Steven Massof, 49, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder, murder conspiracy and other charges.

Massof testified to a grand jury that he snipped the spines of more than 100 babies after seeing them breathe, move or show other signs of life.

"Severing the spinal cords of moving, breathing babies outside their mothers' wombs was, according to Massof, 'standard procedure,'" the grand jury report centered on Dr. Kermit Gosnell's clinic charged."

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From Nancy Young, Vice President, Student Affairs

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Daniel Barnhart will be joining our division as the new Director of Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS). Dan comes to UMBC from Stevenson University with many years of prior experience in off-campus student services, student activities, veteran affairs and the military. He received his doctoral degree in Education from George Washington University and earned a Counseling degree from Wake Forest University. His demonstrated leadership skill, best practice research and strategic visioning will be valuable assets to the department of OCSS and the Division of Student Affairs. We do not yet have a firm start date, but I hope you will join me in welcoming Dan at danbarnhart@yahoo.com.

I would like to thank the search committee for the time and energy they shared on behalf of our students to identify outstanding candidates, organize the interview process and make recommendations based on evaluations. Under the leadership of Anne Scholl-Fiedler (Career Services), Chair, and Fritzie Charne-Merriwether (VPSA), VP liaison, the committee completed their work efficiently, effectively and professionally. Please join me in recognizing the work of Anne, Fritzie, Dale Bittinger (Admissions), Hans Cooper (Registrar),
Donna Huynh (OCSS), Abdias Irizarry (Commons) and Andrea Wynter (Transit). Our students and our campus will benefit from their efforts for years to come. Thanks also to colleagues across the division and camps who interviewed and submitted feedback to the committee.

I would also like to recognize Ben Goldberg and the staff of OCSS, Eraline Sabino, Donnell James and the Commuter Assistants, for keeping their department operating smoothly during the past year. Ben’s leadership as Acting Director has been instrumental in keeping program and service delivery coming off without a hiccup during this interim period. Ben will continue his leadership in OCSS, the division and the campus as he resumes his role as Assistant Director of OCSS in a full-time capacity and focuses on doctoral work as well.

Great people are key to our students’ success! Thank you in advance for helping make Dan’s transition to our division a smooth and pleasant experience.

On Thursday, November 10, the Department of Music presents presents a program entitled The Expressive Jewish Tradition Through Music and Words, featuring performers Maria Lambros, viola; Airi Yoshioka, violin; Audrey Andrist, piano; E. Michael Richards, clarinet; Lisa Cella, flute; and guests Alison Wells, cello; Michael Kannen, cello; and Diane Walsh, piano. The program will feature:

* Osvaldo Golijov – Doina (2001)
* Felix Mendelssohn – Sonata for Cello and Piano in D major, Op. 58 (1843)
* Michael Alec Rose – Burlesques for Piano Quartet (2010, world premiere)
* Gerald Cohen – Yedid Nefesh (Beloved of my Soul) (2007)
* Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein III – selections from South Pacific (1949)

8 pm, Fine Arts Recital Hall. $7 general admission, $3 seniors, free for students, free with a UMBC ID. To order tickets in advance using a credit card, order online through MissionTix or call 410-752-8950. Tickets will also be available at the door, cash or check only.

More information:
http://www.umbc.edu/arts

The Arts & Humanities at UMBC: think create engage
http://www.umbc.edu/engage

In his latest Baltimore Sun opinion column, UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller focuses on the US tax policy debate. “We talk a lot about spending cuts but rarely, if ever, about revenue increases. Why the asymmetry?” Schaller asks. Read “The Gospel of Tax Cuts” to find out.

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) has elected seven new members to its Board of Directors, including Stephen J. Sfekas, a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge who previously taught health care law and administrative law at UMBC. According to Baltimore Citybizlist, Sfekas has served on the boards of The ARC Baltimore, the Maryland Disabilities Law Center, the Society for Values in Higher Education, and the President’s Advisory Council for UMBC. MHC board members are involved in strategic planning, fundraising and fiscal management for the group.

UPDATE (11/14/11): The segment is now available to view online here. A transcript is available here.

UPDATE (11/05/11): The airing of the “60 Minutes” piece on UMBC has been postponed. It is now tentatively scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m.

After many months of filming on campus, “60 Minutes” plans to feature UMBC on its program this Sunday. What’s the bad news? It’s all too familiar: the United States continues to graduate too few students, particularly minorities, in science, technology, engineering, and math. The good news: “60 Minutes” focuses on UMBC as a place that gets it right.

We appreciate the recognition – but, more importantly, the opportunity to raise the visibility of this critical issue. We hope that you will tune in Sunday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. and encourage others to do so as well. (Of course, we have to give you the disclaimer that “news happens,” and the lineup could change.)

As you watch, you will see a well-executed production, not the months of taping, research, and editing. You certainly won’t see the messy outtakes. Transformation in higher education happens in much the same way. It’s a process, not a product. What started in 1988 with an idea for a select program for African-American males in science, math, and engineering – the Meyerhoff Scholars Program – has blossomed into a broad culture of student achievement at UMBC.

Lessons from the Meyerhoff program, for example, inspired scholars programs for undergraduates in the arts, humanities, public affairs, and teacher education. More recently, the Meyerhoff experience with group study informed course redesigns for first-year courses in science, engineering, and psychology. And, in turn, lessons from that initiative now have UMBC working to infuse active learning throughout its curriculum.

But these few examples aren’t the story. What we have worked toward over the past 25 years at UMBC is a culture that goes beyond “project mode” when it comes to improving undergraduate education.  More than a particular program, department, or initiative – we are an entire community that works relentlessly to improve the educational experience we provide.

Our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners have worked tirelessly, and often behind the scenes, to breathe life into that work. UMBC’s successes are your successes. Thank you for your continued support, and enjoy the spotlight!

On Thursday, November 10, Michael Fallon, senior lecturer of English, will read from his two new books of poetry:

“Since You have No Body,” winner of the 2011 Plan B Press Poetry Chapbook Competition

“Overall, Since You Have No Body is about making peace with the organic, as well as the ontological world, with death, with the shadow, and hence with the void…” -Contest Judge, poet Corey Mesler

and

“The Great Before and After”

In The Great Before and After, George C. Tumulty, a comic everyman, contemplates the origins and fate of himself, humanity, and the universe, raising the big questions.

Books will be available for purchase, and light refreshments will be served. The even twill take place at 4:00 p.m. in UC 310.  For more information, visit here.