All posts by: Magazine Editor

From Marjoleine Kars, Chair of the History Department

I regret to inform the campus that Robert K. Webb died on February 14. Born in 1922, Bob Webb was long the preeminent American scholar of British history, with a glittering array of Guggenheim, NEH, and other fellowships and distinctions. He came to UMBC in 1975, from being editor of the American Historical Review, the nation’s most important journal of history, and before that he had been Professor of History at Columbia University.

Giving his energy, leadership, and commitment, not just his name and stature, to UMBC, he helped shape not only the History Department but also the University. He was chair of the History Department for much of the period from the mid-1970s until his retirement in 1992, served a year as UMBC’s Acting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (now Provost), and was named UMBC’s first Presidential Research Professor. He remained connected to the Department after his retirement, partly through the R.K. Webb Lecture. His obituary in the Washington Post can be found here.

Visit the UMBC History Department website.

This notice was originally posted in UMBC Insights.

Haven’t been on campus in a while? Well, now it doesn’t matter how many miles may separate you from your alma mater.

Thanks to a collaboration between UMBC’s admissions department and the IRC (Imaging Research Center), you can take a virtual 360-degree tour of campus from the comfort of your own couch.

The new virtual tour includes tree-lined, student-filled panoramas covering the entire campus. The interface allows you to “walk” down UMBC’s main street (or through the library, The Commons, or nearly anywhere else you might like to visit) with a click of a mouse. Michelle Jordan ’93, visual and performing arts, of UMBC’s Creative Services office, helped create the website.

“We know there are plenty of prospective students out there who would like to see UMBC for themselves, but who are too far away to make the trip. This makes it easy and fun,” said Erika Ferrin, director of marketing.

“The bonus here is that alumni can also use the tool to see a place that’s familiar in their memories — but that has changed and grown over the years since they graduated.”

View the Virtual Tour here.

Congratulations to the newest crop of honorees in UMBC’s Athletic Hall of Fame! The inductees were welcomed into the HOF on February 4. To see a full list of Hall of Fame members from throughout the years, click here.

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air, especially for Yogita Tailor ’05, M13, who just got engaged. Of course, every marriage proposal is special in its own way, but Tailor got an extra special surprise when her boyfriend Dhaval Desai asked her to marry him while they were standing in the crowd outside the “Good Morning America” studio in Times Square. From the GMA video:

“The past two years have been amazing and I want you to know how much I love you. Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you,” Desai, also 29, said on “GMA” today. “So as we stand here in the heart of New York City, in Times Square, on ‘Good Morning America,’ with all of our friends and family watching, there’s something I want to ask you. Baby, will you marry me?” “Oh, my gosh, yes,” she squealed, smiling.

All of us at UMBC send out heartfelt congratulations to Tailor and Desai!

Good Morning America has the full video and story.

–Do you have your own great news to share? Perhaps a new job, an engagement, or a big move? Send in a class note to let us know!

– Read more about UMBC alumni news and events on Retriever Net

The Interdisciplinary Studies Program and Council of Majors present the 2012 Petrovich Lecture and Film Screening with director Richard Chisolm ’82, interdisciplinary studies. Chisolm will discuss the interdisciplinary mission of his film company Recipe for Change Films and his latest film, Cafeteria Man.

The movie concentrates on Chef Tony Geraci’s efforts as food director of the Baltimore City Public School system to educate school kids about nutrition, food preparation and locally sourced organic food, as well as his efforts to reform the food purchasing system.

The lecture, discussion and screening will take place on February 22 at 7 p.m. in the Skylight Room. There will be a small reception following the lecture.

This post originally appeared on UMBC Insights.