Dear Retrievers and Valued Riders,

UMBC Transit will be closedon Monday, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day. Regular shuttle service will resume on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, ~ Summer 2026 Schedule. 

Alternative Transit Options

Baltimore Link

• LocalLink 32 - UMBC - Patapsco Station
• LocalLink 76 - City Hall to South Baltimore Park & Ride
• LocalLink 37 - Old Court Metro to UMBC

- CityLink PURPLE - City Hall - Paradise/Catonsville - with access to Walmart at Baltimore National Pike

RideShare

• Zipcar
• Lyft 
• Uber Ride

If you need more help, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at transit@umbc.edu or 410.455.2454 during regular operating hours.

Safe Travels,

Your Transit Team ~ Driving Student Success.

Hey Graduate Assistants! 👋

The Graduate School has shared an important resource for all Graduate Assistants who have or are considering a summer 2026 appointment. GAAC is passing this along to make sure it reaches you directly.

The Summer 2026 Registration Guide covers:

🔹 FICA Taxes & Exemption — Domestic GAs employed this summer must be enrolled in at least 3 credits throughout their appointment to avoid FICA taxes (7.65%) being deducted from your pay. If you're not enrolled, both you and your department may be impacted.

🔹 GRAD 603 — A free 2-credit option that can help you reach the 3-credit FICA threshold. It's stackable with at least 1 credit of coursework or research, and it's optional if you're already enrolled in enough credits.

🔹 PhD Candidacy Students — If you've reached candidacy, you may register for 898 or 899 for summer FICA exemption.

🔹 Summer Financial Aid — If you're looking to qualify for summer financial aid, you'll need at least 6 total credits. Note that GRAD 603 does not count toward this requirement.

🔹 Estimated Costs — The guide includes a registration cost breakdown across different course options (Independent Study, 799, 898, 899) so you can plan accordingly.

One important note on residency: GAs who do not hold a summer GA appointment will have their residency status reverted to out-of-state for billing purposes unless your official residency is already in-state. Residency will be restored for fall once the Graduate School receives your fall appointment letter and tuition remission forms.

📄 Full guide attached — we strongly encourage all GAs with summer appointments to review it.

For registration guidance, contact your graduate program or department. For questions about appointment-specific details, reach out to The Graduate School directly.

As always, feel free to reach out to GAAC at gsagaac@umbc.edu if you have concerns or need help navigating this.

GAAC, Graduate Student Association | UMBC gsa.umbc.edu/contact-gaac

Temporary/ permanent Accommodation for 1 male near UMBC campus from June 1/July 1 (flexible)
Rent is $458 + utilities. Ideal for budget students or working professionals

Private and Fully furnished room (Bedframe, Mattress, Study-table, Dresser, Chair, Mirror, Closet, Curtains, Lights) 

Location: 
1345 Stevens Ave, Arbutus. (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gw2Leu55W4SAHVvk6) 
- 15 mins walk to UMBC (2-3 min drive)
- 2-3 mins to UMBC Arbutus Bus stop (East drive)
- Walkable (4-5min) distance to Save-a-lot, Dollar general, Dominos, BoFA, Punjab Kabab/Halal Kabab. 

Includes:
- Shared kitchen/bathroom (fully equipped with Oven, Microwave, Fridge, Dishwasher)
- Laundry(dryer + washer)
- Parking

If you are interested you can DM me. I can send you some pictures and videos. You may contact: +14106153834 , email: hmasum1@umbc.edu for details or schedule a visit. 

Dear UMBC Colleagues,

The Benefits and Wellness team is writing to provide an update on the current system infrastructure disruption affecting P&A Group, the vendor that manages the State's Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

P&A Group has provided an FAQ page that may answer some of the questions that our affected employees may have. Please Click Here to view that page.

The page linked above includes a "What to Expect Next" table of their services and is where P&A Group will declare which of their services are back to normal business processes.

Currently, the only service not operating properly is their phone system, all other systems are back up-and-running.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we waited for this issue to be resolved.

Sincerely,

The Benefits and Wellness Team,UMBC Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management

Congratulations to our 2026 inductees!

Tal Amit Adashek
Sean Erik Alvarado
Ashley Barrientos
Mischa Blevins
Willow Eve Brandey
Addie Crowley
Jenifer Cruz-Reyes
Nora Erabhaoui
Shannelle Hanson
Sergio I. Hernandez
Monique D. Holman
Mandi R. Kirk
Amy Lennon
Marina Leon
Raquel Mejia

Cherly Montano Herrera
Vanesa F. Navarrete
Sheilla Nkwenji
Angelina O'Day
Oluwaseun Titiade Olejiya
Cindy Melissa Ortez
Josephine Prentice
Kolby Reese
Alexis Russell
Oliver Guy Trent Salter
Viorina S. Smith
Banka Djamilat Toure
Tiffany J. Townes
Melitza Victoria-Escobar
Alycia Wilson
Kate Arbaugh

We are also proud to welcome our new board members for the 2026-2027 year!

Please feel free to contact them with any ideas for activities you might have.

Main Campus:

President:  Josie Prentice-  Jprenti1@umbc.edu

Vice President: Melitza Victoria Escobar-    MVictor1@umbc.edu

Treasurer: Alycia Wilson-     alyciaw2@umbc.edu

Secretary: Kolby Reese-     KReese3@umbc.edu

Communications/Activity Liaison- Raquel Mejia rmejia1@umbc.edu

Shady Grove Campus:

President: Sergio Hernandez-   shernan2@umbc.edu

Vice President: Sheilla Nkwenji-   snkwenj1@umbc.edu

Treasurer/Secretary: Shannelle Hanson-   wx79097@umbc.edu

Earlier today, Procurement held their first session in their new Supplier Spotlight series.  This series is designed to highlight strategic supplier partners that assist UMBC in conducting it's business for the campus community.

Today's session was with Club Colors, a company that specializes in supporting custom merchandise, custom apparel, and promotional products.

A recording of the session (34 minutes) can be viewed at this link.

Be on the lookout for information about future sessions in this series.

We hope everyone has a great summer break! Congratulations to our 2026 graduates. 

The Mosaic Center will be closed during the Summer 2026 session. Staff members will be available via email and WebEx. Should you have any questions, please email us at themosaic@umbc.edu or the appropriate staff member. 

If you are interested in reserving the Mosaic Center for a summer meeting or event, please reach out to Angelina R. Jenkins at arjenkin@umbc.edu. 

We will re-open for the 2026-2027 academic year on Monday, August 24, 2026. 

We look forward to reconnecting and meeting new community members in August! 

SGA is HIRING!! 

Do you wish to join UMBC's Student Government Association in its mission to spread leadership and support the student body? 

We are hiring for all appointed positions and the Vice President for Student Organizations. Please scan the QR code or use this link to fill out the application. You must fill out multiple applications if you are interested in multiple positions! 

For any questions regarding the application or positions, please email us at sga@umbc.edu or text through Instagram: @umbcsga

Deadline for application: June 10, 2026

AI-powered fitness apps are transforming personalized training by combining data, recovery insights, and adaptive workout planning into a single experience tailored to individual goals. For UMBC Data Science graduate student Manikanta Sirumalla, that realization came from years of personal experience in the gym. After struggling with disconnected fitness apps and generic workout plans, he decided to build something better. In this conversation with Dennise Cardona, he reflects on his journey from iOS developer to founder, how UMBC shaped his thinking, and what it takes to build an AI-powered fitness platform from the ground up.