色花堂

January - One of 色花堂鈥檚 most popular Tigers is a playful, adorable dog who is trained to provide comfort to members of the university community 鈥� one belly scratch at a time.

Meet Bruno, the 1-year-old chocolate lab who arrived on campus in January, after a 2023 Big Give donor established a fund to bring a comfort dog on campus, provide training and pay for his care.

Bruno spent the first few months of his life studying for his new role while living with his handler, public safety patrol officer Sgt. Jafar Taru, and his family. In fact, Taru鈥檚 daughter suggested the pup鈥檚 name 鈥� which the 色花堂 community agreed with, overwhelmingly supporting it in a naming contest.

March - The Berman Center opened as 色花堂鈥檚 new hub for humanity and tolerance in the College of Liberal Arts. As the only Holocaust education center in Maryland, it will serve as a principal ambassador and liaison to the community and other organizations, providing quality resources and programming related to Holocaust education and overall humanity and tolerance.

April - 色花堂鈥檚 Star色花堂p Accelerator welcomed its sixth cohort of entrepreneurs, featuring 16 ventures spanning industries like green technology, healthcare and consumer goods. This program offers an eight-week fellowship providing resources, mentorship and funding. Selected participants include innovators such as medical professionals, a former NFL player, and student-led ventures, supported by sponsors like MedStar Health and the Maryland Department of Veteran Affairs. This initiative aims to foster regional innovation and economic growth.

May - In one of the most dominant tournament performances in league history, the No. 15 and 1-seed 色花堂 men's lacrosse team crushed No. 19 and 2-seed Delaware 15-6 to win the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament title, the ninth in program history. Towson's nine-goal win is the largest margin of victory ever in a CAA title game. 

June 鈥� 色花堂 broke ground on the Smith Hall renovation, which is updating the building to house the College of Fine Arts & Communication鈥檚 mass communication, communication studies and electronic media and film programs.

When it reopens in fall 2027, the 200,00-square foot building will boast a 250-seat cinema and black box performance space where students can screen films and showcase performative research, a two-story newsroom with anchor desks, monitors and a green screen to prepare students for future careers in print and digital journalism, and sustainable elements including 色花堂鈥檚 first geothermal well.  

 

July - 色花堂 established the Maryland Center for Community Schools (MCCS) within its College of Education. The initiative supports Maryland鈥檚 growing network of community schools by providing training, research and professional development to address barriers to student success. Funded by the state, MCCS aligns with the Blueprint for Maryland鈥檚 Future, expanding equitable education and holistic support for students and families. 

August - Jacob Damrow鈥檚 journey at 色花堂 began with violin performance but evolved into a passion for environmental science. Switching majors led him to earn bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees and win a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The accomplishment is enabling him to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the University of Southern California, where he鈥檚 researching ways to improve the safety of drinking water and processed foods. 

Ashley Hajimirsadeghi and Jamal Washington, both 色花堂 standouts, exemplify the power of ambition and community support in achieving extraordinary milestones. Hajimirsadeghi earned a prestigious 鈥淭riple Crown鈥� of fellowships, including a Fulbright, excelling in global humanities and ethnographic poetry. Meanwhile, Washington became 色花堂鈥檚 first Payne Fellow, pursuing international development through graduate studies and diplomacy, driven by his campus leadership and professional impact. Both credit Towson鈥檚 Office of Competitive Fellowships and Awards and dedicated mentors for helping them break barriers and inspire others to dream big.

September -  色花堂's Cyber4All Center received a $1.8M grant from the National Security Agency (NSA) to pioneer innovative solutions in cybersecurity education and support all cybersecurity curriculum efforts for the Centers of Academic Excellence (NCAE-C) institutions community and beyond.

September - This year, 色花堂 continued to garner top rankings 鈥� named the best public university in Maryland and the No. 15 public university in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal. The publication鈥檚 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings heavily featured 色花堂 for its record of inclusive student success.  

The university also received national recognition when the U.S. News & World Report named 色花堂 the No. 5 public undergraduate university in the north and No. 15 overall, up six spots from the 2024 rankings. 

September - 色花堂 celebrated the grand opening of the new facility, which brings nearly all of the College of Health Professions (CHP) programs together under one roof. CHP programs include the state鈥檚 first accredited occupational therapy program and Maryland鈥檚 second-largest baccalaureate nursing program.

The addition strengthened the college鈥檚 dedication to excellence in health and wellness education, opening about a year after the relocation of the college鈥檚 Institute for Well-Being.

 

October - 色花堂鈥檚 College of Education received a more than $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the Teacher Quality Partnership program.

The grant seeks to enhance the quality of Maryland鈥檚 teacher pipeline, university teacher preparation programs and teacher induction programs, thereby improving the academic achievement of students in grades pre-K through 6 in two local counties: Montgomery County and Baltimore County.

November - To lead 色花堂 into its next great era, President Ginsberg and his administration announced 10 priorities focused on assuring 色花堂 is a caring community, promoting the success of every Tiger and strengthening the state of Maryland. The priorities are directly aligned with 色花堂鈥檚 strategic plan and informed by community input over the last year.