Charm City has long been a boon and a liability for the colleges founded here. The affordable, accessible city has a rich history and a vibrant arts scene. Some folks here believe the tagline that graces many public benches: "Baltimore: the Greatest City in America."
Other monikers align more with its violent national image, like "Harm City" and "Bodymore, Murderland."
Battling negative publicity about Baltimore is a perennial struggle for the city’s colleges. They walk a line: playing up the fun, quirky corners of the city while grappling with poverty, drug addiction, and crime as part of their programs and missions.
Theresa Bedoya, vice president for admissions and financial aid at the art college, talks with parents who have just dropped off their daughter. "For some people, their only impression of Baltimore is The Wire," she says.
Starting in April, that balance was particularly challenging. National TV networks showed Baltimore burning, with mobs looting stores and police in riot gear being pelted with rocks and bricks. The unrest stemmed from the death of Freddie Gray, an African-American man who was severely injured while in police custody.
For colleges trying to fill seats, those arguably representative images couldn’t have come at a worse time. National College Decision Day, the date by which prospective students choose where to enroll in the fall, came right in the middle of the protests, on May 1.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Months-After-Riots-in/232709