I recently had the opportunity to attend Undergraduate Academic Affair’s (UAA) Data Day. Similar to the Division of Student Affairs Assessment 365 programming, UAA’s Data Day features individual departments reflecting on their previous year and highlighting their areas of “glow” and “growth.”

This year’s program centered on departments sharing assessment of one or more of their learning outcomes. You can view all the presentations in their shared box folder. Some takeaways included:

• Abby Hart-Grzechowiak from Academic Transition Programs (ATP) highlighted how their department consistently meets their learning outcomes but they would like to grow in the area of reaching more students who may not be taking advantage of their courses and programs (such as UNIV, first-year seminar, or summer bridge). Two populations they would like to increase participation include first-generation students and academic recovery students.
• Carrie Sauter from Individualized Study described some of the things their department is learning through preparing for their Academic Program Review (APR). This is something that occurs every seven years here at UMBC as required by the University System of Maryland (USM). Similar to our division’s annual report process, academic departments must provide a summary of their program; the educational goals, learning outcomes, and program assessment plan; data; and other components.
• Kendyl Walker from the Honors College spoke about the activities of the Honors College and Learning Partnerships. The latter is their work to prepare, recruit, and retain community college students. On thing that impressed me is their use of quantitative and qualitative measurement methods.
• Ronita Walker represented the University Innovation Alliance (UIA). Since we are a part of the UIA, you can request free access to the University Innovation Lab which is an online community that advances innovative initiatives to improve outcomes. Some of the work facilitated by the UIA include the Students Transferring and Redefining Success (STARS program), the National Institute for Student Success (NISS), and the Listening Lab (Focus Group) Initiative partnership with the Career Center. Many colleagues from around our division played a part in these efforts!
• Delana Gregg and Cliff Saul from the Academic Success Center (ASC) used propensity score matching to understand first-year outcomes and beyond of the students that took advantage of an academic advocacy meeting versus those that did not. They found that students that attended at least one academic advocacy meeting were more likely to be retained at a higher level in the first-semester, first-year, and second-year.
• Corris Davis, Ting Huang, and Aritra Samanta represented the Office of Academic Opportunity Programs (AOP). This includes programs such as McNair Scholars, Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services that reach students starting from grade 6 through their senior year in college. Similar to our division, AOP activities for students connect back to NACE competencies along with other best practices.
• Mariano Sto. Domingo represented the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. Meyerhoff helps to foster student science identity through the built-in research opportunities including the summer research experience, mentorship, graduate school preparation, and research conference support.
• April Householder from Undergraduate Research & Prestigious Scholarships described some of the metrics connected to their program that includes the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD), the Undergraduate Research Awards (URA), the UMBC Review, presentation grants, research opportunities, and prestigious scholarships (e.g., Rhodes, Gates-Cambridge, Goldwater). One highlight included the increase of 454 students participating in URCAD in 2026 compared to 313 students in 2023 (with the return to an in-person URCAD).

Key themes that I noticed from many of the presentations are their emphasis on how their individual programs support student sense of belonging and connection to the UMBC community. Similar to some of the assessment work we conduct in Student Affairs, UAA is interested in the exploration of their data by subpopulations (e.g., first generation, commuter, transfer). There was a desire to learn more about our “unaffiliated” students. While what characterizes an “unaffiliated” student is still being developed, we can think of this population as those students that aren’t involved in a club/organization, an athletic team, an academic program (e.g., UNIV, McNair Scholars), a living-learning community, and/or has no connection to any department, office, or program. This is why it is important for us to be able to track who are utilizing our supports, resources, and attending our programs to better understand those students that are missing from these experiences. Finally, while there were examples of ways the Division of Student Affairs partners with UAA, there are still more opportunities in the ways we can support each other's work to enhance the student experience.

I hope you will take some to check out the presentations! Additionally, be on the lookout soon for our division’s Assessment 365 presentations that will be happening virtually on the second Thursday of each month from 2 – 3 p.m. This fall we have an exciting lineup with content from the Career Center, Student Engagement, Retriever Essentials, and more! Information is forthcoming.

Welcome to UMBC! We are so glad you are here.

Whether you are transferring in, starting mid-year, or picking up where you left off, we are thrilled to have you as part of our diverse, inclusive community. Welcome Retrievers is one of UMBC’s favorite traditions. At the beginning of each semester, departments and offices from across campus come together to welcome new and returning students to UMBC. 

Graduate Students Welcome Events - Starting Aug 19

Join the Welcome Retrievers myUMBC group for updates and information.

Want to know more about events?  Have a question about life on campus?  Want to connect with a current student for some tips? As you find yourself asking questions, send an email to welcomeretrievers@umbc.edu

The NASA Goddard Sciences and Exploration Directorate's Annual Summer Student Poster Symposium was held on Wednesday, August 5th in Goddard’s Hinners Auditorium. At this conference-style event, students, mentors, fellow researchers, and Goddard personnel celebrated the research accomplishments of the students over the summer. Among the ~110 presenters were GESTAR II Visiting Fellows Emma Pellerin (CSU) and Joshua Mallay (PSU). Additionally, several GESTAR II researchers served as mentors and attended with their summer interns. 

Emma Pellerin and Viral Shah (610.1/Morgan) present "Probing Saharan dust and sea spray interactions with NASA Earth mission datasets: Implications for the global modeling of chlorine."  

Joshua Mallay (PSU) presents "Temporal Evolution of Atmospheric Aerosol Properties across the Eastern United States." (Not pictured: Mentors Thomas Eck (618/UMBC) and Pawan Gupta (GSFC/618).) 

Carson Turner (Univ. of Wyoming, OSTEM) and Allison Collow (610.1/UMBC) present "Evaluation of Aerosols in GEOS-CAM."

Annalise Igyarto (at right, Arizona State Univ.) and Cecelia Paparella (at left, 610.1/SURA) present "Improving Lightning Parameterizations Accuracy in GEOS." (Not pictured: Retha Mecikalski (610.1/Morgan)

All photos provided by Dominique Footes/GESTAR II/SURA.

Additional GESTAR II mentors included the following:
Hiren Jethva (614/Morgan) and students Haider Ali and Jonathan Wang:
"Distinguishing Smoke and Dust Aerosols over Clouds using UV and VIS-NIR Aerosol Indices from PACE-OCI" (Ali)
"Clouds or aerosol? An investigation using UV to NIR multispectral color ratio observations from PACE-OCI" (Wang)

Susanne Craig (616/UMBC) and Daniella Asturias:
"Linking Hyperspectral PACE taxonomic Observations with Underway Metaproteomics along a Northwest Atlantic Transect"

Virginie Buchard (610.1/UMBC) and Cristopher Atilano Rodriguez:
"Simulating 670 nm TOA Radiances with Aerosol Effects Using CRTM"

Yingxi Shi (613/UMBC) and students Andrew Dai and Nora Wang:
"Discrepancies in DT Product Performance" (Dai) 
"Machine Learning Uncertainty Analysis of Dark Target Products" (Wang)

Lipi Mukherjee (613/UMBC) and students Evan Shang and Avishi Anurag:
“Calibrating an Infrared Imager to Measure Wildfire Temperatures from High-Altitude Aircraft” (Shang)
“Detecting Wildfires Using Radiance Slope Analysis of NASA TEMPO Twilight Satellite Data”
(Anurag)

We hope this summer at NASA Goddard was an informative and engaging experience for everyone who participated and wish them well in the upcoming semester!

The Graduate Student Association is seeking graduate student representatives to serve on the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee (GAAC) for the 2026–2027 academic year.

The GAAC is responsible for providing a platform specifically for GA’s to voice their concerns. We strive to work productively and coordinate with administrators to maintain a positive work environment and bring about positive changes for graduate assistant students. 

We are looking for:

1 representative from CAHSS

📅 Position Start Date: Aug 20, 2026

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews will begin immediately. Positions will be filled on a first-qualified, first-served basis, so we encourage interested students to apply as soon as possible.

This is a great opportunity to:

• Gain leadership and service experience
• Contribute to graduate assistants' betterment 
• Work closely with the GSA to support your graduate student community
• Earn a stipend for your time.

If you're interested in serving on the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee, submit your application today! (https://forms.gle/UXVtCcYR3UhieTDD7)

We look forward to welcoming our new GAAC members!

The Graduate Student Association is inviting graduate students to join the Graduate Experiences, Achievements, and Research Successes (GEARS) Committee for the 2026–2027 academic year.

GEARS helps organize events and programs that showcase graduate research, celebrate student achievements, support professional development, and strengthen the graduate student community.

We are looking for motivated graduate students to support areas such as:

1. Event planning and logistics
2. Operations and registration
3. Outreach and partnerships
4. Communications and organization
5. Graphics and social media

This is a great opportunity to:

- Gain leadership and event-planning experience
- Help organize major events such as 3MT and the Graduate Research Symposium
- Work with campus partners and the GSA
- Support and celebrate graduate student success
- Earn a stipend for your time

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so interested students are encouraged to apply early.

Join GEARS and help bring graduate student research, achievements, and experiences into the spotlight at UMBC!

Submit your application here!

10 Years of Community Care: Share Your Voice and Win 100 Retriever Dollars

For a decade, Retriever Essentials has worked to ensure no Retriever goes hungry. What started as an effort to ease the immediate burden of food insecurity has grown into a campus movement of mutual aid, support, and care. Every meal provided, every pantry restocked, and every student served over the past ten years has been made possible by the dedication of our UMBC community.

As we mark our 10th Anniversary, we want to celebrate the heart of this work: student voices.

In partnership with Poetry X Hunger, we are calling on UMBC student writers and poets to submit an original poem exploring themes of hunger, food justice, or collective care.

The Award and Recognition

• 100 Retriever Dollars: One featured student writer will be awarded 100 Retriever Dollars.

• Live Performance: The selected student will read their poem live in front of an audience at our 10th Anniversary Celebration.

• Broader Platform: Winning selections will be showcased on the Poetry X Hunger website to inspire broader audiences.

Your words have the power to illuminate the reality of food equity, foster empathy, and drive meaningful change.

How to Submit

Please refer to the following post.

This post has been made on behalf of the Retrievers Essentials. 

This workshop by Women's, Gender, & Equity Center, is designed for faculty, staff, and students who may be the first person a survivor confides in.

Join us to:

• Learn about the Start by Believing campaign

• Build confidence in responding to disclosures of sexual assault, harassment, or domestic violence

• Strengthen our survivor-centered, trauma-informed campus community

Date: August 19, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Location: Virtual via Webex

Let’s work together to create a culture of support and safety at UMBC

If you plan to attend, RSVP on MyUMBC below:

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/womenscenter/events/154881

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

This post has been made on behalf of the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center at UMBC.

Dear UMBC Community,

The 2026 – 2027 academic calendar has been finalized and is now available on the Registrar’s Office website. The dates below reflect the finalized calendar and related event schedule.

Fall 2026

• Convocation: Sunday, August 23, at 3 p.m.

• First day of classes: Monday, August 24

• Fall Class Recess: Monday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 13

• Last day of classes: Wednesday, December 9

• Reading day: Thursday, December 10

• Final exams: Friday, December 11 to Thursday, December 17

Winter 2026 Commencement

Both ceremonies will take place on Friday, December 18:

• Undergraduate Ceremony: 10 a.m.

• Graduate School Ceremony: 3 p.m.

Spring 2027

• First day of classes: Monday, January 25

• Spring Break: Saturday, March 13 through Sunday, March 21 

• Last day of classes: Friday, May 7 

• Reading day: Monday, May 10

• Final exams: Tuesday, May 11 through Monday, May 17

Spring 2027 Commencement

• Graduate School Ceremony: Tuesday, May 18 at 10 a.m.

• Undergraduate Ceremonies: Wednesday, May 19 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

For the complete academic calendar and additional dates and deadlines, please visit the Registrar’s Office website. Looking ahead, the 2027 – 2028 academic calendar will also be published on the registrar’s website once it is available.

Sincerely,

Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Your go-to source for everything happening in our world is backthis time with our second edition. We’re moving fast, staying sharp, and we want to keep you in the loop with all the latest wins and updates from the UMBC Procurement Department.

Inside This Issue:

• Training Announcements: we're here to help!

• Terms and Conditions: And why they are important.

• Parterning with Procurement: When to reachout!

Dive In Now

Ready to see what we've been up to? Click the link below to read the full issue:

We hope you enjoy the read as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Stay tuned for more regular updates!

Happy Reading,

Your UMBC Procurement Team

UMBC Cybersecurity MS student Adam Baji was featured as the intern of the week by the Career Center. During his internship at Northrop Grumman this summer, he supported the Business Recovery and Resumption team, where he helped develop software and data-driven solutions to better understand and evaluate supplier-related risks. Read more here.