Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has taken its strong reputation of responsiveness to the needs of IT community online, thanks to a unique partnership with Baltimore-area technology firm, e.magination. Today marks the launch of TechPort, http://techport.umbc.edu, an online community providing easy access to UMBC faculty experts, student talent, employers and IT leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

As a top producer of IT graduates and a leader in industry-university collaboration, UMBC believes TechPort will enable the university to reach a new level of responsiveness to the needs of the IT community and the region. “TechPort will allow us to reach out and work directly with IT leaders, right at their desktop,” said Sheldon Caplis, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at UMBC. Users will have the ability to provide feedback via live chats and live customer support sessions.

“The partnership with e.magination is a perfect fit for UMBC,” said Caplis. “They represent the best that Baltimore's Digital Harbor has to offer – a fast-moving, entrepreneurial firm looking for ways to strengthen the Greater Baltimore area's IT workforce.”

For e.magination, the TechPort project presented an opportunity for the company to showcase its resources and products. “We see TechPort as a laboratory in which we can not only showcase our capabilities, but develop and tweak the applications we are currently offering to other clients,” said Syd Rubin, President of e.magination.

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski will host the first chat session on Thursday, November 8, at 4 p.m. He will discuss and answer questions about preparing for an IT career, meeting workforce needs through business/university partnerships and other issues of interest to IT students and professionals.