imagine being a college whose charge is to support young people as they learn to reconcile contradictory ideas in a culture that gives as much credence in opinion as in fact. In our current environment, helping students grapple with complexity and learn that there can be multiple valid perspectives on issues is becoming increasingly difficult.

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. Marys College of Maryland will then share thoughts on unity and the future of American Democracy in a panel moderated by the centers director, CSM Communication Professor Denise Gilmer-Knudson and Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy Dr. Antonio Ugues.

We want to engage our students in this election, help our students get to the polls and help to bridge the divides, said CSMs Executive Director of Equity and Inclusive Diversity Dr. Sybol Anderson. The whole point of democracy is to engage in collective deliberation for the good of the community. Collective deliberation done well is productive and creates unity in our communities. To be unable to sustain civil discourse is itself the unraveling of democracy.

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.

We do not know what the results of the 2020 presidential election will be, but we do know that many of our neighbors will celebrate, and many will be frustratedperhaps feeling despair, shared Anderson about the series final event. Our last moderated session will enable CSM and SMCM faculty, staff and students to come together again to process thoughts and feelings about the election process and results and to begin to envision a positive path forward as one community.

The Sept. 22 and Nov. 10 events are for CSM and SMCMs student, faculty and staff. The three other events will be open to the public.

The CSM Foundation has established an endowment in Millers 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 Directors Association (MCCADA), that will help students become engaged leaders.

Upon successful completion of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Leadership Academy, students will receive a CSM Certificate of Completion and be eligible to apply for the Maryland Community College Leadership Certification, a statewide recognition of exceptional leadership skills in Maryland community college students awarded by Maryland Community College Activities Directors Association (MCCADA), explained Gilmer-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 the 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, visitwww.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 Marylands 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 SMCMs Student Activities Department. Registration is required for this free Zoom event. Registerhere. 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 Marylands 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 SMCMs Student Activities Department Date, registration is required for this free Zoom event. Registerhere.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 Marylands 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 SMCMs Student Activities Department, registration is required for this free Zoom event. Registerhere:https://csmd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAsce6rpzktHtYABah3xjbVCaSaaE0fXl9L.

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CSM, SMCM Kick-Off Virtual Voter Education Series with Inauguration of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership - The Southern Maryland...