Former software rivals Microsoft and Oracle have announced a partnership that will allow Windows Hyper-V and Azure customers to run Oracle software on these platforms.

The USM Board of Regents has required all USM institutions, including UMBC, to provide a healthy, smoke-free environment for all faculty, staff, students, contractors, and visitors by July 1, 2013.

In response, a Smoke-Free Campus Task Force was appointed – with representatives from UMBC’s shared governance organizations, including students, faculty, and staff members – to make recommendations about how best to implement this policy on our campus.

After working throughout the spring semester, the task force has recommended that smoking be allowed in two designated areas removed from major pedestrian traffic, in order to provide a safe space for any students, faculty, or staff who may continue to smoke – especially after dark. For students, faculty, and staff who would like to stop smoking, University Health Services offers free visits with a medical provider who will provide support and discuss various options for quitting.

This new policy reflects a national movement to provide healthy, smoke-free environments on college campuses and brings UMBC in line with more than 800 colleges in the United States that are already smoke free. Your support and assistance is appreciated, as UMBC implements this new policy designed to make our campus community healthier for all who study, work or visit here.

More information about the full implementation plan will be provided in the coming weeks.

Each year, the Daily Record publishes the VIP List, or “Very Important Professionals, Successful by 40.” According to the Daily Record, VIP recognizes Maryland leaders based on their professional accomplishments, a commitment to inspiring change in their community, and their tremendous accomplishments achieved before or by age 40.This year, two UMBC alumni made it on to this prestigious list:

• Erin O’Keefe, MPP ’10, director of Loyola University’s York Road Initiative, and
• Angela Scott ’99, INDS, attorney with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Civil Rights Division

From the Daily Record’s website:

“Our VIPs are the ones to watch, at law firms, companies, hospitals, nonprofits and universities.”

Click here to see the complete list of honorees!

Dr. Daphne Harrison, former Chair of the Africana Studies, and Dr. Michelle Scott, Associate Professor of History, joined the Marc Steiner Show on Tuesday, June 19, for a segment called Juneteenth: Holiday Commemorating the Abolition of Slavery in Texas. The oldest known celebration of the abolition of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.

Dr. Harrison and Dr. Scott also discussed the history of classic female blues artists of the 1920s and 1930s with gospel singer Lea Gilmore. Dr. Harrison is author of “Black Pearls: Blues Queens of the 1920s.”

Listen to the full discussion »

Mobile Helix’s Link, described as the mobile device industry’s first pure HTML5 platform for application development and delivery.

The moment you step into Kupcakes & Co., you feel as though you’ve entered paradise–a paradise of bouffant icing, chic pink and black decor, and smiles. The smell of fresh-baked cupcakes permeates the air and friendly staff rush to fulfill your needs.

This delightful ambiance is one that Michelle Kupiec ’89, independent studies, has poured her heart into creating, with the help of her family and friends. It all started in 2010, after an extended illness left Michelle’s daughter, Amanda, on bed rest. Amanda loved to watch the Food Network, and she fell in love with shows like Ace of Cakes (featuring yet another UMBC alumnus, Duff Goldman ’97) and, when she was feeling better, she tried her hand at making a fondant cake, which lead to cupcakes, which lead to Michelle and Amanda renting space in a commercial kitchen. And from there, the cupcakes took on a life of their own.

“We started out baking for family and friends–it was easy to give away cupcakes,” says Michelle. ‘Then we started using higher quality ingredients and taking on wedding clients.”

Business was booming, so Michelle and Amanda decided to open their retail space in Elkridge, MD, in 2011. The whole family got involved to make the business work.

“My husband, Bill, is my best friend, business partner, web designer, and number 1 taste-tester,” explains Kupiec. “And my daughter Allison helped develop the space and select packaging and decoration for the store.”

Now, Kupcakes & Co. has 16 full- and part-time staffers who bake and decorate more than 10,000 cupcakes each week for walk-in customers and local restaurants, and they’ve recently expanded into even more space to make room for cooking classes and parties. In addition to their core cupcake lines, they also offer custom wedding cakes and an array of tasty treats like biscotti, biscuits, scones, and coffee. The recipe for success? Committed bakers and the best ingredients.

“We’re so proud of our kitchen and what we do,” says Michelle. “We only use the best ingredients, and everything here is done by hand.” The hard work has paid off; in addition to the growing numbers of local customers, Kupcakes & Co. is also baking for celebrities like Gail King and Andrew Jenks.

But the success is just a sweet side effect, says Michelle. For her, this business is about her family and community. So it’s natural that she and everyone at Kupcakes & Co. are dedicated to giving back to the community, supporting projects and organizations like the Blossoms of Hope tree-planting program, the Ulman Cancer Fund’s Team Fight, and Howard County General Hospital’s Cupcakes with Santa.

Michelle attributes the success of Kupcakes & Co. to dedication and hard work.

“I put my whole heart into what I do,” she says, “And we [family and staff] work so hard at what we do.”

Want more? Get Michelle’s tips on how to Upgrade Your Cupcake in the Summer 2013 issue of UMBC Magazine.