A two-year award from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides grant funding to train 14 clinical psychology doctoral candidates and 10 social work master’s students and their faculty supervisors in delivering integrated, culturally and linguistically competent behavioral health services to children, youth, and young adults in underserved and rural English- and Spanish-speaking communities in Maryland. 

More about Sandra’s work on this project, as well as her other research at UMBC can be found in the Jul 11, 2024 UMBC Stories (https://umbc.edu/stories/barrueco-receives-990k-to-train-graduate-psychology-students-in-behavioral-health-md/). 

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Education and Interpretation Department is seeking a Fall Intern to assist with all aspects of museum and gallery interpretation. This work includes supporting the department with interpretive resources, maintaining interpretive spaces, and evaluating strategy implementation to ensure visitors are engaging with our galleries and having enriching experiences.

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Education Department is seeking a Fall Intern to assist with our public programming at the Museum's outpost in Lexington Market. The intern will facilitate artmaking and conversation through drop-in engagement with visitors to our stall. They will encourage dialogue exchanges between adults, children, and intergenerational groups. This role will work closely with staff to support program set-up, attendance, and troubleshooting.

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Education Department is seeking a Fall Intern to assist with all aspects of tours and special programs. The position will assist with creating and preparing materials for tours and special programs, as well as observing and participating in these events. The Intern will work with various early learning, memory care and Arc programming, prepare materials for a JHU undergraduate course, and create tags for the Art-to-Go teacher resource database.

Christopher K. Tong, an associate professor of modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, has taught Asian studies for years. This fall, Tong brings a fresh perspective to his classes after spending two weeks in Mongolia as part of an award from the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) to participate in the Overseas Faculty Development Seminar: Climate Change and Public Health—What Does Climate Change Mean for the People of Mongolia? Tong used this opportunity to advance research for his forthcoming book on the emergence of modern science and ecological consciousness in Asian and Western societies. 

“Despite the grandeur of this country’s history, Mongolia as a modern nation is often understudied in Asian studies. Within China, Mongolians are an ethnic minority struggling to preserve their language and culture,” explains Tong. “Historically, the Mongolian empire stretched from Asia to Europe, so there is intrinsic value to studying Mongolia from a humanistic perspective. It was also interesting to see how present-day Mongolians understand and represent this history, for example, the life and legacy of Genghis Khan.”

CAORC is a private, nonprofit federation of independent overseas research centers that promotes advanced research with an emphasis on the humanities and social sciences, the conservation and recording of cultural heritage, and the understanding and interpretation of modern societies. Tong was one of 44 faculty members from community colleges and minority-serving institutions, like UMBC, placed in one of three seminars that aimed to help faculty and administrators gain first-hand experience needed to develop and improve international courses, curricula, and teaching materials.

Learning from Mongolians

The seminar took place at the American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. The 14 faculty assigned to the seminar in Mongolia visited Ulaanbaatar; the rural communities at Kharkhorin, the historic capital of the Mongol Empire; Erdene Zuu Monastery—the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia; and Hustai National Park, home to the rare and endangered Przewalski’s horses. They also gained first-hand knowledge of the impact of hotter days, increasing wildfires, storms, colder winters, and drought on Mongolia’s communities and environment.

“It was an eye-opening experience visiting Mongolia—meeting its people and experiencing the landscape. I have read novels and research about Mongolia,” shares Tong, “but visiting in person enriched my understanding and challenged my preconceptions.” He notes that Mongolia’s unusually cold winter this year wiped out entire herds of livestock, the primary source of income for nomadic families. Meanwhile, the use of low-grade coal for heating in Ulaanbaatar has increased air pollution and negatively impacted public health. “The effects of climate change are particularly noticeable to the people of Mongolia.”

The faculty met local officials, health specialists, climate scientists, and nomadic pastoralists to learn about their country and way of life from them. The scholars also assisted a nomadic family in constructing their ger, a traditional Mongolian yurt. These interactions and collaborations helped Tong better understand the Mongolian people’s perspectives on development and its relationship with China and the U.S. “My experience in Mongolia will inform my research in Asian studies and help me connect with Mongolian Americans back in the U.S.,” says Tong. “I’m very grateful that CAORC and ACMS allowed me to visit Mongolia.”

Bringing Mongolia to the classroom

This transformative experience will also benefit UMBC students. Tong has been teaching a course on China’s ethnic minorities, MLLI 335: Modern China: Culture, Society, and Environment, for many years. “A part of the traditional Mongolian homeland is in present-day China, an autonomous region known as Inner Mongolia,” says Tong. He teaches the novel Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, which tells the story of a student from Beijing who travels to Inner Mongolia to live among the Mongols in the 1960s. 

“Of course, the country of Mongolia is different from the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia. The field trip made these differences clear,” says Tong, who will develop new course materials on Mongolia as a modern nation and contextualize it within the broader field of Asian studies.

In addition to the CAORC award, Tong received a 2023 – 2024 short-term residential research fellowship from the American Philosophical Society to conduct research at the society’s library and museum in Philadelphia. During this time, Tong researched the history of evolutionary science in the U.S., including the contributions of Asian and African American scientists. He also helped launch UMBC’s new Mellon-funded Global Asias Initiative. The initiative supports rethinking Asian American issues on campus in a global, diasporic, and collaborative framework through community-engaged, public-facing scholarship, and teaching.

These work and research awards, along with a 2021 Early Career Fellowship in China Studies from the American Council of Learned Societies and a 2018 – 2019 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grant to China, have given Tong the time and resources to contribute new research to the field and new approaches to the teaching and learning of Asian studies.

Learn more about UMBC’s Asian Studies program and the Global Asias Initiative. 

The Valerie J. Maynard Legacy Internship is a partnership program between the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Valerie J. Maynard Foundation, to honor the legacy and vision of the artist who was a pioneering member of the Black Arts Movement, and a beloved icon of the Baltimore arts community (and beyond). This unique exchange provides interns with the opportunity to learn and gain experience in the museum field and in a private collection setting. We are seeking to hire one new Legacy Intern to work at the BMA and Foundation during the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 cycles.

She may be new to Retriever Nation, but it seems like Tiffany D. Tucker won’t have any problem as UMBC’s leader of the pack. Addressing a crowd of student-athletes, administrators, coaches, and staff, at a press conference on Monday, Tucker, UMBC’s newly-appointed director of athletics, physical education, and recreation, made a promise to uphold the values that have become synonymous with the UMBC community.

“As we take this journey together, let’s embrace the Retriever spirit—tenacious, innovative, always punching above our weight class. Together, we will write the next chapter of UMBC’s athletic legacy,” she said.

When Tucker was announced as UMBC’s sixth athletics director (AD) last week, she began laying the groundwork to leave a lasting legacy of her own. When she officially starts on August 15, she’ll be the first woman and person of color to lead the university’s athletics program. 

“This isn’t just about making history, it’s about creating a new standard where diversity in leadership is the norm, not the exception,” said Tucker.

Seeing the whole student

Tucker joins UMBC from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she has served as deputy athletics director since August 2021. Her appointment follows a nationwide search, during which she emerged as a highly-experienced and accomplished athletics administrator. 

“Tiffany’s experience and growing leadership roles would make her a great fit for many AD positions at D1 schools. But let me tell you why she is especially perfect for us,” President Valerie Sheares Ashby said at the press conference. “Here, student-athletes can participate in a Division I program while also reaching the highest levels of academic achievement. Here, we have a diverse student body that excels academically across all subjects. We believe there is no excellence without inclusion, and to be truly inclusive, we know we need to create an environment where everyone can thrive.” 

Tucker knows the mindset of an athlete firsthand. She was a four-year member of the women’s basketball team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This experience allows her to understand the unique rigors of performing both academically and athletically. This also means that Tucker knows the value of seeing students as more than just who they are on the field, court, or track. 

“As we nurture our student-athletes, we will focus on their holistic development—not just as competitors, but as scholars, leaders, and engaged citizens,” she said. 

“Our program is in good hands”

Tucker will join an athletics program that has won dozens of America East titles, individual and team honors, and coaching awards. This past academic year, 12 UMBC athletic programs posted perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate Report. Implemented in 2003 as part of an ambitious academic reform effort in Division I, APR holds institutions accountable for the educational progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.

This past season, UMBC volleyball secured their fourth-straight America East championship and returned to the NCAA tournament. Volleyball head coach Kasey Crider looks forward to Tucker taking charge.

“The last couple of months have been tough, without a doubt. To be on the other side of the transition with a leader of Tiffany’s caliber is a big deal,” Crider said. “Our department has demonstrated its resolve and character, and now with her vision and guidance, it feels like we’re on the brink of something pretty special.”

Just one of the over two dozen student-athletes bedecked in black and gold at Monday’s press conference, volleyball player Aysia Miller ’24, biological sciences, echoed Crider’s excitement.

 “Tiffany’s innovative approach and mindset give me hope that our program is in good hands,” said Miller. “As a student-athlete, it is refreshing to hear someone care so much about our well-being and success.”

Tucker made it clear that students will be her priority when she takes the helm in August. She closed yesterday’s press conference by directly addressing the student-athletes in the room.

“You are the heart and soul of UMBC athletics. Your well-being—physical, mental, and emotional—are paramount. I’m here to support you, challenge you, and celebrate you.”