UMBC Faculty and Staff Experts Discuss �Mental Illness and the Campus Community�

UMBC faculty and staff experts from across the campus will discuss “Mental Illness and the Campus Community,” at this year’s Mosaic Roundtable, sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Studies (INDS) program. The free, public event will be held Tuesday, November 27, 4-6 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.

“Substance abuse, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and other dimensions of mental illness have reached crisis proportions on campuses nationwide, and suicide is among the top three causes of death among college students. One in three Americans will experience a form of mental disorder at some point in their lives,” said Patricia LaNoue, INDS director. “The Mosaic Roundtable, created to address complex issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, is one way we can contribute to sharing knowledge and provide an opportunity for the campus community and the public to ask questions.”

Speakers for this event are:

J. Lavelle Ingram, director of University Counseling Services, who will address what kind of support is available at UMBC, what behaviors signal danger and reasonable responses.

Charles Milligan, executive director of the Center for Health Program Development and Management, will discuss patient confidentiality and counselors’ responsibilities in protecting the safety of third parties.

Carlo DiClemente, professor of psychology, will address addictions and the overlap between drinking, drug use and mental illness, as well as how abuse can contribute to emotional programs and mental illness.

Carolyn Tice, associate dean of the School of Social Work, will focus on how the media portrays people with mental illness – stigmas and stereotypes – and how these portrayals serve as a barometer of social awareness and public beliefs.

For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/mosaic.

(11/16/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Peaceworker Alumni Remain Engaged in Baltimore Communities

While nearly 85 percent of UMBC’s Shriver Peaceworker Fellows originally come from outside the Baltimore region, 60 percent have settled and remain engaged in service careers in local communities.

“With 100 percent of Peaceworker alumni continuing in public service careers and more than half staying in our region to engage in community service careers, the Shriver Peaceworker Program is proving to be a ‘creative-class’ infusion for the City,” said Program Director Joby Taylor ’05, Ph.D. language, literacy and culture.

The Peaceworker program at UMBC’s Shriver Center was founded by Sargent Shriver in 1994, and now has 100 alumni. The program focuses on finding ways for returning Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) to serve their states and communities when their missions abroad are completed.

Few people have had a greater impact on public service in America than Shriver, who founded and directed the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy. Both men envisioned a powerful impact of RPCVs on American society, and as a native Marylander, Shriver realized this vision concretely in the establishment of the Peaceworker program at UMBC, with an urban problem-solving focus on the Baltimore region. Shriver will be honored in an upcoming PBS documentary to be pre-screened on Thursday, November 15, at the Patterson Theater at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore.

“Shriver’s genius in the Peace Corps and Peaceworker programs was his ability to marshal a sense of ‘practical idealism,’ which is optimism about making a difference matched with realism about the hard work this involves,” said Taylor.

Peaceworker alumni working in the Baltimore region include:

Erin Hood ’07
Graduate Degree: UMBC Master’s Degree in Public Policy focused on Human Services, with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Peace Corps Volunteer: Jamaica.
Peaceworker Fellowship: UMBC Coordinator for Service and Volunteerism to foster student’s sense of social responsibility through community service.
Where she is now: Director of Development, Community Mediation Program, Baltimore City

Brian Greenan ’05
Graduate Degree: UMBC Master’s Degree in Intercultural Communications focused on Spanish language study and Latin American history and politics
Peace Corps Volunteer: Niger
Peaceworker Fellowship: Centro de la Communidad, serving Baltimore’s growing Latino community. As a mayoral fellow and then with the Downtown Partnership, he provided direct outreach to homeless persons in the downtown area for which he was given a commendation by the Baltimore City Council.
Where he is now: Organizer with Neighborhood Housing Services

Sarah Morris-Compton ’07
Graduate degree: UMBC Master’s Degree in Public Policy focused on Human Services Policy
Peace Corps Volunteer: Turkmenistan and Kenya.
Peaceworker Fellowship: Coordinator of a service-learning project that linked college Web design classes to non-profit organizations at the University of Baltimore’s School of Information Arts and Technologies
Where she is now: Program Associate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore working on large-scale state child welfare and juvenile justice system reform.

Sargent Shriver’s legacy through the Shriver Center at UMBC was featured on WYPR 88.1-FM’s Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast on November 12. Click here to listen.

(11/13/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

An Eco-Opportunity Employer

Now that the U.S. Geological Survey’s Maryland-Delaware-Washington, D.C. Water Science Center is on campus at bwtech@UMBC, research partnerships with faculty and career opportunities for students are growing.

For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association recently awarded a three-million-dollar grant to UMBC, USGS, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Princeton University to provide real-time, wireless, online data on Baltimore’s Gwynn Falls watershed. As the USGS-UMBC team’s eco-research reputation increases, more opportunities for student internships and employment will take root. Just ask Lonnie Lanham ‘98.

Lanham, a geography and environmental systems (GES) major with a certificate in Cartography, connected with USGS during his last semester at UMBC thanks to the advice of GES mentors like Joe School, Keith Harries and Tim Foresman. His internship and work experience in departmental laboratories helped Lanham land a job at USGS combining his geographic information systems (GIS), mapmaking, technical illustration and Web design skills.

“The experience that I gained while actually working within my major was very valuable,” Lanham said. “I feel that it gave me a definite edge when it came to getting ‘a real job.’” Lanham has remained at USGS since, working his way up from webmaster to lead information technology specialist for the USGS Center.

In his job, Lanham makes sure a multitude of USGS servers, workstations, network equipment, printers, scanners, cameras, data projectors, hand-held devices, and as he puts it, “lots of other things that a geography major would not likely want to get involved with,” are all working reliably. He credits several USGS officials for their mentorship, including USGS acting chief information officer Paul Exter, publications unit chief Jean Hyatt and Jim Gerhart, director of the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center.

Dan Soeder, hydrologist and information and outreach coordinator for the USGS Center, notes that while the USGS is seeking to be more efficient and streamlined in staffing, they are always looking for talented interns to fill highly competitive student positions. “We want to attract students who demonstrate the talent, skills, and abilities the USGS needs,” Soeder said.

“The work is fascinating and there are many opportunities in the Federal Government as well as in the private sector,” said Lanham. “A major in the arena of environmental sciences, especially geography, can offer a good foundation on which to build a career.”

Students, faculty and staff looking to learn more about the USGS should attend the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center’s Open House event on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

(10/19/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Presents Work by Award Winning Playwright, Alumna

Kara Lee Corthron ’99, theatre, is emerging as one of theatre’s most promising playwrights. Her new play, Wild Black-Eyed Susans, which will be performed at UMBC October 17-21, received the 2007 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights. In addition, her play Like a Cow or an Elephant was awarded the 2007 Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwrights and was produced at the DePaul Theatre School in Chicago. She was also the winner of the 2006 New Professional Theatre Writer’s Award, is a three-time recipient of Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Foundation Award and was a semi-finalist for the 2007 Sundance Theatre Lab and Princess Grace Award. Corthron’s plays have been developed with the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Center Stage (Baltimore), African Continuum Theatre (D.C.) and at the Julliard School.

Corthron says UMBC’s theatre department helped to prepare her for the challenges of a career in theatre, encouraging her to understand the business of theatre as well as the research and work that goes into a production. Classes in script analysis gave her an appreciation for dramatic literature and helped to inspire her passion for writing.

She also believes that taking classes in theatre will benefit non-majors as well. “Even takng a class in dramatic literature can help you to learn about the human experience,” says Corthron. “You read about people who have to make decisions and work through problems. Or, if you choose to get involved in a production, when you are in character you have to figure out how you will work with that person is going through. In theatre, you learn to understand other perspectives, empathy and compassion.”

Lynn Watson, chair of the theatre department, says that students are benefiting from working with Corthron’s play. “As I watch the actors in rehearsal and work with them on the text of Wild Black-Eyed Susan’s (as a voice specialist, I coach our students as well as professional actors in speech and text), I’m particularly struck by the sophistication of Kara’s writing. She has a keen ear for the emotional underpinning of a casual comment. Her characters are believable and identifiableóworking class people living in a region where jobs are drying upóyet she imbues their speech with poetic imagery and lyricism. Her ability to intermingle lyricism and rough urgency in the speech of contemporary characters is exceptional.

“For our students, the opportunity to play these roles has made for marvelous acting lessons,” adds Watson. “As actors dig into it, the play constantly yields up more and deeper layers. It’s exciting to see Kara’s talents passed on through her play to the development of another generation of UMBC theatre students.”

A schedule and ticket information for Wild Black-Eyed Susans is available online. The production is also part of UMBC’s Homecoming and Family Celebration events. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/homecoming.

(10/15/07)

© 2007-08 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

UMBC Collaborative Digital Storytelling Project Wins International Award

A pioneering and unique Digital Storytelling Project created by UMBC and Charlestown Retirement Community and funded by Retirement Living TV (RLTV) has won a Bronze Telly Award. The prestigious Telly Award cites the Digital Storytelling Project as being among the world’s best in local, regional and cable television commercials and programs, as well as among the finest in video and film production. This year’s Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

The Digital Storytelling Project is the nation’s first three-way partnership between a media company, a university and a retirement community. UMBC students (hands-on with the media technology) worked with Charlestown residents (autobiographical story and narrative) to create a series of 17 digital stories and music in two-to-three minute videos. The project was organized and supervised by UMBC’s New Media Studio.

“Being able to be a part of such a powerful project like the Digital Storytelling Project has not only expanded my awareness of the powerful influence that new media can have on society, but has also allowed me to develop my skills in creative thinking, communication, team work and technology,” said interdisciplinary studies senior Cathryna Brown. “To have received the honor and recognition of a Telly award makes me proud because it shows that we are accomplishing our goals and opening America’s eyes to the beauty of living beyond retirement.”

RLTV, a cable network dedicated to informing, involving and inspiring people aged 55 and over, was launched in September 2006. The RLTV network roots are in Erickson Retirement Communities, the National Institutes of Health, non-profit research foundations, UMBC’s Erickson School and leading gerontologists across the country.

Winners received their Telly Award statues at a September 12 ceremony at Charlestown

(10/3/07) © 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Dresher Center Expands Humanities Scholarship at UMBC

A recent gift from the Dresher Foundation will expand the scope and reach of UMBC’s James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities, originally established in 1996 as the Center for the Humanities. A dedication will be held Tuesday, September 18, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

“The new Dresher Center will engage scholars, students, visiting fellows and the community with the wide-ranging perspectives of scholarship in language, linguistics, literature, philosophy and ethics, history, culture, gender, race and ethnicity,” said Rebecca Boehling, director of the Dresher Center and associate professor of history.

The Dresher Center is also home to the Humanities Forum, an annual series of speakers and events, and the Humanities Scholars Program, which provides financial support and special academic experiences for outstanding UMBC undergraduates concentrating in the humanities. The center will begin sponsoring grant-writing workshops and forums for UMBC and visiting scholars to present their works in progress.

Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences John Jeffries said, “The Dresher Center for the Humanities marks a significant step forward for UMBC. Research and teaching in the humanities are central to UMBC, as to any research university. While humanities scholarship at UMBC is already exceptional, as demonstrated by the level of faculty publications and distinctions, the new Dresher Center will not only enable additional support for faculty and student research but will also make UMBC’s humanities scholarship better known both on campus and off.

“With Rebecca Boehling as director and Michele Osherow as associate director, and with endowment money from the Dresher Foundation and other sources as part of UMBC’s capital campaign, the Dresher Center is already off to a splendid start,” Jeffries added.

Please click here to RSVP to the Dresher Center dedication.

(9/7/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

A Family Affair

When Sue Hahn, an administrative assistant in UMBC’s Faculty Development Center, walks across the stage to receive her B.A. in American studies cum laude at the University’s Winter Commencement, she’ll be preceded by her daughter, Patricia (“Tricia”), who will receive the same degree.

“I always promised myself I would go to college one day,” said Sue, who enrolled at UMBC in 1996. Tricia, who graduated from Catonsville’s Mount De Sales Academy in 2002, came to UMBC in 2003 after a semester at the Community College of Baltimore County in Catonsville. But Sue and Tricia aren’t the only Hahn family members to attend UMBC: Sue’s husband, Jeff, and son Josh graduated in 1971 and 2002, respectively. Jeff was a member of the first incoming class at UMBC in the fall of 1966; he attended two years at UMBC with a concentration in pre-pharmacy, and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1971. Son Tim and two of Jeff’s brothers also attended UMBC.

Both mother and daughter appreciated the challenges of the American studies program and the UMBC curriculum. “I liked the opportunity for critical thinking, to express my opinions through papers, group work and presentations,” said Tricia, who also is receiving a certificate in Communications and Media Studies and hopes to begin a career in pharmaceutical sales after graduation.

Sue enjoyed her new role as a student after being a staff member since 1973 and even had the opportunity to take classes with Tricia and Josh. “I gained a real understanding and appreciation for what our students go through,” she explained. “I loved every minute of it, and enjoyed being with the younger students. I’ve noticed how increasingly serious UMBC students have become, and they helped to motivate me. They were an inspiration for me to do my best.”

Sue also hopes other UMBC employees will take advantage of their tuition remission benefit: “It’s a wonderful way to challenge and better oneself, and I highly encourage anyone to be a UMBC student to gain new perspectives and insights about themselves, as well as gain a better understanding of our campus.”

(12/18/06)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

lumnus Ian Ralby Receives Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Alumni Scholarships Support Students Committed to the Advancement of Minorities

Several UMBC alumni have recognized that not all prospective college students or current UMBC students have the financial resources and community support to attend the University or continue their studies if he or she is an existing student. In an effort to support and inspire current and future UMBC students, these alumni have established two scholarships, the Second Generation Scholarship and the Esperanza Endowment Fund, to provide financial assistance to outstanding UMBC students committed to the advancement of minorities.

Second Generation Scholarship
A group of African American alumni started the Second Generation Scholarship in 1986 as a means to give back to the campus and become more involved in UMBC. The scholarship provides $1,000 to continuing students whose money for college often decreases the longer they stay in college. With the scholarship, students are able to remain at UMBC and eventually graduate. Although the scholarship amount varies each year, recipients have received awards ranging from $500 to $1,000. Among the requirements, scholarship candidates must be currently enrolled or have taken a course in Africana studies and demonstrate a commitment to improving the lives of minorities through community service, extracurricular activities or other community involvement.

Aamena Chadry, a senior bio-psychology and pre-medicine major, one of two 2006-2007 Second Generation Scholars and a two-time recipient said, “Being a full time student, it’s hard at times trying to manage all the finances that an undergraduate education requires. The Second Generation Scholarship has decreased a burden to a great extent by paying for my books that my classes require every semester.”

(For more information, contact Kim Robinson in the Office of Institutional Advancement at 410-455-3700 or the Office of Alumni Relations or call 410-455-2632.)

Esperanza Endowment Fund
The Esperanza Endowment Fund, established in February 2007 by five Latino members of the Black and Latino alumni committee, supports students of Latino ancestry and also promotes awareness of the rich Latino and Hispanic heritage of UMBC alumni and students. The committee hopes to endow this scholarship by raising $25,000 in the next five years, ensuring that it becomes a permanent resource for future generations.

“I think it’s important that we are able to give back. People who support initiatives like this are providing tools to encourage students to finish school and promote future leaders,” said committee member Joe Morales ’00, who earned a biochemistry and molecular biology degree and is now a patent attorney.

The Committee will sponsor a brunch, Legends of Excellence: 40 Years of Inspiring African American and Latino Students, to acknowledge the extraordinary individual contributions of faculty and staff who have significantly impacted the lives of UMBC’s African American and Latino students over the past 40 years. The event will be held on April 14 from 11-2 p.m. in the UMBC University Center Ballroom. Funds raised will support the newly created Esperanza Scholarship Fund and the Second Generation Scholarship.

Contributions to support the Esperanza Endowment Fund and the Second Generation Scholarship are also being accepted at http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/support (under “other designation,” type Esperanza Fund or Second Generation Scholarship), or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 410-455-2632 or alum@umbc.edu for more information. For details on Legends of Excellence, including the award recipients, visit http://retrievernet.umbc.edu/legendsofexcellence.

(3/16/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Alumnus Ian M. Ralby Receives Prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Ian M. Ralby, UMBC’s 2002 Valedictorian, will enter the M.Phil. program in International Relations at Cambridge University with funding provided by the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, considered one of the world’s most selective academic awards.

“President Hrabowski and UMBC helped me to become a Gates Cambridge Scholar,” said Ralby, who graduated with a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics and a M.A. in Intercultural Communication. “UMBC nurtured my intellectual curiosity. My work in modern languages and linguistics and intercultural communication helped solidify my passion for international affairs. Through study abroad in Switzerland–made possible by my Humanities Scholarship–I discovered the field of international conflict resolution. UMBC has continued to support me throughout my time in law school and in the practice of law. President Hrabowski remains an important mentor and role model for me. His support has been instrumental in helping me get to where I am today.”

While completing his J.D. at the College of William and Mary in 2005, Ralby was part of a legal team that worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to provide legal research and support for the Iraqi High Tribunal as it prepared its legal case against Saddam Hussein.

When Ralby begins his studies at Cambridge in fall 2007, he plans to focus on means of establishing the rule of law in post-conflict societies, examining how post-conflict justice processes could be better used to facilitate reconstruction. He intends to continue studying for a Ph.D. in International Relations. Ultimately, Ralby plans to devote his career toward assisting failed states as they attempt to recover from collapse.

Since earning admission to the Virginia state bar, Ralby has served as an associate in the Norfolk, Va., office of Hunton & Williams, an international law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Beijing and Brussels.

Read the full news release.

(3/5/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �

Celebrating Student Research

UMBC is a place that believes hands-on research and discovery is an essential part of the student experience. This week, two campus events put the creativity and curiosity of UMBC student research from across the disciplines on public display.

Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) starts things off on Wednesday, April 25, followed by the 29th annual Graduate Research Conference (GRC) on Friday, April 27. The week presents an extraordinary opportunity for the public and campus community to explore original, interdisciplinary research findings through oral and poster presentations and to enjoy free arts performances and exhibits.

Having grown steadily since being founded in 1997 by the Office of the Provost, URCAD is now a project of the Office of Undergraduate Education. The URCAD experience gives students valuable experience preparing for graduate school or future careers. Many URCAD projects are funded by Undergraduate Research Awards (URA), competitive grants of up to $1,500 given annually to support student research over an academic year.

UMBC has declared this week Graduate Student Week, and UMBC�s Graduate Student Association has planned lectures, workshops, and a variety of festivities to enrich the lives of the University�s over 2,300 graduate students. The GRC is a chance for UMBC and University of Maryland, Baltimore grad students from different disciplines to share research ideas and learn more about the process of preparing for a scientific meeting.

Visitors to URCAD and the GRC will experience a broad spectrum of outstanding student research, including:

• Like many of his peers, chemistry Ph.D. student and Wyeth Fellow Orrette Wauchope spends long hours � he estimates 10 per day � in the lab. Wauchope studies compounds that could lead to new drugs to fight cancer and help prevent viral and parasitic diseases.
• Salutorian, Phi Beta Kappa member and former UMBC women�s basketball team captain Erin Voss is working to better understand how the body�s nerve cells heal and recover from injuries and disease. Voss, a fifth-year senior majoring in biochemical engineering, is headed to medical school at the University of Wisconsin after graduation.
• Senior interdisciplinary studies and visual arts major Truc Nguyen’s project, “Call Me Brother,” is a photo documentary chronicling the American immigration stories of four generations of her extended family. The project helped her learn living history while honing her design and photography skills for a future career in communications or marketing. Nguyen�s work will also be on display at The Commons Mezzanine gallery space all this week, with daily multimedia presentations between noon and 1 p.m.

URCAD will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University Center and Fine Arts Building. A full morning session will be devoted to dance and film presentations. For more information, please visit the URCAD Website.

The 2007 Graduate Research Conference will be held on Friday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University Center. Graduate Student Week is April 26 � May 3. For more information, please visit the GSA�s Website.

(4/23/07)

© 2006-07 University of Maryland, Baltimore County � 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 � 410-455-1000 �