Please see the latest updates on UMBC’s Retriever Ready website. Questions? Email covid19@umbc.edu.

COVID-19 Health & Safety 

• UMBC’s Public Health Dashboard was updated with new data on November 11. The dashboard provides timely data about the prevalence of COVID-19 within our main campus. There were 13 new positive cases during this reporting period.

• Please be sure to read this campus communication about how UMBC is responding to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Sign Up for the Maryland Department of Health’s New MD COVID Alert App

• Please consider signing up for MD COVID Alert, a new app from the Maryland Department of Health which works with “traditional contact tracing efforts by using Exposure Notifications technology to notify users who may have been exposed to an infected person.” Learn more here and opt-in today to participate in this effort to protect all Marylanders from COVID-19.

Final Reminder: Health Care Open Enrollment Ends Tomorrow at 5 p.m.

• Faculty and Staff: Open enrollment ends Friday, November 13, at 5 p.m.  Employees can enroll in and/or make changes to their health benefits effective January 1, 2021. Employees choosing to make a healthcare or dependent care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) election for 2021 MUST login to SPS Workday prior to 5 p.m. on November 13.  Employees who are not making an FSA election or other health benefit changes do not need to take action. Employees should visit the HR website for detailed instructions.

UMBC Together

• Register for The Empowered University: Teaching and Learning. The UMBC community is invited to join together on November 18 from 4 ﹘ 5:30 p.m. for this interactive campus-wide conversation about teaching and learning in the era of remote instruction. Please register here and submit your questions in advance.

• Visit the UMBC Together website for recent social media posts and the UMBC Together myUMBC group for information on upcoming events.

Scott Resource Group, a well-established university recruitment consulting firm, is partnering with selected career centers nationwide, including UMBC, to conduct two important student research projects.  The findings of these studies will influence how employers recruit students using virtual platforms going forward – and will impact their internship program design and execution.  We’d welcome your participation in either or both of these two significant research projects.

The first survey, ‘Virtual Recruiting: What Worked, What Didn’t – and WHY’ will take a deep-dive into this semester’s pandemic-induced plunge into the world of digital recruiting.  Topics will include virtual career fairs, online recruiting events, and digital interviewing. 

The second project, ‘Impact of the Virtual Internship Experience’, will include questions for those who participated in a virtual internship this past summer, as well as those who are pursuing opportunities for summer 2021.

Scott Resource Group will hold a drawing for ten [10] $50 Amazon.com gift cards following the survey closing date for each of the research projects, and all students who have submitted a completed survey will be eligible to win.  Students are welcome to participate in either survey – or both. 

Please respond to ScottResourceGroup@comcast.net indicating your interest this way:

Request ‘W3D Survey’ in the subject line if you’d like to receive a survey for the ‘Virtual Recruiting: What Worked, What Didn’t – and WHY?’ study

Request ‘IVIE Survey’ in the subject line if you’d like to receive a survey for the ‘Impact of the Virtual Internship Experience’  study

Request ‘Both Surveys’ in the subject line if you’d like to receive both the W3D and IVIE surveys.

Please submit your email request to participate in the survey(s) by NOVEMBER 30.  Scott Resource Group will begin sending survey links the week of November 16. 

We appreciate your consideration – Let your voice be heard!

Disability:IN is hosting an information session to provide more information on the NextGen Leaders program, our six-month mentorship and career development program for college students and recent graduates, including veterans, with disabilities. 

Disability:IN’s NextGen Leaders Program Info Session

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2020

Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm ET

Location: Join Zoom Meeting or join by phone options below.

Accommodations: At Disability:IN we strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all events. ASL and CART will be provided for this event. If you need a reasonable accommodation to successfully and fully participate in our session, please email Teresa@DisabilityIN.org.

Meeting ID: 860 8192 4672

Passcode: 392889

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,86081924672#,,,,,,0#,,392889# US (Chicago)

+19292056099,,86081924672#,,,,,,0#,,392889# US (New York)

Dial by your location

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 860 8192 4672

Passcode: 392889

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kQvci2TAn

Teresa Danso-Danquah (she/her)

NextGen Initiatives Manager

Disability:IN

Direct: 347-920-1513 | Eastern Time 

Teresa@DisabilityIN.org | DisabilityIN.org

Applications are now open for the 2021 NextGen Leaders Program!

Students / recent graduates with disabilities: apply to be a NextGen Leader

Corporate partner employees: apply to be a mentor

Deadline to apply is November 20, 2020

Visit our website to learn more and share our mentor and NextGen Leader flyers!

Please see the latest updates on UMBC’s Retriever Ready website. Questions? Email covid19@umbc.edu.

COVID-19 Health & Safety

• Please be sure to read this Urgent Community Health Request regarding the predicted but nevertheless concerning surge in coronavirus cases occurs in Baltimore and across the nation. Remember that students, faculty, and staff approved to be on campus are required to complete daily online symptom tracking.

• Make a plan now for the holidays! Here is some helpful information, CDC guidance, and advice. If you are planning on spending time with family this Thanksgiving, the time to start isolating yourself is now. Plan, plan, plan ﹘ don’t leave your health and well-being to chance. 

Guidance for Winter and Spring 2021 Applied Learning Experiences

• Please read this updated guidance from the Provost regarding Applied Learning Experiences for the winter and spring 2021 terms, including internships, cooperative education, research experiences, and service-learning and community engagement.

Counseling Center Offers Meditation Sessions

• The Counseling Center offers “Let’s Meditate at UMBC!” throughout the week. Visit their myUMBC events page for information about upcoming sessions and other supportive programs.

UMBC Together

• Faculty and staff: Sign up for home delivery of the Fall UMBC Magazine by filling out this link by this Friday, November 13. 

• Visit the UMBC Together website for recent social media posts and the UMBC Together myUMBC group for information on upcoming events.

OurCS@AccessComputing+CREATE

OurCS@AccessComputing+CREATE is a research-focused workshop for undergraduates with disabilities in computing fields to be held virtually on Wednesday, January 13 through Friday, January 15, 2021, 9 am – 12 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).

Students with disabilities nationwide in computing fields are eligible to apply. Students will participate in research explorations designed to inspire participants to consider research careers and meet mentors with disabilities.

Students who participate in the entire program will receive a $50 stipend. Funding for this workshop is provided by Google Explore CSR with additional support from AccessComputing and the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences at UW (CREATE).

For full consideration, please complete the OurCS@AccessComputing+CREATE application by December 1. Find more information on the AccessComputing website.