All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Performing Arts and Humanities Building Receives LEED Gold Designation

12662356073_93b2f6dea8_oUMBC’s new Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB) has been certified as a LEED Gold building. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a designation by the U.S. Green Building Council that recognizes buildings that are designed and built to conserve resources and promote clean, renewable energy. LEED Gold is the second highest designation a building can receive.

The PAHB is UMBC’s second LEED Gold project and the University has committed to designing new construction to a minimum certification of LEED Silver.

Faculty and Alumni Recognized by Maryland State Arts Council

15365064460_649cdd1abb_zA number of UMBC faculty members and alumni received 2015 Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council. The Maryland State Arts Council awards grants to individual artists and non-profit organizations for arts programming, projects, and assistance.

Timothy Nohe, visual arts, was recognized in the non-classical music composition category, while Susan McCully, theatre, and Mark Squirek ’91, history, were honored in the playwriting category. Ben Marcin ’80, economics, and Jaimes Mayhew ’10 M.F.A., imaging and digital arts, received awards in the photography category.

Click here to see the complete list of winners.

Staying in the Loop – Tamara Lewis ’92, Psychology

Staying in the Loop is a new post series from the Chapter of Black and Latino Alumni (CBLA) that seeks to create connections between alumni, faculty, staff, and other supporters of UMBC and CBLA. Click here for more information about CBLA.

Name: Dr. Tamara L. Lewis
Major: Psychology
Grad year: 1992

Q: What do/did you enjoy most about being a part of the UMBC community?

From the moment I arrived on campus as a freshman, faculty, staff, and students reached out to encourage me to take full advantage of all the campus had to offer. After graduation, I still felt the campus was reaching out to me. I frequently received mailers and email correspondence about campus activities and opportunities to become involved as an alumni. I appreciate the opportunity to remain supportive and I stay connected by participating on various alumni committees and regularly attending alumni events. Currently, I serve on the Chapter of Black and Latino Alumni and the Alumni Board of Directors. I also enjoy co-hosting an annual alumni reunion of my sorority sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated during Homecoming.

Q: UMBC is approaching its 50th anniversary (2016) and certainly the campus has come a long way – from a small commuter school to the nation’s #1 “up-and-coming” university – in such a relatively short period of time. What, in your opinion, makes UMBC so unique/special? What’s your most memorable experience/moment at UMBC?

One of the first UMBC items I purchased was a t-shirt decorated with flags and the statement, “The world is our campus.” That t-shirt reflected my perception of UMBC while I was a student and it still reflects my perception. I am excited by the world of opportunity UMBC affords its students.

Q: If you could meet one person in the world who would it be and why?

I’d like to meet President Barack Obama because he overcame many hurdles to accomplish something my ancestors never imagined – becoming the first African American President of the USA.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve received?

Giving back and saying “thank you” are two important lessons my parents taught me as a child. Upon graduating from UMBC, I couldn’t help but show my appreciation for the positive role UMBC played in my professional and personal development. It’s important for alumni to give both of their time and monetary donations, no matter how small.

Q: What is one book you think everyone should read?

I love to read, so recommending one book is difficult. However, the most important book I’ve read is the Bible.

Q: What is one thing you can’t live without?

I could never live without my belief in God because I draw all of my strength from my faith.

Kavita Krishnaswamy, CSEE Ph.D. Candidate, on CNN

kavitaUMBC student Kavita Krishnaswamy, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science and electrical engineering, was interviewed by CNN about how she has used a Beam telepresence robot to visit museums, attend computing conferences, and defend her Ph.D. proposal. Telepresence robots consist of a screen on motorized wheels that allows users to visit places and interact with people remotely.

Krishnaswamy is also an undergraduate alumna of UMBC (’07, computer science and mathematics). Her Ph.D. proposal focuses on using robotics to increase autonomy for people with severe disabilities and draws on her personal experiences with limited mobility.

Click here to read “Will robots help the bedridden see the world?” on CNN and here to see Krishnaswamy’s proposal defense on YouTube

Shared Services Centers Town Hall Meeting (3/23)

SSCThe Shared Services Centers (SSC) Team, which includes the Business Process Improvement, Communication, and Human Resources (BPI) Work Groups, as well as our Advisory Council, is moving forward with a go-live date of May 2015 for our initial two Phase I Shared Services Centers and many business process improvements.

Work groups have completed documentation of all current business processes and are nearly done mapping future business processes to assist in focusing our BPI efforts.
In our continuing effort to keep the campus informed and to allow for input and feedback, you are invited to attend a Shared Services Centers (SSC) Town Hall Meeting on Monday, March 23, 2015, 10-11 a.m., in University Center, Room 312.

Our Shared Services Centers Team has been working together to develop a detailed project plan for a May go-live, prioritize business process initiatives with go-live timeframes, determine hiring processes and finalize the TAP website design and content. We will share more details on all of the above at the Town Hall meeting.
BPI background and the work group summaries are posted on the myUMBC “Shared Services Centers at UMBC” group. Details on the work groups established and their roles are also posted there. Click on the “Documents” tab and then the “BPI & Implementation” folder.

SSC Town Hall Meeting Objectives:

  • To update the campus with details on Shared Services Centers (SSC) progress
  • To share our high level project plan
  • To update the campus on the Shared Services Centers (SSC) Advisory Committee and Work Groups; membership, roles, volunteer opportunities and progress
  • To share prioritization of Business Process Improvements (BPI) and related timelines
  • To allow an open public dialogue, giving the UMBC Community an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback

We look forward to seeing you there. The Town Hall will be webcast for those in need. Please contact Jean Donohue at donohue@umbc.edu if you plan on taking advantage of this.

Friends of the Library & Gallery Theatre with Dinner (3/28)

The Friends of the Library & Gallery presents Theatre with Dinner, which will begin at 5 p.m. on the 7th floor of the Library on March 28, 2015.

The play will be These Shining Lives, by Melanie Marnich, presented by the UMBC Department of Theatre and directed by Nyalls Hartman. Dinner will be prior to the performance with a discussion of the play.

Tickets are $35 per person. Please use this form for reservations. Checks can be made to “UMBC Foundation” and must be received by March 10, 2015. Please mail checks to:
Friends Theatre with Dinner
UMBC Library
Baltimore, MD 21250

For inquiries and last minute reservations, please call 410-455-2356.

Visual Music: A UMBC Faculty Concert with Video (3/25)

cella01-s“Visual Music”: A UMBC Faculty Concert with Video will take place on March 25, 2015 at 4 p.m. in the Library Gallery. This event in the Friends of the Library & Gallery “ArtsNotes” / “MusicNotes” series.

Please join Lisa Cella, flutist, and Stephen Bradley, inter-media artist, for a live concert of contemporary flute repertoire with original video art created specifically for each piece.

bradleyThis experimental flute performance is the culmination of a project begun a year ago. It embraces the work of four composers who Dr. Cella commissioned to write pieces specifically for her interpretive expertise.

Click here for more information.

MIPAR Researchers Receive International Award

Public Policy bldng.The International Center of Mental Health Policy and Economics has awarded UMBC researchers David Salkever (Public Policy) and Brent Gibbons (Ph.D., ’13, Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research), along with co-authors Robert E. Drake, William D. Frey, Thomas W. Hale, and Mustafa Karakus, an Excellence in Mental Health Policy and Economics Research Award – 2015 for the article “Increasing Earnings of Social Security Disability Income Beneficiaries with Serious Mental Disorder.”

The article, which was published in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics 2014; 17 (2): 75-90, reports the results of MIPAR research conducted in collaboration with Westat for the Social Security Administration. The award will be presented on March 27 in Venice, Italy at the Twelfth Workshop on Costs and Assessment.

Spring into Action!

Are you tired of winter keeping you indoors? Then venture out to the excellent events happening around UMBC!

[TODAY] Webinar: Stuff Your Resume with Keywords to Highlight Your Experience, March 4, 2015, 8 – 9 p.m.

Jay blockAs competition for jobs continues to grow, it is important to know the key techniques that will set you apart from the candidate pool. Find out how to make your resume stand out above the others as Jay Block teaches the the strategies needed to land your dream job.

Register here to make your ideal career a reality.

Raleigh Happy Hour,
March 6, 2015, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., 222 Glenwood Avenue. Raleigh, NC

Get connected and join us for a happy hour as we celebrate our 50th anniversary! That’s right, UMBC is spreading Retriever Pride and reconnecting with alums in Raleigh, North Carolina (and surrounding areas!). To find out more about this celebration click here.

Admissions Receptions: Rockville/Strathmore Reception,
March 24, 2015 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Strathmore Music Center, Rockville, MD

Show off your Retriever Fever and volunteer! Alumni are invited to share their experiences at UMBC to prospective students and their families. There are a number of receptions and locations to choose from as we help future students establish themselves as a fellow dawg. Click here to find out more!

Richard JaquishManifestations of the Spiritual: Photographs by Richard Jaquish

Continuing through March 22, Rotunda of the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery

Don’t miss your opportunity to view the extraordinary visual displays of Richard Jaquish as he established a spiritual connectivity between the human spirit and elements found in nature. Be sure to visit the exhibit in the Library Rotunda.Click here for more information about this free  event.

William Earle Williams

A Stirring Song Sung Heroic: African Americans From Slavery to Freedom, 1619 to 1865, Photographs by William Earle Williams

January 26- March 25, Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

Experience the history of American slavery as William Earle Williams traces the places of slavery in his photographs. Williams helps to identify how black and white Americans defined freedom as we celebrate the anniversary of the the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Admission to the gallery is free. To find out more information, click here.

 Take a look at our full calendar of alumni events.

 

Manil Suri, Mathematics, and Michele Osherow, English, Reflect on Experience Performing “The Mathematics of Being Human”

ManilSuriHeadShotIn an article in the March 6 edition of India Abroad magazine, Mathematics professor Manil Suri discussed the play he performed and co-wrote with English associate professor Michele Osherow, “The Mathematics of Being Human.” The play is an outgrowth of a seminar that the two professors jointly taught that bridged their areas of expertise. In the article, Suri participated in a Q&A about the play and his experience teaching with Osherow. To read the full article, click here.

Michele OsherowSuri and Osherow, both alumni of Carnegie Mellon University, were also interviewed for a recent news article on the university’s website about the play. In the story, they discussed the value of teaching a course that combined study of math and literature. “We’re trying to suggest that interdisciplinary teaching is extremely hard — there’s something to pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone,” Osherow said.

On March 8, the “Mathematics of Being Human” will make its New York City premiere at the National Museum of Mathematics. For more information, click here. In addition, Suri and Osherow will be performing an excerpt of the play on math and King Lear at the National Academy of Science’s DC Art Science Evening Rendezvous (DASER) on March 19 in Washington, D.C. The performance will be held to celebrate the Man Ray exhibit “A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare” at the Phillips. For more information, click here. 

March 19 update: to read a Washington Post article about “The Mathematics of Being Human, click here.    

Anne Rubin, History, in the New York Times, on C-SPAN

Anne RubinAnne Rubin, an associate professor of history and author of Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman’s March and American Memory (UNC Press 2014), recently published an article in the New York Times “Disunion” blog, which follows the Civil War as it unfolded 150 years ago.

Titled “Towns Made for Burning,” the article describes Union General William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea in South Carolina: “Sherman did not explicitly order his men to treat South Carolina’s Confederate civilians cruelly, but he did little to dissuade them,” Rubin wrote.

Rubin further described the general’s thought process behind the march, including exploiting fear among Southern whites as a way to quickly end the war: “…he recalled, disingenuously, that ‘somehow the men had got the idea that South Carolina was the cause of all our troubles … and therefore on them should fall the scourge of war in its worst form.’ Sherman appreciated his men’s enthusiasm, and was loath to ‘restrain the army lest its vigor and energy should be impaired.’”

In addition to her article, Rubin also appeared on C-SPAN on February 28. She discussed the Burning of Columbia and how the event has been remembered by the city and in history. To watch the full segment, click here.

UMBC Political Science and School of Public Policy Faculty React to Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s Retirement Announcement

After Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced her retirement on March 2, reaction poured in from across the country and state of Maryland. UMBC political science and School of Public Policy faculty were interviewed by several local and national media outlets to provide perspective and analysis on Mikulski’s legacy and what the political future will hold after her seat is vacated in 2016.

Roy Meyers (UMBC)In an interview that aired on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” political science professor Roy Meyers said Sen. Mikulski’s legacy crossed party lines: “Many of the women that came into the Senate and the House, regardless of whether they were Republicans or Democrats, really viewed her as a role model,” he said. Meyers said Mikulski was “a groundbreaker in terms of making sure the voices of women legislators were taken seriously.”

Tom SchallerPolitical science professor Thomas Schaller reflected on Sen. Mikulski’s service to Maryland and the nation in an op-ed published in the Baltimore Sun: “She will leave a legacy as one of the state’s most admired politicians and among the most influential women ever to serve in Congress,” Schaller wrote in his column titled “A lifetime spent in service.”

Schaller was also quoted in a Washington Post article about former Gov. Martin O’Malley’s decision not to run for Mikulski’s seat, saying “I think this makes it pretty clear that he’s going to run for president or at least give it a shot.” Schaller was also mentioned in a Washington Post column by E.J. Dionne on his analysis of the national Republican party in his new book The Stronghold: How Republicans Captured Congress but Surrendered the White House.

Donald Norris UMBCSchool of Public Policy director Donald Norris appeared on WJZ-TV and commented on what could happen in the race to fill the vacated Senate seat: “Who the Republicans field, if they field a very serious, well-funded candidate, the Democrats are going to have to match that. So yes, it could be very expensive,” said Norris. “There could be a huge number of Democrats in the primary,” he added in a Capital Gazette article.

For a list of complete coverage, see below:

Roy Meyers:
Sen. Mikulski, Groundbreaker for Female Legislators, Won’t Seek Re-Election (NPR)

Thomas Schaller:
A lifetime spent in service (Baltimore Sun op-ed)
O’Malley will not run for Mikulski’s U.S. Senate Seat (Washington Post)
The GOP’s big ‘yes’ to ‘no’ (Washington Post)

Donald Norris:
Race to Replace Sen. Barbara Mikulski Wide Open (WJZ-TV)
‘Free-for-all’ expected in wake of Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s retirement announcement (Capital Gazette)

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