In early 2005, the Student Organization Space, located on the second floor of the Commons, was renovated. The space had previously consisted of bulky tables, chairs, and small, separated desks which prevented easily communication. After complaints from students about the unproductive and uninviting environment, the SGA made plans to sponsor and organize new renovations of the space including new long meeting tables, comfy movable chairs, and an overall more open and inviting environment for students to study, meet, and eat. In September of 2005, the Visual Arts Council of Majors added a mural to the space which depicts the various UMBC student organizations in cartoon form. 

Learn More: 

-History of UMBC Research Guide 

-University Archives Webpage 

-Article in The Retriever (Volume 39, Issue 16) entitled "Student Organization Space Gets Facelift from SGA"

-UMBC Co-Create Blog "Creating UMBC's Student Organization Space" 

-UMBC Co-Create Blog "The Story Behind the Student Orgs Space Mural" 

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Meet Rachel,

She is a visual arts major and a URA Scholar. She started off her academic career at CCBC where she found her career path in photography before transferring to UMBC in 2013. She premiered her film "Light Inhibits Light” at URCAD 2016. Rachel graduated from UMBC in May 2016 and is now a freelance photographer.

Her research explored the effect of light pollution in the world today. "Light pollution is a real problem; not only does it cause issues in the environment, it also is a waste of energy." Rachel traveled to the Northeastern United States and into Nova Scotia to capture the dark skies using time lapse photography. With this medium she plans to document amounts of light pollution and to showcase the beauty and the wonder of our night sky in hopes of awakening people to the problem of light pollution.

Read more about her research here…

The UMBC men's basketball team won its first ever season crown in 2008. The team won in overtime against New Hampshire, earning them the American East Conference regular season title and qualifying them for a Division 1 postseason appearance in the NIT (National Invitation Tournament).  

Learn More: 

-History of UMBC Research Guide 

-University Archives Webpage 

-Article in The Retriever Weekly (Volume 42, Issue 19) "Men's Basketball Clinches First-Ever Regular Season Crown" 

-UMBC Retrievers Homepage 

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Meet Daniel,

 His major is Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts Management and a summer researcher. He graduated cum laude this past winter (2015) and currently, he is an Inventory Controller for the Renaissance Fine Arts and Merritt Gallery in Baltimore city.

His research explores the complexities of non-profit Arts Management. Daniel investigated 7 non-profit art centers located across the nation to see how they managed their business and how they could be run with a high level of efficiency. Non-profit Art Centers are a life blood to the creative growth in the arts in every neighborhood, city and town in the U.S.. Have you ever been to one? Do you know where one is located? Can you believe there are more Non-profit Arts Centers than they are McDonalds? I bet you know of a location of the nearest McDonalds. Non-profits Arts Centers are not fast-foods, but they do provide substance for life can survive.

Read more about Daniel's research here...

On April 26, 2005, UMBC students attempted a Guinness World Record- world's largest water gun fight- in an attempt to make the UMBC campus more welcoming and well known. Though UMBC did not achieve Guinness World Record status, the UMBC community did come together on New Student Day to take part in an eventful day of water fighting. The event even made local TV news later that night. 

Learn More: 

-History of UMBC Research Guide 

-University Archives Webpage 

-Article in The Retriever Weekly (Volume 39, Issue 25) on the Water Gun Fight 

-UMBC Co-Create Blog Post "UMBC's 'World Record' Water Gun Fight" 

-Baltimore Sun Article on Water Gun Fight 

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Meet Vicki,

She is a Media and Communications Studies major and summer researcher. She graduated cum laude this past spring and currently works for Burness Communications, a public interest communications firm in Bethesda, MD. 

Her research investigates how to better understand and define what constitutes the “language” of television and involved a cross-cultural comparative quantitative and qualitative analysis of episodes from a Greek adaptation of the British medical series, Doc Martin. This research is particularly relevant due to the increasing volume of deterritorialized and localized narratives circulating within the global television format trade. She will conduct a cross-cultural analysis of components like narrative structure, sound, music, camera, lighting, and dialogue and demonstrated how these contribute to adapting for cultural proximity in the new setting. This comparative methodology led to an analysis of cultural components such as gender, masculinity, and community. 

Read more about her research here…

Prove It! (originally named Improve It!) was a campaign that was launched by the SGA in November of 2007 to give students the opportunity to submit proposals of a campus improvement plan and win $50,000 to put towards implementing their proposed plans. The very first Prove It! winner's proposal was the construction of a green space on campus near the Gallery Entrance of the Fine Arts building. Recent project winners and finalists include a community garden across from the Performing Arts and Humanities Building (2014), an extension of Pura Vida's hours (2012), and a mural in the Biological Sciences building (2012). 

Learn More: 

-History of UMBC Research Guide 

-University Archives Webpage 

-UMBC Co-Create Post "What is Prove It?" 

-Prove It! Homepage 

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UMBC administrators first began planning for the construction of the Performing Arts and Humanities building in 2004 with physical construction finally beginning in 2010. The new building is currently the largest on the UMBC campus and as President Hrabowski said after its construction, it is meant to "speak to the central role that the arts and humanities play in shaping our students as thinkers and as citizens." Above is a packet of dirt that was given at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the building on September 17, 2010. 

Learn More: 

-History of UMBC Research Guide 

-University Archives Webpage 

-Article in The Retriever Weekly (Volume 45, Issue 1) "New Performing Arts and Humanities Facility Breaks Ground; Phase I Begins" 

-Performing Arts and Humanities Building Homepage 

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