Comfort Udah, ‘13, is a former UMBC English student who earned her PhD in English at UCLA. Udah is completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth College before she begins starting a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Read about her experience at UMBC and her journey through graduate studies below:

When I first arrived at UMBC in 2010, I was unsure of what major to pick. I knew that I wanted to be an educator and a teacher, but I was stuck between English and Psychology for a while. Then, the choice became easy once I got familiar with the English Department. I remember taking my first few English department classes, like ENGL 301, with Professor Falco and another one that introduced me to the world of critical theory taught by Professor Berman. Those first classes were a revelation for me. I enjoyed them very much, even though, and especially, because I found much of it challenging but fascinating. Both Dr. Berman and Dr. Falco set me on the course that has led to where I am today. They were very engaging and encouraging even when I had a hard time believing in my abilities. Today, I am a Postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth College, preparing to take up a position as an Assistant Professor at The University of Toronto. I honestly cannot say that I would be here this early in my life, without the nurturing environment of this English department.

I found that there was a very high degree of investment in students in the English Department at UMBC. The story of how I became an English Honors student exemplifies this investment. I remember being in the old Department offices in the Fine Arts building. Having been too shy to attend office hours by myself, I had tagged along with a much more outspoken friend. On our way out, Dr. Falco stopped me to ask if I would be attending the information session on the Honors Program. I did know that this event was taking place, but I had not considered that I would be a candidate for it and I told him as much. I ended up not only attending but applying to the program because of my conversation with him that day. Once I was in the Honors Program, I began to see, through the close mentorship of Dr. Berman, that my goals were in fact within reach. I have wanted to be a professor since I was in secondary school, but I also always assumed that I could only pursue and achieve that goal much later in life. Thankfully, Jessica Berman quickly disabused me of this notion. Having the opportunity to work on an independent project, closely mentored and encouraged by my professors, was the boost I needed to pursue a doctoral degree. I have since earned my MA and PhD in English at UCLA.

Although I had to overcome a lot of personal obstacles–from my shyness, to the cultural shock of being an international student in the US, and so on–the people in this department made it all feel feasible. There were always people who made themselves available to me and other students, thus contributing to our growth and confidence as scholars and as individuals. I really could go on about every single one of them, but instead, I would just like to especially thank Lindsay DiCuirci, Michelle Osherow, Jean Fernandez, and, of course, Rafael Falco and Jessica Berman for all their support and the work that they put into making the department a fecund ground for nurturing young minds into well-rounded individuals.

At UCLA, I wrote a deeply interdisciplinary dissertation titled, “Unwritten Spaces: African literature and Charismatic Spatiality,” in which I focused on literary representations of Nigerian urban spaces and objects, using the concept of charisma as a fulcrum. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, I am working on a couple of smaller adjacent projects, still concerned with the idea of charismatic spatiality and storytelling agency. I will also begin work on a book manuscript based on my dissertation before I move to Toronto in 2022.

The Marvin Andrews Fellowship in Urban Management, which leads to a master's degree in public administration or public policy, is designed to identify the country’s most talented students aspiring to executive levels in local government.

The application is due March 4, 2022. Good luck and go Sundevils!

Marvin Andrews Fellows (Marvins) receive the knowledge, training, and necessary experience to become future city/county managers in local government.

• In their first year, Marvins enjoy the prestige associated with working part time (20-hours a week) as a paid management intern for ASU’s Center for Urban Innovation. In this role, they have the opportunity to conduct research assistance for the Alliance for Innovation, the premier networking association for cities and counties committed to innovation and transforming local government.
• In their second year, Marvins receive a paid 20-hour per week internship with one of the many progressive and fast-growing cities in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
• Each student also receives a tuition waiver (in-state or out-of-state) for four fall/spring semesters (two years), an annual stipend totaling approximately $15,000 paid bi-weekly in accordance with your employment with the fellowship, health insurance, and financial support to assist with travel to annual conferences.

How to apply

Applicants to the Marvin Andrews Fellowship program are accepted once a year for admission to begin each Fall. Admission is fairly competitive. For example, for the 2019 cohort, 19 applications were received and four fellows were chosen. Applications are due March 4, 2022.

Requirements:

1. You must graduate with your Bachelor's degree (complete all required courses) by the Spring semester preceding the fall semester start of the fellowship.
2. You must be a newly admitted student into the MPA or MPP program to be considered for the Andrews Fellowship.
3. International students are not eligible to apply.

All applicants must first be admitted to the MPA or MPP program and then submit two documents to apply:

1. Marvin Andrews Fellowship Application Fall 2022
2. Two additional letters of recommendation (two were required for the MPA/MPP application). The additional letters should be from either an academic or professional reference that addresses the applicant's qualifying characteristics and applicant commitment to becoming a local government management professional.

Email both of these documents to Professor Cynthia Seelhammer, Marvin Andrews Fellowship Coordinator, at Cynthia.Seelhammer@asu.edu once the application opens. Questions? Email Professor Seelhammer.

The Department of Political Science is looking for two strong candidates to represent us at the 62nd Annual Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC) in Annapolis, taking place April 11-14, 2022. From the conference organizers:

NAFAC is a leading foreign affairs conference for undergraduate students to
discuss pressing global issues. The conference provides the opportunity for students to engage
with future civil and military leaders on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland.

This year’s conference explores the topic, “Partnership in the 21st Century.” The world
order faces challenges no single actor can overcome alone. Truly transnational, emerging
challenges introduce a new level of complexity that traditional instruments of state power are
hard pressed to manage. What role do liberal values play in bolstering trust among democracies?
Is it possible for traditional allies to advance their own security and prosperity while sufficiently
balancing commitments to their partners? The conference will explore what it takes to achieve
sustainable alignment between values and interests when constructing partnerships to respond to
21st century challenges. See website linked below for more details. 

This conference will include FREE room and board and should be an incredible experience. Preference will be given to juniors and seniors with high GPAs (over 3.6), though all are welcome to apply.

To apply, please submit one concise paragraph including:
(1) current year and GPA at UMBC;
(2) why you would be a strong candidate to represent UMBC, given your experiences and/or specific coursework.

(3) Applications Due by February 21st, 2022

Applications should be emailed to Dr. Grodsky at bgrodsky@umbc.edu.

Faculty and advanced graduate students are invited to join us for a CAHSS workshop on how ORCID can help your scholarship. The workshop will be held on Webex on Friday, February 11, from 1-2pm.

Click here to join!

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier) is an international nonprofit providing unique, persistent identifiers that researchers can use to distinguish themselves and their research output. Participating researchers retain control over what information they include in their profile, who can see the data they’ve included, and how it is used with options available for sharing across systems to save time on funding, publishing, and research reporting workflows.

Through a partnership between the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, the Division of Information Technology, and the Office of the Vice President for Research, UMBC joined a community of over 1,000 other research organizations, publishers and funding agencies around the world by becoming an institutional member of the ORCID consortium in March 2021.

This session will cover an overview of ORCID, benefits available to individual scholars, and how UMBC is leveraging its institutional benefits. We’ll also present how ORCID fits into the overall digital scholarship ecosystem at UMBC including Digital Measures, ScholarWorks@UMBC, and the Faculty Expert Database. The session will conclude with a demo of setting up a profile and tips for getting the most out of your ORCID account.

Speaker Bio

Carolyn Sheffield is the Associate Director for Library Technology & Digital Strategies at the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery where she oversees information technology services, website management, and digital scholarship services. Prior to joining UMBC in March 2019, Carolyn worked at the Smithsonian for nine years managing projects and programs for improving access to biodiversity literature, archives, and data. She holds a Masters in Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelors in Visual & Performing Arts from UMBC.

Sponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship, the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts, and the Dresher Center for the Humanities.

The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy 

Data and Policy Summer Scholar Program 

DPSS is a virtual, part-time program offering students and young professionals the opportunity to gain a foundation in data analytics, learn to code in R Programming, and engage in a policy research project - in just seven weeks! It is a great resume and skill builder.

Priority Application Deadline: March 1st 

Session One: June 13 - July 31, 2022

Session Two: July 25 - September 10, 2022 

Asynchronous lectures: Ideal for working professionals and students around the world, watch lectures and learn at your own pace.

Live support: Join live virtual office hours with faculty and teaching assistants and ask questions in discussion boards.

Applied learning: Engage in policy research project alongside UChicago faculty.

UChicago resources: Experience UChicago with live co-curricular seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities.

Enhanced network: Connect with peers and UChicago policy professionals from around the world.

No experience required: Develop your data analytics skills alongside other students and working professionals.

See the link below for more details

Now in its third year, Johns Hopkins University is hosting the virtual Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Research Symposium April 8-10, 2022. This is the first conference of its kind: there has been no other national platform for undergraduates in the humanities to share their work. 

The Macksey Symposium is designed to provide a development opportunity for students that looks toward their future pursuit of the humanities. The 2022 symposium will feature the following: