Beth Wells, assistant vice provost for Academic Affairs, earned designation in April as a Board Certified Coach by the Center for Credentialing and Education.

From Freeman Hrabowski, President, and Philip Rous, Provost Designate & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

We are delighted to announce that Rebecca Boehling, professor of history and director of the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities, has been named the next Director of the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany. The ITS is unique in scope and significance, serving victims of Nazi persecutions and their families by documenting their fate, preserving crucial and indispensable historical records, and making its rich archive available for research.

Dr. Boehling was appointed unanimously by the eleven-member state International Commission, which supervises the work of the ITS, at its recent annual meeting in Paris. She will take a leave of absence from UMBC and begin her directorship on January 1, 2013.

Dr. Boehling’s impressive academic work makes her a natural choice for the position. She is an expert in the history of the Holocaust, World War II, and the early postwar period in Germany. She has studied and researched in Germany and had a research fellowship at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Leo Baeck Institute in New York. Last year, she co-authored with Uta Larkey Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust: A Jewish Family’s Untold Story, based on the family letters of Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, professor of biological sciences at UMBC. She will also bring important administrative experience to the ITS.

Dr. Boehling’s appointment is a testament to the international reputation she has earned for her scholarship while at UMBC. She hopes to connect UMBC students with research opportunities at ITS. We invite you to read more about Dr. Boehling’s appointment here.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Boehling on this exciting opportunity.

The 6th Branch recently announced a partnership with Got Your 6, a national campaign encouraging veterans and civilians to work together in bettering their communities.

Dave Landymore ’13, human geography, executive director of The 6th Branch, describes the group as a “veteran-led community service organization” that uses “military leadership skills to motivate and lead volunteers from all walks of life in an effort change the conversation about what is achievable and what isn’t.”

The partnership will focus on the Got Your 6 leadership pillar “The Mission Continues,” with the hope that The 6th Branch will involve veterans and their families in 1.5 million hours of community service by July 2013. Also participating are other organizations includingTeam Rubicon and The Corporation for National and Community Service.

“We’ve seen some terrible things in places like Iraq and Afghanistan; some of those things we see here at home as well. As veterans, we can’t abide letting our fellow citizens who live in substandard conditions continue to believe there’s no hope for them,” Landymore said.

Recent activities by The 6th Branch include “Operation: Oliver,” which focused on bettering the Oliver neighborhood of Northeast Baltimore. Jeremy Johnson ’12, sociology, was active in this effort.

We are very excited to share the news that Lynn Rehn, Assistant Vice President and Controller, Financial Services has been selected as a 2012 recipient of the NACUBO Rising Star Award. Per NACUBO’s website, this prestigious, national award “identifies future leaders in higher education — up-and-coming individuals in the areas of finance, administration, and business known for their innovative, meaningful contributions to the improvement of their profession and the efficiency of their institution.”

Lynn’s nomination describes the major improvements she has made in financial statement and data accuracy, audit resolution, business process, policy, and grants/contracts accounting. “Her leadership in raising the overall accounting accuracy across the broader University stems from her professionalism, honesty, excellent skillset, and ability to apply laser-like focus to problem resolution. She quickly assesses the needs, identifies the required resources, and applies time and effort accordingly to get the job done.”

Lynn will receive her award at the NACUBO Annual Meeting in Washington DC, July 29, 2012. The award comes with national recognition in the NACUBO Business Officer magazine along with a scholarship for a future NACUBO seminar.

Please join us as we congratulate Lynn on this well-deserved honor.

UMBC senior tennis standout Joe Adewumi has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District men’s at-large team by the College Sports Information Director of America.

Adewumi was one of 15 honorees from District 2 of the NCAA Division I level. He will now be considered for Academic All-America honors, along with those recipients from the other seven districts.

The highly-decorated Adewumi was recently selected to the America East Tennis All-Academic squad, earning the honor in each of his three years of eligibility. He is the first UMBC male athlete to earn the distinction of capturing the maximum number of America East academic honors.

Catie Collins ’12, English literature and psychology, participated in a conference call with Maryland Governor O’Malley and President Obama on Monday, May 7. The call, which included elected officials and student leaders from across the country, concerned the the effort to prevent interest rates on student loans from increasing this summer.

Collins was joined by Rosa Abraha from College Park.

More photos and information about the call can be found on the White House blog.

(Photo: MDGovpics)

Robert Deluty, associate dean of the graduate school, has published a new
book of poetry, “Particles of Life.” In his review, Dr. Ronald Pies writes:

“In the Jewish mystical tradition, it is mankind’s task to release the hidden ‘sparks’ of divinity that are trapped within the material world. In his wonderful new collection of poems, Robert Deluty achieves something akin to this, by releasing the poetry within the common ‘particles of life.’ This, Dr. Deluty accomplishes with his usual blend of humor, sharp-eyed realism, and deeply humane understanding.”

Copies of “Particles of Life,” as well as of Deluty’s other books, are on sale at the UMBC Bookstore.

Tom Beck, Chief Curator, was interviewed about “Photographic Memory: Civil War Photographs from UMBC’s Special Collections” by Bill Vanko on WBAL’s “Maryland’s Morning News.” He described the exhibition and said that the intention of the show is commemorate the 150 anniversary of the Civil War.

The University System of Maryland is asking faculty, staff, students and parents to contact their state legislators to encourage them to keep supporting public higher education in Maryland. You can learn more about the USM effort here.

The USM Student Council also has produced a video, asking lawmakers to keep public higher education in Maryland affordable.

From Ben Lowenthal, Associate Vice President, Financial Services

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Charlene Uhl as Director of Budget & Financial Analysis in Financial Services, effective April 23, 2012.

Charlene has extensive experience in the state of Maryland budgeting arena, currently serving as Supervising Budget Examiner for Higher Education at the Maryland Department of Budget and Management. In addition, she has worked as a director of several non-profit and governmental agencies in her career, providing leadership and strategic direction, with a proven record of success. Charlene’s undergraduate degree is in Biology & Social Work. She also has a Masters in Educational Administration from the University of Maryland College Park. She brings 11 years of budgetary and financial analysis experience along with multiple years of supervisory and organizational skills to the position. Her experience and broad understanding of the inner workings of the state budget process will be valuable assets to UMBC in the years to come.

We are fortunate to have such an accomplished financial leader joining our team. Please join us in giving Charlene a warm welcome to UMBC.