Notre Dame of Maryland University Earns 2026 Transform Mid-Atlantic Engaged Campus Award

Regional Recognition Highlights NDMU’s Sustained Community Partnerships and Commitment to Connecting Student Learning with Service

BALTIMORE, Md. — Notre Dame of Maryland University has been selected for the 2026 Engaged Campus Award by Transform Mid-Atlantic, recognizing the University’s commitment to building meaningful community partnerships and preparing students to use their knowledge and skills to make a difference.

Transform Mid-Atlantic recognized NDMU for its broad participation in regional initiatives and its work to advance civic responsibility, positive social change and sustainable community development. The award also highlights the University’s emphasis on developing reciprocal relationships with community organizations, ensuring that service initiatives respond to needs identified by those partners. Transform Mid-Atlantic supports the region’s colleges and universities to promote public service and civic engagement programs for students.

“It means so much to have the hard work of our students and team recognized,” said Yetta Nowak, Director of Community Engagement and Service Learning. “We want to serve our campus partners well, and this award recognizes the intentionality and heart that we hope we are putting into our work regularly.”

Through the Office of Community Engagement and Service Learning, NDMU connects students, faculty, and staff with organizations and schools throughout Baltimore. Many of these partnerships extend beyond individual service days, giving students the opportunity to build relationships, develop skills, and contribute to projects over time.

One example is the University’s York Road Youth Service and Education (YES) Program, which brings NDMU students into local schools to support students through tutoring, mentoring, and educational activities. At Govans Elementary School, NDMU students have helped with literacy tutoring and kindergarten art programming. At Tunbridge Public Charter School, Bonner Student Leaders mentor elementary and middle school girls, focusing on topics such as confidence, leadership, public speaking, career exploration, healthy relationships and financial literacy.

The University also brings academic expertise into the community through initiatives such as health fairs at Govans and Tunbridge. Students studying health sciences, biology, nursing, and pharmacy lead interactive activities that help children and families learn about healthy lifestyle choices.

Service and community engagement also extend into the classroom. Faculty members across disciplines incorporate community-based projects into their courses, giving students opportunities to apply what they are learning to local needs. Biology students, for example, have collected water samples and shared their findings with Friends of Stony Run, a nonprofit focused on monitoring and reporting water quality. Art students have created self-portraits with older adults living in housing owned by the Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO), while World Religions students visit local faith communities to connect course material with firsthand experiences.

Transformational Learning for Students

For junior Crystal Buabeng ’28, a biology major, these partnerships have provided opportunities to grow from a program participant into a student leader while responding to needs identified by NDMU’s community partners.

As a Bonner Student Leader, Buabeng has been involved in several initiatives developed in collaboration with local schools. She first participated in the kindergarten art program at Govans Elementary and later took on a leadership role. She also participated in academic fairs designed to introduce middle school students from Tunbridge and Walter P. Carter Elementary and Middle School to a college campus, later helping organize and coordinate the events. For two years, she has served in a mentorship program for girls at Tunbridge.

This year, Buabeng is also working with the Critical Medical Needs Program, supporting clients with serious medical conditions who are facing the threat of having their electricity shut off. She listens to clients’ circumstances, gathers information, and completes applications to help them maintain power in their homes.

Through these experiences, Buabeng has come to appreciate that meaningful service is not always about making an immediate or sweeping difference. Sometimes, it starts with showing up consistently, building relationships and giving someone the opportunity to be heard.

“My work with the YES program has taught me the value of incremental work. There is value in taking your time to build a meaningful relationship or project as opposed to a one-off volunteering experience,” Buabeng said. “My work with Critical Medical Needs is teaching me patience; , the beauty in being a listening ear.”

Even a brief conversation, she said, can make a difference for someone navigating difficult circumstances. “If I can’t do anything else, I can do my best, which, sometimes, is a laugh on the other end of the call,” Buabeng said.
“I’ve never met a more empathetic person,” Nowak said of Buabeng’s work with clients. “She is kind, attentive and understanding as she works to support the clients she works with to avoid having their power shut off.”

Building Capacity Strengthens Engagement

NDMU’s engagement efforts are strengthened through its partnership with Transform Mid-Atlantic, which provides professional development, grant opportunities and connections with other institutions working to strengthen community engagement. Support from the organization has helped NDMU coordinate initiatives including its annual Sept. 11 Day of Service and Democracy Day, as well as professional development for faculty.

The University also works with AmeriCorps VISTA members to build capacity for community partnerships, supporting program development, volunteer training, grant writing, and evaluation. These efforts help strengthen relationships with local schools and organizations while creating opportunities for continued collaboration.

The award reflects the contributions of students, faculty, staff and community partners who make this work possible. As NDMU looks ahead, the University hopes to expand opportunities for students to participate in service through their academic and co-curricular experiences and deepen its partnerships throughout Baltimore.

NDMU will be recognized at the Transform Mid-Atlantic awards ceremony on Nov. 20 at Johns Hopkins University.

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best “Regional Universities North” by U.S. News & World Report.