The Reach Together Tutoring Program (RTTP) is hiring UMBC students to serve as paid Math Coaches for the 2026–2027 school year.

Math Coaches mentor and tutor students in grades 1–8 in Baltimore City and Baltimore County Public Schools, helping them build confidence and skills in math. 

This is a great opportunity for students with a passion for mentoring and supporting students!

Position Details:
• $18/hour
• Program runs September 2026 – May 2027
• Flexible commitment of 3–4.5 hours/week per student group, with opportunities for additional hours
• Eligible students may receive 096 Practicum course notation through the Shriver Center and earn a Community Tutoring – High Impact Practice in Baltimore Schools micro-credential

No advanced math background required! 
• You'll work with elementary and middle school math.
• Training, lesson plans, and instructional resources are provided.
• Ongoing professional development and support are included.

Math Coaches will:
• Tutor and mentor 2–3 students 2–3 times per week during the school day
• Plan lessons using provided resources
• Track student progress and communicate with program staff and school partners
Qualifications:
• Open to all UMBC community members (undergraduate and graduate students)

Please note that coaches should plan for travel time to their assigned school.  RTTP will try to help arrange carpools when possible.

If you're interested in making a meaningful impact while gaining valuable experience, apply using this application link and see the attached flyer for more information. 

Questions? Email: ReachTogether@umbc.edu

Mohana Mahfuz Prema will present her final Econ 699 Capstone paper virtually this coming Friday, July 10 at 5 p.m. A pdf of her final paper is attached to this message. Her adviser on this project is Hasan Shahid.

Here is a webex link for logging into Mohana's presentation:

Join Webex meeting 
ID: 26334997406
Password: cHNMmUhW52

All are welcome to log in to the presentation.

Pickup in Admin.  Email me at cfu2@umbc.edu.  Thank you!

Looking for a quiet, affordable place to focus on school? This private bedroom in a welcoming family home might be just what you need.

💰 $750/month — everything included:

• Water, utilities & internet
• Washer/dryer access
• Shared kitchen space
• Driveway parking (optional)

📍 Perfect for UMBC students The Route 40 UMBC shuttle stops right at the end of the block — no car needed to get to campus!

🏠 About the space: Quiet residential street in Catonsville. You'll have a private bedroom and shared access to kitchen and laundry in a clean, well-kept family home. Great environment for studying and recharging.

House guidelines:

• Non-smoking home
• No overnight guests (family residence)

📞 Interested? Get in touch:

• Call/text: 443-535-7077
• Email: moutome1@umbc.edu

10-15 mins drive away from UMBC near Catonsville

Email mjamal3@umbc.edu or call 443-713-0834 for inquires. Thanks!

Feel free to email mjamal3@umbc.edu or call 443-713-0834 for inquires.

Library Summer Hours

The library will be open the following schedule during summer session:

Monday – Thursday     8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Friday                            8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday                        Closed

Sunday                          Noon – 7 p.m.

The RLC and atrium are open 24/7 with Retriever Card swipe.

Printing is available on the 1st, 2nd and 7th floors of the library.

Department Hours

Research Help

Chat Support: Monday - Friday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Research Help Desk: Tuesday - Wednesday (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Make a Research Appointment

Digital Media Lab
By appointment only; reserve recording space's here. Equipment Holds can also be made online.

Innovation Lab
Monday – Thursday (Noon to 4 p.m.) Visit the lab's website for current policies and training information. 

Special Collections Reading Room
By appointment only; schedule your time here

Gallery
Closed during Summer Session

Hello everyone!

In preparing for our renovations, Retriever Essentials is closed tomorrow (7/8/2026) for our relocation to lower Flat Tuesdays! We will be there for the remainder of the month.

We will reopen on 7/10/2026. Please plan your trip accordingly, and we apologize for any inconviences.

Tomorrow Wednesday 7/8, thw Women's, Gender, & Equity Center will be closed. The summer walk and chair yoga will continue as planned (more information here!)!

We will resume our normal 10-3 summer hours on Thursday, July 9th. 

Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns at womenscenter@umbc.edu

Women's, Gender, & Equity Center 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.

The Women's, Gender, & Equity Center is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, faculty, and visitors. If you have difficulties accessing any of the materials on our site or any of our events or discussions, please contact us so that we can provide an alternative format and/or remedy any accessibility challenges.

Microsoft Word is one of the most common tools used for creating flyers, handouts, syllabi, readings, and assignments. It’s also one of the most common sources of accessibility problems in Blackboard courses or websites. The good news: Word has built-in tools that can make it easy to create documents that work for every faculty, staff, and student; including those who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies. These 5 tips will help you build accessibility into your Word documents from the start, no special expertise required.

1. Use Heading Styles

One of the most impactful things you can do for document accessibility is also one of the simplest: use Word’s built-in heading styles instead of manually increasing font size or bolding text to create section titles. Heading styles already give your document structure that screen readers can navigate, such as a table of contents for assistive technology. Think of headings as signposts. Screen reader users can jump from heading to heading the same way sighted readers scan a page.

• Find heading styles in the Home tab under “Styles.”
• Apply Heading 1 for your main title, Heading 2 for major sections, and Heading 3 for subsections.
• Avoid skipping levels, don’t jump from Heading 1 directly to Heading 3.

2. Write Descriptive Link Text

When you insert a hyperlink into a Word document, the link text is what gets read aloud to screen reader users. Vague phrases like “click here,” “read more,” or a raw URL give no information about where the link leads. Descriptive link text also helps users who are scanning a document quickly. (Refer to 5 Tips for Creating Clear and Accessible Links for more information.)

• Instead of: “For the course schedule, click here.”
• Write: “Download the course schedule (PDF).”

3. Add Alt Text to Images

Any image in your Word document that conveys meaning (e.g., a diagram, a chart, a photograph), does need an alternative text; so students using screen readers can access the information it contains. If you’re unsure how to describe a complex image, a generative AI tool can generate a starting point. Be sure to review and revise before saving it.

• Right-click on an image and select “Edit Alt Text.”
• Write a concise description focused on the image’s purpose, not just its appearance.
• For purely decorative images, check the “Mark as decorative” box in the alt text panel.

4. Make Tables Accessible

Tables are a common accessibility problem in Word documents, especially when they’re used for layout rather than data. A table designed to organize visual information can become a challenge for a screen reader user to follow if it’s not structured correctly.

• Use tables for data, not for page layout.
• Add a table title or brief description above the table so students know what it contains.
• Mark your header row: right-click the top row → Table Properties → Row → check “Repeat as header row at the top of each page.”
• Avoid merged or split cells. Keep tables simple. 

5. Run the Accessibility Checker

Word has a built-in Accessibility Checker that scans your document and flags any potential problems to fix before you save and share it with students. It can quickly identify any issues you might have missed.

• Go to Review → Check Accessibility.
• The checker will flag errors (must fix), warnings (should fix), and tips (consider fixing).
• Click on each flagged item for a plain-language explanation and apply the suggested fix.

Running the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word before uploading a file to Sites or Blackboard is one of the simplest habits you can build into your document workflow. It’s also one of the fastest ways to improve your Accessibility score.

For more information, view UMBC’s Digital Accessibility’s site on Accessible Documents & Presentations on how to make your word documents accessible.

Coming Soon: Beyond PDFs

Why Use PDFs at All? While this article focuses on making your Word documents accessible, we often get asked why PDFs are so common if they are harder to remediate. In an upcoming article, we’ll dive into the question of the PDF Dilemma and share why sharing your original Word file is often the preferred choice for accessibility. Keep an eye out for that deep dive soon!