National History Day is set to take place next month at the University of Maryland, College Park. The competition is an exciting experience for students in grades six through twelve to learn about ideas, events and people in history and apply what they learn through original projects.

Nathan Rehr ’13, political science, participated in National History Day as a high school student. For his project, he decided to research Sargent Shriver and as part of his research he interviewed Joby Taylor, Director of the Shriver Peaceworker Program. He credits Taylor with helping him guide his choice of where to go for college and recently shared his story on WYPR’s Humanities Connection.

“For me, History Day helped me determine a few of the next steps in my life,” Rehr said. By interviewing Taylor, Rehr said, “I learned more about UMBC’s social and academic atmosphere, and I decided to start college there the following fall.”

Rehr is currently serving with the U.S. Peace Corps in Senegal working as a Preventive Health Educator to help improve the health and well-being of the community he is serving. To listen to the full segment on Humanities Connection, click here.

Devin Hagerty, professor of political science and founding director of the global studies program, has been named the Lipitz Professor of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences for 2014-2015. This professorship is supported by an endowment created by Roger C. Lipitz and the Lipitz Family Foundation “to recognize and support innovative and distinguished teaching and research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.”

An internationally recognized scholar of South Asian international relations (India-Pakistan and South Asia-US), Hagerty came to UMBC from the University of Sydney in 2001. Since then he has published two books, five articles, and 13 book chapters. He founded the journal Asian Security in 2003 and has served as its managing editor or co-editor ever since. He teaches courses in international relations and has won the Political Science Teacher of the Year award three times. He has served as chair of the political science department, currently chairs one of the working groups for the university’s strategic planning, and now directs our new, fast-growing global studies program—among a long list of service to UMBC. In November 2013, Hagerty wrote an op-ed published in Inside Higher Ed in which he introduced UMBC’s global studies program and argued that a liberal arts education is essential in developing a “global competence” among students.

During his year as the Lipitz Professor, Dr. Hagerty will work on a book project entitled “Fear, Ambition, and the Sturdy Child of Terror: South Asia’s Triangular Nuclear Dilemma.”

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

• Rebecca Adelman, Media and Communication Studies, on WYPR’s Maryland Morning
• Kimberly Moffitt, American Studies, on The Marc Steiner Show

Check out all the other great campus news on Insights Weekly.