For students, college life can be an exciting time- lots of opportunities for new experiences, relationships, and learning about the world and ourselves.  It can sometimes also be a difficult and stressful time that can challenge a student's emotional and physical health. Some students may feel they need extra support to cope with personal issues that may be interfering with their ability to make the most of their UMBC experience and others may just benefit from our range of health and mental health services. 

Through trauma-informed, culturally sensitive counseling services, our counselors work collaboratively with students to improve their emotional well-being, balance priorities, enhance interpersonal relationships, empower them with useful coping skills to attain success in and out of the classroom, and support them to access additional outside services to meet their needs. Our counselors come from a variety of backgrounds and specializations.

All counseling services are free and confidential. We provide short-term individual counseling, group counseling, performance enhancement consultations, as well as crisis intervention, outreach, consultation, and referral services. For faculty, staff, and student families, our counseling team is available to consult regarding how to support a student. 

For students, our medical team provides both primary and limited urgent care services, including annual well and gynecological (GYN) visits, updating vaccinations and boosters, screening for various diseases, and treating acute illnesses and minor injuries.  We also provide psychiatry, acupuncture services, and dietitian consultations. Our medical team operates like an outside doctors office in that they bill insurance and payments can be billed to your student account. 

RIH also offers a wide variety of Free Online Supports for students, including:

• Togetherall- an anonymous, online peer support community

• Welltrack Boost- virtual self-help modules, mood tracker, zen room, and screening tools

• Welltrack Connect- an online database and communication tool to assist you in finding mental health treatment in the community

We are located at the Center for Wellbeing across from the library.  More information is available on our website at health.umbc.edu.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at RIH@umbc.edu if you have any questions.

The AOK Library has just recently added three new, timely research guides into the library’s webpage, hot off the press: 

• Artificial Intelligence & AI Literacy

• Government Information and Data Rescue

• News Sources

These research guides cover artificial intelligence, AI literacy, and AI ethics; government information and data rescue for the preservation of accurate, trusted online sources; and newspaper databases and popular news sources compiled into one location for convenient, easy access.

The 3 new research guides (and many others) can be found on our webpage at library.umbc.edu under “Research Guides” in the “Research Help” tab. Ask a Librarian through chat for any questions related to the research guides, orschedule an appointmentfor assistance getting started on your own research - no matter where you are in the process!

Dear UMBC Community, 

Thank you to all who attended last week’s Fall Opening Meeting, whether in person or virtually. It was a terrific gathering of staff, faculty, students—and even some UMBC family members. What an inspiring way to start the semester!

If you were unable to attend, I invite you to watch the recording of the event. We shared updates on several important topics, including great news about the incoming class, the latest on the impacts of federal actions and orders on UMBC, a budget update, and our work ahead on the strategic plan. We also got a sneak peek of the newly renovated portion of Sherman Hall, and previewed UMBC Arts+, the arts initiative launching this fall—including a performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Linehan Concert Hall on September 17.

As we came together to reflect on how much progress we have made since last year’s Fall Opening Meeting and looked to what is ahead for this academic year, it was particularly meaningful to meet and hear remarks from three students who are beginning their UMBC journeys this fall: First-year students Lexi Malenfant and Andrew Whipple, and Archana Thakkar, a transfer student joining the Honors College from the Community College of Baltimore County. Hearing directly from students—learning about their passions and why they chose UMBC—is the best reminder of why we are here and how important our work is. My thanks to Lexi, Andrew, and Archana for sharing their stories with us, and welcome to UMBC.

I am energized and so proud to be a part of this extraordinary institution. Thank you for all you do for UMBC. Let’s get this semester started!

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby