Hi Retriever Entrepreneurs!

The CBIC final event will be held THURSDAY, APRIL 11TH  so be sure to mark your calendars!

This event showcases the finalists from this year’s competition entries. The CBIC is an opportunity for UMBC students who are serious about starting a business or social impact venture to pitch their idea to a panel of judges to win money to help launch their venture.

A networking session with heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be held prior to the event for attendees to meet alumni entrepreneurs, fellow students and community members interested in entrepreneurship. We hope to see you there!

AGENDA

NESS MEETING

03/13/2024

All Virtual

Join Webex Personal Room meeting

ID: 643239917

(US) +1 202-860-2110 (toll)

Access code: 643 239 917

1. Last meetings action items:

• Welcome to UMBC staffed by NESS on April 4, July 22, and October 22

• Members to assist with the NESS Newsletter to contact Cathy Myers.

• Upcoming senate election, nominations of senators (see Agenda item)

1. ECR Responsible Employee Training, (Melessia Jasper)

1. Volunteers needed for the UMBC Hearing Board (Cathy Myers)

1. Feedback about Parking Survey by Mead & Hunt see questionnaire (Sharon Paul)

1. Middle States Self Study (Barbara Smith)

1. Information from the last USC meeting in February.

• The Landscape Committee status

• Changing the Academic Calendar to get an extended fall break around TG

1. Upcoming Election for senators and the voting Poll (Helena)

• Creating a voting Poll list with current and new senators

• Who can vote in the Senators election? 

1. Reports from University Service Committees

• IT Steering Committee (Helena)

• Inclusion Council (Barbara)

• PAC (Sharon Paul)

Three Questions With … is an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about staff in the Division of Student Affairs. This month, get to know Ricky Blissett, associate director, Center for Democracy and Civic Life!

Name/pronouns 

Ricky Blissett '11

they/them and he/him

Title/department

Associate Director, Center for Democracy and Civic Life

Years in Student Affairs

14 months as of March 2024 (As a student I was also involved in Student Affairs-related efforts.)

UMBC alumni information

2011 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology major

Computer Science minor

What is something you do as part of your position that people may not be aware of?

In addition to coordinating several of our major programs, one of the major functions I manage is our evaluation, research, and assessment work. To me, this work is about creating structured and systematic opportunities for reflection on what we do, where the "methods" are less important than the questions we ask ourselves about whether or not we are doing good. I greatly enjoy the opportunity to think creatively about how we can observe, track, and make sense of people's experiences and evaluate whether those experiences align with the type of future we're trying to build together. 

I have a background as an academic and evaluator and this work allows me to make use of those experiences I've had, but related to social and human stories I care more about. As educators, a lot of the things we are trying to create are difficult to define in universal ways, and a lot of the experiences we hope people have as a function of our work are not easily measurable. But the work of being with colleagues who are committed to thinking holistically about what we are doing such that we can find creative ways to understand and reflect on how we're contributing to a better world ... that is what connects me to this community, and my role gives me many opportunities to do this.

What is one of the most important things you've learned during your time here as staff? 

That there is a shortcut to the Apartment Community Center that doesn't require me to walk all of the way up that hill. Also, for context, I come to this position from a previous career as a professor, so one of the major changes I'm experiencing is much more basic than any broad moral lesson. Being on the staff side of university has been a really enriching experience where I get to learn from the thoughtful colleagues around me. In particular, I have found the team-centric aspect of staff work to be in perfect alignment with how I prefer to operate, and I have been surrounded by kind and caring people who have pushed me to take better care of myself as well, more than I've ever been pushed in this regard. Being a staff member is a whole different world from being a faculty member, and for me, I think I benefit much more and can work in healthier ways in my role now. The people I work with across the Division of Student Affairs have helped with this, and I'm grateful for that care.

What do you like to do for fun and/or is something you are passionate about outside of work? 

Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging's Matt Hoffman, assistant director, Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, has been elected to serve on the board of directors for the Association of Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education (ACSLHE). ACSLHE brings together professionals who are committed to nurturing the religious and spiritual life of students as a critical part of the mission of higher education in the 21st century. 

As someone committed to holistic well-being, Matt feels called to support and inspire college students--from all traditions and backgrounds--as they navigate faith, the demands of school, discern vocation and explore questions of identity and belonging.  Overseeing the Gathering Space--a space utilized by 300+ weekly visitors and 24+ religious and belief organizations--Matt has prioritized programs that lift up spirituality, invite spaces for education and collaboration, and highlight intersectional identities and interfaith work, centering radical love and belonging and energetic pluralism. He is also serving as team leader for a $30K grant awarded to UMBC by Interfaith America.

Prior to UMBC, Matt was the Associate Director for Interfaith Initiatives and Instructor of Religious Studies at Warren Wilson College, near Asheville, North Carolina. There, he co-created a minor in Interfaith Leadership, helped lead religious and spiritual life programming on campus, and taught classes about religion, centering interfaith work, environmental justice, and food access. 

Matt has a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, and a Masters of Sacred Theology from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Additionally, Matt is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.