English

Cargo shipped in water with remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge of top of the cargo ship

Infrastructure of support after Key Bridge collapse

/ 6 minutes of reading

In 1987, Paul Flinton, then a 23-year-old senior studying at UMBC, decided to make a short documentary focused on the tollbooth workers on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The six-minute documentary “One Dollar”—named after the toll’s cost for cars at the time—captures a vehicle’s journey across the bridge from the driver’s point of view in one continuous take. As Flinton ’87, visual arts, drives across the bridge, audio of the tollbooth workers interviewed for the project act as the film’s narrators in which they share some of their experiences as toll operators.  Flinton, who is now a location sound manager… Continue Reading Infrastructure of support after Key Bridge collapse

Michelle Jabes Corpora promo photo for HOLLY HORROR: THE LONGEST NIGHT.

Meet a Retriever—Michelle Jabes Corpora ‘03, young adult author and editor

/ 5 minutes of reading

Meet Michelle Jabes Corpora ’03, English and theatre. Michelle is the author of nine novels, an editor for commercial fiction, and an avid student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She came to UMBC as a Linehan Artist Scholar in 1999 to study theatre before deciding to double major in English. Michelle has found that her background in theatre has been a helpful tool in her writing. Take it away, Michelle! Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you? A: I am a 2003 alumna, a double major in English and theatre. Today, I am the author of… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Michelle Jabes Corpora ‘03, young adult author and editor

A collage of images showing students traveling with mentors and teaching with children

A Journey of Growth

/ 14 minutes of reading

International travel offers ample opportunities to stretch yourself—one minute you may be the expert and the next, completely clueless about how something works. Retrievers currently in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program—teaching English or researching around the globe—find themselves oscillating between their teaching and student roles on a daily or hourly basis. By engaging their host communities through openness and cultural humility (and many shared cups of tea or coffee), these Fulbrighters are finding their balance along the way. Continue Reading A Journey of Growth

Two women smiling, standing in front of bookshelf, holding scenic landscape paintings.

Office Hours with President Sheares Ashby and URCAD student artist

/ 3 minutes of reading

During her office hours, President Valerie Sheares Ashby makes it a point to meet weekly with students and hear about their UMBC experiences and their aspirations for life after UMBC. Today, Jenna Beshara, a senior English and visual arts double major, shares her Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) project with the president. Beshara, who spent last summer on a study abroad program in Wales, painted a series of Welsh watercolor landscapes with paints she made herself using only natural ingredients. In this excerpt of their conversation, she and President Sheares Ashby discuss the importance of pursuing art and research through a sustainability lens. Continue Reading Office Hours with President Sheares Ashby and URCAD student artist

A large bill board in the middle of a field reads Hell is Real

How 19th-century Spiritualists ‘canceled’ the idea of hell to address social and political concerns

/ 7 minutes of reading

“Spiritualists believed that people could maintain communication with the living even after death,” discusses UMBC’s Lindsay DiCurirci, associate professor of English. “They thought communicative spirits had a principal role to play in addressing the era’s most pressing social and political concerns, which would be impossible if souls were damned to hell. This idea was a cornerstone of their practice and a driver of their politics.” Continue Reading How 19th-century Spiritualists ‘canceled’ the idea of hell to address social and political concerns

A writer sits at their desk Guggenheim

Ryan Bloom, English, receives 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation

/ 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s Ryan Bloom, senior lecturer in English, has received the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation to work on the first complete edition of the French-Algerian author Albert Camus’s notebooks, journals, and other works. This year, 188 grants were awarded from more than 3,000 applicants from over 52 academic disciplines across the U.S. and Canada. Fellows are provided funding to freely pursue their creative projects through their unique process without any special conditions.  Continue Reading Ryan Bloom, English, receives 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship for translation

A panel of professors talking with a projector screen behind them

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

/ 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 

Green trees line brick academic buildings as students walk on campus

7 ways to spring into the arts at UMBC

/ 5 minutes of reading

As flowers start popping up on campus and we get some warmer (if rainy) days, it’s the perfect time to go out and catch some of the arts events happening at UMBC. Whether you need a break from studying, work, or are just looking for some fun, you can be sure to find many entertaining and thought provoking arts and culture events happening on campus! 1. Enjoy an Artful Conversation All About Dance No dance skills are required to enjoy an evening all about dance with Artful Conversations: An Evening with Misty Copeland. On the night of March 6, from… Continue Reading 7 ways to spring into the arts at UMBC

Five Fulbright college students stand outside on concrete steps with their arms outstretched

For the third time in five years, UMBC is named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution

/ 5 minutes of reading

“This achievement is a testament to your institution’s deep commitment to international exchange,” wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter to President Valerie Sheares Ashby, congratulating her on UMBC’s Fulbright Top Producer designation, “and to building lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Continue Reading For the third time in five years, UMBC is named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution

A group of CoLab college students stand around a computer CoLab

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

/ 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

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