Our students are in schools within several institutions within the University System of Maryland. Some go to school in, are from, or serve in the areas that have been hardest hit by the unrest. In the spirit of community, we know that our graduate students, staff, and alumni have been working to share in the clean up, offer support, and serve others. The sense of community extends outside of the walls of the institution. As we learn more, we will share information, as we stand strong with Baltimore.

In order to load all lab and lecture hall PCs with our standard set of software (known as an "image"), all requests for additions or changes for Fall 2015, the lab & lecture hall software "image" deadline is Friday, May 1 (https://wiki.umbc.edu/x/BofHAQ). All software requests must be made each semester (see instructions below).

To be added to the lab & lecture hall image, DoIT must have the following:

• Proof of purchase/licenses
• Media and software installation instructions

Please submit an RT ticket containing the required information or contact 410.455.3838 and a Technology Support Center (TSC) staff member will assist you. If the request is not received by the deadline, we can not guarantee the requested software will be made available.

For an instructor-only demo of software, please use a laptop. If you don't have a laptop, you can reserve one by completing the AV Services Request Form (http://doit.umbc.edu/request-av-services/).  It will be available for pick up at AV Services (020 ENGR Bldg).  Please allow 2-3 days for the request.

If you need software installed on the lab image for a one-time purpose (for example, a 2-day workshop in which all users need access to the software), the request should be submitted no less than six (6) weeks prior to the first lab reservation for that class. The software will be removed once you are finished.

An e-mail confirmation of the RT ticket will be sent to the requester once the software is installed, typically 1-2 week(s) before the first use of the software; faculty/instructors need to then test the software to ensure everything is working as expected for class.Support for the software is the responsibility of the instructor or department who requested that the software be installed.

Again, proof of purchase and/or license must be provided for as many copies as will be needed for the students in the class. We cannot install software without appropriate proof of licensing.

Although DoIT will make every effort to get all software packages to work, we can not guarantee that they will. Some packages may not function in our environment as they must “coexist” with many other applications. Additional information on this process can be found at https://wiki.umbc.edu/x/BofHAQ

UPDATE, 4/29/15: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING THE BALTIMORE CURFEW WHICH NECESSITATES A CHANGE OF SCHEDULE. HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR A VISIT TO FROSTBURG IN THE NEAR FUTURE. 

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PROMISE will be joining Frostburg State University for their undergraduate symposium, on Friday, May 1, 2015. If you are interested in joining us, please send email to promisestaff@gmail.com, with the subject “Frostburg.” We will leave UMBC’s campus around 7AM on that Friday morning, and will return Friday night around  9 PM.

PROMISE participants will have opportunities to mentor undergraduates during the day. There will be a PROMISE talk at 3PM that afternoon. Frostburg is one of the schools that is part of our University System of Maryland PROMISE AGEP.

Here is the information that was shared by Frostburg’s graduate dean, Vickie Mazer:

Calling all STEM Students (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

Is Graduate School In Your Future?

Begin your Planning Now

Dr. Renetta Tull

Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development & Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Maryland Baltimore County

“Preparing for Graduate School”

May 1   3:00 to 4:00

It can never be too soon to begin preparing your next step toward your career path. Dr. Tull’s presentation will focus on how students in the STEM fields should prepare to improve admission and funding opportunities for graduate school.  

Dr. Tull is the Founding Director of PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), a program of the National Science Foundation. This program is intended to increase significantly the number of domestic students receiving doctoral degrees in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with special emphasis on those population groups underrepresented in these fields (i.e., African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders). In addition, AGEP is particularly interested in increasing the number of minorities who will enter the professoriate in these disciplines.

UPDATE: 4/30/15: This event will still take place on Saturday, 5/2. Please feel free to come out and take a brief break from your activities and join us from 1-4. We will celebrate graduates at 3. Given the current state of unrest, we also know that people are interested in knowing about opportunities to help in Baltimore. Informal sharing of information will be welcomed.

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Saturday, May 2, 2015: PROMISE AGEP Family and Friends Celebration of Graduates Cookout

You are invited to come, bring your friends, family, and anyone who supports your journey through graduate school. This event is free. Graduate students from all schools within the University System of Maryland (USM) are invited!

Here is a list, if your school is listed, you are invited! http://www.usmd.edu/institutions/

Alumni, faculty, and staff are invited.

Friends and family members of students who have participated in PROMISE are invited. 

If you are from another school, e.g., Howard, Hopkins, GW, and have come to a PROMISE event in the past such as SSI, you are also invited to participate.

Please register below.

Register for the PROMISE Friends and Family Cookout and Celebration of Graduates:

If you are graduating from a USM institution with an M.S. or Ph.D., please send an email to promisestaff@gmail.com with your name, school, department, and degree, by 9AM, Wednesday, April 29, 2015, so that we can recognize you at the event.

Location:
High Ridge Park Pavilion
10100 Superior Avenue
Laurel, MD 20723

Directions:
PDF | Google Maps

Park Phone:

410-313-4700

This event provides food, fun, connections, and networking. Please plan to attend.

–
Piyush Waradpande
Graduate Assistant

Yarazeth Medina
Program Assistant

Introducing new updates to the GradSense Website

As part of the “Enhancing Student Financial Education” Best Practice project, CGS project staff have been working to enhance the GradSense website by responding to suggestions made by graduate students on site visits to 15 research partner universities. We want to draw your attention to the newly created Budget Calculator in the new Cost of Living section. This tool is designed with students in mind and allows them to view possible budgeting scenarios. Students enter their available funds, monthly and one-time expenses, and then receive an output of where they stand financially along with helpful budgeting advice. The addition of this tool will help graduate and undergraduate students make wise financial decisions that will support their long term academic and professional career goals.

Financial Literacy Seminar – Wed, April 22, 2015

This week, we also have a Financial Literacy Seminar coming up. The seminar would be advice for graduate students on “Managing student debt & building resources for your future“. Don’t forget to RSVP! Here are the event details: Date: April 22, 2015 Time: 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm Venue: UMBC Commons 331 Speakers: Shanna Smith AVP Branch Manager, Catonsville Branch, PNC Leslie McSweeney Campus Relations Manager, PNC.

RSVP HERE on MyUMBC: http://my.umbc.edu/events/29319

If you do not have a UMBC ID, you may RSVP in the comment section below, with your name, school, and department, and we will add you to the list.

If you are unable to attend in person, we have set up a live webcast.

Here are the links: YouTube: http://youtu.be/k3cyjUbLBcY GooglePlus: https://plus.google.com/events/c4p0jfeu4ufjkuh4bolvg3g879o

Feel free to return to this site and watch from here.

— Piyush Waradpande Graduate Assistant, PROMISE AGEP