We’re less than a week away from #GivingTuesday, a national day of giving on December 3rd. UMBC’s students and alumni are working to change the world, and on #GivingTuesday, you can be a part of it.

Throughout the last month, the UMBC Annual Fund has shared stories of how our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are working to change the world. We’ve gotten a peek at how the Engineers Without Borders group will bring clean water to Isongo, Kenya. We’ve learned about UMBC’s mission to create a more inclusive campus through LGBTQ programs and initiatives. And we’ve tapped our feet to songs that will be on the Down and Dirty Dawg Band’s new CD.

Here are just a few things the people involved with those projects had to say:

“Engineers Without Borders-UMBC relies on gifts to fulfill our mission of implementing environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects, while developing globally aware and internationally responsible students and engineers. We especially appreciate gifts from alumni because we believe that EWB-UMBC not only promotes projects in the developing world, but also transformative experiences for UMBC students.”

~Lee Blaney, assistant professor and advisor for EWB

“[Your support] means the world to the band. If you’re an alumni of the band and had a great experience, your donation will help ensure that the next generation of students have the same positive experience.”

~Matt Basch ’08,  ’10, Director, Down and Dirty Dawg Band

“To support UMBC as an alum is a no-brainer. As a student, I felt the positive impact [of donor support], and I want to live up to Dr. Hrabowski’s motto that of those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

~Chris Magaha ’03, donor to LGBTQ programs & initiatives

They’ve had their say. Now it’s your turn.
Will you join us in making a difference on #GivingTuesday?

Via the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship:

In the spirit of entrepreneurship itself, the Alex. Brown Center is pleased to announce a new minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation this fall. This new minor will not be housed under any one major, allowing any student to declare it and any faculty member to incorporate it in their curriculum. Faculty Fellow Bill LaCourse says the initial spark for the minor was to “infuse entrepreneurship into the university, looking for methodology and pathways that don’t disrupt the system.” He goes on to explain that everyone at UMBC is an entrepreneur – everyone here is in the “business of education,” from learning and teaching to grant writing and research.

Two new entrepreneurship courses will be introduced this fall. Both courses will give students a good entrepreneurial mind set and skill set that will be invaluable to them as they head into their own disciplines. Entrepreneurial Mindset, taught by guest instructor and serial entrepreneur Gib Mason ’95, will give students the tools necessary to apply entrepreneurial thinking to their studies, work and life. Through case studies, texts, projects, magazines and blogs, students will explore what it means to think like an entrepreneur, and how they can establish and leverage an entrepreneurial mindset to achieve career success. Mason says, “I am a very passionate person. My hope is that I can instill in the folks that take the class a passion behind one’s ideas and desires.” He is excited to return to a campus he knows very well and to “unlock the entrepreneurship in all of us.”

Learn more…

It’s freshman orientation 1983 and your parents have dropped you off way too early. So, what do you do to pass the time while the other students arrive?
Do you study? Tour the campus? Twiddle your thumbs quietly?
If you’re like Lisa and Dwayne Price, you very well might fall in love.
“Dwayne was almost literally the first guy I laid eyes on at UMBC,” said the former Lisa Dates, who, like her husband, arrived on campus very early.
“We got to know each other during the orientation, remained friends, and later started dating in the second semester of freshman year.”
Made for each other
After they met, it didn’t take Lisa and Dwayne long to figure out they had a lot in common. Both grew up in Prince George’s County, MD. Both were active students. And both planned to major in Information Systems at UMBC.
While at UMBC, the couple threw themselves into their studies while making plenty of time for fun student activities. Dwayne played an array of intramural sports – tennis, table tennis, basketball (for which Lisa acted as a cheerleader) and football. Lisa took on duties with the Office of Residential Life, organized events like UMBC’s first water gun fight, and volunteered as a “sweetheart” for the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. She also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration as a Cooperative Education student.
Still, being together was the best activity of all.
“In terms of romance, walking the campus loop was a favorite activity for us, when we weren’t studying,” said Lisa.
Achieving their goals
Two years after graduating from UMBC, Lisa and Dwayne married. Already deep into their blossoming careers in IT, they decided to return to school to earn their master’s degrees before having children.
“We both understand and appreciate the opportunities education brings,” said Dwayne. “We both started graduate school part-time within a few years after earning our undergraduate degrees. We achieved our goal of earning our advanced degrees before we started our family.”
Over time, Lisa earned her master’s in IT from Johns Hopkins and a project management certificate from George Washington University. Dwayne also earned a master’s in IT from Bowie State University.
The decision paid off for both. Today, Dwayne is director of information technology for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Lisa is director of IT project management for the Board of Education of Prince George’s County Public Schools. In addition, in 2003 Lisa was selected from a nationwide pool as a participant in the American Society of Association Executives’ Diversity Executive Leadership Program. She also served a term on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors.
“I enjoy the continued ability to apply technology to the field of education,” said Lisa of her job. “It’s particularly gratifying to support my own community and county. However, the best part of my job is collaborating with my staff, an excellent, hardworking team that rises to any challenge.”
The secret to their success
So what’s the trick to staying happily in love for nearly 20 years? For the Prices, it’s family, commitment, honesty, humor and faith.
“Our shared Christian faith is essential to our marriage,” said Dwayne. “And we really do believe we were made for each other.”
The couple has two children (or “future UMBC alums,” as the Prices call them), son Devin, 13, and daughter Layne, 12. Devin shares the name of friend and fellow UMBC alumnus, Devin Walker, and Layne’s name – crafted during their college days – is a combination of her parents’ first names, a constant reminder of their special union.
“The friendship, love, and respect that we experienced in courtship continue to be the hallmarks of our marriage,” said Lisa. “As my husband and friend, Dwayne is the very best souvenir I could have received from UMBC…in addition to the excellent education, of course!”
– Jenny O’Grady
Originally posted February 2007

It’s freshman orientation 1983 and your parents have dropped you off way too early. So, what do you do to pass the time while the other students arrive?

Do you study? Tour the campus? Twiddle your thumbs quietly?

If you’re like Lisa and Dwayne Price, you very well might fall in love.

“Dwayne was almost literally the first guy I laid eyes on at UMBC,” said the former Lisa Dates, who, like her husband, arrived on campus very early.

“We got to know each other during the orientation, remained friends, and later started dating in the second semester of freshman year.”

Made for each other

After they met, it didn’t take Lisa and Dwayne long to figure out they had a lot in common. Both grew up in Prince George’s County, MD. Both were active students. And both planned to major in Information Systems at UMBC.

While at UMBC, the couple threw themselves into their studies while making plenty of time for fun student activities. Dwayne played an array of intramural sports – tennis, table tennis, basketball (for which Lisa acted as a cheerleader) and football. Lisa took on duties with the Office of Residential Life, organized events like UMBC’s first water gun fight, and volunteered as a “sweetheart” for the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. She also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration as a Cooperative Education student.

Still, being together was the best activity of all.

“In terms of romance, walking the campus loop was a favorite activity for us, when we weren’t studying,” said Lisa.

Achieving their goals

Two years after graduating from UMBC, Lisa and Dwayne married. Already deep into their blossoming careers in IT, they decided to return to school to earn their master’s degrees before having children.

“We both understand and appreciate the opportunities education brings,” said Dwayne. “We both started graduate school part-time within a few years after earning our undergraduate degrees. We achieved our goal of earning our advanced degrees before we started our family.”

Over time, Lisa earned her master’s in IT from Johns Hopkins and a project management certificate from George Washington University. Dwayne also earned a master’s in IT from Bowie State University.

The decision paid off for both. Today, Dwayne is director of information technology for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Lisa is director of IT project management for the Board of Education of Prince George’s County Public Schools. In addition, in 2003 Lisa was selected from a nationwide pool as a participant in the American Society of Association Executives’ Diversity Executive Leadership Program. She also served a term on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors.

“I enjoy the continued ability to apply technology to the field of education,” said Lisa of her job. “It’s particularly gratifying to support my own community and county. However, the best part of my job is collaborating with my staff, an excellent, hardworking team that rises to any challenge.”

The secret to their success

So what’s the trick to staying happily in love for nearly 20 years? For the Prices, it’s family, commitment, honesty, humor and faith.

“Our shared Christian faith is essential to our marriage,” said Dwayne. “And we really do believe we were made for each other.”

The couple has two children (or “future UMBC alums,” as the Prices call them), son Devin, 13, and daughter Layne, 12. Devin shares the name of friend and fellow UMBC alumnus, Devin Walker, and Layne’s name – crafted during their college days – is a combination of her parents’ first names, a constant reminder of their special union.

“The friendship, love, and respect that we experienced in courtship continue to be the hallmarks of our marriage,” said Lisa. “As my husband and friend, Dwayne is the very best souvenir I could have received from UMBC…in addition to the excellent education, of course!”

– Jenny O’Grady
Originally posted February 2007

When it comes to spotting trends, Jamie Smith Hopkins ’98 is – appropriately – usually one step ahead of her competitors.
At 28 years old, Hopkins’ instinctive nose for news and willingness to complete months-long data studies have already propelled her to the top of her craft as a business reporter for the Baltimore Sun. Just last month, in addition to six other awards, the former UMBC valedictorian was named top journalist under the age of 30 by the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
And to think, much of Hopkins’ training came from her time as a staff reporter and editor for UMBC’s student newspaper, the Retriever.
“It was very good training,” said Hopkins, an English major with a minor in journalism, of her time on the editorial staff. “It was an interesting lesson into the First Amendment and the responsibilities that come with it.”
A Columbia native, Hopkins grew up with a slightly different path in mind – to become an animator for Disney. While taking classes during high school at Howard Community College, she started writing a comic strip called “Jamie’s World,” which chronicled the life of a college student.
Upon arriving at UMBC, however, Hopkins was drawn in by the Retriever and another lifelong love – writing. She met her future husband, Edward Hopkins ’96, interdisciplinary studies, while on the newspaper staff. During her tenure at UMBC, Hopkins also completed internships with Patuxent Publishing and the Baltimore Sun. She credits UMBC journalism instructor Christopher Corbett with helping her make the transition from student to professional writer.
“He was so very helpful all the way through,” she said. “He’d take frenzied calls at all hours saying ‘This happened! What are we going to do?’ He was always calm and talked us out of our tree.”
After graduating with highest honors, Hopkins spent a year in Iowa at the Ames Tribune. The following year, she began her career with the Baltimore Sun, starting off as an education reporter in the Howard County bureau. Over time, she moved into business writing, covering larger trend stories for the metro section. These days, her beat is the regional economy.
Hopkins’ experiences using computer-assisted reporting – which includes tracking data over long periods of time to determine trends – came in very handy following the release of the United States Census in 2000. Most recently she spent six months tracking home sales prices by zip code for a series of articles on trends in the regional housing market.
Ultimately, the research paid off. Not only did the series educate readers about the reasons for Baltimore’s housing boom, but they also won her national recognition in the form of awards from the NAREE (best overall individual entry, best serial in any medium and top journalist under the age of 30).
According to a story in the Sun, the national real estate group said Hopkins “provided riveting examples of flight from Washington to Baltimore in search of cheap housing.”
The news came as no surprise to Hopkins’ former teacher.
“The thing about Jamie was she was extremely mature and focused from the minute she came (to UMBC),” Corbett said. “She set a very high standard at the Retriever.”
Hopkins, of course, takes the recognition all in stride. As a young journalist, she knows she still has much ahead of her. However, even with her hectic daily schedule she makes time to come back to UMBC every so often.
“Whenever (Corbett) asks me to come back to speak to the students, I always do,” she said. “Because, I really do appreciate all he did for me.”
– Jenny O’Grady
Originally published June 2006