Topic of the Month
Building a Community of Character at the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland is a family, a community. Whether student, faculty, or
staff member, we are tied to one another as fellow Terps. As such, we are expected
to act in the best interest of the community and uphold the values of the University.
In the University of Maryland Strategic Plan, the University's values are outlined
as follows:
- A set of core values underlies and is reflected in all
University activities and throughout the strategic plan.
- excellence. Every part of the institution and every member of the University
community shall strive for excellence . . .
- diversity and inclusiveness . . . We are resolutely committed to fostering
dialogue and collaboration among peoples of different backgrounds, orientations,
and perspectives and ensuring the respectful treatment of all.
- innovation and creativity . . . the Maryland community is determined to be
exemplars of innovation and creativity.
- ethical action. The academic enterprise is based on a commitment to seek
higher truths and create knowledge. Honesty and the highest ethical standards will
inform all university actions, whether in the classroom, the research laboratory,
the playing field, the administrative office, or anywhere else on and off campus.
- civility and collegiality. The Maryland community is home to a wide spectrum
of viewpoints and personalities. The commitment to healthy debate as well as the
ability to agree to disagree are vital to Maryland's determination to be a broad,
welcoming, and diverse community.
- openness and accountability. Shared governance ensures that all members of
the University family have an opportunity to participate in its course. A continued
commitment to openness and accountability is critical to the University's success.
(University of Maryland Strategic Plan, 2008, p. 4-5)
These values impel all individual members of the University family to act with integrity
and actively contribute to the community. But what does this mean for the individual
student or faculty or staff member? How should we act in order to live out these
values? What should we DO and how should we BE to create and maintain a Community
of Character at the University of Maryland?
As members of the University of Maryland community, we often hear how we are NOT
supposed to behave. This is particularly true for students. In the Code of Student
Conduct, Residence Hall Rules, and the Code of Academic Integrity,
students are told what is prohibited. Faculty and staff have similar rules by which
to abide. However, merely not acting in a prohibited manner is not the same as living
out our common values.
Rarely are we presented with principles of what positive behaviors are expected
of us as members of the Terrapin family.
This discussion board is an open forum for members of the University community to
provide insights on how individuals can enact the University's values on a daily
basis. Please provide your thoughts (and participate in discussion) about what specific
behaviors you will commit to, expect of others, or that we all can engage in to
build and maintain a Community of Character and live out the values of the
University of Maryland.
