When summer renovations run into unforeseen delays, the push to prepare campus for the Fall semester becomes a high-stakes race against the clock. That was precisely the challenge facing DoIT’s own AV Design & Engineering, including the Student Installation Team, as they prepared to transform the classroom technology systems in three registrar classrooms in Math/Psychology (MP) 008, 010, and 012.

The scope of the project was massive, calling for a complete overhaul including new flooring, walls, ceilings, and electrical infrastructure. To configure, mount, and rigorously test the new audiovisual systems, the AV team originally requested a standard two-week window following completion of the general construction. The student team was responsible for installing displays, mounting projectors, video cameras, ceiling microphones, pulling cable in the ceiling and walls, and wiring and configuring all devices in the rack - while still allowing the AV Design team enough time to complete programming and system commissioning. However, contractor scheduling issues threw a curveball into the plan: just two weeks before the start of classes, the rooms remained significantly unfinished. The team was met with unpainted walls, open ceilings, uninstalled lighting, and incomplete flooring. With back-to-back classes already booked in all three spaces for the first day of the semester, delaying the installation was not an option.

Enter the amazing student AV Installation Team:  Ethan Au, Matt Christensen, Ethan Grefe, and Isaac De Silva.

Rising to the challenge, the student installation team adapted immediately. They worked tirelessly beside, over, and under various construction trades, installing critical AV infrastructure and technology concurrently with active building tasks. Operating in an environment far outside their normal working conditions, the team navigated a gauntlet of obstacles—from thick drywall dust, wet paint, low lighting, and even the occasional tornado warning.

Through it all, Ethan, Matt, Ethan, and Isaac prioritized safety and flexibility without compromising on quality or efficiency. Thanks to their resilience and extraordinary work ethic, all three classrooms were fully operational and ready for instruction on the first day of classes, ensuring a smooth start to the semester for faculty and students. 

Please join us in recognizing and celebrating the AV Student Installation Team for going above and beyond expectations to keep our campus running smoothly!

About the DoIT Gritty Award

The Gritty Award recognizes outstanding work within the Division and beyond. Full-time employees, student employees, and teams are all eligible. Do you know someone going above and beyond? Complete the Gritty Nomination Form today!

The first draft of this article was generated by GenAI and edited by the Communications Team. 

We are proud to announce that Christopher (Chris) Moss has been awarded the DoIT Gritty Award for his tireless, high-stakes coordination of UMBC’s Commencement ceremonies and his incredible adaptability under pressure.

Mastering a Zero-Failure Environment

Managing technical operations for six Commencement ceremonies every year is a high-pressure, zero-failure mission. Chris coordinates the team managing the Tassel system (formerly Marching Order), which scans Grad Passes moments before students walk across the stage. This key process triggers the recording of each student's name and displays lower-third graphics on the live stream. Over several years, Chris has continually improved and expanded this system, introducing innovative solutions and vital fail-safes to ensure every graduate gets their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.

Leadership and Clutch Adaptability

While Chris’s technical improvements keep the background running smoothly, his true grit shines through his leadership and cool composure:

• Empowering Staff: This year, Chris successfully empowered staff member Colin Corcoran to lead preparation and on-site coordination duties, remaining available as a steadfast safety net.

• Becoming the "Voice of UMBC": When veteran announcer Tom Moore had a sudden emergency right before a Thursday ceremony, Chris stepped in with zero notice—flawlessly pivoting from technical backup to becoming the literal voice of the afternoon event.

• Unseen Dedication: Behind the spectacle of Commencement, Chris handles intense backstage pressure with absolute professionalism, jumping in to assist with any task, big or small.

For his quiet leadership, constant innovation, and willingness to step up whenever needed, we present Chris Moss with the DoIT Gritty Award. Congratulations, Chris!

About the DoIT Gritty Award

The Gritty Award recognizes outstanding work within the Division and beyond. Full-time employees, student employees, and teams are all eligible. Do you know someone going above and beyond? Complete the Gritty Nomination Form today!

The first draft of this article was generated by GenAI and edited by the Communications Team. 

This recognition celebrates Victor’s exceptional problem-solving, attention to detail, and unwavering dedication to delivering flawless audiovisual installations.

Going Above and Beyond

As a vital anchor of the Classroom Technology team, Victor is a key component in the majority of the Division of Information Technology's (DoIT) installations. His specialized focus allows DoIT to maintain a highly capable in-house installation team, a luxury that saves the University both significant time and money.

Victor's "gritty" determination was recently on full display during a high-profile installation in the President’s conference room. The project required mounting a large TV angled in a corner section of the office, integrated with a Cisco Room Bar. However, the team hit a series of technical roadblocks:

• Complex Hardware: The newly ordered, ADA-approved TV was ultra-thin at the top, resulting in an unusual mounting pattern.

• Missing Equipment: The articulating mount required to angle the TV did not come with the proper hardware to accommodate this unique design.

• Integration Hurdles: The Cisco Room Bar still needed to be securely attached to the setup, compounding the hardware mismatch.

Faced with a standstill, Victor took charge. He strategically split the install team to search different areas of campus for solutions while he personally rummaged through an endless box of spare installation materials. Thanks to his persistence, Victor located the exact, precisely measured screws and extra washers needed to securely marry the TV to the mount.

He then engineered a custom combination of hardware to perfectly integrate the Room Bar.

"Even when the install was finished, Victor made sure that the forward tilt and position of the TV were at the perfect angle for the customer. He stayed until he was completely confident that the job was done right—a small detail that many would overlook after dealing with such a frustrating hardware issue." - Khalil Alston

A Proven Track Record of Excellence

This isn’t the first high-profile success Victor has driven this year. A few months prior, Victor worked diligently alongside Sydney Kumordzie to overhaul the AV equipment in Commons 328 and 332 just in time for the critical Middle States re-accreditation meetings. Because of the immense importance of these impending meetings, the installations had to be completed with haste, yet also to perfection. Thanks to Victor's thoroughness, the equipment functioned flawlessly.

It is because of Victor’s incredible attention to detail and dedicated focus that he and the Student Install team are able to continuously produce excellent work that leaves clients thrilled.

Congratulations to Victor for a well-deserved Gritty Award!

About the DoIT Gritty Award

The Gritty Award recognizes outstanding work within the Division and beyond. Full-time employees, student employees, and teams are all eligible.

Do you know someone going above and beyond like Victor? Don't let their hard work go unnoticed; complete the Gritty Nomination Form today!

The first draft of this article was generated by GenAI and edited by the Communications Team.

If you’ve ever felt the sheer panic of tackling a new technical skill while trying to survive grad school, UMBC international student Soumya Bhate’s new video is the ultimate comfort watch. Released as part of the "DoIT Student Digital Stories" series, the video features Bhate’s journey from a data-loving student to a confident campus IT professional. Balancing demanding coursework with hands-on roles as an IT assistant and Business Intelligence analyst, Bhate shows how on-campus jobs can turn intimidating concepts like SQL into a fun, real-world playground.

The heart of the video lies in Bhate’s relatable, down-to-earth advice for anyone stepping into a new job: never be ashamed to ask questions. She credits her supervisor with creating a super-supportive workspace where no technical doubt was too small, and mistakes were just stepping stones. This welcoming vibe didn’t just help her conquer data analytics; it also helped her shake off the unique nerves that come with adapting to a brand-new professional culture as an international student.

Looking ahead, Bhate is ready to take on the tech world with a smile, playfully noting that "it's data all around" as she eyes her dream career as a data scientist. 

UMBC's Instructional Technology team has been recognized as a winner of a 2026 Blackboard Catalyst Award for Training & Professional Development, honoring the institution's leadership in advancing innovative, impactful, and student-centered educational experiences through technology. 

The Catalyst award recognizes UMBC's Course Roadmap to Equity (CoRE), a phased digital accessibility initiative designed to build lasting faculty competency through a combination of live professional development and a structured, self-paced microcredential. Designed to model the very standards it teaches, CoRE treats accessibility not as a compliance checkbox, but as a genuine equity commitment to student success.

Congratulations to Mariann Hawken, Josh Abrams, Susan Biro, Ada Crutchfield, Ben Amudzi, and Peter Ariev.

The CoRE initiative launched in Summer 2025 with a two-day Digital Accessibility Summer Camp for faculty and staff, followed by a live workshop series in Fall 2025 that reached more than 350 participants. CoRE workshops invited faculty to generate Blackboard Ally accessibility reports for their own courses in real time, creating immediate, personal motivation to act. By mid-Spring 2026, the program expanded to include customized department-level training and a microcredential, CoRE Foundations, with more than 250 faculty enrolled.

"Digital accessibility has to be woven into how we teach and how we build our instructional materials,” says Mariann Hawken, Director of Instructional Technology. “CoRE gives faculty the tools and the time to make that shift, and the data show they're doing exactly that."

The results have been measurable and significant. UMBC's institutional Ally accessibility score rose from 66.5% to 78.7% -- a 12.2-point gain between Spring 2025 and Spring 2026. Faculty use of Ally's feedback tools grew dramatically over the same period. Courses actively making accessibility fixes increased tenfold, and the number of individual fixes made grew from 378 to nearly 7,000. Scanned PDFs decreased by 41%, and images missing descriptions dropped by 36% -- reflecting faculty applying exactly the remediation skills CoRE taught.

CoRE is built in phases, with peer mentoring and a student-facing track still ahead. Phase 4, launching Fall 2026, envisions CoRE Peer Mentors embedded in departments and colleges across campus, an approach that mirrors UMBC's earlier Catalyst Award-winning PIVOT program for pandemic-era faculty development. By Spring 2027, the program envisions extending training to students, recognizing that accessibility is a shared responsibility across the entire university community.

UMBC is among thirty institutions across eight countries recognized this year, selected from 136 submissions representing 19 countries, one of the most competitive pools in the program's history. Presented annually by Blackboard, the Catalyst Awards celebrate institutions and individuals who use Blackboard solutions to drive meaningful change in teaching, learning, accessibility, engagement, and institutional success. The Training & Professional Development Award specifically recognizes those who use the Blackboard LMS to elevate training for educators and staff, strengthening skills and supporting successful technology adoption.

"We're inspired by the institutions and educators recognized through this year's Catalyst Awards," said Bruce Dahlgren, CEO of Blackboard. "These winners represent the very best of innovation, collaboration, and commitment to learner success."

To learn more about the Catalyst Awards and see the full list of 2026 winners, visit blackboard.com/catalyst-awards.

In any major IT modernization project, the secret ingredient isn't just the technology; it’s the grit of the people behind the screens. This spring, the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is proud to present the Spring 2026 DoIT Gritty Award to the Analytics & Business Intelligence Student Team. Please join us in celebrating this outstanding group of student innovators: Amaya Levine, Ling Zhang, Naba Waseem, Pratik Cholkhane, Soumya Bhate, and Sydnee Angus.

Tackling a Monumental Migration

The team was nominated for their relentless work on a massive, business-critical project: migrating the university's existing REX reports over to Tableau. They have completed over 170+ reports and have over 100 reports in active development. Transitioning nearly 300 intricate reports is no small feat for seasoned professionals, let alone a student team. Yet, this group stepped up to the plate and completely owned the challenge.

Embracing the Steep Learning Curve

What makes their achievement truly "gritty" is where they started. The team began this initiative with minimal prior knowledge of Tableau. To succeed, they had to simultaneously master a complex new software platform and reverse-engineer how the legacy REX reports functioned under the hood.

According to their nominator, the team’s attitude has been the cornerstone of the project's success:

"They have been extremely patient through our trial-and-error process with some of these conversions, and they never hesitate to research how to make the reports work the way we need them to."

A Culture of Collaboration

Beyond their technical stamina, the Analytics & Business Intelligence Student Team exemplifies what it means to be a community. Instead of working in silos, these students constantly lean on and support one another. They have actively championed knowledge-sharing across DoIT, with many team members participating in "Lunch and Learns" to present their findings and teach others the Tableau tricks they've picked up along the way.

Thank You, Team!

A migration of this magnitude is a massive undertaking, and DoIT is incredibly thankful for the dedication, patience, and brilliant problem-solving this team brings to the office every single day.

Congratulations to Amaya, Ling, Naba, Pratik, Soumya, and Sydnee! Thank you for showing us all what true grit looks like.

About the DoIT Gritty Award

The Gritty Award recognizes outstanding work within the Division and beyond. Full-time employees, student employees, and teams are all eligible. Do you know someone going above and beyond? Complete the Gritty Nomination Form today!

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is thrilled to announce that Colin Corcoran has been awarded the May 2026 DoIT Gritty Award! This recognition celebrates Colin’s exceptional dedication, technical resilience, and ten years of continuous support for a vital community initiative.

Every year, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides seamless, free tax preparation support for low-income individuals in the community. It is an immense contribution to the greater UMBC community—and for the past decade, Colin has been its technical backbone alongside the Client Services Student Team and with vital support from Courtney Burkett. 

From Makeshift to Seamless

The journey of the VITA program's infrastructure is a masterclass in resilience. For ten years, Colin and the DoIT Client Services student staff have operated entirely behind the scenes to make this program a reality.

In the early days, the setup was a physically demanding, makeshift system that required grueling effort to deploy and maintain. Through tireless work and adaptability, Colin successfully transformed that clunky foundation into the smooth, digital service it is today. Because of his grit, community members experience a seamless process during an otherwise stressful tax season.

The Backbone of the Initiative

What makes Colin exceptional is his ability to manage complex, fast-moving technical needs while maintaining a community-first mindset. Backed by the leadership of Courtney Burkett and the hard work of the student team, Colin delivers professional-grade IT support that directly changes lives.

"His work often goes unnoticed by the public," noted the Gritty Committee, "but he is the reason this vital initiative can happen year after year. Colin represents the very best of DoIT’s spirit of service."

Celebrating Excellence

By modernizing the VITA program's tech footprint, Colin has proven that dedicated technical leadership leaves a lasting legacy on campus. He delivers high-stakes technical execution with the kind of care, professionalism, and grit that elevates the entire university.

Congratulations to Colin for a well-deserved Gritty Award! Thank you for 10 years of going above and beyond!

About the DoIT Gritty Award

The Gritty Award recognizes outstanding work within the Division and beyond. Full-time employees, student employees, and teams are all eligible. Do you know someone going above and beyond? Complete the Gritty Nomination Form today!

The first draft of this article was generated by GenAI and edited by the Communications Team. 

Beamlak Bekele, a UMBC Graduate student, shares her fulfilling job experience with the Division of Information Technology’s (DoIT) High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF), part of DoIT’s Unix and Infrastructure Team. This week, Beamlak will be joining the other members of the Class of 2026 as they graduate from UMBC! 

Beamlak’s Digital Story

In celebration of this milestone, Beamlak recaps her experiences in the DoIT Student Digital Stories series. This video highlights her time, from starting off in Google Service Administration to performing maintenance and answering tickets for the HPCF. Beamlak’s position in DoIT has had a great impact on her academic and professional career, from influencing her thesis research to gaining experience that has landed her internships and job opportunities. 

Congratulations, Beamlak, on your graduation! We appreciate your contribution to the HPCF and Unix & Infrastructure Team.

Willis Crosby, a senior Information Systems major with a certificate in Network Administration, discusses his journey at DoIT. Willis has worked as an Install Technician at AV services for over three years, and in just a few short weeks, he'll be walking the stage and graduating as a member of the Class of 2026. 

Willis’ Digital Story

In his DoIT digital story, Willis talks about his work, how he got here, and the ways his experiences have helped him grow. He’s proud to do what he does, and enjoys coming into work everyday, something he credits as an early sign the role was right for him. Willis also discusses the importance of leveraging your network from the top down, not just your coworkers. Knowing the right people can get you started and put you on the right path.

Please join us in congratulating Willis on his graduation and years of hard work at DoIT, best of luck on the road ahead!

Coco Ni, a UMBC student majoring in Information Systems with a certificate in Chinese Studies, shares her hands-on job experience with the Division of Information Technology’s (DoIT) A/V Services Installs Team. In May, Coco will be joining the other members of the Class of 2026 as they graduate from UMBC! 

Coco’s Digital Story

In celebration of this milestone, Coco recaps her experiences in the DoIT Student Digital Stories series. This video highlights her time and some of the hands-on work she has done performing installs and teardowns of A/V devices around different buildings and classrooms on campus. All of these helped her gain valuable skills to build up her resume and have motivated her to explore a career where she gets to help people with technology.

Congratulations, Coco, on your soon-to-be graduation! We appreciate your contribution to the A/V Services Team.