In fall 2011, Michele Osherow, associate professor of English, and Manil Suri, professor of mathematics, collaborated to jointly teach a freshman seminar, “Mathematics and What It Means to be Human,” in which they explored the connections between the two disciplines.

They are discussing their collaboration, and its challenges, in a three-part series on The Chronicle of Higher Education.

In the first part of the series, the two discuss what led them to teach the class, and their experiences in planning it.

“Ever since the word problems my father forced on us at dinner, I’ve always been terrified of math,” Osherow says. “Manil had made the math in the play [Arcadia] interesting and almost familiar; the complexities hypnotized me a bit… Might the allure of mathematics captivate the incoming freshmen? Hard to tell, but if it could, I was sure Manil was the person to supply it.”

“When Michele tantalized me with a whole semester’s worth of such highs with a class full of enthusiastic (OK, at least captive) students, the endorphin factory in my brain went into high alert,” writes Suri.

In the second installment of the series, the two discuss the challenges of teaching the course (including their own conflicts), and watching their students discover the connections between the disciplines.

“I think the students liked those days when Manil and I went at it. I liked those moments, too, because I not only had to confront another perspective head on but also had to challenge my own. I loved seeing the baffled expressions of the students while their instructors disagreed; the things we were asking them to consider were perplexing and appropriate,” writes Osherow.

“They’d now glimpsed the future: the digitalization of the humanities, the emphasis on statistical and quantified evidence, the interconnectedness of human experience,” says Suri.

In the third, and final, installment, the two professors write about the students’ final projects (“Mathematically deepest of all was an instrumental composition that musically interpreted what it means to be a sine (or cosine) function—by a humanities scholar inspired to take calculus this semester,” writes Suri) and the ultimate value of the class.

“Though there are a lot—I won’t say infinite, but an impressive batch of natural numbers’ worth—of moments I’d redo if I could, I would not have missed out on co-teaching this seminar, tricky as it was. There is a language to mathematics, and I’m devoted to seeing what language produces and provokes.,” Osherow concludes.

Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American studies, appeared on Midday with Dan Rodricks on Tuesday, October 9 to discuss the upcoming election.  Moffitt discussed both the presidential election and Maryland ballot initiatives with Rodricks, the other guests, and callers.

The first topic the group covered was the widespread consensus that Barack Obama lost the first presidential debate.  This led to Mitt Romney’s poll numbers going up despite the fact that the unemployment rate fell below 8 percent.

“Visuals make a difference for us. Being able to see Romney come out and be aggressive, seem confident and show us that he had the ability to be a president is what really stuck with the American people, and that is what carried us through the weekend, instead of talking about the job numbers. [The job numbers] didn’t hold water for us, but the visual of seeing him on that split screen with Obama who seemed very reserved and not his usual self, is what made the huge difference,” Moffitt said.

The full interview can be heard online here.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded researchers from UMBC’s Center for Aging Studies a three-year research grant totaling $1,366,702 to examine “The Subjective Experience of Diabetes among Urban Older Adults.” This ethnographic study seeks to inform targeted interventions to improve diabetes-related outcomes among underrepresented populations. Results may be used to design more sensitive and culturally appropriate education and self-management programs.

The Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE) welcomes  Dr. James Connolly, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Northeastern University, as guest for the seminar “Organizing Urban Ecosystem Governance through Environmental Stewardship in New York City” this Friday, October 12th.

The seminar is the latest for CUERE’s Fall 2012 Seminar Series, which has been held annually since 2003. It begins at 2 PM, and will be hosted in Room 206 of the Technology Research Center, and is free and open to the public. 

Former Retriever midfielders Terry Kimener ’09, American studies, and Peet Poillon ’10, interdisciplinary studies, were part of the United States national lacrosse team which conducted an intrasquad scrimmage yesterday (October 7) at the Capital Lacrosse Classic at Landon School in Bethesda. This was the latest step for the U.S. team as it prepares for tryouts next summer before the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships in Commerce City, Colo.

The scrimmage was also a preview of the Champion Challenge from Jan. 25-27 in Orlando, Fla., when the defending gold medalists will scrimmage at least one NCAA team.

This will be Kimener’s first competition in the red, white and blue.  In his sixth MLL season, the three-time All-American (2006-08) and 2008 America East Player of the Year had a break-out season with the Denver Outlaws in 2012, scoring 17 goals and adding 18 assists.

His Outlaw teammate Poillon tied for ninth in scoring in 2012 with 40 points (24-13-40) and surpassed the 100-point plateau (75-32-113) in his fifth MLL season. Poillon was a Second Team All-American for UMBC in 2009.

– Originally published on UMBCRetrievers.com

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski hosted the second annual 1966 Society dinner on September 19 in the 4th Floor English Department Conference Room in UMBC’s new Performing Arts and Humanities Building. The 1966 Society celebrates those individual members who have identified the UMBC Foundation in their estate plans.

Guests had a terrific view of the campus and the Baltimore skyline as they enjoyed their evening.

During dinner, Dr. Jessica Berman, Chair of the Department of English, welcomed them to the English department and described how introductory courses are being redesigned to improve students’ writing skills and incorporate new technology.

Earlier that day, the 1966 Society members were invited to attend the ceremonial ribbon cutting and ground breaking for the Performing Arts and Humanities Building by Maryland Governor Martin O’ Malley; a presentation on cultural spaces hosted in partnership with the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, and an outdoor festival of arts and humanities. The evening ended with a Humanities Forum lecture featuring Pauline Yu, President of the
American Council of Learned Societies.

Please contact Kim Robinson at trowbrid@umbc.edu or 410-455-3700 if you have included the UMBC Foundation in your estate plans so we can invite you to next year’s dinner.

In one month Maryland voters will decide whether to allow undocumented immigrants who graduate from Maryland high schools and meet other requirements to pay in-county/in-state tuition at local community colleges and public universities. Until now, voters had little information to go on about the Dream Act’s likely effects, but a new report from UMBC professors T.H. Gindling (economics) and Marvin Mandell (public policy) offers hard data on its economic impacts.

“Private and Government Fiscal Costs and Benefits of the Maryland Dream Act” is a working paper funded by the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR) at UMBC. The conclusion: For each annual cohort of students who utilize the Dream Act, total net benefits to the economy are approximately $66 million.

The Baltimore Sun heralded the study’s detailed analysis and concluded: “The emotional, philosophical and moral debates stirred by the referendum on this issue are certainly important. But on a practical level, there is no question: The Dream Act is good for Maryland.” The Washington Post and WYPR’s Maryland Morning featured additional comments from researchers Gindling and Mandell.

Access the full working paper and a policy brief summarizing the study at umbc.edu/mipar.

Update (10/16/2012): Additional coverage has appeared in the Gazette, Daily Record Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, DC Examiner, Westminster Patch and Lutherville-Timonium Patch. WYPR’s Inside Maryland Politics, Immigration Impact, Capital News Service (1, 2), ABC2News and WBAL and have also reported on this study.

UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, takes your questions.

Q. When you speak about UMBC’s achievements, you always stress the contribution made by your predecessor as president: the late Michael Hooker. What is his legacy at UMBC? What role did he play in your life as a mentor and friend? — Richard Byrne ’86, English

A. Michael Hooker was capable of seeing what others did not think possible. He clearly saw the great potential of UMBC to become an increasingly important institution of higher education in our country.

He had no trouble saying that UMBC was going to be the best university of its size and its kind in the country. And it sounded like hyperbole. Except he really believed it.

Michael also saw that the entire Baltimore region could go to the next level by focusing on higher education. He got a number of people to visit the university. He also began to see taking people to the roof of [the Administration Building] as a way to allow them to see the campus – and the campus connection with downtown Baltimore. I take people to the roof because Michael taught me to take people to the roof.

Wherever Michael Hooker went, whether it was to Massachusetts, or to North Carolina, or when he was here at UMBC, people called him a whirlwind. He had a way of moving with great energy and excitement. People were either fascinated with him, or they were bothered by what he said. And Michael preferred people being bothered by what he said to being boring.

I was always taken by his intellectual curiosity. He was always excited by what was new at UMBC, and he was seeking it out and asking questions – be it in the labs or in the theatre productions.

When I first visited here, and I was not necessarily thinking of moving to this university, Michael said to me: “You’d be good for UMBC. And UMBC would be good for you. It’s time for you to move to another position.” And at first it somewhat upset me. I thought: “This man doesn’t know me. How dare he say what’s best for me?” But he had a way of saying it with confidence. And as intellectual as he was, he used his gut in making decisions. He saw that he could trust me.

He told me on the first day I came to work here as vice provost: “You’re going to be president of this place one day.” And I said: “Yeah, right, Michael.” I was always saying that to him: “Yeah, right, Michael.”

We were constantly memorizing things and reciting them together. Poetry, or things we had read. He was always pushing me. Another quality Michael possessed, however, was that he listened. My argument to him was that we needed to make sure that all of UMBC’s students – graduate and undergraduate – were having a good experience. He listened, and then he said: “Well, do it. Make it happen.” He liked bringing people with good ideas around and having them take those ideas to reality.

Michael had tremendous pride in UMBC as an institution, even after he left. When you look at the True Grit statue outside the Retriever Activities Center, that was Michael, too. If you asked him what he did at UMBC that really mattered, he’d say that he wanted that dog out front. As a symbol. At the time, it seemed like a kooky idea. But whenever Michael came back to campus, he would point to it.

To the very end, when Michael was dying and I went to see him at National Institutes of Health, his eyes reflected his spirit. He was still elevating and supporting me. He wanted to hear about UMBC. He always sang UMBC’s praises.

To send a question to President Hrabowski, click here.

Traditions don’t start easily. Someone has to plant the seeds. Attract attention to them. Nurture them. Allow them both to grow and take root.

The image on the cover of the Fall 2012 issue of UMBC Magazine is one tradition that has taken root at the university. UMBC’s presidential insignia – worn by the university’s president at every commencement – was a gift from the university’s Alumni Association that recognized the school’s milestone 30th anniversary in 1996.

The insignia was purposely created to have a contemporary look that reflected the innovation that characterized the institution. The insignia’s design includes not only the university seal, but also incorporates three symbols that represent the key pillars upon which UMBC stands as a proud public university in Maryland: teaching, research and service. There are also visual references to the iconic Albin O. Kuhn Library in its design – rooting the insignia firmly in campus space.

At the time of its completion in 1998, UMBC’s director of alumni relations Joan Williams observed that she hoped the insignia was “just the beginning of many more traditions to come.” But little did she know that the president who first wore the insignia 14 years ago would still be the university’s leader in 2012.

Our cover story in this issue examines the 20 years of transformation at UMBC that have occurred under the leadership of Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. (See “From Aspiration to Achievement”).

Stability also helps nurture traditions. UMBC’s two decades with Hrabowski at the helm have given the university the ability to innovate in an environment of continuity – and thus advance the commitment to teaching, research and service that are part of the design of the university and its insignia.

As a young university with a growing sense of its legacy and its promise, the students, faculty, and staff of UMBC make history every day. And alumni can do it, too. Everything that happens at UMBC now lays the foundation for the university’s future.

For instance, every year that there is a bonfire at UMBC Homecoming brings that conflagration another step away from being an “annual event” and one step closer to being a “tradition.” And every year that The Retriever Weekly publishes during the first week of school – as it has since 1966 – makes the university’s student newspaper more of an institution.

Both the bonfire and The Retriever Weekly will figure prominently in this year’s UMBC Homecoming 2012. The bonfire will be set at dusk on Wednesday, October 10. And a reunion of staff members of The Retriever Weekly will happen on Saturday, October 13, at 2:30 p.m.

We hope to see you at Homecoming 2012. You will see how UMBC nurtures the traditions it has as it creates new ones – and you can help us make history in continuing them.

— Richard Byrne ’86

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

By the time you read this, the first phase of UMBC’s Performing Arts and Humanities Building will already be teeming with students and faculty eager to study, teach, work and play in the brand-new space.

So what are they seeing as they walk into the building? UMBC Magazine managed to get a peek as the furniture arrived – and just before faculty and staff moved into the place in late July.

One of the jewels of the new building is the 275- seat proscenium theater (1), which is a significant upgrade on the theatre department’s former performing space, which opened in 1968. The upgrade isn’t just in the sightlines and the two tiers of seating, but also in much wider and taller expanses available for set design and construction backstage.

Another feature of note in the new building is the strong use of natural light in the design. The emphasis on natural light in conference rooms and classrooms (2) also comes with impressive views of other parts of campus, including the nearby Fine Arts Building. And the open vistas of public space such as the building’s main entrance (3) allow the natural light to play on architectural features such as the pronounced curved design encompassing the Dresher Center for the Humanities.

The first phase of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building also includes a state-of-theart black box theatre (above) for smaller scale productions. The design of the black box allows for a variety of lighting possibilities within the space (4), and room for audiences of up to 120 guests.

In addition to housing the theatre department and the Dresher Center for the Humanities, the first phase of the building is also home to the English Department (5), the Linehan Artist Scholars Program, and the Humanities Scholars Program. Both on the outside (6) and the inside, students, faculty, staff, and visitors will see a building that not only is aesthetically pleasing, but advances teaching, research, and creative endeavors at UMBC.

But what those who work, study, or attend performances in the new building’s first phase won’t necessarily see may be just as important. The Performing Arts and Humanities Building is projected to incorporate enough sustainable design strategies to be designated as a LEED Silver project.

Literally from top to bottom, the building has features that are designed to advance the university’s sustainability efforts. The building’s white roof aims to reduce the structure’s “heat island” effect. The impervious area around the building has been shrunken to reduce rainwater runoff, and pervious concrete has been employed to aid with that effort. There is even a system that harvests rainwater for irrigation.

While the fences and cranes have moved from the front of the building, the work site at the north edge of campus won’t be closing down anytime soon. Construction has already begun on phase two of the building, which will open in 2014 and provide a new home for the departments of dance, music, philosophy and ancient studies, as well as a 350-seat concert hall and a 120-seat dance studio. For more information about the opening festivities on Wednesday, September 19, including a ceremonial ribbon cutting with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, a presentation on cultural spaces hosted in collaboration with the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, an outdoor celebration of the arts and humanities, and a Humanities Forum lecture featuring American Council of Learned Societies President Pauline Yu, see our online calendar.

— Richard Byrne ’86

OVAL OFFER

Call it “Mr. Hrabowski Goes to Washington.”

UMBC’s president Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, stood with other leaders behind Barack Obama on July 26 in the Oval Office of the White House, watching as the nation’s 44th president signed an executive order creating the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Hrabowski was named chair of the new commission, which will coordinate the response of federal agencies to this critical issue and identify best practices nationwide. The commission also will lead a national dialogue on African American achievement from early childhood through adulthood.

UMBC’s president believes that the lessons learned during his 20-year tenure will inform his leadership of the commission.

“The work of my colleagues at UMBC has demonstrated that education in America can be both inclusive and excellent,” Hrabowski observed. “Our African American students study with people from all over the world and achieve at the highest levels. I am delighted that the President is again committing to the success of all students.”

Hrabowski will also draw on his other work on national education issues, including chairing a National Academy of Sciences committee that examined minority participation in the sciences. That committee’s final report concluded that the United States must significantly increase its investment in young people of all races interested in science, technology, engineering and math to remain competitive in the global economy.

— Elyse Ashburn and Richard Byrne’ 86

WELCOME BACK

Maybe it’s been a few years since you took your last exam at UMBC. So what better time to pay a return visit to campus than October 10th to 13th for Retriever Fever: Homecoming 2012?

UMBC’s Homecoming Committee has arranged for a wide array of events and activities to lure you back. Among the highlights?

• Homecoming Bonfire & Outdoor Movie  Warm up at one of UMBC’s cherished traditions and catch a free outdoor showing of The Amazing Spider-Man. (Wednesday, October 10, at dusk, Erickson Field)
• Outstanding Alumni of the Year Awards   UMBC’s Alumni Association honors distinguished alumni for their accomplishments and dedication to the university. (Thursday, October 11, 7:30 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery)
• Big Prize Poetry SLAM!   Get your first glimpse of the new Performing Arts and Humanities Building at a reading hosted by UMBC’s English Department. (Friday, October 11. 6-8 p.m., Performing Arts and Humanities Building Atrium)
• Reinventing Radio: A Morning with Ira Glass   Listen to the creator of This American Life, heard on more than 500 public radio stations each week. (Saturday, October 13, 10 a.m., University Center Ballroom)
• UMBC vs. Boston University  The UMBC men’s soccer team takes on Boston University in a must-see America East conference matinee (Saturday, October 13, 3 p.m., Retriever Soccer Park)
• Taste of UMBC: Crab Feast  It doesn’t get more Maryland than delicious crabs, great friends and music! (Saturday, October 13, 5-8 p.m., UMBC Quad)

You can find information on more events and how to register at the UMBC Homecoming 2012 website.

— Richard Byrne ’86

LABOR WE LOVE

UMBC is a fast-growing public university, but one of its successes is that it still retains the personal touch of a much smaller institution.

One reason that UMBC has managed to make a midsized research university so welcoming is the university’s dedicated faculty and staff – many of whom go the extra mile to ensure student success, clear up red tape, obtain resources to create environments for exceptional teaching and research, or keep the campus looking attractive and inviting.

That UMBC’s faculty and staff enjoy that work is also part of its reputation. The university’s annual faculty and staff awards program is an annual highlight on the community’s calendar. And one can find even more confirmation of that positive attitude in the latest edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual survey of “Great Colleges to Work For.”

UMBC was named to the “Honor Roll” in the Chronicle’s 2012 survey because its own faculty and staff ranked it highly in seven of the 12 areas canvassed by the newspaper. Those who work at UMBC ranked the university highly for its “collaborative governance,” “professional and career development,” “work/ life balance,” “confidence in senior leadership,” “supervisor/department chair relationship,” “respect and appreciation,” and “tenure clarity and process.”

Schools that earn mentions in a category must rank in the top ten of one of three categories, sorted by enrollment. The responses to the survey by UMBC employees selected at random are a key factor in the rankings.

— Richard Byrne ’86

THE RIGHT CHEMISTRY

William LaCourse, one of the pioneers in UMBC’s efforts to reshape its curriculum for the 21st century, has been appointed as dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. He served for almost a year as the interim dean of the college.

UMBC provost Philip Rous lauded LaCourse’s “commitment to enhancing student success at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, to the advancement of faculty, and to forging new links with business, national agencies, and universities at both the college and university level.”

LaCourse joined UMBC’s faculty in 1992. He received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Northeastern University in 1987, and worked at Iowa State University/Ames Laboratory before arriving at UMBC.

As the chair of UMBC’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, LaCourse was the founder of the Chemistry Discovery Center, an innovative team approach that removes distractions (no food, no cell phones) and compels students to grapple collectively with the knowledge that they imbibe in the lecture hall.

“The idea is to get them in there to share their collective thoughts,” LaCourse told UMBC Magazine in a 2010 story on the center. “Give them roles to perform, take away their pads and pencils, and make them talk.”

The Chemistry Discovery Center has served as a model for wider innovations in curriculum at UMBC, including the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences’ Active Science Teaching and Learning Environment (CASTLE), which serves a wider range of students in the sciences and math. Both the Chemistry Discovery Center and CASTLE have been adapted at other universities across the country as well.

— Richard Byrne ’86