THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17  5:30 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

HARVEST OF EMPIRE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF LATINOS IN AMERICA

Eduardo López, television producer, journalist, and documentarian

The rapid growth of the nation’s Latino community has sparked heated national debate over immigration, yet the reality is that many of us know little about the Latin American roots of migration. In this talk, based on his award-winning documentary, Harvest of Empire, Eduardo López examines the direct connection between the long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America and the immigration crisis we face today, unveiling a moving human story that is largely unknown to the great majority of citizens in the U.S.

Sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities; Latino/Hispanic

Faculty Association; the Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication Department; the American Studies Department; and the Media and Communication Studies Department.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24  7 p.m., Performing Arts and Humanities Building, Room 132

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE – FILM SCREENING AND CONVERSATION

Kimberly Moffit, Associate Professor of American Studies, UMBC, 2014 Dresher Center Fellow

Damon Turner, Adjunct Professor in Africana Studies, UMBC, and Ph.D. candidate in African American History, Morgan State University

The film Dear White People follows the lives of four black students

at an Ivy League college. Director and writer Justin Simien says, “My film is about identity. It’s about the difference between how the mass culture responds to a person because of their race and who that person understands themselves to truly be. All explored through

the microcosm of a success-oriented Ivy League college.” After the screening, join us for a public conversation with featured speakers, Kimberly Moffitt and Damon Turner.

Sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the Africana Studies Department; the American Studies Department; and Student Life’s Mosaic: Center for Culture and Diversity.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14  4 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

Ancient Studies Week

IN COMIS VERITAS: THE PRINCIPLES OF ANCIENT ROMAN HAIRDRESSING

Janet Stephens, independent scholar and hairstylist

Through her groundbreaking research, professional hairdresser and self-trained experimental archaeologist Janet Stephens rediscovered the methods used to recreate ancient Roman hairstyles using only natural hair rather than wigs, as was previously believed to have been worn. In this lecture and demonstration she will explain the universal rules governing hair behavior so that you too may recognize the truth in any hairstyle, ancient Roman or modern.

Sponsored by the Ancient Studies Department and the Dresher Center for the Humanities.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21  4 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

WEBB LECTURE

THE REPUBLIC OF THE UNLETTERED: INTELLECTUAL HISTORY, THE ENLIGHTENMENT, AND THE LAW IN THE SPANISH EMPIRE

Bianca Premo, Associate Professor of History, Florida

International University

This talk explores what it means to write an intellectual history of the Enlightenment among those who could not read or write—namely enslaved people, women, and the indigenous inhabitants of colonial Spanish America, who sued in royal courts during the eighteenth century.

Sponsored by the History Department and the Dresher Center for the Humanities.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11  7 p.m., Linehan Concert Hall, Performing Arts and Humanities Building

W.E.B. DU BOIS LECTURE

LINKED FATES AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS: REVISITING POST-COLONIAL AFRICA AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIFE THROUGH DIASPORIC LITERATURE

Dinaw Mengestu, MacArthur Fellow, acclaimed

novelist, and Professor of English, Brooklyn College

The author of three novels, Dinaw Mengestu was named a “20 under 40” writer by The New Yorker magazine and received the National Book Award Foundation’s “5 under 35” Award for his debut novel, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears. A 2012 MacArthur Genius Award winner, Mengestu also received a 2006 fellowship in fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia University’s M.F.A. program in fiction.

Sponsored by the Africana Studies Department and co-sponsored by

the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the English Department; the

History Department; the Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication Department; the Music Department; the Global Studies Program; the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs; and the Office of Undergraduate Education.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18  5:30 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

CHINA’S FORGOTTEN GATED COMMUNITIES

Tong Lam, photographer and Associate Professor of

History, University of Toronto

In post-socialist China, gated communities have become conspicuous symbols of affluence for the country’s rising middle class amid the so-called “economic miracle.” However, Chinese cities also have many not-so-visible neighborhoods with mostly low-income migrant workers from the countryside that are physically being gated off

in the name of urban beautification and social management. This talk uses a research-driven visual project to examine the systematic dispossession, exploitation, and social discrimination that take place in these forgotten urban sites.

Sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the Visual Arts Department; the History Department; the Asian Studies Program; and the Global Studies Program.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2  4 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

FREEDOM MAROONED:

AN ATLANTIC SLAVE REBELLION IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Marjoleine Kars, Chair and Associate Professor of

History, UMBC, 2015 Dresher Center Fellow

In 1763-1764, five thousand slaves in the Dutch colony of Berbice

in South America rebelled. The extraordinary judicial records of

the uprising allow for an examination of the internal dynamics of rebellion. Mapping the politics among the enslaved, rather than merely their interactions with European colonists, shines a light on the many Afro-Berbicians who, eager to remain both master-less and alive, struggled to dodge all combatants, whether Dutch and their Amerindian allies, or rebels.

Sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities and the History Department.

All events are free and open to the public. Events are subject to change. For latest information, please visit dreshercenter.umbc.edu

UMBC Women Who Rock is a blog series I’m working on throughout the 2014-15 academic year (and now perhaps beyond). In my role as Women’s Center director, I have some of the best opportunities to become acquainted with some of UMBC’s best and brightest women on campus. I admire the ways they live authentic lives unapologetically that challenge the stereotypes and assumptions that are often assigned to women. By debunking these stereotypes and forcing us to check our assumptions, they allow us to expand our notion of what a woman is and can be.

-Jess

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UMBC Women Who Rock!
Rehana Shafi, Director of the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program

In the few UMBC Women Who Rock blog posts I’ve written over the past year, I end with the same paragraph every time. I ask my readers about which UMBC women inspire them and how the counter narratives they’re sharing with us allow UMBC and our greater community to be more of exactly who we want to be. I absolutely love the power of counternarratives and their ability to expose assumptions and reveal complexities and depth. And, while it’s so important to emphasize the counternarratives, after connecting with Rehana Shafi earlier this summer, I was reminded of the importance of also simply knowing the narrative of someone’s life.

Rehana speaking at the dedication of the naming of Sherman Hall.

Rehana and I are both a part of the Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) Division and for the past four years have shared time together at leadership team meetings. During these meetings, I have looked to Rehana as a role model as I design my own concept of women’s leadership. I appreciate the time I have to sit with her around the UAA leadership table. She asks important questions, provides important context to discussions, inserts moments of humor and light-heartedness, and exemplifies confidence. I have learned a great deal from Rehana by simply being at the same table with her. And, despite having spent this time with Rehana, I recently was reflecting on the fact that I knew very little about her and who she is. This realization inspired me to set up a time to meet with her under the guise of a UMBC Women Who Rocks interview.

So, I asked her “Who are you?”

But, let me take a step back. This actually wasn’t the first question I asked her. 

Rehana with the graduating class of 2013 Sherman Scholars.

First, I asked her about her role as the director of the Sherman’s Scholars Program and what journey did she take to get there. She shared her journey starting out an exercise science major in college, which led her to a brief stint working as personal trainer. Through this experience she learned that she really liked educating people, which led her to the experience of teaching ESL to middle school students, which eventually led her to working in the Choice Program in an alternative school in East Baltimore County. Of course, the Choice Program led her to the Shriver Center at UMBC and she worked there for several years coordinating service-learning and K-12 outreach. Finally, she found the perfect opportunity in the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program to apply everything she loved and was important to her about education, and she’s been working as the director ever since. We also talked about what it looks like for her to be a woman of color in a leadership position and the responsibility she feels to reach and support the few others on campus who look like her.

While this is a very condensed version of our conversation and her journey, through the simple act of storytelling, I realized how much Rehana and I had in common. We no longer just worked in the same division at UMBC but also had these neat little connections. We both have social work in our background and found our way into higher education as a way to find balance in self-care and still wanting to make a difference. We’ve both experienced first-hand the inequities of education and the ways in which children are pushed through systems. We both see ourselves as educators and that doesn’t have to include being in the classroom. We also both feel constrained by 5 and 10-year plans and would rather just be open to the possibilities.

When there was a pause in the conversation, I took a step back and looked at the questions I had prepared related to why she as a UMBC woman indeed rocks. I had scribbled down a note that asked “life outside of UMBC?” and that’s when I asked the big question, “Who are you… Who is Rehana outside of UMBC?”

Up until this point, I had been jotting facts down and was heading onto a third page to ensure an accurate portrayal of this UMBC Women Who Rocks. But, this is where the note taking took a pause and I just listened. As she attempted to answer this question, Rehana vulnerably explained to me, “I’m still searching for what that is.” In this part of our conversation she shared the deep impact the passing of loved ones has had on her recent journey. She spoke to the time she spent needing and wanting to take care of others around her but how that also impacted her ability to practice self-care. She’s beginning to figure out what self-care looks like for her and what that means to who she is. It includes eating well and exercising and maybe learning to swim or pick up sewing again. It includes what’s around her and not letting life happen while she isn’t watching. Through this simple question, I learned more about who Rehana really is and wants to be – and it’s way more than what exists on her resume or within her job title. It made me think about how often leadership and excellence is defined by doing, but the real challenge is really in the being.

This has me thinking a lot about a recent post another Women’s Center staff member wrote in the aftermath of the Baltimore Uprisings. She began her post with the question, “How are you?” and reflected on the deep importance this simple question holds in providing critical care to others. After my conversation with Rehana, I believe the similar meaning can be given to the question, “Who are you?” Asking the questions of “Who are you?” and “How are you?” is integral to practicing feminist leadership. I’m grateful for the time Rehana and I carved out during our busy days for her to share her story of not just doing but being. As I head into what I’m sure will be another busy fall semester, this experience has encouraged me to challenge myself to take the time to ask that short and immensely powerful question – “Who are you?”

Rehana with the Shermans and Dr. Hrabowski at the Sherman Hall dedication ceremony.

Who are the UMBC women in your life that inspire you to think outside your expectations and assumptions? What are the counter narrative stories they’re sharing with us allowing UMBC and our greater community to be more of exactly who we want to be? Comment below and maybe you’ll just find them featured in a future UMBC Women Who Rock post.

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Check out other UMBC Women Who Rock:

Amanda Knapp (featured August 2014)
Susan Dumont (featured October 2014)
Jahia Knobloch (featured January 2015)
A Reflection on Encouragement and Accountability (February 2015)
Amelia Meman (March 2015)
Ashley Sweet (May 2015)

Help us in welcoming new graduate students to campus. The Graduate School is pleased to announce that New Graduate Student Orientation will take place Thursday, August 13, 2015 beginning at 100 pm. Here are a few comments from previous Graduate Orientation sessions:

“I was blown away by the kindness and helpfulness of every person representing UMBC.”

“Fun and informative.”

“I found the orientation very helpful and am glad that I attended. I am excited to be a retriever.”

Dr. Rick Forno, Graduate Cybersecurity Program Director and Assistant Director of UMBC's Center for Cybersecurity, has received a $45,000 grant from the National Security Agency (NSA) to fund the prizes for student winners at the 2015 Maryland Cyber Challenge (MDC3) finals taking place at the CyberMaryland 2015 conference in Baltimore on October 28-29.   

The Maryland Cyber Challenge builds excitement around cybersecurity education and careers by bringing together teams of students and cybersecurity professionals to compete in a series of increasingly complex cybersecurity challenges. Now in its 5th year, over 800 student competitors have participated in this regional cybersecurity competition, with NSA providing more than $330,000 in prize money.

For 2015, each member of the first-place student team will receive $2,500 and each member of the second-place team will receive $1,250 to contribute toward their higher education and training in the cybersecurity and computer science fields. Identical prizes are awarded both in the high school and college divisions.

Dr. Forno and UMBC are co-founders of MDC3, along with Leidos and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED). For the first four years of the event, Dr. Forno served as the competition coordinator and GameMaster, but transitioned into an advisory role for 2015 and beyond.

Interested? Register a team for MDC3 or join the CyberDawgs to train and compete – they've got two teams already registered!

As the UMBC men’s soccer team gears up for another season, The Baltimore Sun featured Coach Pete Caringi for his excellent leadership of the Retrievers. Last year, Caringi led the team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Cup and was named Division I Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

In the article, fellow coaches and UMBC men’s soccer alumni praised Caringi’s coaching skills and passion for the game. “He’s a coach that can get everything out of his players and you just want to give everything you have to win a game for him,” said Giuliano Celenza, who played for UMBC from 1999-2000 before joining the Baltimore Blast. Celenza described how Caringi not only coached him on the field but made sure that he finished his degree after he began playing professionally. Senior defender Zach Wenger agreed, saying, “He’s always staying on top of us in terms of UMBC soccer. He’s always making sure we’re getting the job done in the classroom, carrying ourselves the right way off the field and then all that translates onto the field.”

University of Maryland, College Park coach Sasho Cirovski admired how Caringi led the Retrievers to the NCAA College Cup. Calling Carinigi the “soccer mayor of Baltimore,” Cirovski said, “What Pete engineered at UMBC last year is going to be legendary because to win at Maryland, to win at Louisville, to win at Creighton and to win at Wake Forest — I mean that’s an unparalleled run in the history of college soccer.”

Although Caringi is excited to coach the team to another championship, he told The Sun that he values the relationships he has developed with his players and coaching staff more. “One of the things I’ve always told my players is this is more than you just coming to play for me,” he said. “That’s more rewarding than saying I’ve won championships but have no relationships with the guys. I’ve always cherished that part of it more than anything.”

Read “UMBC soccer coach Pete Caringi Jr. looks to top last year’s successful run” in the Baltimore Sun.

Center Stage is seeking a Multi-Media Coordinator. The position is one of assisting all Projection/Multi-media design at Center Stage. Primary duties include: