Philippians 2:12-13 - “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

“The irony of Spirit-filled living is that we have to give up power in order to gain a greater power. How many times in your Christian walk have you come to a place where you struggled to do something, so you just tried harder? Have you ever tried harder to have the self-discipline to read your Bible more or pray longer? Have you ever tried harder to love an unlovely person? Have you ever tried harder to be bold when you felt afraid? How did that work out for you? Trying harder has never gone well for me. Christianity is not a self-effort religion but rather one of power-the ability and might of the Spirit. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2: 13). The Spirit is the only one who can produce self-discipline, love, and boldness. But to do so, he has to control us daily. We can’t rest on a religious experience we had years or even months ago.” (J. Cymbala, Spirit’s Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit. Kindle Location, 527)

Today, pray asking for the fullness of the Spirit to lead you, control you, and empower you. Ask the Lord for greater consistency in your walk with the Lord.

- GK

The Department of Visual Arts presents a lecture with visiting artist Brandon Morse, a Washington, D.C. based artist who works with generative systems as a means to examine the ways in which physical phenomena such as entropy and emergence can function in ways that are both poetic and metaphorical. 

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is pleased to announce the 2018 Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program competition. We know that the biggest challenges in science call for diverse perspectives and original thinking. Through the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program, HHMI will recruit and retain individuals from groups underrepresented in the life sciences. The program will support early career scientists with the potential to become leaders in academic research. Through their successful careers, HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows will inspire future generations of scientists from America’s diverse talent pool. The Institute will select and support up to 15 Fellows in this competition. The competition is open to all eligible applicants, and no nomination is required.

We appreciate your help in distributing this program announcement and encouraging eligible individuals from your institution, and beyond, to apply. Applicants can establish eligibility and submit an application via the HHMI online competition site.

Applications are due January 10, 2018, at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time).

HHMI announced the selection of 15 exceptional scientists as the inaugural class of HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows. For more information, see our HHMI.org program page or press release.

With best regards,

Erin K. O’Shea, PhD

President

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Program Overview

Fellows will receive funding ($80,000 annually) for up to four years of their postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding ($270,000 annually) for up to four years during their early career years as independent faculty. The program includes opportunities for career development, including mentoring and active involvement in the HHMI scientific community.

Eligibility

• The program is open to individuals from gender, racial, ethnic, and other groups underrepresented in the life sciences at the career stages targeted by this program, including those individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• The program is open to basic science researchers and physician-scientists in the biomedical and life science disciplines.
• The program is open to applicants of any citizenship or nationality who:
  • have a PhD and/or MD or equivalent conferred by an institution in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) by the start of the grant term.
  • have been accepted to join a laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher at a research institution located in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) at the time of the application due date.
• The postdoctoral training mentor must hold a tenured or tenure-track position (or equivalent) at an institution in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico).
• Applicants can have no more than 12 months of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the application due date.

Selection of Fellows

The review process will assess the applicant’s potential for a career as an independent academic researcher and the quality of the training environment with the selected mentor. The selection of finalists will be made by the end of September 2018. Awards may begin as early as September 18, 2018, but no later than January 15, 2019.

Additional Information

Additional information including a full Program Announcement is available at www.hhmi.org/hanna-h-gray-fellows.  For questions, contact program staff at fellows@hhmi.org.

The NASPA Region II Careers in Student Affairs Conference (CSAC) Committee invites you to join us in at the University at Albany, Morgan State University and The College of New Jersey  (TCNJ) on Friday, October 6, 2017, to learn, to network, and be inspired.

Registration details can be found here.

According to a report by Burning Glass Technologies, a college degree today is similar to a high-school diploma from a few years ago. Employers are looking more and more into applicants who have at least a bachelor’s degree. This is true even for jobs that traditionally did not require a degree and are not even listed as a definite requirement on job applications. However, not all students are necessarily after a diploma in their career.

The report further reveals that even though there was a high percentage of job application ads that claimed a preference to applicants with a college degree, there was a relatively low percentage of workers in that specific field who actually possessed those degrees. Applications may state that a college degree takes priority, but considering the actual amount of degree holders, it seems that just having a marketable skill is more essential.

Although it seems that it is an absolute necessity to have a college degree, this is not always the case. There is still the option of completing a certificate program, whether at a college or a reputable online source. It would be very beneficial for UMBC to implement more non-degree focused certificates that potential students could work towards.

UMBC does have a few certificate programs, but they are not advertised well. Erika Echols, a senior sociology major looking into child care and teaching, stated, “I honestly think increasing certificate programs would increase enrollment. I know from personal experience UMBC was not my first choice, considering its limited programs.”

Echols also states, “UMBC offering certificates would be beneficial to students because … as long as you have a degree you are qualified [for some job], but it is limited to certain jobs.”

There are many in-demand and well-paying jobs that can come from a certificate program. Some examples include travel agents, fitness trainers, real estate agents, and a plethora of other possibilities. Adding and promoting certificate programs can open the doors to previously unrealized career opportunities for UMBC students, even if they never complete a degree.

There are many different types of students that would greatly benefit from an addition of certificate programs. The programs could also bring more students to UMBC. These could be non-degree seeking students who simply want to take a few classes in order to earn a certificate for their chosen field or full-time students already enrolled in a degree program who may want to beef up their resume with a newly acquired skill.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one university that is way ahead of the game in their certificate programs offered to the public. MIT has several free courses that anyone can complete online from their accredited university. These certificates are offered at a bachelor’s and master’s level.

By implementing this model, UMBC could allow students to leave the university with a practical certificate under their belt. With more certificate programs, UMBC could get ahead of the curve in increasing the employment rate of students after graduation.