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UMBC men’s tennis junior Joe Adewumi (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) and volleyball junior Iman Kennedy (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) have been named 2011 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The publication sponsors the awards to honor undergraduate students who have excelled in the classroom as well as in athletic play.

Adewumi won 20 matches for his third consecutive year, going 12-7 in singles action and 8-10 in doubles’ play in 2011. He was named America East Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 6 and was a member of the 2010 America East Honor Roll. Adewumi has a cumulative GPA of 3.59 in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Kennedy led the Retrievers and ranked third in the America East in total blocks with 1.05 blocks per set, while ranking second on the team with a .191 hitting percentage and third in kills with 1.89 kills per set. The junior’s 97 assisted blocks this season was the third-most in school history, while her 108 total blocks rank sixth in UMBC history. Kennedy, who was named to the 2010 America East All-Academic squad, has a 3.90 cumulative GPA and is majoring in psychology with minors in Spanish and biology.

Both of Adewumi and Kennedy’s teams advanced to the America East Championship during the 2010-11 school year.

UMBC’s new Asian studies program will give students the opportunity to learn about Asian languages, cultures and the significant impacts that the region is having on the world. The first public institution in Maryland with an Asian studies degree, UMBC offers a major, a minor and a certificate.

Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and the director of the new program, has been advocating for an Asian studies program on campus for many years. Recently, the right conditions—a cohort of faculty members with expertise in Asia and an increasing focus on making UMBC into a global campus—have come together to bring his dream to fruition.

As the economies and global influence of Asian nations continue to grow, both students and educators are realizing that knowledge of the region can give graduates an advantage as they begin their careers. The program aims to prepare students for various professional paths related to Asia, such as advanced academic research, international relations, international business and trade, governmental service and international law.

Noting the number of Asia-focused classes and events already happening on campus, Vaporis said that “the program will coordinate all of the things that are already going on as well as encourage new ones, and be a voice and organizing mechanism for those elements.”

The program’s value as an organizing mechanism was made clear in the days after the devastating earthquake that hit Japan on March 11. The Asian studies program was able to serve as a central coordinator for relief efforts, working with other departments to quickly organize a lecture, concert and (with the help of the Japanese Culture Club) two fundraisers.

A new course, “Asia 100,” will introduce students to the program. Taught by Vaporis, the course will also draw on participating faculty to show the different approaches to the area of study. Departments that may intersect with the program include history, economics, music, modern languages and linguistics and American studies, and potential courses that can be taught through the new program range from a philosophy course called “The Philosophy of Asian Martial Arts” to a political science course teaching “International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Region.” UMBC is also the only public university in Maryland to teach the three major East Asian languages: Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed UMBC sophomore Collin Wojciechowski ’13, political science and media and communication studies, as 2011-12 student regent for the University System of Maryland (USM). Wojciechowski’s one-year term on the Board of Regents, which governs the USM, will begin July 1, 2011.

Wojciechowski is a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar and director of the Office of Government and Community Affairs for the UMBC Student Government Association (SGA). He previously served as the student member of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Board of Education where, he says, “I learned how to effectively communicate my views, prioritize goals and work collaboratively.”

That experience propelled his interest in education policy, and he applied for the student regent position with encouragement from SGA President Yasmin Karimian, former USM Student Regent Josh Michael and UMBC Assistant Director of Student Life David Hoffman. Wojciechowski sees his parents—a firefighter and a teacher—as models for serving one’s community, and he strives to follow their example. “Education is the building block of society,” he says, “and anything I can do to protect and better that institution is time well spent.”

On May 20 and 23, the University awarded nearly 1,550 bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees at its Graduate School and Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies. Meet a few of our exceptional students and find out where the Class of 2011 is headed.