It's an exciting time for UMBC, recently designated as one of a dozen "hot schools" by Kaplan/Newsweek 2003. Yet we are also in the midst of challenges, with a State budget downturn that requires us to be disciplined and stay focused on our mission and goals.

President Freeman Hrabowski will discuss these issues and their implications in his State of the University address during UMBC's 36th Anniversary Opening on Friday, September 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the UC Ballroom. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend.

The campus community will also honor the winners of several prestigious faculty and staff awards, including Board of Regents Faculty and Staff Awards, Presidential Teaching and Research awards, Presidential Employees of the Year, and the President's Commission for Women Achievement Award. A complete list of awardees is below.

Time for questions and answers will close the program. A reception will follow the program. No academic regalia are needed for this event.

Release time from normal duties will be available for staff interested in attending the 36th Anniversary Opening. Please contact your supervisor to allow for coordination of staff.

UMBC Awards

Presidential Teaching Professor, 2002-2005
Robert Deluty, Associate Professor of Psychology

Robert Deluty has served UMBC for the past 23 years as an outstandingteacher and mentor to more than a thousand UMBC graduate and undergraduate students. The former director of clinical training for the department's Human Services Psychology Program, Deluty takes great pride in developing and offering courses that challenge, inform and engage students. Colleagues and students describe him as "a gifted teacher." Deluty's dedication to guiding the education of each individual student was also recognized by the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, which presented him with a Regents Award for Excellence in Mentoring in 2001.

Robert Deluty is also a published poet. For a list of his scholarly and creative works, see www.umbc.edu/psyc/personal/deluty/index.html.

Presidential Research Professor, 2002-2005
Yung-Jui (Ray) Chen, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

As a member of the faculty since 1987, Ray Chen has developed a highly regarded research program in photonics that has drawn considerable funding to UMBC. His research has been the source of more than 30 publications in highly respected journals and numerous invited talks at major scientific meetings, universities, and industrial research laboratories. He serves UMBC as a true teacher-scholar, developing innovative courses and learning opportunities for students, contributing as director and then co-director of the department's graduate program, and successfully mentoring both doctoral and master's students.

Presidential Distinguished Professional Staff Award, 2002-2003
James Milani, Director of Administrative Affairs in the College of Engineering

Jim Milani's association with UMBC dates back to his years as a student -- he graduated in from UMBC 1973, took a job here, and has been here ever since, serving as an academic advisor, a director of residential life, and now as director of administrative affairs in the College of Engineering where he has been instrumental in planning the new Information Technology/Engineering Building.

Milani has also provided leadership to UMBC over the years by being an active participant in campus life. His extensive list of activities includes Professional Associate Staff Senate president and vice-president; advisor to the UMBC Sexual Harassment Advisory Network; member of the Employee of the Month Planning and Selection Committee; member of the UMBC Environmental Health and Safety Committee; advisory to the Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter; and co-creator and member of the UMBC Alcohol Awareness Education Program.

President Freeman Hrabowski notes that this 29-year veteran employee "has tirelessly dedicated himself to the accomplishment of UMBC's mission through his work with students, faculty and staff. Repeatedly over the years, Jim has been described by his colleagues as a professional who puts before any thought of himself the best interests of UMBC."

Presidential Classified Staff Employee of the Year Award, 2002-2003
Mary Hilton, Administrative Assistant in the Division of Professional Education and Training

An academic program specialist with the Division of Professional Education and Training (DPET), Mary Hilton began her career at UMBC in 1989 as an office secretary and has since been promoted to her current position. She manages course scheduling, faculty contracting, room scheduling and accounts management for this rapidly growing division of the University. In the scope of her position, Hilton works with every academic and administrative department on campus, always maintaining a cheery, positive attitude. Getting the job done with maximum efficiency is of primary importance -- as is being dedicated to her colleagues and to the students DPET serves. Her supervisors consistently rate her work as outstanding.

Hilton was a member of the Classified Staff Senate for two years, chairing the personnel review committee and was a member of the human relations and scholarship committees. She was named the UMBC Employee of the month in September 1996 and received the UMBC University Center Outstanding Service Award in 1998.

President's Commission for Women Achievement AwardJill Randles, Director of Undergraduate Student Services in the College of Engineering

Since joining the campus community in 1992, Jill Randles has been an active, visible agent of change, working persistently on women's issues both on and off campus.

She is one of the UMBC representatives on the board of the Center for Women and Information Technology and is a member of the Women's Studies Coordinating Committee. She is a co-mentor to students in the Women Empowering Women program and has served on the Provost's Ad Hoc Committee for Gender Equity in Science, Mathematics, Information Technology, and Engineering. She has also served as a campus sexual harassment advisor, coordinating advisor training with the Human Resources Department, and works on the Task Force on Violence AgainstWomen. In the broader community Randles helps victims of sexual assault and harassment as a counseling intern at the Sexual Trauma, Treatment, Advocacy, and Recovery (STTAR) Center in Howard County.

In acknowledging Jill Randles' achievements, President Hrabowski notes that she "touches the lives of so many students from wide-ranging backgrounds, and has a positive influence on their academic careers and personal development."

USM Board of Regents Faculty Award Profileshttp://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/insights/article.html?news_id=525&issue_id=7

USM Board of Regents Staff Award Profileshttp://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/insights/article.html?news_id=579&issue_id=9