---
title: ‘Do Good’ Has a Nice Ring to It
date: 2024-10-11T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/do-good-has-a-nice-ring-to-it"
section: Articles
---
# ‘Do Good’ Has a Nice Ring to It

*October 11, 2024* — by [John Tucker](/author/john-tucker)


> UMD Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Interactive Exhibit Inspiring Service

*Do Good Rings Dedication 10102024 SC 2304 1920x1080 — Brandy Espinola, climate resilience and sustainability program director at UMD’s Environmental Finance Center, steps through the new 12-foot Do Good Rings outside Thurgood Marshall Hall after Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.*

Some voices pose questions: *What would you do if you had 24 hours to change the world?*

Others tout achievements: *We’ve cleaned millions of gallons of rainwater per year before it flows into the Anacostia and Potomac rivers.*

The recorded messages from University of Maryland students, faculty, staff and alums now greet those who stroll through five towering ruby-red rings erected this summer in front of Thurgood Marshall Hall’s Do Good Plaza. Billed as an interactive audio art exhibit, the “Do Good Rings” feature built-in speakers and motion sensors triggered by pedestrians. Each message encourages passersby to, well, do good.

On Thursday, the university held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to make the rings official. Many of the attendees who strolled through them paused to take in the messages.

“This is amazing!” a woman said. “It’s very inspirational—you can almost feel the people’s feelings,” another remarked.

In addition to the voices, the 12-foot rings project soothing music, evocative of a retreat. Eventually, the blinking lights that line the rings’ interior will be customized for special occasions, like Pride Month, Independence Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In his address to the crowd, UMD President Darryll J. Pines said that doing good for society “has become a part of the Terrapin spirit.”

“Terps are ready to be the next generation of leaders for social impact and change,” he said, calling the rings an “entryway” to UMD’s do-good vision.

Indeed, the ringed walkway ushers pedestrians into a plaza already boasting an 8-foot aluminum sculpture of the words “Do Good,” illuminated with more than 300 LED modules. The plaza, which sits in front of the School of Public Policy (SPP), is the first stop on visitor tours.


*Line of people stand near the rings — From left, Robert T. Grimm Jr, director of the Do Good Institute; Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice; School of Public Policy Dean Robert Orr; UMD President Darryll J. Pines; Armani McMillan, executive director of IMPACTdmv; and Vice President for University Relations Jim Harris cut the ribbon.*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts)


**Units:** [School of Public Policy](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-public-policy)