Consortium

Finn Partners has signed on to provide earned media and marketing support for the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area on its 120 Initiative effort to address gun violence.

Named to honor the more than 120 Americans killed on average every day by gunfire, the Initiative will recruit public & mental health, advocacy, technology, and polarization experts to review research to develop evidence-based recommendations to reduce gun violence.

Darryll Pines, University of Maryland president, said colleges got involved in the Consortium because they are a source of change and progress. “Guns are now the leading cause of death for young people, and we are charged with shaping young minds to tackle the grand challenges of our time,” he said.

Margaret Dunning, who leads Finn Partners’ higher education practice, is overseeing the Consortium effort.

She noted that there had been at least 314 mass shootings since the start of 2022 and more than 23,500 deaths as a result of gun violence through suicide, domestic abuse and other assaults.

Consortium members include UoM, Georgetown University, Howard University, Catholic University, Prince George’s Community College, Marymount University, Montgomery College, Gallaudet University and George Mason University.