About Us
The Community Book Connection
The Community Book Connection (CBC) is a college-wide, interdisciplinary reading initiative dedicated to promoting a culture of discussion and debate at the Community College of Baltimore County. We are committed to creating stimulating and relevant learning opportunities and co-curricular programs that make CCBC an exciting place to be, both inside and outside the classroom.
Each year we democratically select a book that we recommend to the entire college community. We encourage faculty and staff from many different disciplines and program areas to adopt the book for use in their courses and initiatives; we offer workshops, trainings, and grant-funded projects to help faculty develop their skills as culturally-responsive, student-centered educators.
To further enrich the educational experience, we invite any member of the CCBC community to organize a program centering on the themes of the book. In collaboration with internal and external partners, the Community Book Connection sponsors a wide variety of events, such as keynote lectures, panel discussions, debates, poetry readings, field trips, workshops, student presentations, theatre performances, dance and musical performances, art exhibits, fundraisers, service learning initiatives, and many other types of programs.
In our fifteen years, we have teamed up with the Office of Student Life, the Office of the President, the Office of Intercultural Engagement, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leadership, the Institute for Social and Economic Justice, The Womens Studies Club, the Progressive Student Alliance, the Rainbow Club, the Environmental Club, Global Education, International Education, the Fine and Performing Arts, the CCBC Contemplative Circle, and many other groups.
Funded through the CCBC Office of Instruction, the Community Book Connection is open to all students, faculty, staff, or administrators who would like to get involved, whether by proposing a book, teaching the book, hosting a program, or attending an event. The vast majority of our events are free and open to the public.
The goals of the Community Book Connection are to enhance student and community learning, to strengthen our common human bonds; and to demonstrate the many ways that classroom learning is deeply connected to social issues in the broader community.
Who We Are
The Community Book Connection was originally launched in 2006 by a small group of dedicated CCBC faculty in the humanities and social sciences who were inspired by the idea that classroom learning is linked to real-life social concerns, and that community colleges can offer students access to the same high-level educational and cultural opportunities that their counterparts in four-year public institutions enjoy.
The program continues to draw its vital strength and energy from innovative faculty and staff who are fully invested in the progressive, democratic mission of the open-enrollment institution. Through our reading choices, curriculum, extracurricular programs, and partnerships we strive to demonstrate the vital, exciting connections between literacy, education, cultural competency, and social justice.
As an academic program, the CBC provides support, encouragement, and a sense of community for creative-minded educators who are passionate about literacy, student-centered learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
We believe that we are all learners, and that a transformational education is a critical factor in creating a just society in which human creative potential is fully realized. We believe that engaged reading, discussion, and debate continue to play a central role in a liberational education.
We invite you to share your talent and ideas and to become involved. Contact anyone on this list below to ask questions or get more information on the Community Book Connection.
We invite you to share your talent and ideas and to become involved in the program. Contact anyone on this list below to ask questions or get more information on the Community Book Connection.
Community Book Connection Leadership and Subcommittees
Co-Directors, Dr. Kim Jensen & Professor Lauren Pollak
Essex Coordinator, Professor Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin
Dundalk Coordinator, Professor Lauren Pollak
Westside Coordinator: Professor Lakshmi Rajkumar
CBC Online Curriculum Coordinator and Book Selection Coordinator, 2021: Dr. Cristina Cardona
Book Selection Committee
Cristina Cardona, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Book Selection Coordinator, 2021
Nina Brown, PhD, Professor of Anthropology
Jamey Gallagher, PhD, Associate Professor of English
Mary Elizabeth Gore, MS, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Kimberley Hannah-Prater, PhD, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies
Kim Jensen, PhD, Professor of English, Co-director CBC
Kris Messer, MFA, PhD, Assistant Professor of English and ALP
Stacie Miller, MA, Associate Professor, Coordinator of ESOL
Patricia Quintero-Hall, D.P.A., M.ED., M.A, Coordinator of Intercultural Engagement, Dundalk
Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin, MA, Associate Professor of History and Women’s Studies
Debra Sambuco, MLS, Collection Department Librarian
Cheryl Scott, Ed. D., Professor of English
Alyssa Simms-Clark, MA, Assistant Professor of Academic Literacy
Ann-Marie Thornton, MA, Director of Development and Alumni Relations
Avery Williams, MA, Assistant Professor of Academic Literacy
Jill Burke, MLIS, Reference and Instruction Librarian
Lakshmi Rajkumar, MS, Instructor, School of Math and Sciences
Pedagogy & Faculty Development
Lakshmi Rajkumar, MS, Instructor, School of Math and Sciences, Co-Chair
Cheryl Scott, Ed. D., Professor of English, Co-chair
Haleh Azimi, Ed. D, Associate Professor of Academic Literacy, Co-Director of ALP
Stacy Hurley, MSW, LCSW-C, Adjunct Faculty of ACDV 101 and Single Step/CASE
Lindsay Lassen, M.Ed. Assistant Professor of Academic Literacy
Lauren Pollak, M.F.A., Assistant Professor of English
Alyssa Simms-Clark, MA, Assistant Professor of Academic Literacy
Jackie Scott, M. Ed., Associate Professor of English
Avery Williams, M.Ed, Assistant Professor of Academic Literacy & ALP
Cristina Cardona, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Online Coordinator
Events and Programming
Kim Jensen, PhD, Professor of English and Creative Writing, Chair
Jean Boggs, MFA, MLIS, Reference & Instruction Librarian
Artraelle Boyette Kelly, Med, Assistant Professor, School of Technology
Nina Brown, PhD, Professor of Anthropology
Nicole Buckingham Kern, MFA, Gallery Coordinator, Art, Design and Interactive Media
Cristina Cardona, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Heather Foss, MA, Assistant Professor of ESOL
Zachary Hartley, MFA, Adjunct Professor of Theatre
David Hewitt, MFA, Assistant Professor of English
Maura Hill, MA, Associate Professor of English
Natasha Howard, PhD, Assistant Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Kendrick Kenney, MA, Program Coordinator of Digital Media
Carr Kizzier, MFA, Associate Professor of English
Trisha Kyner, MFA, Associate Professor, Art, Design, and Interactive Media
Julie Lewis, MFA, Professor of Theatre, Theatre Coordinator
Kris Messer, MFA, PhD, Assistant Professor of English and ALP
Tara Meyer, MA, OIFSP Case Manager, Human Services Counseling, Adjunct Faculty
Nellie Pharr-Maleta, MA, Director of International Student Services
Lauren Pollak, MFA, Assistant Professor of English
Matthew Palumbo. M.A., Concert Manager
Amy Pucino, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology
Patricia Quintero-Hall, D.P.A., M.ED., M.A, Coordinator of Intercultural Engagement
Lakshmi Rajkumar, M.S. Instructor, School of Math and Sciences
Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin, MA, Associate Professor of History and Women’s Studies
Morgan P. Slusher, PhD, Professor of Psychology
Precious Stone, MA? Associate Professor of Communication
LaRonika Thomas, MFA, Adjunct Professor of Communication
Jessica Walton, MFA, Associate Professor of Art, Design, and Interactive Media
Avery Williams, M.Ed, Assistant Professor of Academic Literacy & ALP
Renuka Purimetla, ACDV Instructor, Sign Language Interpreter
Student Engagement & Activism
Lauren Pollak MFA, Assistant Professor of English, Chair
Jean Boggs, MFA, MLIS, Reference & Instruction Librarian
Susan Delker-Grauel, MA, Department Chair, Academic Development
Stacy Hurley, MSW, LCSW-C, Adjunct Faculty of ACDV 101 and Single Step/CASE
Tara Meyer, MA, OIFSP Case Manager, Human Services Counseling, Adjunct Faculty
Patricia Quintero-Hall, D.P.A., M.ED., M.A, Coordinator of Intercultural Engagement, Dundalk
Renuka Purimetla, ACDV Instructor, Sign Language Interpreter
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Committee
Patricia Quintero-Hall, D.P.A., M.ED., M.A, Coordinator of Intercultural Engagement, Co-Chair
Kim Jensen, PhD, Professor of English and Creative Writing, Co-Chair
Nina Brown, PhD, Professor of Anthropology
Lauren Pollak, MFA, Assistant Professor of English
Kris Messer, MFA, PhD, Assistant Professor of English and ALP
Dennis Seymour (Eastern Band Cherokee), PhD, Dean Emeritus
Rachele Lawton, PhD, Chair, Academic Literary and Languages
Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin, MA, Associate Professor of History and Women’s Studies
Natalie Forest, PhD, Associate Professor of History
Zolita Courter, B.A.S., Administrative Support to the English Chair
LaRonika Thomas, MFA, Adjunct Professor of Communication
Jamey Gallagher, PhD, Associate Professor of English
Daniel Kifle, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology
