The days are shorter now, and a bit colder, but campus remains lively and exciting as ever for Asian Studies students. Here are a few events, dates, and deadlines of interest for you in the coming weeks: 

Spring 2025 Advising and Registration

Did you forget to sign up for advising for Spring 2025, and you still need your registration clearance? Never fear - Dr. Vaporis and Dr. Kim can meet with you during their normal office hours to assist you with any questions you might have! You can reach them by email (click their names above) to schedule an appointment. 

New Spring 2025 Course - ASIA 300: Asia Pacific Worlds

Still looking for an elective for the coming Spring semester? Consider signing up for Dr. Thornburg's ASIA 300: Asia Pacific Worlds! 

Explore the histories, experiences, representations, and contemporary issues of the islands and archipelagos connected by the Pacific Ocean—from Hawaiʻi, the Philippines, and Japan to Vietnam, the Marianas, and Indonesia.  Using a variety of texts and genres—such as graphic novels, memoirs, and guidebooks—we will think about the connections, exchanges, and movements between that knit this region together from a "Global Asias" perspective, examining migration, diaspora, identity, colonialisms, popular culture, and tourism. 

The class is filling up fast - register today, don't miss your chance!

International Education Week is Coming!

Study abroad and other international experiences can provide life-changing opportunities for you to connect your interests with people and places around the world. International Education Week brings many of those experiences and opportunities to campus for you in a whirlwind of events ranging from information sessions to table fairs and guest speakers. 

You can learn more about International Education Week on the Center for Global Engagement's website. A few events may be of particular interest for ASIA students and may require pre-registration: 

• Monday, Nov 18, 4:30pm: Meet Maryland's Director of International Affairs
• Monday, Nov 18, 7:30pm: Fulbright English Teaching Program/English Language Fellows Program Virtual Info Session
• Tuesday, Nov 19, 5pm: Fulbright Hays Info Session
• Wednesday, Nov 20, 7pm: The English Program in Korea (EPIK) Info Session

Additional details about these programs are available on the CGE website as well as the attached flier. 

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Talk: Using Participatory Design and AI to Create Agency-increasing Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems

Dr. Stephanie Valencia, Univ. of Maryland
3-4pm ET Monday, November 18, 2024
ITE 406, UMBC and online

The Office of the Provost is currently seeking to fill a position as Special Assistant for Strategic Planning and Implementation. The Special Assistant will serve as a co-chair on UMBC’s strategic planning committee and work with the Provost and the strategic planning committee to help oversee the development and implementation of UMBC’s strategic plan. The special assistant will also serve as a liaison with faculty across UMBC and provide central guidance to coordinating academic College, Department, School, and Center strategic plans with the university strategic plan. This is a 50% effort position (academic year and Summer) to start in Spring 2024 (January 27, 2024) . Eligible candidates currently serve at the rank Associate/Full Professor or Senior/Principal Lecturer. 

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, and two references to Terisa White (terisac@umbc.edu) by 5.00PM Monday December 2^nd.  For questions please contact the provost directly at mvandul1@umbc.edu.  

Meet David M. Williams, M.S. ’02, emergency health services (EHS) management, a scholar-practitioner of the “Science of Improvement,” and a co-author of Quality as an Organizational Strategy: Building a System of Improvement. With 25 years of experience in quality improvement, he has worked with leaders and teams worldwide to develop people’s abilities to make rigorous, results-driven improvements and adopt quality as an organizational strategy. Take it away, David!

Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: I advise leaders worldwide to use the science of improvement to improve processes, products, and services. My experience in organizational systems began when I was a paramedic and got my master’s in EHS management at UMBC. My education led to me becoming an ambulance system expert and an internationally respected improvement advisor. I have a Ph.D. in organizational systems from Saybrook University. 

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: After I earned a B.S. in emergency medical services management from Springfield College, I was looking for a graduate program that would allow me to study from my home in Austin, Texas, while I worked full-time as a paramedic. I decided on UMBC because it had a unique virtual graduate program in EHS management that met all my criteria. 

Q: What do you love about your academic program?

A: As a student in the UMBC EHS program, I was introduced to literature and best practices that helped my professional development early in my career. The faculty comprised industry leaders, and their support and networks in the field helped me build my knowledge and skills. I credit my graduate work at UMBC as positioning me for career success.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone to know about the support you find at UMBC?

A: I was a remote student in the early days of online degree programs. UMBC worked hard to create a robust academic learning experience. The faculty have served as lifelong mentors, and my peers made a community of learners nationwide and internationally.

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: EHS adjunct faculty Mike Taigman has been a mentor and supporter since we first met in his class in the late ’90s. He was an expert paramedic and consultant. He encouraged me to publish my first paper and introduced me to the editor of an industry publication. He sponsored me to speak at my first national conference. He wrote a recommendation in support of my first leadership role as the chief quality officer of Austin EMS. He introduced me to healthcare improvement, which has been my career for more than 15 years. His mentorship and support have been a constant contribution to my career success. We still talk each week.

Images above: David Williams and Mike Taigman, UMBC EHS faculty, at the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) Annual Meeting.

Q: Tell us about your current job. What do you like most about it?

A: I am a self-employed advisor, teacher, and author—an internationally respected scholar-practitioner of the Science of Improvement. With 25 years of experience in quality improvement, I have worked with leaders and teams worldwide to develop people’s abilities to make rigorous, results-driven improvements and adopt quality as an organizational strategy. I also recently co-authored Quality as an Organizational Strategy: Building a System of Improvement. The book describes an approach to leading organizations based on W. Edwards Deming’s charge that leaders need a new theory of leadership and a strategy built on quality. The book defines quality as a strategy and describes a framework of five activities for leaders that can lead to both immediate results and long-term performance. 

Image right: Quality as an Organizational Strategy: Building a System of Improvement

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Students will be able to pick up their stole or cord in the Campus Life Office (Commons 336) beginning on Wednesday December 11 through Wednesday, December 18 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday). There will be NO PICKUPS on Saturday December 14 or Sunday December 22. 

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