Dr. Freeman Hrabowski hosted the second annual 1966 Society dinner on September 19 in the 4th Floor English Department Conference Room in UMBC’s new Performing Arts and Humanities Building. The 1966 Society celebrates those individual members who have identified the UMBC Foundation in their estate plans.

Guests had a terrific view of the campus and the Baltimore skyline as they enjoyed their evening.

During dinner, Dr. Jessica Berman, Chair of the Department of English, welcomed them to the English department and described how introductory courses are being redesigned to improve students’ writing skills and incorporate new technology.

Earlier that day, the 1966 Society members were invited to attend the ceremonial ribbon cutting and ground breaking for the Performing Arts and Humanities Building by Maryland Governor Martin O’ Malley; a presentation on cultural spaces hosted in partnership with the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, and an outdoor festival of arts and humanities. The evening ended with a Humanities Forum lecture featuring Pauline Yu, President of the
American Council of Learned Societies.

Please contact Kim Robinson at trowbrid@umbc.edu or 410-455-3700 if you have included the UMBC Foundation in your estate plans so we can invite you to next year’s dinner.

• UMBC senior Seanniece Bamiro reflected on a great course that changed her perspective on urban challenges.

• Women's Center Director Jess Myers urged women to embrace their 19th Amendment right, not just by voting but by becoming engaged as activists and change agents.

• SGA President Kaylesh Ramu and I asked for and received some great reflections on what BreakingGround means for people at UMBC (video). Check out the replies and add your own.

• Shriver Center internships are positioning students to develop leadership skills they need to make a difference.  Students who have completed internships shared some of their experiences (video).

• UMBC doctoral student Romy Jones described an summer experience in Chiapas, Mexco, that challenged conventional thinking about community service.

Get the latest resources to promote your iOS apps worldwide. Two new badges — "Available on the App Store" for offline use and "Download on the App Store" for online use — are now available and localized in over 30 languages. And if your apps support iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation), download new product images to showcase your apps on the new 4-inch Retina display. Learn more.

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In one month Maryland voters will decide whether to allow undocumented immigrants who graduate from Maryland high schools and meet other requirements to pay in-county/in-state tuition at local community colleges and public universities. Until now, voters had little information to go on about the Dream Act’s likely effects, but a new report from UMBC professors T.H. Gindling (economics) and Marvin Mandell (public policy) offers hard data on its economic impacts.

“Private and Government Fiscal Costs and Benefits of the Maryland Dream Act” is a working paper funded by the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR) at UMBC. The conclusion: For each annual cohort of students who utilize the Dream Act, total net benefits to the economy are approximately $66 million.

The Baltimore Sun heralded the study’s detailed analysis and concluded: “The emotional, philosophical and moral debates stirred by the referendum on this issue are certainly important. But on a practical level, there is no question: The Dream Act is good for Maryland.” The Washington Post and WYPR’s Maryland Morning featured additional comments from researchers Gindling and Mandell.

Access the full working paper and a policy brief summarizing the study at umbc.edu/mipar.

Update (10/16/2012): Additional coverage has appeared in the Gazette, Daily Record Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, DC Examiner, Westminster Patch and Lutherville-Timonium Patch. WYPR’s Inside Maryland Politics, Immigration Impact, Capital News Service (1, 2), ABC2News and WBAL and have also reported on this study.

Yes, that Socialist and American “pain in the You-know-where” President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is back again by popular demand.

Yesterday, in a record breaking election in which 80% of registered voters participated, President Chavez defeated his opponent, former governor Henrique Capriles, by 900,000 votes.

Despite Chavez’s recent struggle with cancer, which has left the former soldier physically weaker, he made powerful political statements and promises to the people, proclaiming that Venezuela would: 

“continue along the path of democratic and Bolivarian socialism of the 21st century.”

Although Chavez has claimed victory, many argue that he is facing a Venezuela that is evolving beyond the purview of his ” Bolivarian Revolution.” 

A significant portion of the overall turnout for the election consisted of voters who supported Capriles. Initially, Chavez did not take his opponent seriously, referring to him as a “loser,”  ”sycophant,”  and “fascist.” 

But with 45% of the votes, Capriles, many argue, was actually quite a worthy challenger. He campaigned all across Venezuela (even in the most destitute slums), stating that he was Venezuela’s future, while Chavez was the country’s past. 

For now, President Chavez’s leadership will continue to be part of Venezuela’s present reality. But although he will not have to worry about a title change for another six years, Chavez might do well to reconsider his policies and heed the words of his political adversary by acknowledging that Venezuela:   

“…is a country that has two visions, and to be a good president, you have to work for the unity of all Venezuelans.”

Assuming his health does not hinder him, Chavez has another six years in office to try doing just that.