The DOIE staff are embracing a season of gratitude. We invite you to read the heartfelt expressions below from staff about what they value and join us in recognizing the many ways our campus community fosters belonging, connection, and inclusive excellence. Have a restful break!
________
"I am thankful to be a part of such a strong group of like-minded humans who have all been welcoming and kind. I am thankful to learn from each of you in different ways that inspire me to further educate myself and those around me, also inspiring me to be better each day."
Sunny Warden
she/her
Testing Manager
Position Type: Internship, Stipend, Undergraduate Student, Graduate Student
Handshake ID: 10523914
Hiring Manager: Wendy Low
Term: Spring 2026 semester with the ability for renewal
Semester Stipend: $750
Do you always find yourself talking about social justice? Are you the friend in your group who's always adding “nuance” to the conversation? Then we’re looking for you! Social Justice Dialogue Facilitation Fellows work for the Center for Social Justice Dialogue and are supervised by professional staff within the Center.
The main role of this internship is to support the work of the Center for Social Justice Dialogue (CSJD) in cultivating a campus community where everyone feels empowered and equipped to engage in difficult dialogue across differences of identity, background, and lived experience. Built on a foundation of Intergroup Theory and other social justice education frameworks, interns will co-create and deliver workshops on topics of identity, social justice, and dialogue to student populations. Further, students will support projects including MediaBytes, Your Story Belongs Here, InterACT, FYS: Race, Social Justice, and Dialogue, and other departmental programs. They may also support collaborative dialogue programs in partnership with other departments on campus (e.g. The Women’s Center, Center for Democracy and Civic Life, Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging, etc). Facilitators are expected to work a maximum of ten hours a week which includes weekly staff meetings to engage in deep learning, prepare for workshops, and continue developing student-focused programming. Interns engage in ongoing training, reviewing key activities, facilitation skills, and foundational introductions to various social justice concepts. Interns must be available for these training sessions as well as program retreats.
Upon the completion of more advanced training (including Restorative Practices) and a full year of participation, students will have the opportunity to apply to a “senior internship” position to facilitate higher stakes dialogues.
Develop, facilitate, and promote peer-led workshops on topics related to identity, social justice, and dialogue to student populations
Engage in ongoing learning and development connected to dialogue and facilitation
Co-create the continued foundation for IDEAL and InterACT programs, as well as contribute ideas and content for workshop curriculum
Support CSJD programming through attendance, marketing/promotion, co-facilitating activities within larger dialogues and workshops, etc.
Meet with the primary supervisor and attend regular student staff meetings (dependent on student availability)
Serve as departmental “student liaison,” gathering information about current student “hot topics” and needs and wants connected to dialogue
Serve as an ambassador for IDEAL and InterACT programs, as well as CSJD more broadly
Follow all area regulations within the Code of Conduct (this is provided during the staff onboarding process)
Fulfill all other duties and responsibilities as appropriate and assigned (including, but not limited to occasional oral / written reflections, time tracking, etc.)
Must be a full-time, matriculating undergraduate or graduate student at UMBC;
Must have and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (semesterly checks will be conducted);
Must be able to commit to a minimum of Spring Semester for at least 10 hours per week; oppurtunity to renew
Interns are strongly encouraged to enroll and fulfill all the requirements PRAC098 offered through the Career Center each semester, but especially for their first full semester of the internship program. Learn more about PRAC here.
Must be committed to being a positive role model and demonstrate leadership skills;
Must demonstrate ability to interact and communicate mindfully in person and online with diverse students, staff, faculty, and other campus community members;
Must be flexible with schedules depending on relevant programs, events and/or student professional development opportunities;
Must have flexibility to work evening and weekend hours on occasion;
Must attend all training sessions
Please hold Jan 8, Jan 21, Jan 23, Jan 26, Jan 29th for upcoming events
Demonstrated experience with myUMBC, Gmail, Google Drive, Canva, Instagram, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and/or Illustrator
Demonstrated basic knowledge in any of the following areas: the relationship between identity, power, privilege and oppression, intersectionality, social justice-related theories, intergroup dialogue (e.g. Critical Race Theory, Feminist/Womanist Theory, Queer Theory, Social Identity Theory)
Demonstrated leadership skills and experience through student organization leadership, civic engagement and/or activism
Have summer and winter availability; and
Have verbal, spoken, and/or written multilingual skills
Blackboard course shells for Winter and Spring 2026 were created on November 21, 2025.
All Winter and Spring 2026 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC), regardless of designation as lecture, lab, etc, or instructor assignment, now have a Blackboard presence. RT requests are no longer needed for research, independent study, or practicum courses. As new course sections are added to the SOC by Department Scheduling Coordinators, corresponding Bb shells are automatically generated overnight.
If you are an instructor and your name is not associated with the course you are teaching in the SOC, please contact your Departmental Scheduling Coordinator to resolve the issue. Once you are listed in the SOC, your access to the Bb course shell will be updated automatically.
If you and your Department Scheduling Coordinator believe you are correctly assigned as the instructor of record in the SOC and you do not have access to your course shell in Blackboard, please submit a Request Tracker (RT) ticket via my.umbc.edu/help.
As announced by DoIT in April 2025, instructors teaching multiple sections of the same course will find a separate Blackboard course shell for each section or course component. Courses will not be merged by default. Instructors planning to use separate shells will no longer need to submit an RT request. New for WT/SP2026: Cross-listed and combined courses will be merged automatically. Courses with multiple components will not be merged by default.
Course shells may be merged or removed upon request using the new Blackboard Course Merge or Removal form (UMBC login required), which we recommend submitting at least one week before the semester starts, if not as soon as courses are created in Blackboard. NOTE: Courses should not be merged or split after student grade data and engagement activity is recorded, since it will be purged as part of the separation process.
Plan your accessibility and Universal Design for Learning strategy before students begin working with course materials. Ally, an accessibility tool, is enabled in all course shells. Ally automatically scans uploaded and created course content, then performs a series of steps to make that content more accessible. Please review the Ally FAQs for more information about the accessibility indicators on course content andalternative formats, or attend an upcoming training session.
Connect with Instructional Technology
As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:
From the Center for Social Justice Dialogue Directors
For some, the holidays are a season of joy, connection, and shared traditions. For others, they can be emotionally demanding, a careful dance around long-standing tensions, lingering conflicts, polarizing political disagreements, or generational wounds. A friend once told me, "I love my family, but three hours is all I can manage." Many of us prepare strategies, invite "buffers," or brace ourselves just to get through the meal.
Holiday tables have always held complexity. This year, though, many of us are feeling the weight of that complexity more intensely than ever.
As directors of UMBC's Center for Social Justice Dialogue, we want to offer our Retriever community tools to navigate this season with grounding, compassion, and intentionality. Whether you're entering difficult conversations about identity, politics, justice, or family history, the competencies of dialogic community building—critical self-reflection, cultural storytelling, generous listening, and loving accountability—can help guide your steps.
Here are some tips, tools, and practices to consider.
Before we enter dialogue, we begin with ourselves. Critical self-reflection calls us to look inward at our identities, experiences, triggers, the stories we carry, and the assumptions we bring to the table.
Ask yourself:
What am I feeling in my body as I anticipate this gathering?
What topics or comments tend to activate strong reactions in me?
What boundaries do I need to hold to maintain my well-being?
How can I show up in ways that contribute to community care?
Radical self-care reminds us: you can opt in to dialogue, and you can opt out as an act of protection and love. If a conversation becomes unsafe, dehumanizing, or overwhelming, it is valid to pause or walk away. Your well-being matters.
Community care reminds us: how we show up impacts others. Our presence, tone, boundaries, and choices can contribute to a safer, more compassionate environment, even when disagreements arise. Community care invites us to hold ourselves with compassion and to consider the collective well-being of those around us.
Dialogue deepens when we share the stories that shape us, not to prove a point, but to build understanding.
Cultural storytelling invites you to:
speak from your own experiences rather than speak about others,
connect present tensions to personal and community histories,
illuminate the values, traditions, and identities that shape your worldview.
This practice helps shift conversations away from abstraction and toward authenticity.
It also supports relational connection—"Here is where I come from, and here is how it shapes what I believe."
Generous listening is the heart of dialogic community building. It requires vulnerability, patience, wonder, and the willingness to pause your assumptions to consider someone else's perspective truly.
This kind of listening sounds like:
"Help me understand how you came to that belief."
"What experiences shaped that view for you?"
"I hear your intention. Can we talk about the impact?"
Generous questioning invites deeper reflection rather than defensiveness. It widens the possibility of connection, especially across difference.
Dialogue doesn't mean avoiding conflict; it means engaging conflict with compassion and clarity.
Loving accountability includes:
naming harmful language or behavior with respect and honesty,
recognizing when someone's disagreement denies your humanity,
setting boundaries without shaming,
aligning your tone and words with your values.
You can say:
"I want to stay in this conversation, but I need us to slow down."
"That comment felt hurtful to me. Can we talk about why?"
"Your intention matters, and so does the impact."
As James Baldwin reminds us, we can disagree and still love each other—unless that disagreement denies our right to exist.
Loving accountability holds us all to a higher standard, not to win, but to grow.
If you feel overwhelmed, flooded, or frozen:
Breathe deeply to reconnect.
Body scan: Where is tension showing up?
Name your reaction if you want:
"I'm noticing I'm having a strong reaction right now."
Pause the dialogue if needed.
Re-enter or step back based on what your well-being requires.
This is part of loving accountability, to both yourself and the relationship.
When the conversation ends, ask yourself:
What emotions linger in my body?
What did I learn about myself?
What support or community care do I need now?
What joy practices can help me reset?
Choose rest. Hydrate. Journal. Move your body. Connect with people who affirm your dignity and wholeness.
As you move through this holiday season, remember that dialogue is not about perfection. It is about showing up with intention, curiosity, and heart. Whether you are leaning into connection or protecting your peace, you remain part of a community dedicated to justice, equity, and humanity.
May you find moments of grounding, clarity, and care wherever you gather.
In community,
Ciara and Jasmine
The Center for Social Justice Dialogue Directors
UMBC | Division of Institutional Equity
#UMBCtogether #SocialJusticeDialogue
F-1, J-1, and H1-B Crash Course
Global Engagement Brown Bag Series
Intercultural Connection Games
Global Engagement Brown Bag Series
Dear UMBC Community,
As we continue to rely on digital platforms for teaching, learning, and administrative functions, digital accessibility has been a core component of that commitment. UMBC has been dedicated to making our information technology and digital content accessible so that everyone has the opportunity to make use of the university's knowledge, ideas, and resources.
We are updating and expanding our digital accessibility initiatives to meet new federal requirements. On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), defining clear technical standards for digital accessibility to follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level A (minimum) and Level AA (enhanced) for images, sound, video, documents, and text. As content for courses, research, and the public is constantly created, this will be an ongoing effort requiring everyone to do their part for the benefit of others.
To support this ongoing effort, UMBC has launched the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee (DASC) led by vice presidents Tanyka Barber and Jack Suess. This group is charged with developing, tracking, and evolving our compliance efforts by focusing our resources on the efforts that can achieve the greatest impact.
The DASC has started meeting and will begin reaching out to campus departments and constituencies to communicate and seek feedback on our plans and efforts that are underway. This work affirms our university's deep and ongoing commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for all our members. Together, we can use this effort to create a more accessible digital environment that truly works for all members of our community.
Additional digital accessibility information and resources are available on both the UMBC Digital Accessibility website and the USM Digital Accessibility website.
Sincerely,
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Tanyka M. Barber
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
Jack Suess
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
To view the original post click this link:
https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/announcements/posts/154649
Dialogue connects. Dialogue transforms. Join educators and practitioners across Maryland for an interactive symposium on advancing dialogue for belonging, community, and shared action.
We're pleased to invite students, faculty, staff, and community partners to the Dialogue Symposium: Bringing Campuses and Communities Together, hosted at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). This symposium is collaboratively planned by USM partner institutions - University of Maryland-Baltimore, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Maryland Global Campus, Towson University, and The Universities at Shady Grove.
SAVE THE DATE: January 29, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: University Center Ballroom, UMBC, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250
About the Symposium:
This full-day event is dedicated to advancing dialogue as a powerful approach for connection, inclusion, and collective action. Grounded in the work of the Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center, this year's theme — "Dialogue as a Campus and Community Approach" — explores how institutions and community organizations can embed dialogic practices across curricular, co-curricular, and administrative spaces.
What You'll Experience:
Interactive sessions and hands-on workshops exploring facilitation, trauma-informed practices, and community connection.
Peer-led exchanges and an "Unconference" segment where participants co-create ideas and partnerships in real time.
A focus on tools for embedding dialogue into teaching, learning, engagement, and community collaboration.
Who Should Attend:
Whether you are faculty integrating dialogue into your courses, staff facilitating community or campus engagement, a student leader leading coalition building, or a community partner working across neighborhoods and beyond — this symposium is for you.
Want to Present?
The committee invites proposals from students, staff, faculty, and community partners. We invite proposals that will:
Build strategies for institutional leadership and resource alignment to sustain dialogue programs and initiatives.
Deepen facilitation and practitioner skills (with attention to trauma-informed practices & facilitator well-being).
Explore concrete tools and techniques for integrating dialogue into classrooms, curricula, departments and community engagement.
Co-create new directions for dialogue work that connects campuses and communities across the region.
Submit your proposal here: https: //umbc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b2fZiJ2jngIFWES
Registration & Next Steps:
Student attendance is free; other categories have nominal fees as outlined on the CSJD website: https://csjdialogue.umbc.edu/the-dialogue-symposium-bringing-colleges-and-communities-together/
Registration opens December 1, 2025.
Keep an eye out for the full program and registration link soon.
For questions, contact Chloe Kastner (ml82770@umbc.edu).
Join us in shaping a day of thoughtful connection, courageous conversation, and collective reflection as we build toward a more dialogue-rich, inclusive campus and community culture.
We look forward to seeing you on January 29!
Digital accessibility is more than a compliance requirement—it's a commitment to ensuring that every member of our community can fully engage with digital content. Accessible PDFs support screen reader navigation, reduce cognitive load, and ensure that information is clear and usable for everyone.
Poorly formatted documents—such as those with missing tags, low color contrast, or scanned images without text recognition—can create barriers. Well-structured PDFs, on the other hand, use headings, lists, tables, and descriptive links to make content easier to navigate and understand. By adopting universal design practices, we not only meet legal standards but create a more inclusive learning and working environment.
Whether you're preparing a syllabus, sharing research, or distributing forms, small changes can make a big difference. This practice enhances the learning experience for all learners and supports UMBC's mission of inclusive excellence (UMBC's mission of inclusive excellence).
Here are some key takeaways for remediating or creating accessible PDFs, organized into practical steps you can apply right away.
PDF Tools and Techniques
The following strategies are useful for identifying and fixing accessibility issues:
Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker: Scan documents for missing tags, unlabeled form fields, or reading order problems.
Tagging and Structure: Apply proper heading levels, alt text for images, and logical reading order to support screen readers.
Conversion Options: Export PDFs to Word or PowerPoint for easier editing, or scan and get text from an image with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to make scanned documents searchable.
Color Contrast Checkers: Ensure text and graphics meet WCAG 2 standards checklist for readability.
Tips for Everyday Use
Test your PDF: If you can select text, it's searchable; if not, use OCR.
Start with accessible files: Use built-in templates in Word, PowerPoint, or Excel to create your document before exporting it to PDF. (Note: select the accessibility-friendly PDF preset when exporting the file)
Write meaningful alt text: Keep it concise and focused on the purpose of the image.
Simplify tables: Avoid merged or blank cells and fill in empty spaces with placeholders like 'N/A,' and keep the overall structure easy to follow.
Building a Culture of Access
Digital Accessibility is a shared responsibility. By making small, intentional choices— using descriptive links instead of "Click here" or ensuring high-contrast text—we can create digital content that works for everyone. These practices not only help individuals with disabilities but also improve usability for all readers, including those accessing content on mobile devices or in low-bandwidth environments.
Next Steps
UMBC offers ongoing training and resources to support digital accessibility. Upcoming sessions will cover accessible feedback, videos, images, and more. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to explore these opportunities and integrate accessibility into their daily workflows.
Ready to take the first step? Visit UMBC's Digital Accessibility site or run an Ally course report today. Support is also available from Student Disability Services and Instructional Technology.
Resources:
Google Workspace Updates: New LaTeX features in the Gemini app
Video Recordings (UMBC Login required):
UMBC is one of just 10 universities nationwide to be invited to join the 2025-26 Advanced Campus Pluralism cohort, a collaboration between Interfaith America and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). UMBC has received $25K to create a strategic plan to develop practices that lead to deeper engagement across differences, and integrate practices into the university's work in inclusive excellence. It will include partnerships between the Divisions of Student Affairs and Institutional Equity, as well as the Provost's Office and Academic Affairs, with input from campus leadership and stakeholders.
"We are thrilled to be joining this cohort of public universities committed to engaging civic pluralism on their campuses," said Matt Hoffman, director of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism in the Division of Student Affairs. "This grant will serve as a moment to intentionally pause and chart a course for how civic pluralism and the work of supporting religious and spiritual diversity can be a core part of UMBC's larger value of inclusive excellence. Through strategic partnerships, our planning team will be seeking out innovative ways to lift up the work already being done and seek outcomes that will impact our entire campus community."
Civic pluralism focuses on mutual dignity, shared responsibility, and principled engagement across lines of difference and emphasizes deep relational commitments to equity, belonging, and democratic coexistence. In the past few years, UMBC has expanded and invested in the shifting and growing needs of its campus religious and spiritual communities, building on an institutional commitment to inclusive excellence. The university is committed to creating spaces and resources for students with closely held religious and spiritual identities to find belonging on campus.
UMBC's strategic plan will inform and guide how the university community will relate, learn, and build community across the diverse institution. Building a robust strategic plan for advancing pluralism on campus allows UMBC to continue to be responsive to the changing demographic needs of students, staff, and faculty as well as UMBC's historic commitment to "welcome and [inspire] inquisitive minds of all backgrounds."
Dr. Jasmine Lee, associate vice president for community and culture and co-director of the Center for Social Justice Dialogue in UMBC's Division of Institutional Equity, said, "The beauty of this grant opportunity is that we get to receive funding to support work that is already happening on our campus. At UMBC, we are not new to civic pluralism - we call it inclusive excellence. The funding and principles driving the work of advancing civic pluralism through AACSU and Interfaith America are directly aligned with our vision of inclusive excellence at UMBC and will help us continue to bolster the meaningful work taking place."
UMBC will also use the grant funds to develop plans under three commitment areas: Capacity Building, Co-curricular Engagement, and Curricular Experiences. Staff who will be leading aspects of this work include Hoffman and Dr. Lee, with Dr. Renique Kersh, vice president for student affairs, as the executive sponsor.
Capacity Building will focus on updating a definition for inclusive excellence and how it incorporates and overlaps with civic pluralism; expanding the role of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism and creating a partnership with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, as well as building out the existing collaborations with the Center for Social Justice Dialogue and the institutionalization of restorative practices. Additionally, capacity building will focus on amplifying opportunities for faculty, staff, and students alike to develop and practice competencies and skills for dialoguing across difference, resolving conflict, and building bridges to collaborative solutions.
Curriculum and Scholarships will focus on inventorying existing pluralism work on campus; creating a micro-credentialing and/or certificate program in civic pluralism; and developing opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to engage in transformative experiences and collaborations through existing or new programming.
Co-Curricular Engagement will focus on ongoing pluralism programming and student fellows, providing leadership opportunities, and reinforcing UMBC's commitment to pluralism beyond the classroom.
The grant will also fund The Dialogue Symposium: Bringing Colleges and Communities Together at UMBC on January 29, 2026. The symposium aims to highlight and strengthen dialogue practices that make campuses more connected, inclusive, and resilient. Grounded in the work of the Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center, this year's theme, "Dialogue as a Campus and Community Approach," explores how institutions and organizations can embed dialogic practices across curricular, co-curricular, and administrative spaces.
Facilitating dialogues through InterACT was a profoundly rewarding experience that challenged and expanded the way I approach communication, empathy, and leadership. Through each session, I witnessed the quiet yet powerful impact of intentional listening—what we often called "generous listening." Hearing others share their stories and reflections on identity, privilege, and social justice allowed me to see how dialogue can serve as both a mirror and a bridge: a mirror that reflects our own biases and growth, and a bridge that connects us across lived experiences.
One of my favorite moments was during the generous listening activity, where participants explored the difference between "good" and "bad" listening through a short series of role-playing exercises. Watching students step out of their comfort zones, laugh, reflect, and learn together reminded me that vulnerability and curiosity are often the first steps toward genuine understanding. It was deeply moving to see how quickly strangers could become collaborators in empathy.
The most challenging part of facilitating was finding the balance between stepping in to guide a conversation and stepping back to let participants discover meaning on their own. Learning when to intervene and when to simply observe was a delicate process, one that taught me patience and trust in the group's collective rhythm. Working alongside Anelsy made that process far more fluid; our partnership created a sense of balance and support that carried the sessions forward with warmth and confidence.
Ultimately, InterACT reaffirmed for me that dialogue is not about having answers, it's about creating the space where transformation quietly begins.