From Larry Wilt, Director of the Library

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Robin Moskal and Joyce Tenney as Associate Directors, in recognition of their increasing roles in the management and leadership of the Library.

Robin Moskal first came to UMBC in 1989 as an Assistant Reference Librarian. Since that time she has held several positions at UMBC, most notably as head of Collection Management and Interlibrary Loan. Since 2008, she has served on an acting basis as the supervisor of Library Accounting & Receiving and of the Reference Department. These responsibilities are now permanent with her appointment as Associate Director.

Joyce Tenney began as a student assistant in the Library and was appointed Serials Librarian in 1983. She has supervised several other units in the Library on a temporary basis since that time. Since 2008 she has supervised the Circulation and Library Media Departments on an acting basis. These responsibilities are now permanent with her appointment as Associate Director.

Please join me in congratulating Robin and Joyce on their success.

Financial Services’ Contract and Grant Accounting Manager Aimee Howell conducted a NCURA sponsored Departmental Research Administration Workshop in Portland, Oregon last week. Geared specifically for the departmental administrator who must have knowledge of pre- and post-award functions, this was an opportunity for Aimee to share her vast expertise by leading participants through an examination of the foundations of research administration in the context of departmental administration—the transactional level. Thanks to Aimee’s enthusiasm and dedication to knowledge sharing, participants left the workshop with an increased understanding of how to apply best practices to a department administrator’s day-to-day activities.

From Freeman Hrabowski, President, and Philip Rous, Provost and Senior Vice President

We are delighted to share the news that UMBC has been recognized again as a national leader in innovation and undergraduate teaching in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges guide.

For the fourth year in a row, UMBC tops the U.S. News ranking of “Up-and-Coming” national universities, a place we share this year with George Mason University.

U.S. News also ranks UMBC eighth on a list of the national universities that excel in undergraduate teaching, tied with Duke University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame. As Americans consider the value of a college degree, this recognition is a reminder of what we all know firsthand – public universities can be exceptional.

When U.S. News says “Up-and-Coming” it is talking about universities that consistently find new ways to improve students’ educational experiences, that are entrepreneurial, and that are models for others. Specifically, the magazine asks presidents, provosts, and admissions deans all over the country to identify institutions that have “made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities.”

In short: They are looking for leaders. Congratulations to all our faculty, staff, and students who make UMBC just such a place.

The Baltimore Sun recently chronicled UMBC’s rise over the past two decades into a nationally-recognized powerhouse for academic innovation.

As the campus approaches its 50th anniversary in 2016, UMBC sports enviable credentials, the Sun wrote: “It’s cited as America’s top up-and-coming university and a leader in undergraduate teaching by U.S. News. It has an endowment of about $60 million, built from less than $1 million when Hrabowski took over. Research funding has risen from less than $10 million to about $90 million.”

While UMBC is known for excellence in a wide range of fields, the Sun notes that the university has found remarkable success in areas where higher education nationally has struggled. “Educational heavyweights such as MIT and Stanford have been to Catonsville to study the methods with which UMBC churns out elite black graduates in the sciences. How, they want to know, has a 46-year-old university, founded to serve commuters, cracked the code to one of American education’s most vexing problems?”

The piece comes as President Hrabowski marks his 20th year leading UMBC, and it paints a picture of university and leader both deeply committed to students’ success.

“This is a guy who’s on a flight to speak somewhere every other day,” Jeremy Brickey ’12, English, said of President Hrabowski. “But here he takes the time to talk with me for 30 minutes all the time. It’s amazing.”

Miguel Calderon ’12, Visual Arts, seconded that: “I can’t speak to other universities. But from what I hear, it’s not an everyday thing to see the president asking students, ‘How are your classes? What did you get on your last test? You didn’t do well? Maybe you need a tutor.’ It’s really a miraculous thing.”

More than that, though, President Hrabowski stressed that it’s a sign of the culture of UMBC, and of the dedication of so many faculty and staff members. It’s who we are.

“It is part of the work of education to have substantive relationships with your students,” President Hrabowski told the Sun. “What people don’t realize is that everybody needs support, one way or another.”

UMBC’s Training Centers launched its Cyber Academy program on September 10th, with the new certification program profiled by Baltimore Business Journal‘s Sarah Gantz in an article published September 7th.

In the subscriber-only article, UMBC Training Centers President Kent Malwitz spoke with Gantz about the idea behind the academy, where already-existing security courses will be tied with more specialized ones to aid in preparing students for entry-level technology jobs at cyber-security companies. The purpose will be to aid students who might not necessarily be as initially tech-oriented as others, and to help them gain more work in this information era, as well as the possible benefit to computer science students, as well.

“f you have a liberal arts background, you have a lot to bring to the table,” said Malwitz. “A lot of the knocks on people who are purely technical is they don’t have the communication skills.”

Gantz wrote that the program will be divided into three and four-week sessions, and will teach skills which can have immediate use as well give “a well-rounded understanding of how to apply technology in cyber security settings,” according to Homer Minnick III of  the university’s Center for Cybersecurity Training, who added that “the folks who really get into this are the ones who want to know how stuff works, [and have] a general thirst for more knowledge of whatever kind.”

Gantz wrote that as of July, there were 400 cyber security students involved in the Center for Cybersecurity Training, and with the addition of the Cyber Academy, the Center will grow to 1,200 by 2013.

Emerald Christopher has been selected as one of WREI’s 2013 Congressional Fellows on Women and Public Policy. “The Women’s Research & Education Institute (WREI) is an independent, public policy research and information center whose mission is to inform and help shape the public policy debate on issues affecting women and their roles in the family, the workplace, the classroom, the military, and the public arena.

The WREI Congressional Fellowship on Women and Public Policy is designed to train potential leaders in public policy formation to examine issues from the perspective, experiences, and needs of women. Administered by WREI, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization located in Washington, DC, this program is unique – the only fellowship program on Capitol Hill directly by, for, and about women.

Congratulations Emerald!

A WREI fellow works in a Congressional office as a legislative aide on policy issues affecting women. Fellows meet weekly for issue seminars directed by the WREI staff. Fellows are selected on the basis of academic competence as well as demonstrated interest in the public policy process. They must be articulate and adaptable and have strong writing skills” (WREI Fellows Brochure, 2013, web).

At the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Educators (NAEMSE), held on August 8, 2012, at the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort in Orland, Florida, Bruce J. Walz, PhD, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Walz is professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Health Services.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is a special award selected and approved by the NAEMSE Board of Directors to recognize a member who has made a significant long-term contribution to NAEMSE and the larger EMS community.

Dr. Walz is a charter member of NAEMSE and a past president. He has served on various committees and with numerous association projects. Most notably, he represented NAEMSE and EMS educators in general as legislative liaison and as president and a board member of Advocates for EMS. He was involved with the development of the National EMS Education Standards and currently serves on the NAEMSE Governance Committee. He is a contributing author to the association’s principle publication, Foundations of Education: An EMS Approach. He is frequently called upon to represent NAEMSE at federal and national association meetings in the Washington, DC area.

Ellen Hemmerly, executive director for bwtech@UMBC, was profiled in Catonsville Patch by reporter Meg Tipper August 12th.

The article covered not only Hemmerly’s background, family life, as well as her work and research at bwtech@UMBC, but her involvement and thoughts on the greater Catonsville community, as well. Speaking on what she would like to see happen in the area’s future, Hemmerly told Tipper that “Catonsville could have a better mix of retail, more mixed use housing, and more activities on Frederick Road.  We could make the business district more attractive than it is.  I also would love for Catonsville and UMBC to be better integrated.  There is so much potential for both.”

TO:         UMBC Faculty and Staff
FROM:    Yvette Mozie-Ross, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management

After 32 years of distinguished service to UMBC, Bobbie Shahpazian will retire on August 31, 2012.   Bobbie began her career with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in 1977 as part of an all new admissions staff focused on the recruitment of freshmen, international students and incoming merit scholars.  She was soon promoted to Associate Director and after taking a brief sabbatical to travel she rejoined the university as a scholarship counselor.  Bobbie worked with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office through the early 90’s awarding merit scholarships to incoming students.  She was promoted to Assistant Director of Scholarships and later to the Associate Director of scholarships where she continues to serve our scholars and their families.

Those who have worked with Bobbie know her as a wonderful colleague and consummate professional.  Her deep understanding of the UMBC community has made her an invaluable resource and partner to individuals across the university.   Her energy and commitment to the development of our merit scholarship awarding and scholar programs have helped to build UMBC’s strong academic community.

Throughout the years, she has given tirelessly of herself, dedicating her professional career to the University.  Her commitment to UMBC, our scholars and their families have significantly supported UMBC’s growth and development.  Bobbie has built a distinguished legacy at UMBC that will connect her to the campus long after her retirement.

Please join the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at a reception to thank Bobbie and to celebrate her many years of service to the campus. We will gather on Wednesday, September 19th, 10 am – noon in the Library Gallery. Individuals attending are asked to RSVP by Friday, September 8th to Lu Caldwell at lcaldwel@umbc.edu.

If you would like to contribute toward a gift you may contact Stephanie Johnson at x.51517 by Friday, September 8th.

A number of news outlets have noted that UMBC again made The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of “Great Colleges to Work For.” This marks the third time in a row UMBC has made the annual list, the latest of which was published August 6.

Here’s a sampling of the coverage:

ABC-2 News – “UMBC among best colleges to work for”

Baltimore Business Journal – “Four Maryland colleges among best places to work”

Arbutus Patch – “UMBC Named ‘Great College to Work For'” 

The Huffington Post – “The Best Colleges to Work For: Chronicle of Higher Education List 2012”