Real People Profiles: Mark Sparks

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:35:00 -0400
real-people-profiles

We're asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses.

Name: Mark Sparks

Hometown: Baltimore

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: 3 years.

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: Chief of Police, UMBC Police Department.

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?

A: Improving quality of life to enhance the educational experience at UMBC.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: I'm most gratified by the daily contact with smart people who have a true stake in the reputation and success of UMBC. From the students I'm lucky enough to work with on a regular basis, the faculty and staff I regularly interact with, to my own staff in Police and Parking, I'm constantly reminded that not only is this place filled with brilliant people, but brilliant people who truly care about the institution.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: The most memorable thing I've come to learn about UMBC is how much I enjoy the "small town" feel of the place when I walk through campus. It started when I was in the search process for my own job, and after one of the full day interviews with members of the community, I related to my wife that the whole time I was here walking around campus, people said hello to me, everywhere I went. I was not used to that coming from another institution, but the experience stuck with me and reinforced how much I wanted to be a part of a place that found importance in relationships and civility, as well as enviable academics.

That feeling was reinforced once I had been hired, and attended my first summer retreat after being here for about a week. Dr. Hrabowski saw me sitting at a table in a room full of about 500 people, and pointed the new Chief of Police out to everyone at the campus retreat, and asked me for a few words. Well, I've never been shy about talking to people, especially about myself, so I gave a thumbnail sketch of who I was, got them all laughing, and as Jerry Seinfeld would say, "left on a high note." For weeks after Dr. Hrabowski pointed me out, I walked around campus with people coming up to me, shaking my hand, and welcoming me to campus. When my wife asked me how the new job was going, I had to say that I felt like a rock star every time I walked around the campus, and it reminded me of the fact that the PEOPLE here are what makes UMBC such a great place.

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A: Thai food, as hot as they'll make it for me.

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share?

A: I've eaten at a lot of campus dining halls, and if True Grits isn't the best one I've been to, it's on a short list.

Co-Create UMBC is a blog for and about UMBC, written by David Hoffman and Craig Berger from the Office of Student Life. Join the Co-Create UMBC group on MyUMBC. Like Co-Create UMBC on Facebook. And follow David and Craig on Twitter.