Announcing the John Jeffries International Fellowship

Dean John Jeffries is retiring at the end of June after forty years of service to UMBC. In recognition of his profound impact on UMBC, we are delighted to announce the establishment of the John Jeffries International Fellowship.

The Fellowship fund honors John’s commitment to building a strong and distinctive undergraduate curriculum and to educating students to become informed and engaged global citizens.  The Fellowship will provide faculty with resources to create, or redesign, and teach a course in their fields in order to add or enhance an explicit international or transnational focus. Our expectation is that the resulting courses will be taught regularly and will broaden the intellectual scope of the curriculum in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

In a matter of weeks, current and former Department Chairs, Program Directors, and Associate Deans in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences have contributed more than $25,000 to endow the John Jeffries Fellowship.  Since then, others have contributed towards the goal of $200,000, which will enable the campus to support two Jeffries Fellows each year.

If you are interested in making a gift to the John Jeffries International Fellowship Program or have any questions, please contact Marjoleine Kars, Jason Loviglio, or Carole McCann.

Increasing Your Confidence (6/10)

This workshop is designed to help you identify the insecurity and anxiety that may be short-circuiting your success. Through this workshop, you will learn to increase your poise and confidence so you can be more effective. Our facilitator will work to help you develop strategies to improve your overall confidence and manage expectations and embrace your style of interaction.

This workshop will be on Monday, June 10, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in The University Center Room 312.

Register by May 31

Eat This, Not That! (6/7; Register by 5/30)

This wellness workshop for faculty, staff and students includes a demo, tasting, and discussion on what to eat and why. Chartwells Chef, Kevin Werner and Dr. Sarah Leupen from Biological Sciences will be your facilitators of this fun, engaging, and educational session.

In this workshop you will learn basic changes you can make to improve your nutrition; take away some simple recipes you can use to implement those changes; understand the importance of eating fresh whole foods instead of processed foods; and bust some of your nutrition myths.

This workshop will be on Friday, June 7, 10–11:30 a.m. in Room 312 in the University Center.

This session is full. If you need to change your attendance or would like to be placed on the waiting list for this program, e-mail HRtraining@umbc.edu.

Sustainability Across the Disciplines: Faculty Curriculum Workshop (6/5-6/6)

Sustainability Across the Disciplines: Faculty Curriculum Workshop
Wednesday, June 5th and Thursday, June 6th, 2013

This event is a curriculum development workshop for faculty wishing to integrate topics of environmental sustainability into their courses. Faculty from all disciplines are welcome to apply – we encourage diverse perspectives!

The workshop will offer concepts, detailed examples, and materials useful for developing engaging new course content across the disciplines. Participants will collaborate to develop innovative course components that inspire critical thinking in students and address pressing environmental issues.

Workshop facilitators and guest presenters will share a range of models and resources for designing content that will engage students with locally relevant issues, generate innovative research, and encourage active ecological citizenship on campus and beyond. The ability to think critically and problem-solve around sustainability is an increasingly essential and sought-after skill. We can empower our students to examine and address real concerns, through every disciplinary lens.

Stipends are available. Light breakfast & lunch will be served, sustainably sourced.

To apply, please contact Tanvi Gadhia: tanvig1@umbc.edu or visit http://sustainability.umbc.edu

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.