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Nancy Kusmaul, social work, receives “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy

Apr 26, 2024 / 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Nancy Kusmaul, associate professor of social work, a scholar and advocate for the rights of older adults and professional caregivers, received the “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy in March 2024 at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Kusmaul’s work is informed by her 10 years of experience as a social worker and over a decade of novel scholarship. Continue Reading Nancy Kusmaul, social work, receives “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy

The Mellon Foundation awards UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies department $100,000 as part of its ‘Affirming Multivocal Humanities’ initiative

Apr 23, 2024 / 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies (GWST) department has received a $100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to implement its Advancing Gender and Sexuality Studies in Community project. UMBC is one of 95 public colleges and university programs leading research on race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality to receive funding from the Mellon Foundation’s $18 million “Affirming Multivocal Humanities” initiative. Continue Reading The Mellon Foundation awards UMBC’s Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies department $100,000 as part of its ‘Affirming Multivocal Humanities’ initiative

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Mellon Foundation grants CAHSS $750K to establish Global Asias Initiative

Apr 3, 2024 / 2 minutes of reading

Kimberly Moffitt, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Socials Sciences, and co-pi Tamara Bhalla, associate professor of American studies and director of the Asian American studies minor, have been awarded a $750K grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish the Global Asias Initiative. Continue Reading Mellon Foundation grants CAHSS $750K to establish Global Asias Initiative

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Dean Moffitt interviewed about media and Black hair and body politics

Mar 7, 2024 / 2 minutes of reading

Kimberly R. Moffitt, dean of UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, speaks about the inspiration for and journey of her career in an interview with mastersincommunication.com, which offers research-based data on graduate programs in media and communication studies nationwide along with insights from leaders in the field. Continue Reading Dean Moffitt interviewed about media and Black hair and body politics

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American Council of Learned Societies spotlights UMBC’s CoLab as an interdisciplinary leader

Feb 2, 2024 / 2 minutes of reading

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has chosen UMBC’s Interdisciplinary CoLab for its “Undergraduate Spotlight” series. ACLS writes, “Unlike traditional group work in a college classroom, wherein majors from the same discipline are all trying to master the same material, UMBC’s CoLab projects require students to use their own skills and appreciate the skills of others.” Continue Reading American Council of Learned Societies spotlights UMBC’s CoLab as an interdisciplinary leader

A group of people wearing winter gear and helmets carry a stretcher with a fake body. disaster health systems emergency

New name for UMBC’s emergency health services department reflects broadened scope of disaster health systems

Jan 29, 2024 / 2 minutes of reading

“Our new department name, signifies our commitment to emergency and disaster health education,” says Lauren Clay, associate professor of emergency and disaster health systems and department chair. “We prepare leaders that are ready to tackle the complex and evolving hazards facing communities across the United States and the world,” Continue Reading New name for UMBC’s emergency health services department reflects broadened scope of disaster health systems

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Noor Zaidi, history, receives prestigious NEH faculty fellowship to complete book project

Jan 29, 2024 / 2 minutes of reading

Noor Zaidi, assistant professor of history at UMBC, receives a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to research and write Translations of Zaynab: Gender, Sectarianism, and Citizenship in Shi’a Islam. The book will analyze how the seventh-century figure, Zaynab bint Ali, granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammed, has been used in 20th-century political contexts. Continue Reading Noor Zaidi, history, receives prestigious NEH faculty fellowship to complete book project

An adult with long brown hair, wearing an orange cardigan and blue blouse stands in front of some pine trees. Academic Minute.

The Academic Minute: Caring for kinless older adults

Nov 17, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

Christine A. Mair, associate professor of sociology and gerontology and director of UMBC’s Center for Health, Equity, and Aging, examines the presence or absence of family and non-family ties in the Academic Minute. Continue Reading The Academic Minute: Caring for kinless older adults

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The Academic Minute: Challenging misconceptions about queer sexualities in Arab cultures

Nov 15, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

In The Academic Minute, Mejdulene Bernard Shomali, a queer Palestinian poet and associate professor in the department of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies discusses her first boo. “My research looks at how Arab people experience and narrate their queerness in unexpected ways. For example, Arabs may be in same-sex relationships but might not claim gay or lesbian identities.” Continue Reading The Academic Minute: Challenging misconceptions about queer sexualities in Arab cultures

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The Academic Minute: Democratizing access to digital tools in the documentation of the Innu language

Oct 27, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Renée Lambert-Brétière, associate professor of modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, is working on a collaborative and community-engaged research project with Innu-speaking communities in Quebec, Canada, that seeks to democratize access to digital tools involved in the documentation of their language. “Mobilizing methodologies of linguistics, digital and public humanities, this research makes an important contribution to current developments in language documentation research and constitutes a major step in broadening the tools for language preservation within the Innu speech communities,” says Lambert-Brétière in the Academic Minute. Continue Reading The Academic Minute: Democratizing access to digital tools in the documentation of the Innu language

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The Academic Minute: The Long History of Financial Fraud

Oct 27, 2023 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Amy Froide, professor of history, discusses the Charitable Corporation’s financial disaster of 1732. “The Charitable Corporation was notable in having a high proportion of female investors—35 percent of the funders in the 1700s were women,” Froide explains. “When the financial scandal came to light, it was these women who led activist shareholders to call for government compensation.” Continue Reading The Academic Minute: The Long History of Financial Fraud

Morgan Henderson of The Hilltop Institute at UMBC co-authors new research investigating the feasibility of price shopping for two common hospital services

Oct 23, 2023 / 3 minutes of reading

Morgan Henderson, principal data scientist at The Hilltop Institute at UMBC, co-authors an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Internal Medicine on pricing discrepancies at top hospitals. Continue Reading Morgan Henderson of The Hilltop Institute at UMBC co-authors new research investigating the feasibility of price shopping for two common hospital services