Reception to celebrate Doug Pear’s contributions to UMBC (5/30)

Please join us to celebrate Doug’s many contributions to the University at a reception on Thursday, May 30, from 3-5 p.m. on the 7th floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

Over the past 35 years, Doug has played a pivotal role in supporting the University’s development as a nationally recognized model of inclusive excellence and academic innovation.

Contributions honoring Doug’s service to UMBC may be made to the Choice Program, a youth development program administered by UMBC’s Shriver Center. Checks should be made payable to the UMBC Foundation, with “Choice Program-Doug Pear” written in the memo section, and sent to UMBC Foundation, c/o Office of Institutional Advancement, 1000 Hilltop Circle, 8th Floor Administration Bldg., Baltimore, MD 21250.

To make a donation by credit card, please visit http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/support and in the “Other Designation” field, please note “Choice Program” and in honor of “Doug Pear.”

PSS Annual Picnic (6/5)

Come join your fellow UMBC staff members that the PSS Annual Staff Picnic on Wed. June 5, 2013 at the Harbor Hall Courtyard. There will be a 50/50 raffle and lots of giveaways.

Tickets go on sale May 17, 2013 for $6 each. Visit with a senator to get your tickets. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mental Health First Aid (6/10)

Mental Health First Aid is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis is resolved. It is an all-day course and you must attend all eight hours to receive a certificate.

Date: Monday, June 10, 2013
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Commons, room 331

To register, please contact Jennifer Treger, jtreger@umbc.edu or 410-455-3797. This program is sponsored by Student Affairs.

Welcome Week Departmental Receptions

Welcome Week will take place Saturday, August 24 through Monday, Sept. 2. Once again, academic departments are invited to host Departmental Receptions for new students as a part of Welcome Week.

These programs are typically informal gatherings coordinated by the academic department itself and hosted Wednesday, August 28 – Friday, Sept. 6. Departments serve light refreshments and create an opportunity for students to meet with their faculty and staff. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation and the Office of Student Life will support your event by providing each department up to $100.

To participate, please contact Courtney Haddaway, Program Specialist in Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation, by Friday, June 28. Please include the following information: department name, date, location, and time of reception, as well as contact person and email. Once this information is submitted, it will be printed in the Welcome Week Program Booklet.

If you have any other questions, please contact Courtney Haddaway at chadda@umbc.edu or 410-455-6703. Thank you for your assistance in welcoming new students!

Women in STEM (8/14)

Renetta G. Tull, Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development and Postdoctoral Affairs and Director, PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), will be co-chairing a forum on August 14 in Mexico called Women in STEM at the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) conference.

The synopsis of the forum says,

“This year, we will offer a session to discuss Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The 2013 LACCEI session on “Women in STEM” will feature a report on STEM women faculty in Puerto Rico from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM project as an exemplar of a professional network. We are interested in hearing about other initiatives for women that exist throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and will examine opportunities to build more connections within the LACCEI community.

Suggestions from this workshop will be compiled into a report for LACCEI that will be available in the online proceedings to inform the community about programs that support current and future women STEM professionals

All are invited to this session, which is designed to engage women at all levels (students, postdocs, professors, and professionals), and from all backgrounds and countries, in a conversation on career choices, life/work balance, and the impact of family and traditions on advancement decisions.

This Forum is a continuation of the Women in Engineering Initiative started in 2010 by LACCEI and the Organization of American States (OAS) Engineering for the Americas (EftA), and supports the OAS Ministers of Science and Technology’s Vision 20/25 in Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Americas: Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity in a Knowledge Economy and Plan of Action of Panama (Group 2).  This Plan of Action proposes to increase the number of female and male graduates in science, technology, engineering and technical education.

The Vision 20/25 and Action Plan target the goal for 2025 to increase by at least 50% the number of female and male graduates in STEM.”

Senior Exit Exhibition at CADVC (5/21-6/7)

The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture is pleased to present the 2013 Senior Exit Exhibition opening in the CADVC, Tuesday, May 21. A free opening reception will take place on the 21st from 5 to 7 pm.

This exhibition reflects the interdisciplinary orientation and the technological focus of the Department of Visual Arts, and provides the opportunity for undergraduate seniors to exhibit within a professional setting prior to exiting the university.

The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and is located in the Fine Arts Building. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Senior Exit Exhibition continues through Friday, June 7.

Image by Lauren DeMarsh.

Please Join Us for a Reception Honoring Charlie Brown (5/16)

The UMBC community is invited to attend a reception honoring Charles Brown, Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation, upon his retirement from Athletics. During his 24-year tenure, Dr. Brown has elevated the Retrievers from a fledgling Division-I program to one that is competitive regionally and nationally in a range of sports.

The reception will be held May 16 from 4-6 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Looking Forward from the 45th Anniversary of the Catonsville Nine Actions (5/10)

In May of 1968, nine individuals shook the conscience of the nation as they burned U.S. Selective Service records with homemade napalm on the grounds of the Catonsville, Maryland Knights of Columbus hall. The fire they started erupted into an infamous trial and influenced similar dynamic actions across the country.

The UMBC community is invited to a Social Science Forum exploring this action, and the trial that followed, on Friday, May 10th, at 2:30 p.m. in the Proscenium Theater (Performing Arts and Humanities Building). Joining us will be a panel of scholars, activists and two members of the Catonsville Nine. The event, cosponsored by the Department of American Studies will feature a film screening (3:00 p.m.) and dialogue (4:30 p.m.).

For more information on the project and to hear a WYPR interview with organizer Theodore Gonzalves (chair of American Studies), see the BreakingGround blog.

This Moroccan Life – An Original Social Justice Play (5/12)

To be held on May 12 in the UC Ballroom at 4 and 8 PM, This Moroccan Life is an original Brechtian play that tackles Moroccan social justice issues. Written by Asif Majid ’13, the play addresses issues of migration, transnational identity, human rights, gender roles, sexual harassment, and the Arab Spring within the context of Morocco.

Supported by two Undergraduate Research Awards and a myriad of co-sponsors from around campus, This Moroccan Life is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow. The production will feature a talented crop of student actors and production staff.

Please Join Us In Honoring Geoff Summers (5/15)

We cordially invite the UMBC community to a reception honoring Geoffrey Summers, Vice President for Research, upon his retirement from UMBC. Educated at Oxford, Dr. Summers came to UMBC in 1988 as chair of the Department of Physics. He became the founding dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences in 2005 and was then appointed to his current position as Vice President for Research in 2008.

The reception will be held on Wednesday, May 15, from 4-6 p.m. on the 7th floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.