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
For Winona Caesar ’09, a sergeant in the Baltimore City Police, letter writing is a creative outlet. Whether hand writing a letter or using one of her seven typewriters, Caesar says the process slows her down and connects her to individuals all over the globe. As the world grows increasingly more digitized, Caesar and her pen pals are saving the lost art of keeping in touch. Continue Reading How to stay in touch—4 steps to being a prolific pen pal
There are some people who you meet, and it’s obvious: They’re natural leaders—seemingly born to the role. Derek Anderson ’03, interdisciplinary studies, is one of those people. He went right from UMBC to the front of the classroom as a teacher in the highly regarded Howard County Public School System, earning a master’s degree in school administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University at the same time. But in talking with Anderson, it becomes apparent that he wasn’t born a leader—he became one. And he says UMBC was a big reason why he did. After nearly a decade of classroom… Continue Reading Putting the principles of education to work
UMBC is a young institution—and not only do we have active alumni from the first four graduating classes still working to make an impact on campus and beyond, we are still discovering new stories about the establishment of the university and the ways the campus community was invited to co- create UMBC at its inception. In fact, Diane Tichnell ’70, political science, describes the impetus for the Founding Four’s book, This Belongs to Us (2023), as its own sort of inception. Several years ago, she had a dream—literal dream while she was asleep. In it, she was attending a lecture… Continue Reading UMBC Belongs to All of Us
“I firmly believe that the humanities offer us crucial tools for addressing pressing issues of civic life,” said Jessica Berman, director of UMBC’s Dresher Center, at the Center’s Inclusion Imperative six-year capstone event. “Now more than ever, we need the tools of the humanities to advance local and national conversations about our history, our identities, and our common future.” Continue Reading Inclusion Imperative spotlights six years of innovation in community-engaged humanities research and teaching
People who care about change must be willing to plunge their hands deep into the mess of this world. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. Continue Reading For the Love of Dirty Jobs
Formed by UMBC alumni, the Movie Madness Facebook group ranks movies similar to NCAA March Madness to determine the best movie of all time. Continue Reading Movie Madness: Film’s Big Dance
Minner hopes the creation of an archive at UMBC will encourage more members of the Lumbee Tribe to dig into their past, while also finding pride in their present. Continue Reading Meaningful Representation
A literary magazine with Taco Bell as it’s touchstone? It’s actually not as cheesy as it sounds. Continue Reading Creating a Literary Space for the ‘Nobodies’
Aminata Jalloh ’10, American studies, recently published her first children’s book titled The Biggest Little Brother, a story about the complexities of sibling relationships and immigrant families. Here, the first-generation Sierra Leonean-American shares how her time at UMBC shaped her career in teaching and writing for children. – Allison Cruz ’18 How did your education at UMBC impact your career in teaching and now writing children’s books? I was always interested in the experiences of first and second generation Americans, so attending UMBC and majoring in American studies was a natural fit. It was an interdisciplinary area of study which… Continue Reading Q&A: Aminata Jalloh ’10, First-Time Children’s Author
In the weeks leading up to the Alumni Awards Ceremony, we’ll be profiling each honoree in more detail here on our blog. Today, meet Dennis Williams II ’14, American studies, head of content marketing at Skillshare and this year’s Outstanding Alumnus in the Humanities. Near the end of his time at UMBC, Dennis Williams II ’14, American studies, had already begun to break into online media, writing professionally for Funny or Die and the Huffington Post. And in the few short years since he graduated, he’s made a name for himself in the tech industry, heading up a global content marketing team… Continue Reading Alumni Awards 2017: Dennis Williams II ’14, American Studies
During her years as an undergrad at UMBC, Karen Sutton ’97, history, would constantly see Simmona Simmons ’74, American studies, working quietly in the library. Even today, when she stops in the Albin O. Kuhn Library, she sees Simmons and smiles, for even the sight of the librarian still inspires Sutton to pursue her goals. “I (wanted to) become a librarian vicariously through her,” says Sutton, a lecturer at UMBC. “I plan to use the skills Simmona taught me to inspire others.” Despite the major impact she tends to have on the lives of others, Simmons has always kept a… Continue Reading Legend of Excellence
