It makes sense that in a space on campus intentionally left green, wooded, and, well sacred, there would be someplace to sit, and under that bench there would be a notebook waiting for you, along with a writing implement. Your thoughts are the last ingredient for the moment.

Since the founding of the Joseph Beuys Sculpture Park on the Knoll in the southwest corner of the Loop in 2001, UMBC community members have been writing in journals tucked under benches from Nature Sacred—an organization that hopes to promote a connection to nature through journaling and contemplation spaces throughout America.

Sandra Abbott, curator of collections and outreach at the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture (CADVC), has collected and replaced many dozens of the journals as part of her role at UMBC. “Journaling is a very intimate medium. People pour their hearts out in them here just like they would a personal diary tucked under their pillow,” says Abbott, who shares the journals with Nature Sacred and also uploads the texts to CADVC’s website.

“After reading 15 years of journal entries from our site, I can say a significant number of these entries are rife with emotion— whether a writer is waxing on about their newfound love or heartfully responding to someone else’s heartbreak—the moment spent physically writing in a book and in one’s own hand is powerful.”

Maybe you confessed a budding romance in those pages yourself. Maybe you questioned your major, or just drew a funny picture. The filled and empty journals alike call to Retrievers to make their mark on the pages, and in the world.

On this episode, Dr. Anson speaks with two talented student researchers associated with the ongoing NSF-funded EAGER award led by Drs. Christine Mallinson and Vandana Janeja of UMBC.

Kiffy Nwosu is an undergraduate computer science student from Maryland who has worked as a researcher at UMBC since high school, and is now a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Chloe Evered, originally of Houston, Texas, is a recent graduate of the Georgetown University department of linguistics with a minor in Chinese. Chloe is now pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics, also at Georgetown.

Campus Connections

On Campus Connections, we hear about the work of Dr. Jennifer Maher, Associate Professor of English at UMBC.

Check out the following links for more information on UMBC, CS3, and our host:

• The UMBC Center for the Social Sciences Scholarship
• The University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Ian G. Anson, Ph.D.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon!

Retrieving the Social Sciences is a production of the UMBC Center for Social Science Scholarship.  Our podcast host is Dr. Ian Anson, our director is Dr. Christine Mallinson, our associate director is Dr. Felipe Filomeno, and our production intern is Jean Kim.   Our theme music was composed and recorded by D’Juan Moreland.  Special thanks to Amy Barnes and Myriam Ralston for production assistance.  Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where you can find full video recordings of recent UMBC events.

At UMBC, we’re still young enough to be making traditions. Meet Thomas Locastro, biological sciences alumnus, who knew from day one on campus in 2003 that he wanted to leave behind a lasting legacy.

Locastro joined the newly-made First Year Council, designed to help students view themselves as co-creators of our campus community. “They were encouraging us to pick something to do,” Locastro explains. “How do you leave your mark?”

Locastro brainstormed an idea that would be exciting for students but still relatively inexpensive, and therefore hopefully repeatable. He landed on a bonfire. In the center of campus.

Understandably, there were some roadblocks. But Locastro had staff members to champion his idea. Jen Dress, then the coordinator for the students events board, was integral to the process. “We are really dedicated to figuring things out when students come to us with dreams to make things happen,” says Dress, now director of engagement for Campus Life.

The other MVP, says Locastro, is Glen Cook, a member of the grounds crew who collects pallets leading up to the fire and is always trying to make the conflagration bigger and better (while staying safe).

“I talked to so many people before I found the right people to really push the idea forward for approval with me,” Locastro says. Since the first bonfire in 2004, Locastro has attended every lighting since.

“I’ve flown back from Saudi Arabia to make this event,” Locastro says. “I’ve flown back from Monaco. I’ve flown back from a lot of places in the U.S. I’ve never missed it.” 

Thousands of students have warmed their hands at the last 19 years of bonfires. What tradition will you start at UMBC?

No State of Maryland health deductions on the first paycheck in 2024!

This is a notification that the paycheck on Friday, January 5, 2024 will have no deductions for the following State of Maryland benefits, due to the normally scheduled Health Premium Deduction Holiday Schedule for Regular employees:

• Medical
• Prescription
• Dental
• State of Maryland MetLife Term Life insurance
• MetLife Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Healthcare FSA and Dependent Care FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts)

This deduction holiday does not apply to University System of Maryland (USM) MetLife deductions for Term Life insurance and/or Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverages.  

Please note: Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA) deductions will occur per usual on the January 5, 2024 paycheck. 

Health Benefits Deduction Holidays for Regular State of Maryland employees typically occur once in the spring and fall.  The next deduction holiday is anticipated to occur in the Fall of 2024.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Center for Social Science Scholarship
Summer Fellowships!

Download the application here.

Applications are now being accepted for the Center for Social Science Scholarship Summer Fellowship.  The purpose of this fellowship is to support significant social science research by tenure-track or tenured faculty in the UMBC College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, resulting in a submittable product by December 2024.  Up to three fellows will receive a $6,000 award during the summer of 2024. 

By December 2024, each Fellow agrees to complete a submittable product, which can include an external grant or fellowship proposal, journal article, policy paper, book manuscript, or book chapter; upon completion, Fellows shall provide a copy of this submitted product to the Director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship. 

Interested faculty should complete and submit an application consisting of this downloadable 2-page cover sheet and proposal that adheres to the specified guidelines. The deadline for applications is FEBRUARY 15, 2024.

Applications will be reviewed and ranked by members of the Center for Social Science Scholarship Advisory Board, according to the following criteria:

• Quality of proposed research project;
• Significance of the project in its field;
• Publishing/funding potential of the work;
• Qualification of the faculty member to carry out the work, including the requisite expertise in the topic area and prior research productivity;
• Likelihood that the proposed work can be successfully completed with fellowship support and that it will result in a submittable product within the specified time period;
• Approval and recommendation of faculty member's department chair.

For more information, interested faculty may contact Christine Mallinson, Director, or Felipe Filomeno, Associate Director.  

Funds for this fellowship are provided by the Center for Social Science Scholarship and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS).

CRITICAL:  *Please share this information with your departmental employees*

Due to the upcoming winter holiday break and early file submissions to the Central Payroll Bureau, the Payroll and HRIS units are required to meet strict and compressed processing deadlines. As a result, the deadline for timesheet approvals has been impacted for the period ending 12/16/2023 (timesheets for pay period 2024-13). 

Timesheet submissions and approvals for pay period 2024-13 (ending 12/16/2023) are due TODAY, December 18, 2023,  by 5 pm, .  

Due to the extremely tight ETS approval deadline, timesheet approvers must coordinate with their employees to ensure timesheets are submitted in enough time for review and approvals. Timesheet approvers who will not be available to review and approve timesheets should communicate with the payroll preparer and alternate approver accordingly.

Late timesheet submissions and approvals will have a critical impact to hourly employees' pay, employees earning overtime, and leave information in time entry for PR14.  Timesheet data for pay period 13 must be approved in order to load into time entry for payroll 14. 

Time entry for PR14 is a ONE DAY time entry and is scheduled to open on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. 

Questions may be directed to Sherrell McNamara, HRIS Manager, mcnamara@umbc.edu.