UMBC entered into a contract with 4imprint in August 2023 and implemented a punchout tile in PAW at the same time.  This contract also provides a 10% savings on their products.

Challenges with invoices and POs matching have made this a more difficult process than it should have been.

Effective immediately:

• 4imprint orders that are no more than $5,000 (including shipping) should be ordered through www.4imprint.com and paid by P-card.

• 4imprint orders over $5,000 should be placed via the PAW punchout.  

Either option should include the 10% discount and online orders must use your @umbc.edu address.

When: Friday 11/21 from 12-1p

Where: Physics Building Room 401

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The UMBC Society of Physics of Students will be hosting a talk with Dr. Eileen Meyer to discuss the undergraduate research done in her group here on campus!

Dr. Meyer works to understand the physics and impact of the relativistic jets associated with the most massive black holes. She has won over 400 hours on flagship observatories, and the Meyer/Georganopoulos research group has been well-supported in recent years with over $1.7M in funding from NASA and the NSF ($3.4M lifetime total). Dr Meyer's group regularly collaborates with local scientists at NASA and STScI, as well as others at top Universities around the world.

In addition to her core research area in extragalactic jets and black holes, Dr. Meyer is also interested in developing optical polarimetry instruments for use on small ground-based telescopes like the UMBC Observatory. Her group has developed several prototypes with the goal of extremely sensitive circular and linear polarization measurements of astrophysical sources at the parts-per-million level.

Feel free to come by and ask any questions about undergraduate research that you may have (and grab some Dunkin coffee and munchkins while they last!)

Help celebrate our soon-to-be alumni by volunteering to support winter commencement! There will be two ceremonies: Wednesday, December 17 at 10 a.m. and Thursday, December 18, at 10 a.m., at the CEI Arena.

Take a look at the event staff registration form, which includes preferred assignments and estimated time commitments. The Office of Institutional Advancement will offer breakfast each day and an event staff polo. If you would prefer to participate in the faculty/staff procession in regalia instead, complete the procession registration form.

Reach out to Becky Bosstick with questions: bbosstic@umbc.edu

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.