This morning, Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale opened the Summer 2014 Dissertation House at UMBC with a story about her own dissertation process. She said that part of the motivation for her current passion as a “Dissertation Coach” is that the research content should be the challenge; the dissertation PROCESS should not be the challenge. The PROMISE Dissertation Houses help graduate students through the process. We do not write students’ dissertations, we do not edit students’ dissertations. We do provide coaching and advice, and we do eliminate the mystery behind the process of PhD completion. You still have to work with your advisor and your committee. You still have to work within the rules and regulations of your academic department. However, the Dissertation House can help you with interpreting some of those nuances that accompany the dissertation process.

We understand that everyone can’t join us in person, but we invite you to join us online:

http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/summer-2014-challenge/

Are you planning to work on your dissertation this weekend? Take at least a brief break to enjoy the holiday before you get back to work. Our in-person Summer 2014 Dissertation Houses will be at UMBC, College Park, and at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve. However, you can join us online! Go to the Summer 2014 Challenge page, and post your goals. We’ll see you there!

Are you planning to work on your dissertation this weekend? Take at least a brief break to enjoy the holiday before you get back to work. Our in-person Summer 2014 Dissertation Houses will be at UMBC, College Park, and at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve. However, you can join us online! Go to the Summer 2014 Challenge page, and post your goals. We’ll see you there!

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I introduce and welcome both Holly Bielak and Mariann Hawken to DoIT's Instructional Technology & New Media (ITNM) group. Mariann and Holly join Tom Penniston as Instructional Technology Specialists in our office.

Holly (pictured at left) comes to us from Coppin State University where she served as an Instructional Technologist and Trainer and provided assistance and support to faculty, staff and students regarding the use of technology in the classroom and workplace. She also brings experience in the classroom as an adjunct instructor in Information Technology and Education as well as both Blackboard administration and training experience. Holly earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies here at UMBC, her Master of Education in Instructional Technology at the University of Maryland University College, and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy in Instructional Design for Online Learning at Capella University.

Mariann brings with her from Bowie State University over 14 years of experience working with both graduate and undergraduate faculty to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum and the classroom. She has supported traditional, hybrid, and fully online course design and development and has been selected as a Blackboard MVP by the company for her expertise, experience, and use of best practices with the learning management system. Mariann has also served as an adjunct instructor in English and Communications and has two master’s degrees from the University of Maryland University College: a Master of Education in Instructional Technology and a Master of Distance Education in Teaching & Training.

Please join me in welcoming both Holly and Mariann to the UMBC family.

Sincerely,

Sherri Braxton-Lieber

Director of Instructional Technology

UMBC Division of Information Technology (DoIT)

On Thursday, June 19th at 7am, DoIT will be performing an upgrade of the campus webmail environment for our dedicated Cyrus mail servers. The current webmail environment is out of date on both the hardware and software. There will be a brief outage to transition to the new server and no data will be lost during this upgrade.  Anyone logged into webmail prior to 7am will need to restart their browser and login again once the upgrade is completed.  Users of Cyrus webmail will notice a more refined interface with new colors as well as some icons that have shifted location.  

Anyone wishing to try out the new Cyrus webmail environment is encouraged to login at https://webmail-dev.core.umbc.edu. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Technology Support Center at x53838.

Note: This campus webmail upgrade will not impact users who have migrated their email to Google.  

Students at the University of Maryland College Park, your chance to attend a Dissertation House is here!

The on-campus setting provides Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement. Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations. Students will learn effective time-management skills, learn how to set small manageable goals, and meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them from completing their degrees.

This is a Tuesday – Friday  (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation. TheDissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.

To apply to attend the Summer 2014 Dissertation House at College Park, submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point, 1-inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period. Please use the following guidelines: (i) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method; (ii)Amount completed on the project to date; and (iii) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation. Include the following header information with the description:

• Name / Address / Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax) / E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program
• Expected date of doctoral degree completion

Dates/Location: July 15-18, 2014, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park. Lunch and snacks will be provided daily.

Application Period: Thursday, May 22, 2014 – Thursday, June 19, 2014. Email applications to amperez@umd.edu   Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Sixteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House. The following applicants will have priority: (i) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. in 2014; (ii) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (iii) Applicants who submit earliest; and (iv) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.

_____________________________________________

 The Dissertation House at College Park is for graduate students of any discipline at the University of Maryland College Park. If you are a graduate student (in any discipline) at UMBC, please apply for the Dissertation House at UMBC: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/the-summer-dissertation-house-at-umbc-begins-in-july-applications-are-being-accepted-now/. Graduate students in STEM fields at other school within the USM will have an opportunity to participate in the Dissertation House at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute in August 2014.

Students at the University of Maryland College Park, your chance to attend a Dissertation House is here!

The on-campus setting provides Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement. Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations. Students will learn effective time-management skills, learn how to set small manageable goals, and meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them from completing their degrees.

This is a Tuesday – Friday  (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation. TheDissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.

To apply to attend the Summer 2014 Dissertation House at College Park, submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point, 1-inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period. Please use the following guidelines: (i) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method; (ii)Amount completed on the project to date; and (iii) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation. Include the following header information with the description:

• Name / Address / Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax) / E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program
• Expected date of doctoral degree completion

Dates/Location: July 15-18, 2014, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park. Lunch and snacks will be provided daily.

Application Period: Thursday, May 22, 2014 – Thursday, June 19, 2014. Email applications to amperez@umd.edu   Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Sixteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House. The following applicants will have priority: (i) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. in 2014; (ii) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (iii) Applicants who submit earliest; and (iv) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.

_____________________________________________

 The Dissertation House at College Park is for graduate students of any discipline at the University of Maryland College Park. If you are a graduate student (in any discipline) at UMBC, please apply for the Dissertation House at UMBC: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/the-summer-dissertation-house-at-umbc-begins-in-july-applications-are-being-accepted-now/. Graduate students in STEM fields at other school within the USM will have an opportunity to participate in the Dissertation House at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute in August 2014.

A new website resource is available to all college campuses. It provides information for students, schools, and anyone interested in finding resources on how to respond to and prevent sexual assault on college and university campuses and in our schools. Visit the website to find a crisis service, learn more about your rights and how to file a complaint, and view a map of resolved school-level enforcement activities.

https://www.notalone.gov/

“Sexual violence is more than just a crime against individuals. It threatens our families, it threatens our communities; ultimately, it threatens the entire country. It tears apart the fabric of our communities. And that’s why we’re here today -- because we have the power to do something about it as a government, as a nation. We have the capacity to stop sexual assault, support those who have survived it, and bring perpetrators to justice.”

-- President Barack Obama, January 22, 2014 

“Freedom from sexual assault is a basic human right… a nation’s decency is in large part measured by how it responds to violence against women… our daughters, our sisters, our wives, our mothers, our grandmothers have every single right to expect to be free from violence and sexual abuse.” 

-- Vice President Joe Biden, January 22, 2014

Want more info? UMBC Resources for Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence include:

• The SARVRT: http://umbc.edu/rvap/getting-help-support/sarvrt/
• VAV Program: http://www.umbc.edu/uhs/vav/index.html
• RVAP Program: http://umbc.edu/rvap/
• The Counseling Center: http://www.umbc.edu/counseling/
• University Health Services: http://www.umbc.edu/uhs/
• The Women's Center: http://www.umbc.edu/womenscenter/
• Student Judicial Programs: http://www.umbc.edu/sjp/
• UMBC Police: http://police.umbc.edu/