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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4501" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4501">
<Title>Inauguration Day</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><div><span>The little town in southern North Carolina featured a small collection of chain hotels, the usual fast food joints and an industrial plant that had contaminated the groundwater with its waste.  I woke up in an anonymous room in one of those hotels.  I put on a suit and tie, and had to fight the sense that they were just a costume meant to create the illusion that I was a grown-up.  Then I headed out to the plant.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>This was my first solo out-of-town trip as an attorney.  The plant’s corporate owner—a major defense contractor—was suing its insurance companies for coverage of costs relating to the poisoned water.  And I was now one of the defense contractor’s hired guns.  The more senior attorneys back at the firm in Los Angeles had tasked me with finding documents that might be relevant to the lawsuit.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>Months earlier, in a more optimistic phase of my life between the California Bar Exam and my first day of work at the firm, I had volunteered with the Clinton-Gore campaign in Washington, DC.  My little piece of the action had involved gathering information about local issues to prepare the candidates and their representatives in advance of campaign trips.  It was a trivial contribution in the context of a national election, but I had felt like I was at the center of everything that mattered.  On election night, when Bill Clinton had stepped onto a stage in Little Rock to speak to his supporters, I had been completely swept up in the moment and felt truly alive.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>Now, on a cold day in January, I walked from office to office and across the shop floor, asking what was in the filing cabinets and taking notes.  I felt uncomfortable and ambivalent, trapped in someone else’s life while the world passed me by.  And because this was Presidential inauguration day, I wanted nothing more than to be standing on the Mall in DC or watching television in the company of friends.  But I had my responsibilities, and at the moment they involved interviewing middle managers and their assistants, and trying to block out the gentle country tunes being piped into every room at the plant.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>Suddenly, in the middle of an interview, the soft sounds in the background changed.  Familiar words were forming, almost inaudible over the hum of fluorescent lights and machines: “ . . . do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute . . .”  I realized suddenly that those country tunes must have been coming over the radio, and the station had cut to the inauguration ceremony!  It was almost exactly noon, 18 years ago today.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>I interrupted the person who was telling me about the contents of her filing cabinets.  “Hey,” I said, “I think that’s the inauguration!”  She stared at me blankly.  “Oh, you mean the political thing?,” she said.  “I heard that was today.” </span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>I paused a few seconds before responding, wanting to hear more of those powerful words from the new President, the President I had helped to elect.  Maybe I could even catch his inaugural address.  Maybe my interviewee would want to pause for a few moments to listen with me . . . but no.  She looked at me impatiently, expectantly.  I sighed and returned to my questions.  Eventually the radio switched back to its regular programming, and the background was filled once again with soft, rhythmic noise.</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>(Note: For more on my experience as a lawyer, go <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2009/11/point-of-departure-chapter-1-straight.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">here</a>).</span></div><div></div></div>
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<Summary>The little town in southern North Carolina featured a small collection of chain hotels, the usual fast food joints and an industrial plant that had contaminated the groundwater with its waste.  I...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/inauguration-day.html</Website>
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<Tag>personal-stories</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:17:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4469" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4469">
<Title>The Social Animal</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><span>I think <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/17/110117fa_fact_brooks" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">this piece</a> by David Brooks in <em>The New Yorker</em> is a little choppy, maybe because it's a boiled-down version of a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Social-Animal-Sources-Character-Achievement/dp/140006760X" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">forthcoming book</a>.  But it contains some useful ideas for people with major life decisions ahead (i.e., all of us, but especially young adults).  Brooks surveys developments in neuroscience to build a thesis about how people achieve happiness and success.  Here's how he frames a fundamental dilemma facing young people from relatively privileged backgrounds:</span><br>
    <blockquote><span>"They live in a society that prizes the development of career skills but is inarticulate when it comes to the things that matter most. The young achievers are tutored in every soccer technique and calculus problem, but when it comes to their most important decisions—whom to marry and whom to befriend, what to love and what to despise—they are on their own. Nor, for all their striving, do they understand the qualities that lead to the highest achievement. Intelligence, academic performance, and prestigious schools don’t correlate well with fulfillment, or even with outstanding accomplishment. The traits that do make a difference are poorly understood, and can’t be taught in a classroom, no matter what the tuition: the ability to understand and inspire people; to read situations and discern the underlying patterns; to build trusting relationships; to recognize and correct one’s shortcomings; to imagine alternate futures. In short, these achievers have a sense that they are shallower than they need to be."</span> </blockquote><span>It's a longish article, but worth checking out.</span><div></div></div>
]]>
</Body>
<Summary>I think this piece by David Brooks in The New Yorker is a little choppy, maybe because it's a boiled-down version of a forthcoming book.  But it contains some useful ideas for people with major...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/social-animal.html</Website>
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<Tag>community</Tag>
<Tag>success</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:06:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4434" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4434">
<Title>Four Days to Synergy</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content">The buses rolled into the Skycroft Conference Center at around 11:15 last Monday morning.  43 UMBC students, most of whom did not know each other before boarding, walked hesitantly down the steps to retrieve their bags.  Once they had claimed beds in bare cabins, they made their way quietly across the parking lot to a conference room with stackable chairs arranged in an oval, and stared at each other awkwardly.  So began STRiVE 2011.<br>
    <br>
    At 10:00 last Thursday evening, in the same conference room, the scene had changed completely.  Most of the retreat-goers and several STRiVE coaches were deeply engaged in a giddy game of “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Away" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Monkey in the Middle</a>,” joyfully flinging a plastic ball around the hall, music blasting in the background.  Everywhere there was laughter and applause as the participants unselfconsciously poked fun at themselves and encouraged each other in their goofiness and glee.  It was a moment of pure harmony, a shared peak experience in which everyone was exactly where they wanted to be, with people they trusted implicitly.  Of all the amazing STRiVE moments from the past week, that is the one I am certain I will never forget: an eternal instant in which our collective sense of belonging and community was pure and perfect.<br>
    <br>
    The STRiVE curriculum focuses on personal development, group dynamics and social transformation.  The content is designed to help participants develop skills, insights and plans that position them for success as leaders and agents of change.  But the content is just a fraction of the STRiVE experience.  What matters more is that participants and coaches (students and staff from UMBC) share their stories, values and hopes.  They step out of role, drop pretenses, encourage each other to be real and take risks together.  In the end, what makes the STRiVE experience so special is what emerges spontaneously from those interactions: deep mutual appreciation, life-changing breakthroughs, crazy energy, and a sense that anything in the word is possible.  Though the structure has remained essentially the same, no two STRiVE retreats have been alike, because the participants have made each one their very own.  Aside from a multitude of unique conversations, this year featured sledding without sleds, the baby shark Dougie, the green glass door, no-hands four square, freezing marshmallows, a chorus of Journey tunes, Apples to Apples at mealtime, and an awkward phone call to sing “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'm_A_Little_Teapot" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">I’m a Little Teapot</a>” to my mother.<br>
    <br>
    The deep magic of STRiVE is that it produces these spontaneous transformations intentionally and reliably.  Four days from strangers to friends.  Four days from isolated parts to a whole greater than their sum.  Four days to authenticity, belonging, and the will to change the world.  I wonder whether we’re always just four intense days away from that sense and spirit in all of our communities.<br>
    <br>
    <div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJoyMOtGbI/AAAAAAAABBM/v-Jq7oJIK-s/s1600/DSCF2252.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJoyMOtGbI/AAAAAAAABBM/v-Jq7oJIK-s/s640/DSCF2252.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJo9nTAe3I/AAAAAAAABBQ/pKvvRYMRnas/s1600/DSCF2243.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJo9nTAe3I/AAAAAAAABBQ/pKvvRYMRnas/s640/DSCF2243.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJpOurP0hI/AAAAAAAABBU/r5edPo95ZOQ/s1600/DSCF2277.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJpOurP0hI/AAAAAAAABBU/r5edPo95ZOQ/s640/DSCF2277.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJ0oGgzEhI/AAAAAAAABB0/GF9K6dNDU4Y/s1600/DSCF2312.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJ0oGgzEhI/AAAAAAAABB0/GF9K6dNDU4Y/s640/DSCF2312.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJpmDloUUI/AAAAAAAABBY/NH4EVQZpFlE/s1600/DSCF2329.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJpmDloUUI/AAAAAAAABBY/NH4EVQZpFlE/s640/DSCF2329.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJp12z8QrI/AAAAAAAABBc/RrXtwk0h37M/s1600/DSCF2363.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJp12z8QrI/AAAAAAAABBc/RrXtwk0h37M/s640/DSCF2363.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJqBp5X8CI/AAAAAAAABBg/k2-BHCurgw0/s1600/DSCF2394.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJqBp5X8CI/AAAAAAAABBg/k2-BHCurgw0/s640/DSCF2394.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJqKI4hENI/AAAAAAAABBk/Nf0PX_Iuq10/s1600/DSCF2421.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TTJqKI4hENI/AAAAAAAABBk/Nf0PX_Iuq10/s640/DSCF2421.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div></div></div>
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<Summary>The buses rolled into the Skycroft Conference Center at around 11:15 last Monday morning.  43 UMBC students, most of whom did not know each other before boarding, walked hesitantly down the steps...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/four-days-to-synergy.html</Website>
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<Tag>leadership-education</Tag>
<Tag>strive</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Sun, 16 Jan 2011 11:52:00 -0500</PostedAt>
<EditAt>Sun, 16 Jan 2011 11:52:00 -0500</EditAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4208" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4208">
<Title>Transition Point</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><span>A beautiful sight on The Commons' 2nd floor: two rivals for UMBC's affections enjoy a brief, fragile coexistence.  But it will not last--probably not even past today.  Farewell, Coke machine.  I used to despise you for rejecting my slightly folded or crumpled bills, but lately you've been quite accommodating.  Welcome, Pepsi machine.  I'm a little affronted that you plan to charge 25 cents more than Coke, but I'll forgive you if you add Diet Mountain Dew to your colorful menu.</span><br>
    <span><br>
    </span><br>
    <div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TSSFzCZOgiI/AAAAAAAABBE/ClulcS_fX4c/s1600/DSCF2166.jpg" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><span><img height="530" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TSSFzCZOgiI/AAAAAAAABBE/ClulcS_fX4c/s640/DSCF2166.jpg" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></span></a></div><span><br>
    </span><br>
    <span>I'm a little confused by what the slogan on this recycling container means now.  I used to think it meant that we should give our bottles back to be recycled.  But now that UMBC has become a Pepsi campus, does the slogan mean Coke is demanding the return of this container?</span><br>
    <span><br>
    </span><br>
    <div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TSSGmON87eI/AAAAAAAABBI/8nBd6S1c4UY/s1600/DSCF2168.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><span><img height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TSSGmON87eI/AAAAAAAABBI/8nBd6S1c4UY/s640/DSCF2168.JPG" width="480" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></span></a></div><div></div></div>
]]>
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<Summary>A beautiful sight on The Commons' 2nd floor: two rivals for UMBC's affections enjoy a brief, fragile coexistence.  But it will not last--probably not even past today.  Farewell, Coke machine.  I...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/transition-point.html</Website>
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<Tag>campus-services</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:59:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4154" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4154">
<Title>Closing Thoughts</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><div><span>A few weeks ago I had a minor health scare: an anomaly during a routine checkup that could have been serious but turned out, after 11 days of waiting to see a specialist, to be nothing much. During the period between those two doctor’s appointments, I tried not to dwell on the darker possibilities.  But of course my mind wandered unbidden, and I found myself both exploring my fears and taking stock of my life.  And then, when almost all of my thoughts struck me as clichés, I pondered how clichés don’t seem trite at all when I’m living them.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>Here is some of what I mulled over during those 11 days.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>I thought about the courage and fortitude shown by people I know who have lived, or are living, with pain and medical uncertainty.<span>  </span>Having had just a taste of it, I recognize how much stronger they are than I felt.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>I thought about how generally happy I am with my life now, and how much I would like to continue enjoying it.<span>  </span>Almost nothing has turned out the way I envisioned it decades ago, and thank heaven for that.<span>  </span>I wish I could have more of my friends and family here with me, thousands of miles from where I grew up, but I’m deeply grateful for those I have here, and for the opportunity to do meaningful work as part of a dynamic, caring campus community.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>I thought about the story of my life, and how it might read if it ended soon.<span>  </span>The key plot points would be my two giant leaps away from my path-of-least-resistance career trajectories, decisions that have made everything that has followed possible.<span>  </span>And the underlying theme would be how hard it was for me to figure out who I really was, and what I really cared about.<span>  </span>I spent a lot of years struggling to free myself from the web of other people’s (often well-meaning) expectations and the (supposed) givens of everyday life, and to discover my own values and sense of purpose.<span>  </span>My work at self-discovery and self-development is far from complete, but it’s only in the past few years that I’ve really felt good about how far I’ve come.</span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>Finally, I thought about moments that really mattered to me: the often-unexpected instances of real, deep connection with the people around me.<span>  </span>My wife Sharon and my close friends have taught me a lot about how to be myself, and not some version of me manufactured unconsciously in response to my circumstances.<span>  </span>But so too have students and colleagues at UMBC, especially in those in-between moments when our formal roles have faded to the background and our common cares and humanity have mattered more.<span> </span></span></div><div><br>
    </div><span><span>I’ll carry these thoughts with me into the new year.  They imply resolutions for 2011 and beyond</span><span>.</span></span><span><br></span><div></div></div>
]]>
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<Summary>A few weeks ago I had a minor health scare: an anomaly during a routine checkup that could have been serious but turned out, after 11 days of waiting to see a specialist, to be nothing...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/closing-thoughts.html</Website>
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<Tag>careers</Tag>
<Tag>personal-stories</Tag>
<Tag>self-worth</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:34:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4107" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4107">
<Title>Top 10 Most-Viewed Co-Create UMBC Posts of 2010</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><div><span>1. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/baltimore-sun-says-change-umbcs-name.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Baltimore Sun Says: Change UMBC's Name</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>2. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-fool-towson-sga-declares-war-on.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">April Fool: Towson SGA Declares War on UMBC</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>3. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/real-people-profiles-robert-h-deluty.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Real People Profiles: Robert H. Deluty, Ph.D.</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>4. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/10/dont-lie-for-me.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Don't Lie for Me</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>5. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/11/real-people-profiles-stevo-karolenko.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Real People Profiles: Stevo Karolenko</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>6. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/commons-by-any-other-name.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">The Commons by Any Other Name . . .</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>7. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/05/real-people-profiles-nimit-bhatt.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Real People Profiles: Nimit Bhatt</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>8. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/prove-it-voting-results.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Prove It! Voting Results</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>9. <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/real-people-profiles-chantelle-walsh.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Real People Profiles: Chantelle Walsh</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><span><span>10. </span><a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/scenes-from-involvement-fest.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Scenes from Involvement Fest</a></span><div></div></div>
]]>
</Body>
<Summary>1. Baltimore Sun Says: Change UMBC's Name      2. April Fool: Towson SGA Declares War on UMBC      3. Real People Profiles: Robert H. Deluty, Ph.D.      4. Don't Lie for Me      5. Real People...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/top-10-most-viewed-co-create-umbc-posts.html</Website>
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<Tag>umbc-by-the-numbers</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:49:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4090" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4090">
<Title>Semester of Black and Gold</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><table><tbody>
    <tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQk6rADit-I/AAAAAAAABAo/EPhJA1o-2aw/s1600/DSCF1501.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQk6rADit-I/AAAAAAAABAo/EPhJA1o-2aw/s320/DSCF1501.JPG" width="240" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></td></tr>
    <tr><td>The culmination of Project Black and Gold, August 23, 2010</td></tr>
    </tbody></table><div><span>They appeared on campus in August, just ahead of the wave of new and returning students and the rush of Welcome Week:  black and gold banners proclaiming Retriever pride.  Their arrival coincided with the welcome news that UMBC had been named the #1 "up and coming" national university by <em>U.S. News &amp; World Report</em> for a second consecutive year.  On a campus visually dominated by clean lines and surfaces, the banners hinted at a creative spirit and the possibility of spontaneity.  They said (not in so many words), "We're all UMBC together."</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>The banners were first proposed by SGA members enrolled my Civic Imagination course in fall 2008.  Their vision was to contribute to school spirit by adding a splash of black and gold to the campus walkways.  They and other SGA members worked with campus departments to get the help and support they needed.  Last year, through Project Black and Gold, SGA invited everyone to participate in proposing and then voting on slogans for the banners.  Students and staff created the designs.  This was a true community project.</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><table><tbody>
    <tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQpVv12aVcI/AAAAAAAABAs/yfsehwtKIWI/s1600/DSCF2080.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQpVv12aVcI/AAAAAAAABAs/yfsehwtKIWI/s400/DSCF2080.JPG" width="400" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></td></tr>
    <tr><td>Flash mob, Albin O. Kuhn Library, December 14, 2010</td></tr>
    </tbody></table><div><span>Sixteen weeks after the banners went up, in the Albin O. Kuhn Library, <a href="http://twitpic.com/3g1ale" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">another black and gold community project driven by students</a> brought the semester to a close.  And for all of the weeks in between those two moments, students in their organizations, on their residential floors, in The Commons and in their classrooms worked with campus partners to produce the events, discussions, projects and spontaneous fun that made the campus come alive.</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>No doubt there are people who will remember this as a semester of frustration over parking.  I've done my share of <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/09/life-on-unfinished-campus.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">walking onto campus from a lot outside the loop</a>.  But what I'm going to remember are the pancake eating contest and the Homecoming Bonfire, the night I learned about how Students for Automotive Engineering builds cars in a campus workshop, the energy and vision of First Year Council members hatching plans to boost campus spirit, SGA members reaching out to support and empower students with big ideas, students planning innovative Alternative School Break trips, developing social change projects, creating new student organizations, advocating for justice, and finding new ways to help each other explore and be themselves.  And I'll remember those banners and the flash mob: black and gold bookends to a semester well spent.</span></div><div></div><div></div></div>
]]>
</Body>
<Summary>The culmination of Project Black and Gold, August 23, 2010  They appeared on campus in August, just ahead of the wave of new and returning students and the rush of Welcome Week:  black and gold...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/semester-of-black-and-gold.html</Website>
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<Tag>campus-culture</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:46:00 -0500</PostedAt>
<EditAt>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:46:00 -0500</EditAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4076" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4076">
<Title>The View from My Window</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQp6i2NSBgI/AAAAAAAABAw/mge3dbuSd0Y/s1600/DSCF2097.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQp6i2NSBgI/AAAAAAAABAw/mge3dbuSd0Y/s640/DSCF2097.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><br>
    <div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQp6kbLhjDI/AAAAAAAABA0/lOqYvVpwRvQ/s1600/DSCF2098.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQp6kbLhjDI/AAAAAAAABA0/lOqYvVpwRvQ/s640/DSCF2098.JPG" width="480" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><br>
    <div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQp657FxHuI/AAAAAAAABA8/KvDPufSeqp8/s1600/DSCF2099.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQp657FxHuI/AAAAAAAABA8/KvDPufSeqp8/s640/DSCF2099.JPG" width="640" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><div></div></div>
]]>
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<Summary></Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/view-from-my-window.html</Website>
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<Tag>view-from-my-window</Tag>
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<PostedAt>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:47:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4050" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4050">
<Title>Real People Profiles: K. Jill Barr</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><div><span><em>I’m       asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus,              including students, faculty, staff and alumni, to answer a  few      questions about themselves and their experiences. These are  their      responses.</em></span></div><div></div><div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQjj7KYyCTI/AAAAAAAABAg/tjXct6vabTI/s1600/Jill+in+Times+Square%252C+april+2009.JPG" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQjj7KYyCTI/AAAAAAAABAg/tjXct6vabTI/s320/Jill+in+Times+Square%252C+april+2009.JPG" width="179" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></div><span><strong>Name: </strong>K. Jill Barr</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div></div><div><span><strong>Hometown:</strong> Born in Petersburg, West Virginia.  Most      of childhood and teenage years in Laurel, Delaware</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span><strong>Q: How long have you been at UMBC?</strong></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>A: 5      years</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span><strong>Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?</strong></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>A:</span><span> Assistant Dean for Graduate Enrollment Management</span><br>
    <br>
    <span><strong>Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?</strong> </span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>A: Essentially I oversee the Graduate admissions      process and have helped to implement the Student Administration module of      PeopleSoft.</span><span></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span><strong>Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?</strong></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>A:  During our orientation program, when I look upon the faces of the incoming      graduate students, I see such promise and excitement in those faces.       That is the culmination of our efforts to bring these students to UMBC and      it is very satisfying.</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span><strong>Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?<br>
    <br>
    </strong> A: I’m not sure where I learned      this exactly, but the most important thing I have learned in life is to      treat others with dignity and respect, no matter who they are or the title      they hold.</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span> </span><span><strong>Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"<br>
    <br>
    </strong>A:  I know I will get flak for this…. The New      York Yankees!  (born and bred a fan)</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><span><strong>Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share?<br>
    <br>
    </strong>A: </span><span><span>There is this little path that you can take      from Parking Lot #24 over to the TRC building and you have to ford a small      stream.  It’s like having 60 seconds of you own little nature      walk.</span></span><div></div></div>
]]>
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<Summary>I’m       asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus,              including students, faculty, staff and alumni, to answer a  few      questions about themselves and their...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/k-jill-barr.html</Website>
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<PostedAt>Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:52:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="4038" important="false" status="posted" url="https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create/posts/4038">
<Title>Stress Free Zone</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content"><div><span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQeVjNqUa8I/AAAAAAAABAc/NDXTs7eVnzM/s1600/156877_1607587669437_1228530216_31747654_3316006_n.jpg" rel="nofollow external" class="bo"><img height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b2T0VNbkzjE/TQeVjNqUa8I/AAAAAAAABAc/NDXTs7eVnzM/s400/156877_1607587669437_1228530216_31747654_3316006_n.jpg" width="352" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></a></span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>The Stress Free Zone has a new look this semester, with healthier food options and some new activities.  Check out the schedule below. </span></div><div><br>
    </div><div><span>Now, what's this I'm hearing about a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/event.php?eid=139410692781112&amp;index=1" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">stress-busting event in the library at 10:00 tonight??</a></span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><div><span>Tuesday:<br>
    - Free healthy foods and baked goods in Student Org Space (The Commons 2nd floor) ~10-4 pm<br>
    - Free shirts<br>
    - Ch'i(ll Out) with The Mosaic Center 12-5 pm... food, games, and hot beverages!<br>
    - Free Play in the game room 6-10 pm<br>
    <br>
    Wednesday:<br>
    - Free healthy foods and baked goods in Student Org Space ~10-4 pm<br>
    - Free shirts<br>
    - Ch'i(ll Out) with The Mosaic Center 10-5 pm... food, games, and hot beverages!<br>
    - Free Play in the game room 6-10 pm<br>
    <br>
    Thursday:<br>
    - Free healthy foods and baked goods in Student Org Space ~10-4 pm<br>
    - Free shirts<br>
    - Free Play in the game room 6-10 pm<br>
    <br>
    Friday:<br>
    - Free healthy foods and baked goods in Student Org Space ~10-4 pm<br>
    - Free shirts if they are left!<br>
    <br>
    Stop by the Student Orgs Space on The Commons' 2nd floor.</span></div><div><span><br>
    </span></div><span>Also, </span><span>read about the origins of the Stress Free Zone</span><span><span> <a href="http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2007/12/secrets-of-stress-free-zone.html" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">here</a>.  The current Stress Free Zone is #12, but there's never been a flash mob before . . .</span></span><div></div></div>
]]>
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<Summary>The Stress Free Zone has a new look this semester, with healthier food options and some new activities.  Check out the schedule below.       Now, what's this I'm hearing about a stress-busting...</Summary>
<Website>http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2010/12/stress-free-zone.html</Website>
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<Tag>stress-free-zone</Tag>
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<Sponsor>Co-Create UMBC</Sponsor>
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<PostedAt>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:15:00 -0500</PostedAt>
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