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West Virginia University president James Clements will become the university’s next leader beginning January 2014 after outgoing President Jim Barker steps down. Clements earned a B.S. degree in computer science and an M.S. and Ph.D. in operations analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Prior to accepting the role of president at WVU, Clements served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Towson University. Clemson officials and employees expressed much enthusiasm over the decision and believe his personality and leadership qualities are the “right fit” for the institution. “We are honored to be coming into a… Continue Reading UMBC Alumnus James Clements named president of Clemson University

We warmly encourage faculty and staff to participate in UMBC’s winter 2013 Commencement Ceremonies. As you know, these events mean a great deal to our students and their parents and guests. I hope you will make a special effort to share in their celebration. Graduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 19 in the RAC Undergraduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 20 in the RAC ORDERING REGALIA: As in the past, UMBC will subsidize the rental of academic regalia for faculty, and administrative and associate staff. The deadline has passed for ordering… Continue Reading Winter 2013 Commencement Ceremonies

As of late October, students, faculty and staff now have access to six hybrid road bicycles to rent for a ride across campus, or throughout Catonsville, Halethorpe and the greater Baltimore area. The Retriever Activity Center (RAC) has eight bikes available for rent, for free, and the UMBC community can borrow the bikes for an hour or even a day. Each rental comes with a bike lock and helmet. “The initial roll-out of the program is going to be essentially a no-cost program for the students,” said Mike D’Archangelo, assistant athletic director at UMBC . “In other words, they’re just going to fill… Continue Reading New Bike Sharing Program on Campus

Earning 2,002 of the 5,523 total votes, UMBC senior striker Pete Caringi III (Perry Hall, Md./Cavlert Hall) earned the 2013 America East Men’s Soccer Fans’ Choice Player of the Year award. Caringi III received 36 percent of the vote, just barely edging out New Hampshire’s Ugochukwu Uche who had 35 percent and a total of 1,906 votes. Hartford’s Damion Lowe came in third with 12 percent of the vote (688) and Binghamton’s Robbie Hughes had nine percent (497). Caringi leads the conference and ranks 15th in the nation with 10 total goals, while also leading the league with 22 points.… Continue Reading Pete Caringi III Earns 2013 America East Men’s Soccer Fans’ Choice Player of the Year

Dr. Amanda M. Knapp’s research entitled, “The Relationship Between Best Online Instructional Practices and Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Instructor Credibility at a Large, Four-Year, Public, Open University” was selected for a 2013 Effective Practice Award through a Sloan-C peer review process. An award luncheon will be held at the 19th Annual Sloan Consortium International Conference on Online Learning on November 21, 2013 in Orlando, FL.

Tom Beck, Chief Curator in the Library, has been selected as the chair of the Maryland State Historical Records Advisory Board. Having served as co-chair with Ed Papenfuse, now retired as Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents, he will lead the panel responsible for review of all Maryland grants submitted to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, as well as advise organizations across the state on subjects related to historical records and archives.

Former UMBC Retriever basketball standout Ryan Cook has signed a professional contract with OKK Sloboda Tuzla in the Bosnian Liga I in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cook finished the 2012-13 season with 478 points, the ninth-most in school history. He was selected to the America East Conference Second Team and to the 2013 America East All-Tournament team after averaging 22.0 points per game in two postseason contests. Cook excelled at the June 2013 First Team All iBall Pro Combine, which was scouted by a group of former and current NBA and overseas players. He averaged 16.0 points per game during the… Continue Reading Ryan Cook Signs Professional Basketball Contract in Bosnia and Herzegovina

As part of the Maryland Bikeways Program, Gov. Martin O’Malley announced a $79,600 grant to fund improvements in the bicycle system near University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The grant will provide increased signage, bike lanes and shared road arrows in the southwest part of the county, providing a safer environment for residents to use cycling as a greener form of transportation. “To build a modern transportation system that supports all Marylanders, we must seek a balanced approached and invest in alternative forms of travel like bicycling,” O’Malley said in the release. ”These grants will help local jurisdictions enhance their bicycle… Continue Reading State grant will fund bikeway improvements near UMBC

We will have two ceremonies this December in the Retriever Activities Center (RAC): Graduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 19 in the RAC Undergraduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 20 in the RAC These commencement ceremonies are important events in the life of our scholarly community where we come together to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and recognize the outstanding commitment of our faculty and staff to their success. These events mean a great deal to our graduating students, their parents and guests. I hope you will make a special… Continue Reading Winter 2013 Commencement Ceremonies