Retriever Essentials Action Committee Hub (REACH) is currently seeking volunteers for virtual service twice per month! REACH is a group of students, staff, and faculty from all departments and levels of experience that meets to help Retriever Essentials achieve our goals! 

Our first meeting is on Webex on Friday, February 24th from 9:00 to 10:00 am. The group meets once or twice per month.

Projects for this semester may include:

To sign up, fill out our interest form or email Lydia at lsannel1@umbc.edu.

Make sure to follow Retriever Essentials on myUMBC!

In two weeks, on February 25th, UMBC will once again be hosting the Maryland FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics state championship. This event takes a lot of volunteers to make a success, and we have a number of positions still available. This year's theme is Super Powered, and is all about energy!

FLL is a STEM-based program for students aged 9-14 that combines robotics and technology with teamwork and problem-solving. This is an excellent opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills in a fun and challenging environment.

Criteria:

Anyone can nominate an employee for the award. It is recommended to contact the employee's supervisor to verify support of the nomination.

Nominations are accepted at any time and remain under consideration for one year.

This workshop will explore ways that holistic critical mentorship can challenge the institutional norms of higher education (e.g. the "hidden curriculum") that often alienate first-generation college students or members of historically excluded groups (e.g. low-income/working-class communities).

Speaker: Michael Hunt, Program Director, McNair Scholars Program and Language, Literacy & Culture doctoral student

This session is the first of three sessions - keep an eye on the CAHSS myUMBC page for more information. For questions, please contact Fan Yang at fanyang@umbc.edu.

In February, our wellness initiative is focused on heart health and we offer a Cardio 101 class with Alea Burke in the RAC for all ages and life stages.  We continue our Work-Life Wellbeing series with a custom built program on Discovering Your Work-Life Balance based on focus group feedback. We also continue our Communication series with Active Listening, a session in collaboration with Bowie State. 

Attached is a PDF of our February Training Opportunities with links to register for each of the events listed. 

A few events of particular note: 

Happy Learning!

Jill Wardell & Melody Wright

UMBC Workplace Learning, OD & Wellness

Please join Facilities Management and Accessibility & Disability Services for the Spring Facilities Accessibility Update and Discussion on Wednesday February 8, 2023 at noon. The presentation is both in-person in ILSB 116A and online. 

We appreciate that this is a busy time.  If you are unable to attend, RSVP and we will follow up after the event with asynchronous options.  We are actively soliciting ideas for future projects  -  Share them via our online form.

Captioning will be provided.  Contact the host, Stephanie Lazarus, at slazar@umbc.edu to reserve ASL in-person seating, ask event-related questions, discuss access needs or any other accommodation requests.

The presentation is helpful for campus members of all abilities, especially for increasing awareness about campus accessibility and supporting a  disability-friendly experience at UMBC. Please share this message with colleagues and classmates, especially anyone that is new to campus.  

Thursday, March 2, 2023  |  8:30 AM - 12:30 PM  |  Virtual

Time                Session Title

8:30-9:00       Coffee & Networking

9:00-10:00     Giving Effective Feedback in Personal or Work Situations

                        The Impact of Attitude on Work and Life

10:00-11:00    Building Trust

                        Working Through Mistakes

11:00-12:00    Where Are You Going? Goal Setting for Personal and Professional Success

                        How to Receive Criticism and Make it Work for You

12:00-12:30   Lunch & Learn

To learn more and to register, please visit the USM Learning & Talent Development Committee page. 

This mini conference is offered by our EAP provider, Guidance Resources and ComPsych. 

We are excited to share the Spring 2023 MHFA training dates!  

Mental Health First Aid is a 1-day skills-based training course designed to teach members of the UMBC community how to recognize signs of a mental health or substance use disorders, identify community resources and link people in crisis to the proper resources. The evidence behind the program shows that people feel more comfortable managing a crisis situation and that it builds mental health literacy - helping the UMBC community identify, understand and respond to signs of mental  health challenges. 

The course will consist of a 2-hour self-paced introduction course online (completed independently before the course), followed by a 7-hour virtual skills session with live Mental Health First Aid instructors. You will learn a 5-step action plan and practice applying it throughout the skills section of the course. 

For more information, email mentalhealthfirstaid@umbc.edu or contact the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs (410-455-2393).

UMBC Student Affairs is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to bring the Stronger Communities: LGBTQ Suicide Prevention Conference to UMBC on March 7, 2023. We are appreciative of our partners at AFSP and our colleagues in Campus Life, Events and Conference Services for helping to bring this important learning opportunity to UMBC. 

The McNair Scholars Program would like to ask for your help as we interview candidates for the new McNair cohort (REM 32). We need about 10 more supporters as evaluators for In-Person Group Interviews. Please consider helping us out!  

The Group Interview will take place on Saturday, February 04, 2023, 8:30 am to 1 pm. Please note that we ask that our volunteers arrive by 8:30 am to be orientated for the day's activities. We are asking you to commit to being present for the entire session. If you are able to attend and would like to help interview candidates, please fill out the following form: Group Interview Day of Support 2023 (UMBC McNair Scholars) by Wed, Jan 25th, 10 am EST. We will be emailing more details, by Monday, Jan 31st, to those who signed up.

Michael A. Hunt

Program Director

UMBC McNair Scholars Program