UMBC Honored as 2015-2016 College of Distinction

Aug 7, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

UMBC was named a 2015-2016 College of Distinction this month, one of only four Maryland universities to receive the honor. Colleges of Distinction is a college guide for guidance counselors, parents, and students focusing on graduate success, teaching quality, campus atmosphere, innovate learning, and engaged students. Colleges of Distinction describes UMBC as a “dynamic public university integrating teaching, research and service,” and notes that the university is “consistently cited as one of the best universities for undergraduate teaching and a leading innovator in higher education.” UMBC is also a member of the 2015-2016 Public Colleges of Distinction cohort, joining universities… Continue Reading UMBC Honored as 2015-2016 College of Distinction

Kristin Waters, Operations, Explores Teleworking in C&U

Aug 6, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

Kristin Waters, associate director of operators for Admissions and Orientation, published an article about teleworking in higher education in the College and University Journal (C&U), a publication of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). C&U is an educational policy and research journal specializing in emerging concerns, new techniques, and technology in higher education. In the article, Waters recounts the history of teleworking, the role of modern technology in making remote work possible, and how changing social structures has increased the need for teleworking. She also outlines challenges with teleworking, including inconsistent policies, and makes recommendations for… Continue Reading Kristin Waters, Operations, Explores Teleworking in C&U

UMBC Named One of Nation’s Best Colleges by Princeton Review

Aug 4, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

The Princeton Review has named UMBC one of the nation’s top universities of 2016 in The Best 380 Colleges. At the forefront of UMBC’s profile is the university’s standout academic reputation as a place where “students take education seriously” and “it is cool to be smart.” As one student told The Princeton Review, “UMBC wants to see every student succeed—they provide you with the tools, people, and resources to make sure you get where you want to go in life.” The Best 380 Colleges guide reviews colleges based on a survey of over 130,000 students in areas such as academics,… Continue Reading UMBC Named One of Nation’s Best Colleges by Princeton Review

College Success: Economic and Moral Imperative

Aug 3, 2015 / 4 minutes of reading

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan shifts focus to student outcomes in major speech at UMBC. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outlined a new vision for American higher education in a major policy speech at UMBC on July 27, 2015. Emphasizing educational outcomes, Sec. Duncan said the primary focus should be on students graduating in a timely manner with a meaningful degree that will set them up for a lifetime of success. Duncan delivered the speech before a standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty, staff, and higher education leaders from across the country in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building’s… Continue Reading College Success: Economic and Moral Imperative

Robert Deluty, Graduate School, Publishes his 49th Book

Jul 31, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

Robert Deluty, associate dean of the graduate school, has published a new book, “A Mingled Yarn.” In his review, Ronald Pies writes: “Robert Deluty’s wonderful new collection of poems draws its title and inspiration from Shakespeare’s line, ‘The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.’ In Deluty’s poems, there is certainly the recognition of evil — e.g., ‘neo-Nazi teen/ planning to change his surname/ from Brown to White’ — but also the eternal force of good, as in, ‘in the mailbox/ finding her lost wallet/ with extra cash.’ Also evident in these poems is… Continue Reading Robert Deluty, Graduate School, Publishes his 49th Book

Six years in a row, UMBC named “Great College to Work For”

Jul 23, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

To: The UMBC Community From: President Freeman Hrabowski and Provost Philip Rous The Chronicle of Higher Education has named UMBC an outstanding academic workplace for the sixth consecutive year. UMBC is one of only 86 universities to receive the “Great Colleges to Work For” distinction and the only Maryland four-year institution to be recognized. Each year, the Chronicle surveys faculty, staff, and administrators and asks them to rate their workplaces on a variety of factors. The assessment also includes analysis of demographic data and workplace policies. The Chronicle’s 2015 results are based on responses from more than 40,000 people at… Continue Reading Six years in a row, UMBC named “Great College to Work For”

UMBC Among World’s Top 500 Universities

Jul 22, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) released their 2015 global rankings this week- placing UMBC among the top 500 universities worldwide. CWUR takes eight indicators into account when compiling their rankings, including quality of education (alumni who have won major international awards); alumni employment (as CEOs in companies worldwide); quality of faculty (faculty who have won major international awards); research publications, influence and citations; broad impact; and international patent filings. UMBC is one of only three University System of Maryland institutions featured in the rankings, along with the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.… Continue Reading UMBC Among World’s Top 500 Universities

Pres. Hrabowski Looks to Baltimore as City of Hope in Face of Growing Inequality

Jul 16, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

President Hrabowski penned an article for the Washington Post this week reflecting on societal inequalities. Drawing on his experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, he compares the struggles of today’s society to challenges present in the 1960s. “I am stunned and saddened by the growth of inequality in our society and the fact that many children have simply stopped dreaming about the future,” Dr. Hrabowski wrote as he recounted how many families are stuck in poverty and gains in post-secondary education are unevenly spread. “Yet I also remind myself how far we’ve come,” he continued. “If we don’t count our… Continue Reading Pres. Hrabowski Looks to Baltimore as City of Hope in Face of Growing Inequality

Maryland Unites: UMBC Community Service Leave

Jul 13, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Robert L. Caret announced that the USM community will participate in Maryland Unites: Day of Service, an initiative for state employees to offer their time and talents through community service. The campaign, established by Md. Governor Larry Hogan in June 2015, offers state employees the opportunity to become involved with helping communities throughout Baltimore and Maryland. Though USM has its own personnel system, Chancellor Caret has committed the system to taking an active role in this initiative. UMBC will grant eight hours of paid leave (coded as Community Service Leave) to all full-time, leave-eligible… Continue Reading Maryland Unites: UMBC Community Service Leave

Pres. Hrabowski Discusses the Power of Education on The Kojo Nnamdi Show

Jul 9, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

President Hrabowski visited WAMU’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show on July 7, 2015 to discuss how his upbringing during the Civil Rights movement inspired his passion for making higher education more inclusive. During the interview, Dr. Hrabowski touched on the themes in his latest book, Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM Achievement. As a child, the importance of well-rounded education was impressed upon him and he spoke about prioritizing multiple disciplines. “We have to stop making this major distinction between STEM…and reading and the humanities and the arts,” he said. “These are false distinctions.” Pres. Hrabowski… Continue Reading Pres. Hrabowski Discusses the Power of Education on The Kojo Nnamdi Show

David Hoffman, Student Life, Outlines Attributes for Civic Engagement on American Democracy Project

Jul 9, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

When the American Democracy Project met in New Orleans last month, founder George Mehaffy described some early civic engagement efforts as “marginal, episodic, and celebratory.” David Hoffman, assistant director of student life for civic agency, responded to Mehaffy’s comments by suggesting language to describe positive attributes of civic learning and democratic engagement efforts. “We need equally clear and concise language to describe the positive attributes of profoundly valuable and impactful civic learning and democratic engagement efforts,” Hoffman wrote on the American Democracy Project’s website. He proposed four attributes that should describe civic engagement efforts, including integral, relational, organic, and generative.… Continue Reading David Hoffman, Student Life, Outlines Attributes for Civic Engagement on American Democracy Project

Fiske Guide to Colleges Names UMBC a 2016 “Best Buy”

Jul 2, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC has been named a “Best Buy” university for the second consecutive year in the newly published 2016 Fiske Guide to Colleges. UMBC is one of only 20 public universities, and the only Maryland institution, on the 2016 list, which also includes 24 private universities. Fiske selects “Best Buy” schools based on the quality of their academic offerings and their affordability. By highlighting UMBC, Fiske researchers recognize UMBC as one of the best values in higher education. In addition to noting UMBC’s “killer chess team that regularly mops the floor with the competition,” this year the Fiske Guide highlights UMBC’s… Continue Reading Fiske Guide to Colleges Names UMBC a 2016 “Best Buy”