There will be two ceremonies this December in the Retriever Activities Center (RAC).

• Graduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 20 in the RAC
• Undergraduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 21 in the RAC

As previously announced to the campus, Professor Rebecca Boehling, the Director of the Dresher Center, will become Director of the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany, in January.  A distinguished scholar of the Holocaust, World War II, and early postwar Germany, Dr. Boehling has served as the founding Director of the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities, making it a highly visible and important presence on campus in supporting and advancing scholarship in the humanities.  We are all indebted to her for outstanding work with the Dresher Center and her role as a champion of the humanities and the liberal arts.

I am delighted to announce that Jessica Berman, Professor of English (and Affiliate Professor of Gender + Women's Studies, and of Language, Literacy, and Culture), will become Director of the Dresher Center in January, 2014, when she returns from a year's leave.  Dr. Berman is the author of two heralded books on modernism, co-editor of the book series Modernist Latitudes at the Columbia University Press, and a Board Member of the American Comparative Literature Association.  She has also served as Chair of the UMBC Research Council and for the past six years has chaired the Department of English.  We are fortunate indeed to have a scholar of Professor Berman's stature and skills bring her experience and vision to the Dresher Center.

I am delighted as well to announce that Professor Beverly Bickel of the Ph.D. Program in Language, Literacy, and Culture (and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Gender + Women's Studies) will direct the Dresher Center from January 2013 through December 2013.  Dr. Bickel is a talented administrator, who has most recently served as Acting Director of LLC, and an innovative scholar in such areas as new media and globalized communication and culture.  Under her leadership, the Dresher Center will continue to move forward in supporting and enhancing the humanities and humanities scholarship at UMBC.

The Dresher Center has become a major institution on campus thanks to the leadership of Dr. Boehling.  I know that Professors Berman and Bickel will sustain and build upon the achievements and momentum established by Professor Boehling.  They will be supported in this by Professor John Stolle-McAllister of the Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication, who this semester has taken on the positions of Director of the Humanities Scholars Program and Associate Director of the Dresher Center.

Hunter with fans from Aquinas College.

“Welcome to AASHE rising!” said Hunter Lovins, tipping her hat to a packed house during her opening keynote for AASHE 2012. The Natural Capitalism Solutions president and founder made the business case for sustainability in higher education, urging audience members to start thinking of sustainability as an investment. Why? Here are a few takeaway quotes:

The Human Impact

“Okay I’m scared,” said Lovins of recent climate change projections. “The extreme weather that we’re seeing lately? This is the fingerprint of global warming and of course there is real human impact…hundreds of thousands of people across Africa are at risk of starvation because of climate change. “

“Sustainability isn't about saving polar bears, it's about jobs; it isn't about environmentalists telling you how to live your life, it's about increasing the quality of life in our community; it's about American entrepreneurialism. It's how to enhance our national security and unleash the greatest prosperity this country has every known.”

“We need to reinvent curriculum in every academic institution and teach students what it means to do business honorably in this time in history in which all living systems are at risk.”

To Influence Policy

“You’re gonna pay less more if you have good policy.” Lovins gave the example of Germany, which thanks to solid policies supporting renewable energy produces 28 more times more solar power than California (which enjoys 70 percent more sun).

“Don’t ever think that you have no power…every day every one of us votes with our hours. When all is said and done, our time is all we have. So: organize.”

"Goddamn go vote."

To Remain Relevant

• 68% of college applicants say that a school’s commitment to sustainability is part of their decision making process
• 96% of young workers want to work for a green company

“Remember, there’s a business case here,” said Lovins. “Everything you do to meet the STARS score card is driving your competiveness as an institution because you can now say to applicants: we are walking the talk.”

“With tuition increasing at 2x rate of inflation, higher education [as we know it] may be about to become extinct. Universities are at some risk of becoming irrelevant.”

"You gotta watch this video."

“Is TED the new Harvard?” Lovins asked the audience as she encouraged that higher education embrace technology like mobile learning as companies like TED-Ed are doing.

On this note, Lovins ended her keynote address with a world premiere of her new mobile learning venture, "Tell It Ed: Where the TV documentary meets the lecture." (Look for more information on the Natural Capitalism Solutions website in the coming days.) A partnership between Sustainable Business Consulting, In the Telling, Pearson, BGI and Natural Capitalism Solutions, the online open classroom will offer video narratives with transcripts, web resources, slides, digital documents and animations.

AASHE wants to know: Do you agree with applying the business case to sustainability in higher education? Tell us your perspective in the comments section.

U.S. Department of Education Seeking Winter/Spring 2013 Interns:

Do you have an interest in education policy analysis or research? In intergovernmental relations or public affairs? Does working with social media while learning about the role of the Federal government in education sound like your cup of tea?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you think you might have a future in government or education, then an internship this winter and spring at the Department of Education could be for you.

Not only will an internship at ED provide an opportunity to learn first-hand about federal education policy while developing a variety of other skills, including writing, researching, communication, and time-management skills, but interns are also encouraged to participate in group intern events, such as brownbag lunches with ED officials, movie nights, and local tours. For many, one of the many advantages of an ED internship is the proximity to such historical and celebrated sites it provides via its location at our nation’s capital.

Due to the competitive nature of securing an internship at ED, applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. If you are interested in interning this upcoming winter/spring term (from approximately January to early May), there are materials you must send in to be considered for an interview:

A.   A cover letter summarizing why you wish to work at ED and stating your previous experiences in the line of education, if any. Include here what particular offices interest you, keeping in mind that due to the volume of applications received, you may not be awarded with your first-choice office upon acceptance.

B.   An updated resume.

C.   A completed copy of the Intern Application.

Once these three documents are finalized, prospective interns should send them in one email to StudentInterns@ed.gov with the subject line formatted as follows: Last Name, First Name: Fall Intern Application.

An internship at ED is one of the best ways a student can learn about education policy and working in the civil service, but it is not limited to this definition. Your internship at ED is where you will develop crucial workplace skills that will help you down whatever career path you choose, and it is also where you will meet fellow students like yourself who share your passions for education, learning, and engagement.

Visit Trellis Services Inc to Learn about Internships & Jobs

Transportation Provided, Enhance Lives of Children w/Autism

CWIT Student Council Update...

T-shirt finalists have been chosen! But before we can share the poll with everyone, we wanted to get ideas for quotes, sayings, or whatever for the back of the t-shirt. We'll pick the best ones at an upcoming SC meeting and include them in the poll for designs. Submit your creative, clever, and pun-ny ideas via Google form by Monday, October 22nd here: http://tinyurl.com/cwitshirt12

What event would you like CWIT Student council to host this semester? Vote here now: http://mypollcreator.com/vote/15678 Please vote only once.

Check out our recap video put together by our Historian, Katrina. Congrats to the winners of the $20 Subway and $15 Starbucks gift cards!

http://youtu.be/fw-l-QFFTpA

(by Ebonie Riley) 

At UMBC I have learned how to focus my aspiration to make a difference in my community. I have interacted with great professors here on campus in several different departments who have fueled my interest in community activism.  If I could leave any something for other students to think about it would be this: ... (continue reading)

Akomo Ntoso Cabaret

Black Student Union

Friday, October 19, 2012

7:00pm

The Commons, Skylight Room

UMBC ID = FREE

General Admission = $10

Ticket #: 5 of 139

Hershey Park Bus Trip

(seb)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Bus departs The Commons Circle @ 12:00pm

All Guests = $35

Ticket #: 29 of 48

Larriland Bus Trip

(seb)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Bus departs The Commons Circle @ 11:15am

All Guests = $3

Ticket #: 11 of 28

Philadelphia Bus Trip

(seb)

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Bus departs The Commons Circle @ 9:00am

All Guests = $15

Ticket #: 24 of 49

Washington, DC Bus Trip

(seb)

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Bus departs The Commons Circle @ 10:00am

All Guests = $5

Ticket #: 13 of 49