This post was curated by our Women’s Center Director, Jess Myers (she/her).

Jess Myers and Dr. Kate outside the Women’s Center

In honor of Giving Day, I reached out to Dr. Kate Tracy M.A. ’01, Ph.D. ’03 to ask her a few questions about the importance of giving and what the experience of giving has meant for her.

You may be familiar with Dr. Tracy’s name because for the past several years, Dr. Tracy has supported the Women’s Center on Giving Day by offering match challenges to our community. She also created the Maxine Tracy Endowment which provides the Women’s Center funding to support our Returning Women Students/Adult Learners Scholars + Affiliates program. It is also the namesake of our Wellness Room! Just recently she began the quest to fund a new endowment, the Kate Tracy Endowment, which will help provide scholarships to UMBC students in the future.

I’ve had the pleasure to get to know Dr. Tracy over the past several years and wanted to share a little bit more about this person who cares so much about the Women’s Center with our community. I had the chance to connect with her and ask her a few questions about the importance of giving and what’s she’s learned from the experience. I hope that learning a little bit more about Dr. Tracy will inspire you to find your “why” this Giving Day!

Jess: You’ve been supporting the Women’s Center for several years now – first to create the Maxine Tracy Endowment and now the Kate Tracy Endowment. What is your motivation behind your giving? And, what have you learned about yourself from the experience of giving? 

Dr. Tracy: My original motivation for giving to the Women’s Center at UMBC was to honor my grandmother, Maxine Tracy. She was my hero and a lifelong supporter of women’s professional development. Giving to the Women’s Center was a tangible way for me to honor her influence on my life and continue her legacy of supporting women’s professional development.

I’ve continued my giving to the Center out of gratitude. I feel very grateful for the many ways UMBC is woven into my own professional story. I want to continue to support the Center and be a champion for the work it does.

Jess: In some of our earlier conversations, it was clear to me that you found it important to carve out space for other women to see the possibilities in themselves being philanthropists. Can you share more about why this matters to you?

Dr. Tracy: Women’s philanthropy is often less visible. And I’d like to see that change. One way to foster that change is to share our stories of giving…what motivates us to give…how and what we give—whether it’s our time, talents, or our resources. Every gift—no matter the amount—will make a difference!

Jess: This is the third year you’ve offered a match challenge on behalf of the Women’s Center for Giving Day. What encouragement can you give to our potential donors to help us meet your challenge?

Dr. Tracy: One of the reasons I continue to offer the match challenge on behalf of the Women’s Center for Giving Day is to encourage others to join me in supporting the Center. The programming, support services, and advocacy the Center offers are so important to the UMBC community. I’m proud to be a supporter and want to do whatever I can to encourage others to support the Center and its mission.

You can learn more about Dr. Tracy and her grandmother, Maxine, by reading this UMBC Magazine article entailed Living Her Values that was published last fall (and is featured in the most recent hardcopy version of the UMBC Magazine).

We’re grateful for Dr. Tracy’s support… and for all of our generous donors who give of their talent, treasure, and time. Thank you for you!

And…

Our 2022 Giving Day Challenge!

We’re especially excited to share that any gift to the Women’s Center on Giving Day will help us unlock 2-part $5,000 Giving Day challenge set by Dr. Tracy!

Dr. Tracy will donate $2,500 to the Women’s Center once we reach 130 donors
AND an additional $2,500 once we achieve $5,000 raised for the Women’s Center!

Giving Day 2022 runs from February 16th at 9am until February 17th at 9pm!

Responsibilities could include (depending on department placement):

- Communicate with voters and assist with call time and engagement events

- Assist department heads and senior staff with needs as they arise

- Spearhead political organizing program among other students in your community

- Organize grassroots volunteers across the district

- Manage donor lists and engage with prospective donors

- Assist the call time manager and the candidate in fundraising prep

- Social media content creation and idea development

- Compile press clippings and relevant stories

Requirements:

- A weekly minimum time commitment of 10 hours

- Completing a minimum of one voter contact shift per week

- If applicable, we will work with your institution to provide school credit for this internship

To Apply: Click on the following link, https://forms.gle/HaqXTxsCrc1yf4nr5. Please submit any questions to

david@hansriemer.com

About Hans:

Hans is a progressive At-large Member of the Montgomery County Council who is running for MoCo County Executive. Growing up in Oakland, California, Hans learned from an early age that progressive social change is necessary for disadvantaged communities to make progress, and has dedicated his career to that cause since. Hans understands the crucial role that young people play in politics and wants to ensure Democrats are training the next generation of political activists and leaders. He first worked with Rock the Vote to register nearly a million young voters during the 2004 election, and then went on to join the Obama campaign in 2007 as the National Youth Director.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religious creed, national origin, non-disqualifying handicap, veteran status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, or upon any other unlawful basis.

Aging at Home Alone with Alzheimer's and Related Dementias

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.