From Monday, 5/4 through Thursday, 5/14 the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) of the MD Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will be hosting a Wellness Fair where each of the State benefit plan vendors will share carrier specific information about their $0-cost wellness resources. Most vendors will offer 2 sessions each day, giving employees the flexibility to join as many sessions as they want. 

And, that’s not all - for every session employees attend, they will be entered into a raffle to win prizes. The more sessions you join, the greater your chances of winning! 

So don't miss this fantastic opportunity to learn about valuable wellness resources, win prizes, and have fun at the same time - view the 2026 Virtual Spring Wellness Fair Schedule and click on the meeting of your choice at the listed date / time!

Cap & Gown bundles are NOW available for rent or purchase at the bookstore! IN-STORE ONLY. While supplies last. 

Thank you SO MUCH for attending our Camp Pride events! It was such a fun time and we enjoyed being in community with you. Now, it's time to reward some of our lovely campers. We have some cool prizes that you will be eligible to win. If you have buttons from Pride Week, you are eligible to enter the raffle! 

Please bring your buttons to The Pride Center front desk between now and Friday at 5:00pm to fill out your raffle ticket(s). We will contact the winners by Wednesday to retrieve their prizes. 

Hillel Global Giving Week has officially begun! 🎉 

Today through Friday, we’re joining over 180 Hillels worldwide in raising critical funds for Jewish college students. Our community is coming together to strengthen Jewish life on campus, and thanks to a special match, your impact can go twice as far right now.

Please note: we will be sending a higher concentration of emails than usual this week for Hillel Global Giving Week. We will go back to our regular email schedule beginning net week. Thank you for understanding!

Every dollar you give will be matched up to $5,000, helping empower Jewish students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to build meaningful connections, grow as leaders, and celebrate their Jewish identities with pride.

Double My Impact

At UMBC Hillel, students find a place to friends as well as a home to support them through both joyful and challenging moments. Hillel is where they find belonging and explore who they are and who they want to become. Your support makes all of that possible.

Here’s what that looks like in real life: 

This is possible because of supporters like you.

Make My Matched Gift

This is your moment to help shape the future of Jewish life at UMBC. With your matched gift today, you’re investing in students, in community, and in a strong Jewish future.

Thank you for being part of this incredible week of impact!

With gratitude,
Aliza Silverman
Executive Director, UMBC Hillel

Sign up to fundraise!

GSA has a new LinkedIn page now to reflect our and your academic work better, enable you all to showcase your GSA contributions, and highlight the research successes of our community.

Make sure to follow and update your profiles!

This week one of our alumni: Devon S will be presenting on MeshPages: A Web Server Framework for Meshtastic
You can check out the project repo here: https://github.com/MushroomGecko/MeshPages
As always we will be meeting tonight in Sherman 103 at 7:15 PM

Dear UMBC Faculty and Staff,

Across UMBC, there is a great deal of meaningful work happening every day, from supporting our students to advancing research and building community. At the same time, it can be difficult to keep up with everything happening beyond your immediate area or to see the full breadth of work taking place across the institution.

The UMBC Connection is a new e-newsletter from University Communications and Marketing (UCM), designed to help bring more visibility to that work through a thoughtful selection of updates, opportunities, achievements, and milestones from across the university. The newsletter is developed in partnership with a network of contributors representing colleges, divisions, and administrative units across UMBC, helping ensure a broader view of what is happening throughout our community.

A new edition will be published on the first and third Wednesday of each month. This is an evolving effort, and it will continue to take shape through your feedback, including input from the internal communications survey shared earlier this week. We hope it becomes a useful and consistent way to stay informed, connected, and engaged with the people and work shaping UMBC.

Coming Up

Events and opportunities for the weeks ahead.

• Celebrate the Class of 2026 at Senior Sendoff (May 7)
  Faculty and staff are invited to stop by and celebrate our graduating students as they prepare to become UMBC alumni.
• America East Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 9–10)
  UMBC Athletics will compete in the America East Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend in Lowell, Massachusetts.
• Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards (May 13)
  Faculty and staff are invited to join President Valerie Sheares Ashby in recognizing this year’s awardees and University System of Maryland honorees.
• UMBC Talks: Inclusive Excellence (May 13)
  Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a facilitated dialogue to help shape UMBC’s shared definition of inclusive excellence and inform future institutional priorities.

Key Updates

Important updates and moments across the university that may affect your work and the broader UMBC community.

• Share your feedback on campus communications (closes May 15)
  UCM, in partnership with Hanover Research, is inviting faculty and staff to complete a brief, anonymous, survey about internal communications. Your input will help improve how updates, resources, and communications reach the campus community.
• Commencement 2026: Faculty and staff participation (May 20 - 21)
  Faculty and staff are invited to take part in UMBC’s Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies and celebrate the Class of 2026. Faculty and staff may march in the procession, volunteer, or reserve seating for graduating family members.

University Milestones

Major achievements and recognitions across UMBC.

• Meyerhoff Scholars Program celebrates 500th Ph.D.
  UMBC marks a major milestone as 500 Meyerhoff Scholars alumni have earned Ph.D.s, highlighting the program’s national leadership in diversifying STEM fields.
• Accessibility Trailblazers
  This event recognizes faculty and departments advancing inclusive teaching and accessible learning environments across UMBC through a strong commitment to universal design for learning.
• Four UMBC students named Goldwater Scholars
  UMBC is celebrating four students named Barry Goldwater Scholars, one of the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate awards in science, engineering, and mathematics.

More from across UMBC

Additional updates and opportunities from across the university.

• Celebrating Humanities Books (May 6) — campus celebration of faculty publications across disciplines
• Politics Everywhere: Understanding the AAPI Vote (May 6) — discussion on AAPI political engagement and voting behavior featuring Maryland leaders and policymakers
• SistaCare (May 7) — community care and dialogue space centered on the experiences of Black and Africana women and femmes
• Maryland New Venture Pitch Night (May 11) — Shark Tank-style competition showcasing student ventures focused on innovation and real-world impact
• Stories We Carry: AAPI Storytelling Circle (May 11) — guided conversation and community reflection
• UMBC Night at Oriole Park (June 27) — Orioles game and community gathering for faculty, staff, and alumni
• Retrievers Read 2026— summer reading challenge for faculty, staff, students, and alumni

Help Shape The UMBC Connection

As this effort continues to take shape, your feedback will help guide how we strengthen internal communications across the university. We welcome your input and invite you to share your feedback on The UMBC Connection.

If you would prefer, you are also welcome to reach out directly to Jessica McGroarty, Director of Internal Communications, at jmcgro@umbc.edu. 

University Communications and Marketing

Are you a freshman who is curious about the final senior project for the Anthropology major? What about a junior or senior on their final steps to completing their Anthropology major? 

Join Anthropology Club this Thursday, May 7th, at 5:00-6:00 in PAHB 123 for its last meeting of the semester where we will be learning about the Anthropology major’s senior capstone project course—ANTH 480: Anthropological Research Capstone!

We will go over the basic elements of the capstone course and have Anthropology students who are currently taking the capstone course talk about their projects and experiences. We will also have Anthropology teachers at the meeting to give insight into the capstone and the major as well. Any questions you may have about the course or the Anthropology major can be answered!

This meeting is open to all Anthropology majors and minors of any year. There will be free food and drinks.

Please follow our MyUMBC Groups page and Instagram for any updates about the meeting. You can stay informed about the club after this meeting too! 

Are you a freshman who is curious about the final senior project for the Anthropology major? What about a junior or senior on their final steps to completing their Anthropology major? 

Join Anthropology Club this Thursday, May 7th, at 5:00-6:00 in PAHB 123 for its last meeting of the semester where we will be learning about the Anthropology major’s senior capstone project course—ANTH 480: Anthropological Research Capstone!

We will go over the basic elements of the capstone course and have Anthropology students who are currently taking the capstone course talk about their projects and experiences. We will also have Anthropology teachers at the meeting to give insight into the capstone and the major as well. Any questions you may have about the course or the Anthropology major can be answered!

This meeting is open to all Anthropology majors and minors of any year. There will be free food and drinks.

Please follow our MyUMBC Groups page and Instagram for any updates about the meeting. You can stay informed about the club after this meeting too! 

During the week of May 11th- May 15th, UMBC's Pre-Veterinary Society will host its second Donation Drive for BARCS!

Please support us by scanning the QR codes on the flyers around campus or by clicking this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LCfvT47AZkBPaCNmaLDMvPRysgdM71DIF_ekyUvYKAo/edit?tab=t.0

Good luck with finals & thank you!! 

View attachment below for QR code: