Expectant father, UMBC alumnus and UMBC development office Jordan Hadfield ’07, ’08, shares memories of his father, Ken Hadfield, Jr., in an essay in the Dundalk Patch. While a student at UMBC, Jordan served as president of the Student Government Association, and also was a founding member of the a cappella group The Mama’s Boys. Read the full story here.
Former UMBC track and field standout Cleopatra Borel-Brown ’02, interdisciplinary studies, is preparing to compete in the 2011 World Track and Field Championships, to be held in August in Daegu, South Korea. Borel-Brown, an assistant coach at Morgan State University, has competed in the shot put event at two summer Olympics. Read the full story here.
English alumnus Adam Trice ’04, discusses his “graveyard country rock” band Red Sammy in a new interview with Baltimore City Paper editor Lee Gardner. Read the full interview here. After graduating from UMBC, Trice earned his M.F.A. in creative writing and publishing arts from the University of Baltimore. His band, Red Sammy, recently released a third album, A Cheaper Kind of Love Song.
UMBC has named 1994 economics alumnus Bob Mumma the new head coach for baseball. Mumma, who was drafted by the White Sox following his graduation from UMBC, has served as assistant coach to the team for the last 15 seasons. He was inducted into UMBC Athletics’ Hall of Fame in 1997. Mumma succeeds John Jancuska, who had coached the men since 1978. Read the full press release here.
Via the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship: In the spirit of entrepreneurship itself, the Alex. Brown Center is pleased to announce a new minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation this fall. This new minor will not be housed under any one major, allowing any student to declare it and any faculty member to incorporate it in their curriculum. Faculty Fellow Bill LaCourse says the initial spark for the minor was to “infuse entrepreneurship into the university, looking for methodology and pathways that don’t disrupt the system.” He goes on to explain that everyone at UMBC is an entrepreneur – everyone here… Continue Reading Gib Mason '95 to teach entrepreneurship course at UMBC
“Lift Up,” a new documentary on post-quake Haiti co-directed by Huguens Jean ’12, Ph.D., electrical engineering, and Phillip Knowlton ’03, visual arts, will have its film festival premiere this Sunday, June 5, 5:30 p.m., at the 2011 DC Caribbean Film Festival. The creators of “Lift Up” also recently announced that the film received the Best Documentary Directing Award at the 2011 Amsterdam Film Festival. The juried festival received entries from over 20 countries this year. Held at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, the DC Caribbean Film Festival is co-presented with the Caribbean Association of… Continue Reading Alumni Documentary Wins Film Festival
The family of missing UMBC alumnus Matthew Van Dyke ’02, political science, has sought the aid of Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger in raising the profile of his case. Van Dyke, 31, who has not been heard from since March 13, is believed to have gone missing with several fellow journalists while traveling in Libya. During a press conference at Van Dyke’s mother’s home yesterday, Ruppersberger told the Baltimore Sun he planned to introduce a resolution about the missing journalist on the House floor. Read the full Baltimore Sun story here. View coverage on WJZ-TV. Read an April story about the… Continue Reading Family of Alumnus Missing in Libya Seeks Help of Congress
Congratulations to the Class of 2011! The UMBC Alumni Association is proud to welcome you as its newest members. – Read about members of the Class of 2011 on our special Commencement site. – Read the Baltimore Sun’s inspiring story about political science major Matt Courson, who walked across the stage five years after being paralyzed. Congratulations, Matt!
Kevin Cepelak ’05, political science, has a job that comes with a pass that gets him into any Major League Baseball (MLB) park. And when he gets to his office near New York City’s Grand Central Station each day, he rubs elbows with former greats of the game and a chance to work with former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and former New York City Police Department investigators. And he spends his days compiling reports that help MLB officials tackle problem issues in professional sports ranging from steroids to gambling. Cepelak’s work as an analyst for MLB’s Department of… Continue Reading Policing the Pastime – Kevin Cepelak ’05, PoliSci
Shannon Young, who received her M.F.A. from UMBC in 2008, is one of several area artists included in “Eat Your Words,” the second exhibit presented by the Porch Project in Washington, D.C. According to the Porch Project site, “Taken together, these artists’ works will help viewers examine their own complex relationships with food, and how the acts of preparing and consuming a meal link us all to each other and the larger world.” There will be an opening reception for the show on May 21, and an artist discussion on June 4. For more information, click here. You can see… Continue Reading Eat our Words: Shannon Young MFA '08 Part of D.C. Porch Project
Scott Rifkin ’81, biological sciences, a physician and long-term care executive, was interviewed by the Baltimore Sun about his company’s acquisition of a retirement community in Pikesville. The move, says Rifkin, managing partner of Mid-Atlantic Healthcare, is personal: he and his parents still live in the neighborhood surrounding North Oaks retirement community. See the full story here. Rifkin was named a UMBC Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 1995.
Freelance journalist Matthew Van Dyke ’02, political science, is still missing in Libya. A recent story in The Atlantic magazine about another missing journalist mentions Van Dyke, who was originally reported missing March 13. Read the Atlantic story here. The Committee to Protect Journalists issued an alert about Van Dyke’s disappearance earlier this month. He is one of 15 journalists currently missing or in government custody in Libya. Read the full story here and please share; keeping Matthew in the public eye is important!
