The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Birthday and Black History Month Celebration featured a keynote speech by Chris T. Pernell, MD, MPH, FACPM, a visionary physician leader and champion for health equity whose message is titled “The Clarion Call for Health Justice: No Retreat, No Surrender.”

Join the University of Maryland, Baltimore community for this live event, our Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Celebration. On Feb. 5, 2026, from Noon to 1:30 p.m. keynote speaker Chris T. Pernell, MD, MPH, FACPM, Director of the NAACP Center for Health Equity; Fellow and Regent-at-Large, American College of Preventive Medicine; Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; and Founder and CEO, The Esther Group will deliver her address, "The Clarion Call for Health Justice: No Retreat, No Surrender."

On Feb. 4, 2026, University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, discussed Baltimore's lowering crime rate with the city's police commissioner Richard Worley. During the one-hour discussion the two explored the shift in policing policy, community engagement, and the role of external agencies, such as the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department. The town hall style meeting included questions from both the in-person and virtual audience.

On Jan. 30, 2026 the Maryland Cash Campaign Kickoff event was held at the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Community Engagement Center. Speakers included UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Rep. Johnny Olszewski, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, and Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, University of Maryland, Baltimore Provost Roger Ward and Registrar Patrica Scott broke down the various changes in student loan limits, repayment, and qualifications for a hybrid audience of students, faculty, and staff. During the hourlong event, they took live questions from the audience.

Now an annual tradition, children and families from West Baltimore were given tickets to ride the Polar Express at the B&O Railroad Museum through an effort organized by the Office of Community and Civic Engagement (OCCE) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).

Every day, operators climb the ladders of the tower crane to help put all the key pieces in place for the new University of Maryland School of Social Work building.General contractor Whiting-Turner Construction Co., captured the climb and shared these facts:• 511 ladder steps to the top • 72 bolts along the climb that secure the vertical sections of the crane • 84 bolts on the turntable that secures the horizontal truss jib and allows for 360 degrees of rotation • Tops out at about 180 ft • 2.5 mile view of the horizon from the tower crane cabView updates about the School of Social Work building construction at https://www.umaryland.edu/designandconstruction/capital-projects/projects/school-of-social-work-building-project/

The Community Engagement Center (CEC) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) once again filled with holiday energy as families, volunteers, and community partners gathered for the annual Christmas Store — a decade-long tradition that has become a trusted part of the holiday season in West Baltimore.Held Dec. 12 and 13, the Christmas Store featured tables filled with name-brand toys, dress-up costumes, science kits, books, and games, all available to families at deeply discounted prices.Hosted for the past 10 years at the CEC’s location on S. Poppleton St., the Christmas Store is a partnership between UMB’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement (OCCE) and Foundry Church of Baltimore.