Congratulations to the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) and the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism (CRSP) for being awarded a BreakingGround grant! Their project – Centering Wonder: Science, Spirituality, Religion, and Collaborative Empowerment in the UMBC Community – will contribute to UMBC's continued commitment to fostering collective thriving and civic agency.

CRSP and CNMS are launching an event series that explores the intersections of science and faith in the UMBC community. The pilot event on March 25, 2026 will feature a public lecture by Dr. Patricia Fosarelli – a pediatrician, theologian, author, and faculty member at both the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute – along with pre-lecture small-group discussions and a post-lecture Q&A. The series aims to empower community members, particularly students in STEM, pre-health, philosophy, and religious studies, to integrate their whole selves into their academic and professional lives. This seed funding will support the pilot event and a follow-up event in the fall, with the goal of establishing a sustainable model for ongoing programming that fosters civic agency, interfaith understanding, and holistic professional development.

Matthew Hoffman, Director of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism, said:

Centering Wonder is a great example of the integrated, collaborative work we support in the Center for Religion, Spirituality, & Pluralism at UMBC. We know that many members of our campus community connect to religion and spirituality as important forms of meaning-making and community connection, as well as for career and academic exploration. Through this program, we hope to celebrate the overlap of wonder that exists when we connect our identities with academic endeavors. At its best, this project highlights UMBC's value of inclusive excellence as a distinctive and transformative approach to higher education.

William R. LaCourse, Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, said:

In the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, faculty, staff, and students seek truth and fundamental knowledge as a means to understand the world around us for the betterment of all. Individuals bring a complex constellation of identities related to science, religion, and spirituality with them to all of their work. Becoming aware of what drives ourselves and others is a critical step toward finding personal harmony and building the foundation for a stronger UMBC culture grounded in tolerance. I hope this series will help those seeking truth to find it in themselves and others.

The BreakingGround initiative provides grants of up to $2,500 to UMBC faculty, staff, and students who want to launch or strengthen educational and community-building projects. These projects should, as a part of their work, foster civic agency: the ability to initiate and make meaningful contributions to social change. For more information, visit this website: https://civiclife.umbc.edu/breakingground/

Intern Positions

Affiliate (Peer Leader) Positions

Since 1987, the Humanities Forum has offered a free program of events that illustrate the richness of contemporary work in philosophy, history, culture, language, literature, and the arts.

The Forum fosters creative thinking about the role of the humanities in civic life within our globally interconnected world.

The Dresher Center for the Humanities welcomes your suggestions for the upcoming season. Proposals will be vetted by the Humanities Forum Planning Committee in conversation with the Dresher Center staff. Consideration will be given to balance across fields and topics as well as orientation towards a public audience.

All suggestions are welcome so long as they center humanities issues, topics, methodologies, or questions.

Wondering what we have featured in the past? Review our Archive.

Please submit proposals through this form.
Proposals are due April 15. 2026

The Social Justice Dialogues Cohort Experience (SJDCE) at UMBC invites participants from all perspectives and experiences to engage in meaningful conversations across difference. Rooted in intergroup dialogue theory, SJDCE provides a space to learn and practice the skills, tools, and mindsets necessary for effective communication across diverse identities and lived experiences — with courage, empathy, and openness.

The Social Justice Dialogue Cohort Experiences at UMBC are 8 two-hour dialogue circles that bring together students, faculty, and staff, to engage in sustained, facilitated dialogue across difference. Each cohort meets weekly within one of UMBC's vibrant cultural centers: The Mosaic, The Pride Center, and The Gathering Space.

In a time of growing polarization and deepening social divides, and fear surrounding living authentically, the Social Justice Dialogues Cohort Experience (SJDCE) offers a way forward, not through debate or persuasion, but through connection, listening, and shared learning.

Cohorts will be split between faculty/staff and students (both undergraduate and graduate), allowing participants to forge meaningful relationships with peers similarly passionate about social change, leadership and humanizing pedagogies. 

Students interested in applying for the pilot program can do so here. Additionally, faculty and staff can nominate students by emailing csjdialogue@umbc.edu by March 10.

Faculty and staff can apply here. Applications are due by March 12.

This is a pilot that is a part of a larger research project, meaning cohort sizes are limited and the 2026 sessions will be used to collect data for assessment purposes.

These events are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Spring Semester Open Forums