All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Evolution of an Honors University

Diane Lee, vice provost for undergraduate education and associate professor of education, takes UMBC’s tagline, An Honors University in Maryland, personally. Lee works to ensure that the honors mission has practical meaning in everyday lives for UMBC students, faculty and staff.
Lee came to UMBC in 1986 as a visiting professor. After teaching large lecture classes at another institution, she was excited to find small, seminar-style classes at UMBC. “This campus speaks community to me,” says Lee. “It’s large enough to be diverse and small enough to get to know students beyond their names, as individuals and scholars.” UMBC brings teaching, research and service together, which is very rewarding for me,” says Lee. Her background is human development from prenatal to death and dying.
When UMBC adopted the honors university mission, Lee again revised her method of teaching. “I asked myself, ‘how do I need to teach at an honors university?’ I made a conscious effort to honor my students and what they bring to the classroom. I lectured less and listened more. My student advising focused less on course selection and graduation requirements and more on the students and their career and academic goals,” she says.
Now in her role as vice provost for undergraduate education, Lee continues to ask: “What does it mean to be a student at an honors university?” She meets with students, faculty and staff from across campus and across the disciplines, explaining, “It’s this kind of challenge and opportunity to make a difference that brings us together as a community. It’s the reason I work here. I enjoy working on things I believe in with people I respect.”
Lee is proud of the programs the Provost’s Office has initiated through a university-wide Honors Task Force Report. “The Honors Task Force Report recommendations represent a charge defined by UMBC, and values we share as a university community,” says Lee. These programs include developing an environment of academic integrity, first-year seminars, introduction to honors university seminars and a writing advisory board.
“We’re looking at the entire experience—from Orientation and Welcome Week to Commencement. We’re examining the traditions that hold us together, tweaking existing programs and creating new ones. It’s exciting to be at a university that is open to possibilities.”
 
 
 

Building Leaders in the Community

Mark Terranova has to think like a sixth grader – literally. As part of a new Shriver Center service-learning program, Terranova is sending a team of UMBC students back to middle schools to share their talents with teachers and children. The program is funded by a three year, $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation called The Teaching Enhancement Partnership Project (TEPP).
In this first year of the project, Terranova’s goal is to take UMBC students studying math, science, engineering and technology and pair them with under-resourced middle schools in the Baltimore area. “I’m looking to encourage college students to explore teaching as a possible career and show the importance of being connected with their communities,” he says.
“Our students help to motivate and set good examples for the middle schoolers, who in turn find valuable role models in our students,” explains Terranova. UMBC students involved in TEPP also enhance the professional development of the teachers by working with them one-on-one in the classroom. Students are able to supply fresh content and lab work that can bring the subject matter to life.
“I see this providing a structure that can be replicated in countless schools for various subjects across the country,” says Terranova, who knows the importance of service learning in the community. He began working with the Shriver Center’s Choice Program after graduating from college, focusing on the problems of juvenile delinquency in East Baltimore for three years before becoming assistant director of service learning at the Shriver Center.
In fall 2000, Terranova was instrumental in developing the first-ever Shriver Living-Learning Community (SLLC) at UMBC in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs and the Residential Life Office. SLLC provides 29 undergraduates with a unique and exciting residential opportunity where students live the experience of being a leader in the community. SLLC students live in Erickson Hall and are engaged in service-learning through the Shriver Center.
Terranova was also responsible for helping to build the UMBC Serves program on campus. “I looked at the campus as a whole and tied in all areas of campus who participated in service related activities,” he says. “I was able to partner with many different groups on campus to bring each of their individual activities under a single mission – to promote a continuum of opportunities of service on campus. It was a real institutional shift in thinking about how the university gives back to the community. It’s been an amazing learning experience for me.”
In addition to his work with the Shriver Center, Terranova is a student in UMBC’s M.A. in Sociology program.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“A World of Opportunity”
 
Rebekah de Wit has studied and worked abroad in six different countries. She speaks fluent French, is pretty good at Dutch and Italian, and has taught undergraduate Latin. Now, thanks to a combination of programs at UMBC, she is on her way to turning her love of languages, foreign cultures and international education into an exciting career in study abroad administration.
Both a Humanities Scholar and a Maryland Distinguished Scholar during her undergraduate years, de Wit has received numerous additional UMBC and Maryland state merit scholarships since beginning her studies at UMBC. She was drawn to pursue a B.A. in Ancient Studies in part because of the department’s overseas opportunities for archaeology and language study.
“Many students aren’t aware that there are a number of scholarships available at UMBC if you’re interested in international studies,” she says. To date, de Wit has studied or worked in Wales, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Egypt.
De Wit presently puts her study abroad savvy to work as International Student Liaison for the UMBC Department of Education. She helps foreign students adjust to life at UMBC and in America. “I help them with everything from academic and cross-cultural issues to where to find the nearest grocery store,” she says. “I even meet them at the airport.”
After receiving her B.A. in 1999, de Wit began work on an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education through UMBC’s Instructional Systems Development program. In 2000, she traveled to the U.K., where she studied languages and education at the University of Wales, Swansea. There she also did two internships, one for the University’s American Studies Exchange Office and another with a Welsh language TV station.
While in Wales, de Wit realized that she wanted to spend her life doing what she loved. “I started out as a participant in study abroad and now it will be my career.”
Upon returning to the U.S., she enrolled in UMBC’s Language, Literacy and Culture Ph.D. program with the goal of advancing her career in study abroad administration. The L.L.C. program helped her to craft an interdisciplinary blueprint for her future career, as her dissertation topic, “The Role of Internships in Enhancing the Cross-Cultural Value of U.S. Study Abroad in Britain,” attests.
De Wit was pleased to find a program that met her unique needs. “To prepare for a career in international education, a degree in education administration wasn’t quite comprehensive enough. The L.L.C. program makes it possible to take classes in languages, education and administration, and at the same time offers exposure to people from all over the world with its multi-cultural enrollment. I’ve learned about other cultures not just from my classes, but from my classmates.”
 
 
 
 
 
 

“Broadway Bound”
 
Kriste Belt has a passion for performance. “I’ve always wanted to be on Broadway – that’s my number one aspiration,” she says. “Being a well-rounded person will help me achieve that dream.”
Belt selected UMBC after visiting top-notch universities and conservatories across the country. “I chose UMBC because of the incredible faculty and the amount of care they give to help students grow,” she explains. “I get a solid liberal arts education, and the intimacy of the campus helps me learn about many disciplines, including music, dance and theatre.”
As a music major and a Linehan Artist Scholar, a program for UMBC students pursuing a degree in the visual and performing arts, Belt has the opportunity to participate in both performance and research. She worked with the music department’s Collegium Musicum Ensemble on a scholarly study of two compositions by George Handel, and will embark on new research this year.
Most recently, Belt spent three months as an apprentice for the Broadway Theatre Project in Tampa, Florida, where she took workshops and participated in special performances with world-renowned actors, directors and choreographers. “It was the single most amazing experience of my life,” she explains. “I worked one-on-one with performers such as Ann Reinking, Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, George Hamilton, Dave Clemmons and Debbie McWaters.”
In addition to being an active member of the UMBC Gospel Choir, Belt also performs in several shows a year with the Stephanie Powell Dance Company, the Maryland Arts Festival and the Columbia Community Players.
After graduation, Belt plans to continue her education and pursue a master’s degree with an emphasis on vocal performance. “I want to continue to take classes at the graduate level to prepare myself for Broadway,” she says.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“The Art and Science of Research”
 
When Kevin Griffith came to UMBC for a master’s in 1996, he didn’t expect to stay for another six years. But after completing the one-year program in Applied Molecular Biology (AMB), which prepares students for high-level technical positions in the biotechnology industry, Griffith was hooked on research and entered UMBC’s Molecular and Cell Biology doctoral program. (The MOCB Ph.D. program was designed in part with such students in mind, since the AMB program fulfills many of the course requirements.)
“Research is challenging,” says Griffith, “yet very rewarding.” In addition to the challenge, Griffith also likes the freedom it offers, both in the work environment (“it’s not like work really, it’s more like an exciting game”) and in the intellectual pursuit (“understanding the complexities of ‘mother nature’ is intriguing to me…one never really knows which direction the research will turn next”).
In Griffith’s case, it has led him to MIT, where he will be working as a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Alan Grossman, whom he first met at a national meeting where Griffith presented a paper on his recent research. His advice for other Ph.D. students seeking post-doctoral positions in prestigious universities?  “Work hard; start your search for a post-doc early; share the information you’ve learned through publications; and never give up!”
Griffith, a first author on four papers, the most of any student in Dr. Rick Wolf’s lab at UMBC, initially focused his research on a genetic system that bacteria use to defend themselves against toxic forms of oxygen, some of which are formed during normal metabolic processes. But, as happens sometimes in science, work aimed at solving one problem can lead to unexpected discoveries of far greater impact and importance.  Such was the case with Griffith as his studies of SoxS, the mediator of the defense response against superoxide, led to the discovery of a new mechanism of transcription activation.  This was quite surprising because mechanisms of transcription activation in bacteria have been studied for more than thirty years. Thus, Griffith’s work has contributed not only to understanding the cell’s defense against toxic forms of oxygen, but also to the broader field of basic mechanisms of gene regulation. Moreover, extensions of his work may lead to the design of new forms of antibiotics.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“The Dynamics of International Terrorism”
 
For some students, summer session is traditionally a time for “lighter” coursework. But since the events of September 11, a course taught by political science professor and terrorism expert John Munro has students filling up the classroom and poring through books like Holy War, Inc. and Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why in an effort to better understand what has become the most important topic of our times.
Munro teaches “Dynamics of International Terrorism: National Policy Responses and Evolving Challenges.” He originally conceived the course to focus on domestic terror like the Oklahoma City bombing and the growth of para-military groups in the U.S. However, after September 11, Munro changed the format so that his students — many of who plan careers in politics, national security, law enforcement, or sociology — could focus on the international picture and how global terrorism is affecting American political institutions and everyday life.
He recently retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) where he was a policy analyst focusing on environmental, nuclear waste and energy issues. His interest in terrorism began several years ago while working for ORNL on the demilitarization of chemical weapons. “I saw containers of extremely dangerous chemicals that were stored in locations that could be vulnerable to terrorist attack,” says Munro. “I was amazed that weapons with such a lethal potential were so poorly protected in some cases.”
Munro’s goal is to take students beyond the current war to the primary historical, political and economic causes of terrorism around the globe, and how the U.S. is rushing to adapt to this new breed of conflict. “Cold War era organizational compartmentalization and separation of the FBI, CIA and NSA helped to deter spying against us as we fight this new enemy. We’re in a mode of prevention and detection that requires analyzing and understanding information more quickly and getting it to the decision makers in real time. The problem now is not a lack of information, but the capacity to analyze and interpret data so that it is useful for intelligence purposes.”
An important facet of the class is being sure not to stereotype entire cultures based on a small minority, but also seeing the world from a different point of view.
“It’s my hope that young people will take from this class the knowledge of why terrorism happens and perhaps a better perspective on creative ways to help alleviate its causes,” says Munro. “The last thing we need is a never-ending series of wars that expend our youth and our natural resources. Education, critical minds are our Nation’s best defense against both terrorism and the potential of excesses in our war against terrorists.”
 
 
 

“A New Approach to Teaching”
 
Phillip Sokolove, professor of biological sciences, took time out from his own successful research to investigate ways to improve student learning. Based on his reputation as an outstanding teacher, Sokolove was invited to become UMBC’s representative in the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation, funded by the National Science Foundation. The goal was to develop a new approach to pre-service teaching training in science and mathematics that would produce teachers prepared to implement new best-practice teaching methods in upper elementary and middle school classrooms in Maryland.
With help and guidance from Susan Blunck in the education department, Sokolove turned an introductory Biology 100 section into a laboratory for studying learning, using peer interaction and problem solving in small learning groups; whole classroom discussions accomplished via wireless mics; name badges; short research papers; an emphasis on student questioning; and content driven by student interest. The result? High praise from students and academics alike.
Former student Jason Baker says, “Without question, Dr. Sokolove has been one of my finest teachers. I have benefited from his teaching in a variety of capacities: as a student in his Biology 100: Concepts of Biology course, as a research assistant and as an undergraduate teaching assistant. In my opinion, the bulk of his effectiveness lies in his cultivation of what he appropriately terms ‘active learning.’
“During the course of writing several investigative papers, we learned how to collaborate with our teams, find reliable sources of information and make informed conclusions,” Baker adds. “The lectures themselves were dynamic. He regularly incorporated visual elements and lively classroom activities. He related biology to everyday life. And his reputation for this in particular is what prompted so many non-science majors to take Biology 100.”
Sokolove, who recently received a Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, is working with Lark Claassen on an NSF-funded comparative study of the investigative and traditionally taught Biology 100 classes. Sokolove’s short term studies with postdoctoral research assistant Gili Marbach-Ad resulted in a series of articles in education journals and presentations at national meetings.
“I’m glad that I could represent UMBC as one of the recipients of a Regents’ Award,” says Sokolove. “The fact that I was nominated by my peers was the most meaningful part of it. I was touched that they recognized the work I am doing.”

 
 
 

“Close to Home”
Rich Sponaugle ’95 and ’97, B.S. and M.S. information systems, has come full circle. He is an instructor and the undergraduate program director for UMBC’s information systems program at the Shady Grove Center. The Universities at Shady Grove brings programs from eight universities in the University System of Maryland to the center in Rockville, Md. UMBC offers daytime, upper division classes at Shady Grove that lead to bachelor’s degrees in information systems and social work.
UMBC’s programs at Shady Grove offer transfer students, many of whom have earned associate’s degrees at Montgomery College, an opportunity to attain their educational goals close to home. A full-time information systems teacher and advisor, Sponaugle attended Montgomery College and transferred to UMBC where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
It was here at UMBC where Sponaugle started teaching as a graduate student. For several years, he taught seminars and gave presentations with the federal government; his colleagues noticed his ability to make technical topics understandable to a non-technical staff. This recognition encouraged Sponaugle to become more involved with internal education programs at his agency. And, what he discovered was pure enjoyment.
“Teaching has been an amazing experience both professionally and personally. It is very rewarding to watch students go through the process of learning new material,” says Sponaugle.
When UMBC joined the Universities at Shady Grove, Sponaugle saw an opportunity to teach. Not only did he have the convenience of location living and working in Montgomery County, but also a connection with his first generation college students who juggle family, studies and part-time job responsibilities.
“Had UMBC at Shady Grove been around when I was a student, it would have been the perfect fit for me,” says Sponaugle. At Shady Grove, the smaller class size and close associations with the faculty provide a unique, convenient opportunity for students who want to get a quality education right in their own backyard.”