Innovation + Job News

The Association of Fundraising Professionals Maryland Chapter named the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) as the Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation of the Year at its National Philanthropy Day awards lunch.

The award was presented by Eddie C. Brown, a 2002 AFP Philanthropist of the Year honoree, who noted that not only has BCF supported and facilitated his family's philanthropy, it has done the same for thechritable deeds of hundreds of other philanthropists. "BCF serves Baltimore, and it serves Baltimore's donors. My family and I are among the hundreds of donors who have entrusted philanthropic assets to BCF, and who believe in the importance of a strong community foundation for this region."

BCF President and CEO Thomas E. Wilcox accepted the award, saying that he accepted "on behalf of the many hundreds of donors who have made BCF what it is today, and the hundreds more who are hard at work making it what it will be tomorrow."

The Safe and Sound Campaign nominated BCF pointing to the organization's impact in multiple areas of the Baltimore region's civic life and its encouragement of individual and corporate donors to expand their philanthropy. Specifically, the nomination touched on BCF's creation of innovative programs and organizations including Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc., the Middle Grades Partnership and Central Maryland Transportation Alliance.

More recently, BCF's development of a comprehensive civic agenda, "Invest in Baltimore", has provided a framework for donors who wish to focus their philanthropy on building a better Baltimore. "Invest in Baltimore" combines economic development with poverty reduction by making strategic investments in the areas of human services, youth, education, transportation, neighborhoods, diversity, environment, arts and culture, and promoting Baltimore.

BCF helps individuals, families and organizations carry out their charitable plans, with the common goal of improving the quality of life in the greater Baltimore region, today and for generations to come. To donors, BCF offers a complete toolkit for charitable giving, expert assistance in learning more about the causes they care about, and the opportunity to join others with similar interests to learn and give together. To the community at large, BCF offers a permanent, growing source of grant monies, as well as a common meeting ground and leadership on important issues in our region.

BCF also provides grantmaking oversight for two independent foundations, the William G. Baker Jr. Memorial Fund and the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Charitable Foundation.

The Baltimore Community Foundation distributed $28 million in 2008 to hundreds of nonprofit organizations in the Baltimore region and beyond. With assets of $143 million, BCF comprises more than 600 different charitable funds.

Source: Thomas E. Wilcox, BCF
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The GBTC handed out its Connector award last Thursday at its  2009 Tech Nite. Held at the Baltimore Convention Center, the event celebrated the organization's two decades working with Baltimore's technology companies.

Dave Troy, founder of Tedx Mid-Atlantic, Baltimore Beehive, Baltimore Angels, Roundhouse Technologies, Social DevCamp East, Popvox and a host of other enterprises and endeavors, is this year's Connector award recipient. Troy beat out Mike Subelsky, OtherInBox & Ignite Baltimore, and Neil Davis of the Emerging Technology Centers.

According to the GBTC, the Connector award is given to the GBTC member who "gets it" � they are more than a volunteer; they CONNECT people. People to people, people to programs and they also get others involved. Award recipients are the person who brings clients, colleagues, friends and even prospects to GBTC programs � connecting them to others in our community. They make our community a better place by understanding the power of connecting.


Source: GBTC
Writer: Walaika Haskins

George Soros is giving $5 million to the Open Society Institute�Baltimore. The philanthropic gift will be used to provide services for thousands of the city's most vulnerable residents, including the homeless and those living in poverty, who have been particularly hurt by the recession.

Homelessness, for instance, in Baltimore has increased by 12 percent over the past year. The funding will provide grants to local nonprofits for a range of services, including jobs and employment training for disadvantaged youth, urgent dental care for homeless people, drug addiction treatment for the indigent, as well as housing, counseling and job training for formerly-incarcerated people. The Family League of Baltimore, for example, will receive $1 million, the largest single grant, to create year-long jobs for 200 youth, including 40 juvenile-court-involved youth who will be trained in construction trades and 50 youth aging out of foster care who will learn to plant, sell, prepare and serve food at Fresh Start Farm.

The $5 million in grants comes from the Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation, a new national fund created by Soros in response to the economic downturn. Soros's foundation, the Open Society Institute, is using the fund to make grants to states and national organizations across the country, including Baltimore, to provide relief from the recession for low-income people.

"Mr. Soros wants to provide an immediate lifeline for the most underserved people in our community who are struggling to find jobs and keep their families healthy," says Diana Morris, director of OSI-Baltimore. "Many jobs have vanished at a time when families need the income most. For some people the need is drug addiction treatment and very basic medical care. These grants form a safety net for the most vulnerable."

The OSI�Baltimore board of directors recently approved half of the $5 million for 10 Baltimore organizations. OSI will award the other half by early 2010 but is not soliciting new funding proposals.

The grants require each recipient to secure matching funds, most of which come from public dollars and will bring substantial additional, new investment to Baltimore.

"Being part of a national foundation enables us to periodically tap special funds and resources for the greater benefit of Baltimore," Morris explains. "All of these new grants support our intertwined local goals of tackling drug addiction, reducing over-reliance on incarceration and helping youth stay connected to school and on the road to success."

Soros founded OSI�Baltimore in 1998 and since then has invested more than $60 million, the largest single investment an individual has made to Baltimore to help those suffering from poverty and discrimination.

Source: Diana Morris, OSI-Baltimore
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Maryland will join forces with Microsoft in an innovative, public-private partnership to provide free technology training to displaced workers.

"This partnership will provide thousands of people in Maryland with the workforce education that is necessary to come through this recession," says Gov. O'Malley. "Giving people the important job and technology proficiencies to succeed will help to boost our state's employment and improve the quality of our world class workforce. We are excited to work with Microsoft on such an important program."

"Thanks to Governor Martin O'Malley and Microsoft, more Baltimore citizens now have a chance to improve their technology proficiencies as the city and state continues to bridge the digital divide," says Mayor Sheila Dixon. "In today's workforce and classrooms, it is crucial to know basic Microsoft applications. With these vouchers, we will improve the technological knowledge to Baltimore City residents and provide new and better job opportunities."

In Maryland, Microsoft has partnered with the state's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to distribute a total of 13,500 training vouchers statewide during the next 90 days to the state's One-Stop Career Centers, local community college system and the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Rehabilitative Services. Courses range from basic technology literacy to intermediate-level technology skills. A portion of the vouchers will be issued to Maryland residents for Microsoft Certification Exams all at no cost to the recipient.

"Elevate America is a powerful program for people who need crucial skills essential to obtain employment in today's competitive workplace," said Fred Humphries, Microsoft Managing Director, US Government Affairs. "We at Microsoft believe that this type of public-private partnership plays an integral role in rebuilding Maryland - and the nation's economy - through access to technology training that can open doors to employment opportunity."

Maryland will receive 6,000 vouchers for Microsoft Windows and Office online training, 6,000 vouchers for Microsoft Business Certification Exams, and 1,500 vouchers for advanced technical professional level online training:

• Each training voucher is redeemable for free online training in Microsoft Windows Vista, or one of the programs in the Microsoft Office suite.
• Each certification exam voucher is redeemable for a Microsoft Business Certification Exam.
• Advanced technical professional level vouchers are redeemable for free online training for individuals in technical professional career tracks in areas such as web development or database management.

"This partnership will give thousands of Marylanders the technology skills they need to compete in the 21st century economy," Sanchez said.

Any Maryland resident may request and receive a voucher. The vouchers will be distributed through the state's One-Stop Career Centers and its partners, community colleges, the Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Department of Human Resources. In its role as Microsoft's "designated partner" for administration of Elevate America in Maryland, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is responsible for the overall statewide distribution program. Vouchers will be distributed to citizens across the state on a first come, first served basis.

For additional information regarding the Microsoft vouchers and locations where citizens can obtain a voucher in Maryland, visit the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation website at www.dllr.state.md.us and click on the Microsoft Elevate America button.

Source: Gov, Martin O'Malley
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Anne Arundel County will hold its Fall Job Fair on Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the David S. Jenkins Gymnasium at Anne Arundel Community College. Open to all job seekers, the job fair will also offer them help with an hour long session on "How to get your resume noticed in this tough economy" held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Careers Center/CRSC 129. Fair participants can also receive free resume screenings and "Tips for success in 2009" from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information call: 410-987-3890, ext. 243 or 410-777-2201/2770.

Source: Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp.
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The state officially launched the Maryland International Incubator (MI2), the first biz incubator dedicated exclusively to attracting and nurturing foreign-owned companies last week. A joint venture of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (MD DBED) and the University of Maryland, College Park, the incubator will provide research and development, business development support services and competitively priced leasing space to foreign-owned companies looking to establish a U.S. presence.

"This joint partnership will leverage the university's world-class research strengths and DBED's business development resources in attracting foreign-owned companies to Maryland," says Gov. O'Malley. "There are a tremendous number of global opportunities out there and, in a recession, we need to aggressively go after them to attract new jobs and position Maryland as the ideal U.S. location for foreign companies."

"We look forward to the opening of the Maryland International Incubator to provide a soft landing for international companies coming to Maryland. It is our objective to transition these companies into the Maryland economy thus providing new employment opportunities and adding to our tax base," says Dr. Herbert Rabin, Director of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute. "The University of Maryland's role in assisting this transition parallels the successful TAP incubator program in which many successful companies have been launched previously, drawing on the extensive capabilities resident with faculty and students at the University."

The Maryland International Incubator is just the latest in a series of international initiatives. Earlier this year, Gov. O'Malley announced Maryland's International Growth Strategy, which called for the creation of the state's first International Advisory Council, a seasoned group of business leaders charged with guiding the State's efforts to attract and grow international companies and help craft policy and legislation that supports Maryland' strong and diverse network of international businesses.

Also launched this year is the Maryland International Business Center, a one-stop shop for foreign companies looking to expand their operations into Maryland. The Center, which is managed by DBED, brings together for the first time key state, federal and private sector partners to give companies significantly improved access to essential resources needed to grow.

Maryland is well positioned for growth in the global market, with more than 550 foreign-owned companies from 30 countries currently located in Maryland. Some 105,000 Marylanders, or 3.5 percent of the workforce, are employed by foreign-owned firms, with companies headquartered in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany as the top three foreign employers in Maryland.

Source: Gov. Martin O'Malley
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Grace Hartigan, a celebrated Abstract Expressionist painter who served as director of the Hoffberger School of Painting at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) since its inception in 1965, has left more than $1 million in paintings to MICA and Maryland Art Place (MAP).

Hartigan, who died last November at 86, had deep connections to MICA and MAP for many years.
 
"MICA was an integral part of her life for the last 40-plus years," says MICA faculty Rex Stevens, Hartigan's former student, longtime friend, studio assistant and personal representative. "She loved the students and fondly remembered how the school welcomed her with open arms when she arrived in Baltimore from New York during the 1960s. She learned on the job how to develop a give and take of knowledge with the graduate students that benefited both parties.

"Grace had a terrific relationship and friendship with former President Eugene "Bud" Leake and current President Fred Lazarus, and was given a great deal of freedom by both to develop over the years a top rated graduate school of painting. She had appreciated the support and knew the door to their office was always opened for a stimulating conversation."

Hartigan bequeathed a total of 12 oil on linen works made between 1987 and 2004 to MICA for the benefit of students after she could no longer personally mentor them.

"She also realized how hard it is to afford a great education and hoped the paintings would benefit the students through scholarships," Stevens says.

MICA has formed an executive committee to decide how best to maximize the value of the bequest in the spirit of Hartigan's intentions for it, according to MICA President Fred Lazarus.

Source: Rex Stevens, MICA
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Enoch Pratt Free Library will open a new Computer Commons in the Central Library Main Hall on Wednesday, October 21. The new section will provide 26 additional public computers for patrons.

The Computer Commons, located across from the Circulation Desk, will have 26 computers with hour long timeslots. Currently, the Pratt Library provides more than 500 public computers system wide and offers free wireless internet access at most branches.

The additional computers were purchased using donations from the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds and Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

With 40 percent of Baltimore City households lacking internet access at home, the Pratt's more than 500 public computers systemwide are often the only way for some to get online.

"Everyday our patrons line-up outside at all Pratt locations eager to use our public computers," says Carla D. Hayden, Chief Executive Officer of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. "During these difficult economic times, some of our patrons have even told us they have given up internet access at home and now depend on us. We are very committed to our mission of offering free access to all our patrons, from the very youngest to seniors. We're hoping these additional computers will make a difference for patrons seeking anything from personal enrichment to career development."

The Central Library will also begin offering free computer classes this winter. 

Check out the Pratt Library on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Amazon.com announced that it is launching same-day delivery service in seven cities just in time for the upcoming holiday season. 

"Local Express Delivery" will offer customers same-day delivery in Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Las Vegas, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

"Now, if a customer needs a last-minute present for a birthday or wants a copy of their book club book before the weekend starts, they can order from Amazon instead of the hassle of a last-minute trip to the mall," Girish Lakshman, Amazon's vice president of transportation, says.

Thousands of items are now available for Local Express Delivery. Amazon Prime* members pay just $5.99 per item for the service. 

Orders in Baltimore placed before the 10:30 a.m. local cut-off time will be delivered the same day.

"We want to make online shopping as convenient as possible," says Lakshman. "We're continuously working to speed up delivery times and customers receiving items on the same day as ordered is an exciting step."

Amazon has also expanded Saturday Delivery options. Now, items ordered before the cut-off time on Thursday using Two-Day Shipping will be delivered on Saturday instead of Monday. For Prime members, Thursday-to-Saturday delivery is free using Two-Day Shipping. For all other customers, the service is offered at the current Two-Day Shipping rates. Saturday Delivery is also available for orders placed before the cut-off on Fridays for $6.99 per item for Prime members and an additional charge for all other customers.

Source: Girish Lakshman, Amazon.com
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Frostburg State University's Renewable Energy Center has been awarded an $856,350 appropriation from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund the final steps in the establishment of its Sustainable Energy Research Facility (SERF), a green, self-sufficient, off-the-grid building designed for educational research on renewable energy in the Appalachian region.

The grant will enable the university to purchase research equipment and computer hardware and software, as well as to employ researchers and student assistants.

"Faculty and students will be using the new SERF facility to expand FSU's leadership role in the Appalachian region for research, development, implementation and training in renewable energy technologies and sustainable living," says Congressman Roscoe Bartlett. "America's grid, while an efficient and cost-effective distributor of electricity, is also remarkably vulnerable to natural disaster or deliberate attack. Residents and small businesses will benefit from SERF's work to develop alternative, renewable, local sources of energy and technologies to provide enough electricity for a small facility to operate independent of the grid."

SERF, a residential-size green building completely supplied by various renewable energy sources, will be built in the Allegany Business Center at FSU, near the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences Appalachian Laboratory. The building will be completely functional in fall 2010 and accommodate the FSU Renewable Energy Center to conduct research, education and outreach programs.

The research planned at SERF will study the effectiveness of sustainable energy resources in Appalachia. Using sensors to record wind and solar energy data at numerous locations, the data will be collected at SERF for processing and analysis, used to model, design and control integrated renewable energy supply systems. The ultimate goal will be to develop a knowledge-base for renewable and clean energy resources available in the region.

"Frostburg State University is perfectly located for this and other new energy research projects, with the state's broadest access to renewable energy resources," says Stephen Spahr, FSU vice president for Economic Development and Government Relations. "With the work being done here on renewable energy and other new energy resources, like the research into the Marcellus Shale natural gas reserves, FSU is positioning the region as a center for energy for the future."

SERF will accommodate the FSU Renewable Energy Center to conduct extended research, education and community outreach programs on renewable energy applications developed by FSU faculty and their project partners. The facility will also serve as an example of a self-sufficient off-grid building for individuals such as homeowners, farmers or entrepreneurs who seek energy security in Western Maryland or similar geographic locations.

"The new funding secured by Congressman Bartlett will make it possible to purchase cutting-edge equipment and employ distinguished researchers to conduct renewable energy projects in SERF," said the Soysals, both faculty in the Department of Physics and Engineering. "The design team is currently completing the architectural plans. Construction will start this spring and the building will be completed in fall 2010."

The grant is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory located at Morgantown, W.Va. The total budget for this phase of the project is $1.3 million, with about $455,000 coming from various other sources.

Source: Stephen Spahr, FSU
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Financial Times has named Loyola University Maryland's Sellinger School of Business and Managementone of the top Executive MBA programs in the world. The Sellinger program, which ranked in the top 25 of all U.S. private institutions, received high marks for its students meeting the aims that inspired them to enroll - 24th in the world. The Sellinger students also reported an average salary increase of 43 percent.

"The Sellinger School is committed to shaping ethical businesspeople who can lead in a rapidly changing, increasingly complex global economy," says Karyl Leggio, Ph.D., dean of the Sellinger School. "It is extremely gratifying to me that our commitment has been recognized on an international scale, and I am honored to see the Sellinger and Loyola names listed among programs such as those at Wharton, Columbia University, and Duke University. This honor provides invaluable validation of our efforts to continue to expand our relationships and develop even stronger global learning and networking opportunities for our students."

Loyola is the only school in Baltimore and one of just two in Maryland to be recognized by the Financial Times, the premier resource for ranking EMBA programs. While there are more than 350 executive MBA programs in the world, the Financial Times judged only the best 95 eligible to be ranked. Rankings are based on a wide range of criteria; categories in which Loyola ranked particularly high include:

• Student salary increase: 43 percent
• Student aims achieved: Top 25 worldwide and first among schools in the Baltimore-Washington region
• Diversity: In percentage of female students, the Sellinger School tied for 13th in the U.S. and 25th worldwide.

The Sellinger School's focus on developing ethical leaders who are strategic thinkers attuned to the complexities of the global marketplace has earned its executive programs an exceptional reputation among area business leaders.

Loyola's inclusion in this year's Financial Times rankings was based on data and outcomes for the MBA Fellows class of 2006. The Fellows program is one of two executive business programs at Loyola's Sellinger School. The Financial Times recognition follows the inclusion of the Sellinger School's Professional MBA in U.S. News & World Report's list of the nation's best part-time MBA programs.

Source: Karyl Leggio, Ph.D., Loyola
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Baltimore-based BioMarker Strategies, LLC has been awarded a Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the National Cancer Institute to develop the SnapPath live-tumor-cell testing system. BioMarker Strategies is developing the SnapPath system to enable oncologists to determine the most effective drug treatment for their cancer patients.

Under this contract, the company will receive an initial award of $254,000 and be eligible to receive an additional $2 million when the first phase of work is completed�for a total potential contract amount of $2.3 million.

"We are gratified by this award from the NCI to support the development of our SnapPath technology and plan to use these funds to expedite production of a prototype of our live-tumor-cell testing system," says Karen Olson, CEO of BioMarker Strategies.

BioMarker Strategies was awarded this funding under NCI contract opportunity #257, Biopsy Instruments and Devices that Preserve the Molecular Profiles in Tumors, designed to identify "innovative approaches for tumor biopsy that preserve the molecular profile (that) will create an entirely new diagnostic area and market in molecular therapeutics, which will not only facilitate pharmacodynamic assessment of targeted therapeutics but also enable individualized molecular therapy of solid tumors based on accurate information about signal transduction pathways, molecular drug targets and biomarkers."

Source: Karen Olson, BioMarker Strategies
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has launched a new web site that designers hope will enable the university's students to give prospective Retrievers a sense of what its really like to go to school there. "College.Be" came out of creative meetings between Ed Neenan, marketing director, Dept of Information Systems, Mark Neustadt, Neustadt Creative Marketing and UMBC's Creative Director, Jim Lord.

"Once we had the concept�the vibe�what we thought would communicate to and resonate with the prospective and current, new undergraduate college audience. The idea to build a unique, proprietary website specifically to support our radio and outdoor advertising campaign came about. Mark brought his colleagues Tracey and Amy at Fastspot into the mix. They had a methodology of using a social web aggregator�lots of behind the scenes function, with a branded screen face that is purely "College. Be." and UMBC,"explains Ed Neenan.

The first of its kind sites works as an aggregator for a bevy of social media websites, including Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter. Once students sign up for the site, any photos, video, Tweets, blog posts, and music lists that they've posted on other social media sites will be streamed to College.Be.Through the posted pictures, videos, Tweets, etc., potential students are able to get a feel for what current students think about UMBC and do when they aren't in class.

"Essentially, our purpose for going in to this was marketing. This site was developed primarily to appeal to prospective students and we needed to find a way to communicate the social world of UMBC. With the new technologies availabile in this day and age, it just made sense to try and use social media as a way to convey what life is like on UMBC's campus," says Mark Neustadt.

The site started with 20 students who "seeded" the site, but has grown to over 100 users in the week or more since it launched. The university plans to drive traffic to the site via a multi-pronged marketing campaign that will include radio, billboard and other outdoor advertising in the DC Metro area.

Source: Ed Neena, UMBC
Writer: Walaika Haskins