Community

It’s the time of the year when we ask for your help with May Commencements!  This year, the Undergraduate ceremony at the Royal Farms Arena (previously the Baltimore Arena) will be held on Thursday, May 21. To volunteer, click here, select “Undergraduate Ceremony” and register.  You will see a brief description of the jobs available and the number of staff needed. If you prefer a particular job, sign up now before they are filled. You will receive a confirmation e-mail after you submit your selection. Volunteer training for the undergraduate ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19  at 2:00 pm in… Continue Reading Volunteers Needed for Spring Commencement Ceremonies (5/20 & 5/21)

Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford visited UMBC on March 30 to meet with university leaders and students. During his visit, Lt. Gov. Rutherford took a tour of UMBC buildings, including the Collaboratory, Commons and Library, and learned about UMBC’s progress and future needs. He also met with several Meyerhoff scholars to discuss their academic and career goals. Akua Nimarko ’15, biological sciences, said of the visit, “It was an enlightening experience to share my UMBC experiences and future plans with such an inspirational person.

March 31 marked the end of the PMP rating period (April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015). UMBC requires supervisors to evaluate the performance of all regular/grant-funded exempt and non-exempt employees. The deadline for submission of the PMP forms to the Department of Human Resources is Friday, May 1, 2015. For additional information, visit http://hr.umbc.edu/pmp/. If you have any questions, please contact Elmer Falconer at ext. 5-3645 or Shobhna Arora at ext. 5-1638.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (PKP), Chapter 22 UM-UMBC, will hold its annual initiation ceremony at UMBC on April 19, 2014, at 1 p.m. in the UC Ballroom. The chapter cordially invites all UMBC faculty, staff, and students affiliated with any PKP chapter to join us in our celebration of the outstanding achievements of those who will be initiated. There will be light refreshments after the ceremony. Please inform Peter Andes at andes1@umbc.edu if you plan to attend, so we have an accurate count for seating and refreshments.

The UMBC Chess team has been named fourth in the nation among university chess teams after competing in the President’s Cup at the New York Athletic Club, March 27–29, 2015. They qualified to compete in the Final Four competition through the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championships, held in December. UMBC’s team at the President’s Cup (pictured below) included captain Niclas Huschenbeth, Tanguy Ringoir, Akshayraj Kore, and Levan Bregadze—all either international grandmasters or international masters. Nazi Paikidze, an international master who is ranked sixth in the nation among female players, attended as an alternate. Paikidze will represent UMBC at the invitation-only U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in St. Louis, March 31–April 13,… Continue Reading UMBC Chess Team Recognized as #4 in the Nation

UMBC’s Professional Graduate Programs Open House will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. EDT at UMBC South Campus (bwtech@UMBC South) 1450 S. Rolling Road; Halethorpe, MD 21227. Join us to meet program directors, alumni and students from UMBC Professional Graduate Programs, and learn about industry trends and opportunities. Representatives from Financial Aid, Veteran Affairs, the Graduate School, and others will be on hand to answer your questions. The Open House will include breakout information sessions that will focus on Graduate Programs, including: Cybersecurity, Biotechnology, Health Information Technology, Engineering Management, and Systems Engineering. If interested… Continue Reading UMBC’s Professional Graduate Programs Open House (4/29)

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every two minutes, someone in America is sexually assaulted. 1 in 5 college women experience a sexual assault. 95% of college-aged victims know their attacker. These are just a few statistics to highlight why this month of awareness is so very important for our campus and our greater community. We have several events this April that will honor the voices and experiences of survivors of sexual assault. Additionally, there are events that will seek to raise awareness about sexual assault and the importance of effective consent. Please feel free to download our event calendar, mark your… Continue Reading Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2015: Event Calendar

UMBC’s annual Career Week has grown so large we had to extend it to nearly a month full of activities…March 30 – April 24. UMBC’s Career Crush offers an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to “get connected to the rest of the world” and “explore their professional options” through presentations, workshops and one-on-one mentoring with alumni and employers. Now more than ever, it is important for UMBC students to explore their career options as early as freshman and sophomore years. Each event has the potential to speak to the needs of any student, regardless of academic major. We encourage… Continue Reading Career Crush (3/30-4/24)

A talk by Fern Shen, Founder and Editor, Baltimore Brew on Wed, April 8th, 12-1:00 pm in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery. Shen is an award-winning reporter who wrote for The Washington Post, Baltimore Evening Sun and Hartford Courant. In 2009 – with mainstream media here and across the country suddenly cutting back, laying off and shutting down — Shen struck off into somewhat uncharted territory by founding Baltimore Brew – an online-only news website with reported news stories, culture and community dialogue.

Each year, the USM Women’s Forum recognizes and celebrates the achievements of students, faculty and staff from across the system through award and scholarship programs including: Student Scholarship Award Professional Staff Development Award Faculty Research Award All awards and scholarships are open to any person regardless of sex, race, color, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability. The award is open to both men and women. Application materials must be received by June 30th for consideration. http://usmwf.usmd.edu/awards-and-scholarships.html