April 18, 2002
New! Hugh Davis Graham: An Appreciation
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By Dave Hollander, Systems Analyst, Enrollment Management Hugh Davis Graham brought me to UMBC in 1974 when he hired me as administrative assistant to the chairman of the Division of Social Sciences. It was a stroke of good fortune. I will always be indebted to him for my association with the campus and the opportunity to work with him. As I got to know him in the first several months on the job, I was impressed by him to the point of awe. At 37 (only five years my elder), he was already a man of substantial experience and accomplishment, whose genuine charm and depth of intellect was matched by a clarity and seriousness of purpose, disciplined energy and wit. That sense of awe never really dissipated. Indeed--especially before he shaved his moustache--his broad smile, joie de vivre and forceful personality made it easy to believe that I was working with a reincarnation of Teddy Roosevelt. I was especially stuck by his concise and nuanced writing--and the speed at which he could produce it. Of course, this talent was most celebrated in his scholarly writing but working for him was a graduate tutorial in organizational communication as well. He had a generous spirit: he had a wonderful sense of humor and genuinely enjoyed and cared about people. He did his best to suffer fools--as long as they didn't interfere with what was important. What was important was quality and integrity and building UMBC on the basis of those values. The consistent theme in his multi-faceted career at UMBC was a belief that the key to UMBC's value to the community was excellence in teaching and scholarship. Holding himself to these standards, he was tough and relentless in the effort to embed them in UMBC's identity as well. He never shied away from a dispute if he believed he was right but he never lost sight of the big picture in the heat of battle. He took his role in faculty hiring and tenure decisions very seriously. Some of his decisions to deny tenure were controversial and some were difficult for him because he liked the person being denied. He believed his responsibility to UMBC was to not to hire, cultivate and tenure good faculty, but the best. Hugh went through some tough times in his personal life while he was dean of the social scenes division. The tragic death of his young son, in particular, wounded him deeply. But he never wavered in his commitment to his profession or to UMBC. His transitions from division dean to professor, president of the Faculty Senate and then to dean of the Graduate School were executed with perfect grace--but perhaps not surprising for someone whose background included the Marines, and the Peace Corps as well as academia. As a boss, he set high standards, delegated responsibility and gave clear guidance, encouragement and support. He would also solicit my advice--and occasionally took it. He even came to consult me on important memoranda before he sent them out. In many cases, this was simply his way of keeping me informed: in a few cases, it was clear that my role was to prevent his sending something that was hilariously to the point--but impolitic. An incomparable mentor, Hugh invested considerable effort in my development. He understood and respected the role I had chosen to play at UMBC and guided me in making it a profession. Most importantly, he mentored by example on a day-to-day, issue-by-issue basis. I can't overstate the positive influence he had-and continues to have--on my professional development. In addition, Hugh was a valued friend. Our collaboration developed depth at UMBC to include our participation in campus governance as well as intramural volleyball and spilled off-campus as well--into political activity and fishing trips on the Potomac until we both left UMBC (in my case, temporarily) in 1991. Hugh had an indelibly constructive impact on the development of UMBC and so many people--like myself--who had the good fortune to count him as a friend and colleague.
April 18, 2002
The 2002 Legislative Session is Over. How Will the Assembly's Decisions Affect UMBC's Budget?
The Legislative session ended April 8, and UMBC must now examine what lawmakers' decisions mean for our budget.
"The Legislature's desire to honor tax reductions and not spend cash surpluses from prior years has led to a lean operating budget," says Mark Behm, vice president for administration and finance. "The University System of Maryland will only receive a .3% increase from the State, which equals approximately $250,000 for UMBC." After the State budget passed, University System employees' biggest concern has been the threat of layoffs. Behm says, "UMBC may need to delay hiring or leave some positions vacant, but we expect we can manage through a tight fiscal year without layoffs." President Freeman Hrabowski says, "We may need to slow down some of our initiatives, but we want to be clear about our commitment to UMBC's faculty and staff. Job security is one of our top priorities." The Legislature did give UMBC's construction projects the green light. The Public Policy Building was approved, and this $15.3 million project will begin in June, Behm says. The University also received approximately $3.9 million to equip the new Information Technology/Engineering (ITE) Building, already under construction. In hopes of adding revenues during tight times, the State's budget does include a tuition increase, to be determined by the Board of Regents. The budget does not include funds for COLA adjustments. There will be some discussion of a possible bonus payment in lieu of the traditional merit increase, but a decision will not be made by the Governor until the fall, after the State revenue projections for first quarter are available, Behm explains. This is not the first time UMBC has faced a tight State budget. In Fiscal Year (FY) 1997, UMBC's increase in State funding was .1%. However, notes Behm, since UMBC's State funding for FY 2002 and 2001 grew by 15.7 percent and 11.98 percent respectively, and the campus' research and enrollment are growing, the budget this year is especially challenging. "We need to evaluate what other resources are available--such as our revenue from enrollment and research grants and contracts--before we can completely determine the impact on the budget. Besides slowing down hiring processes, we may consider slowing down the acquisition of equipment for the Public Policy and ITE Buildings," Behm says. In FY 2002, UMBC received just 28.7 percent of its budget from the State. The University also depends on revenues from research contracts and grants, auxiliary enterprises and tuition/fees, among other sources. The encouraging news is that UMBC's total revenues have increased significantly over the past five years. Our projected total budget for FY 2003 is $275 million, compared to $165.8 million five years ago. Contracts/Grants
FY 1998: $44.6 million
FY 2003: $79.4 million
Increase: 78% Auxiliary Enterprises
FY 1998: $26.4 million
FY 2003: $42.9 million
Increase: 62.2%
State Funding
FY 1998: $47.1 million
FY 2003: $76.1 million
Increase: 62%
Tuition/Fees
FY 1998: $39 million
FY 2003: $55.9 million
Increase: 43% million
Other Sources*
FY 1998: $8.5 million
FY 2003: $21.2 million
Increase: 147%
In a lean budget year, private support is also more important than ever. The Campaign for UMBC has raised $64 million, achieving our $50 million goal with several months to go. On the bright side of the new budget, the Legislature increased the Private Donor Initiative Fund, which means the State will now match up to $1.2 million of commitments for endowment from private donors. Insights will continue to update this story as it develops. *Other sources include overhead from auxiliary units, overhead from contracts and grants, investment income and Technology Center leasing income.
April 15, 2002
New! Department of Theatre Presents North Shore Fish by Israel Horovitz
The UMBC Department of Theatre presents North Shore Fish by Israel Horovitz, directed by Vincent Lancisi. This Pulitzer Prize nominated play depicts a painfully real and funny slice of life in a failing frozen fish processing plant in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where the characters fight to save the only jobs they know. The production runs April 26 to May 4.
 From April 26th through May 4th, UMBC's Department of Theatre presents North Shore Fish by Israel Horovitz. The production is directed by Vincent Lancisi, with set and costume design by Elena Zlotescu, lighting and sound design by Terry Cobb, and vocal and dialect coaching by Lynn Watson. Showtimes are April 26 & 27 and May 3 & 4 at 8 pm; April 28 and May 2 at 4 pm, and a preview on April 25 at 8 pm. The May 2 performance is free to the UMBC campus community.
Rich, raunchy, red blood flows through the veins of North Shore Fish, a painfully real and funny slice of life in a failing frozen fish processing plant in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where the characters fight to save the only jobs they know. In this Pulitzer Prize nominated play, the once prosperous North Shore Fish plant has been reduced to processing frozen blocks of fish for TV dinners. Managing the plant is a sexual predator who thinks his employees should cater to his desires in exchange for their jobs. In 1987, Horovitz told Joe Brown at The Washington Post, "Some years ago I started a cycle of plays that really had as a purpose no more or less than just trying to get down what life was like in our time in our little spot on the planet Earth. And it used to be that the fisherman [in Gloucester] came up the shore, sold his fish, there was a processing plant, they cut the fish, froze it, packaged it and sold it. Now the fish business is run by guys in suits and ties in Boston and L.A. and Washington who broker these big blocks of fish, they never see them. Anyway, the fish people, who used to have this kind of heroic view of themselves, still do this kind of terrible work because it keeps them in the fish business."
 The author's own adaptation was made into a feature film in 1996 starring Mercedes Ruehl, Peter Riegert, Tony Danza and Carroll Baker. The prolific Israel Horovitz has written fifty plays over the course of his career. He is best known for The Indian Wants the Bronx, which introduced Al Pacino; Line, which introduced Richard Dreyfus; It's Called The Sugar Plum; Rats; and Morning. Horovitz is Artistic Director and Producer at The Gloucester Stage, and also Founder and Artistic Director of the New York Playwrights Lab. In addition to his work for the stage, Horovitz has written several screenplays, including The Deuce (The Gloucester Waterfront), Payofski's Discovery, The Pan, Astor Hair, The Quiet Room, The Strong Man, and Letters to Iris. Mr. Horovitz is a winner of 2 OBIE Awards, an Emmy, the Prix du Plaisir de Théâtre (Paris), Prix du Jury (Cannes Film Festival), the New York Drama Desk Award, the Los Angeles Critics Prize, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Eliott Norton Prize. Guest director Vincent Lancisi is the artistic director of Everyman Theatre, which he founded in November of 1990 with the debut production of The Runner Stumbles. He has directed plays in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Boston for over fifteen years, including The Crucible, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Amadeus, Oleanna, and Buried Child. Mr. Lancisi has taught directing at Towson University and The Catholic University of America. He is a founding board member of the Baltimore Theatre Alliance, and has been a theatre panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council. Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for UMBC faculty and staff, and $5 for students and seniors. The preview is $3. Reservations, which are strongly recommended, can be made through the Theatre Box Office at x52476. Please note that the performance originally scheduled for Sunday, April 5, has been canceled.
April 11, 2002
Five UMBC Faculty Receive Regents Awards
Five UMBC faculty members have been recognized by the Board of Regents for their outstanding contributions to teaching, mentoring, research and inter-USM-campus collaboration. The Regents' Awards are given annually in recognition of faculty excellence across the University System of Maryland.This year's recipients are Joel Liebman, chemistry and biochemistry, for research; Edward Orser, American studies, for teaching; Phyllis Robinson, biological sciences, for mentoring; Phillip Sokolove, biological sciences, for teaching; Raymond Starr, psychology, for inter-USM-campus collaboration with Maureen Black and Howard Dubowitz of UMB.
Five UMBC faculty members have been recognized by the Board of Regents for their outstanding contributions to teaching, mentoring, research and inter-USM-campus collaboration. The Regents' Awards are given annually in recognition of faculty excellence across the University System of Maryland. This year's recipients are Joel Liebman, chemistry and biochemistry, for research; Edward Orser, American studies, for teaching; Phyllis Robinson, biological sciences, for mentoring; Phillip Sokolove, biological sciences, for teaching; Raymond Starr, psychology, for inter-USM-campus collaboration with Maureen Black and Howard Dubowitz of UMB.  Regents' Faculty Award for Excellence in Research: Joel Liebman
"Having started at UMBC in 1972, I guess it could be said that UMBC and I grew up together. Being here has been generally and genuinely synergistic and very often fun," says Joel Liebman, a prolific scholar known for his breakthrough research in molecular chemistry and extensive international collaborations. Ralph Pollack, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry says,"Joel Liebman has an enviable international reputation as a creative, original thinker who has made important contributions to theoretical chemistry. The hallmark of his research is its interdisciplinary nature and his large number of international collaborations. He is extraordinarily productive, having coauthored or coedited 19 books; 66 review articles, invited papers and book chapters; and almost 200 journal articles. "Another measure of his standing is the fact that he reviews for some 50 different journals and 10 funding agencies, and he has been a coeditor for two series of research monographs. He is consulting editor for a primary research journal, and he is on the editorial board of three other publications, reflecting both his eclectic interests in chemistry and his active involvement in the scientific community. He is also a coauthor of several chapters of the NIST WebBook, the major electronic database of chemical information prepared under the auspices of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology," Pollack adds. Liebman is also an external evaluator for the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Fund, which seeks to involve former Soviet scientists with American scientists in peaceful multinational endeavors. He is one of only about 20 Americans invited to participate as a member of several of the nationally restricted NATO Advanced Study Institutes. He was recognized as Maryland Chemist of the Year in 1988 by the Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society.  Regents' Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching: Edward Orser
Professor of American Studies Edward Orser's dedication to teaching always leaves an impression on his students. Alumna Donna Neutze, now a Ph.D. student in the Language, Literacy and Culture Program, says, "I have had the honor and privilege of being a student in several courses which were taught by Dr. Orser. In each of those courses, the assigned reading and lectures were always thought-provoking, often inspiring and invariably informative and enlightening….He is the kind of teacher you want to do your best for. He is not only a role model for those who one day wish to teach, he also is an exemplar of what a teacher could and should be." "There is no doubt he is a master teacher," says Patrice McDermott, chair of the Department of American Studies. "His courses are very well designed to balance lectures, discussions and a variety of writing, fieldwork and research opportunities. His core American studies courses have recruited and engaged many majors, while his community courses are always filled and are the envy of urban scholars across the country. Over the years, our department has received many notes and letters testifying to his lasting impact on our graduates' lives-perhaps the best test of a teacher's effectiveness." Orser's community studies have played a significant role in local and contemporary history. A member of the faculty since 1969 and a former UMBC Presidential Teaching Professor, he credits his teaching with contributing in important ways to his own research. He explains, "I'm thrilled with the Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching because it affirms the emphasis we place at UMBC upon the importance of undergraduate teaching in the context of a research university. "The nomination placed emphasis upon the Community Studies Projects, whichbring together the teaching, research and service missions of UMBC," Orser adds."Students working with me have investigated social and cultural aspects of nearby communities, including those in the Patapsco Valley, Catonsville, Cowdensville (adjacent to the UMBC campus), Gywnns Falls and Leakin Parks, and Irvington, and we've presented our findings in a variety of ways--public programs, exhibits, and books and other publications. To me, this represents 'applied American Studies,' which goes beyond the classroom to engage in research and interpretation in socially meaningful ways-and with tremendous educational benefit!"  Regents' Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring: Phyllis Robinson
Phyllis Robinson, associate professor of biological sciences, helps students succeed both in and out of the classroom, often helping them launch successful careers as scientists. "Phyllis Robinson does not only take a keen interest in teaching her topic, but she is also deeply interested in advising the students and mentoring them to make the best of their talents," says Lasse Lindahl, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. "The special thing about the way she interacts with undergraduates is that she tries very hard to make them interested in scientific careers. She finds out what makes each student excited and then proceeds to suggest in which graduate programs they may be successful. She follows her students after they have entered graduate school. Her graduate students are educated and mentored with the same care." One of Robinson's success stories is alumnus Jeffrey Gross, who recently received his Ph.D. from Duke and is now headed to work at Harvard. "I came from a single parent family where I worked nights to pay my way through college. As well, I was the first in my family to even attend college. Suffice it to say, with the college experience being new to my family and I, academic research was far removed from this world and my career path. This is where Phyllis' mentoring began. She offered me a position in her lab to simply help out for a semester and see the daily activities in the lab. Well, this semester ending up lasting three years and changed my career path drastically." Gross says, "After seeing that I was interested in a research career she fostered this interest by allowing me to participate in ongoing work in the lab and after about a year, start an independent project. Not only did she foster this interest by allowing me to work in the lab, she also challenged me by not giving me daily experiments to perform, rather letting me chart my own course and be free to make mistakes. Mistakes in lab work you see, although the most daring for a mentor to allow one to make, are by far the best learning experience in research. And being allowed to make them early on in my career has furthered my development and confidence as a researcher." Robinson, who has taught at UMBC since 1992, was inspired to mentor others because of her own experiences as a student. "I was delighted and honored to receive the 2002-2003 USM Regents' Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring. I feel privileged to have achieved my dream of becoming an independent scientific researcher and teacher. I am keenly aware that my past and present successes depended, not only on my own hard work, but also upon the mentoring I received from a few key scientists and teachers. I am passionate about my commitment to science and scientific research and I feel that mentoring is part of my responsibility. I love helping students imagine new possibilities and reach their potential. I am honored to receive this mentoring award as it indicates my commitment to the next generation of scientists has been successful." In addition, Robinson has been active in supporting women in the sciences. She co-chaired the Provost's Ad Hoc Committee on Gender Equity in Science, Mathematics, Information Technology and Engineering and was instrumental in the report's recommendations for enhancing the campus climate for women. She also began the campus support group WISE: Women in Science and Engineering.  Regents' Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching: Phillip Sokolove
Phillip Sokolove, professor of biological sciences and a successful researcher, took time out from his own successful research to investigate ways to improve student learning. Based on his reputation as an outstanding teacher, he was invited to become UMBC's representative in the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation, funded by NSF. The goal was to develop a new approach to pre-service teaching training in science and mathematics that would produce teachers prepared to implement new best-practice teaching methods in upper elementary and middle school classrooms in Maryland. With help and guidance from Susan Blunck in the education department, Sokolove turned an introductory Biology 100 section into a laboratory for studying learning, using peer interaction and problem solving in small learning groups; whole classroom discussions accomplished via wireless mics; name badges; short research papers; an emphasis on student questioning; and content driven by student interest. The result? High praise from students and academics alike. Former student Jason Baker says, "Without question, Dr. Sokolove has been one of my finest teachers. I have benefited from his teaching in a variety of capacities: as a student in his Biology 100: Concepts of Biology course, as a research assistant and as an undergraduate teaching assistant. In my opinion, the bulk of his effectiveness lies in his cultivation of what he appropriately terms 'active learning.' "In Biology 100, he often forced us to answer a very specific problem by looking at primary sources and abstracting conclusions from documented research. For example, our first team writing assignment included the following question: Should an athlete change her diet two weeks before a sprinting race if she wants to increase her performance. This particular assignment (and others like it) taught us a lot. During the course of writing several investigative papers, we learned how to collaborate with our teams, find reliable sources of information and make informed conclusions. The lectures themselves were dynamic. He regularly incorporated visual elements and lively classroom activities. He related biology to everyday life. And his reputation for this in particular is what prompted so many non-science majors to take Biology 100." Sokolove and Lark Claassen are continuing an NSF-funded comparative study of the investigative and traditionally taught Biology 100 classes. Sokolove's short term studies with postdoctoral research assistant Gili Marbach-Ad resulted in a series of articles in education journals and presentations at national meetings. Lasse Lindhahl, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, sees Sokolove's work as having an impact across campus and beyond. "His work has definitely heightened the interest in 'excellence in teaching' at UMBC. Probably most important is his willingness to mentor any colleague or student both inside and outside the department who is interested in optimizing their teaching. His subtle, but persistent talk about classroom methods has helped putting emphasis on student learning rather than just lecturing at the students. Perhaps this is why his classes are well received by most students, even though he is demanding and expects a major effort from them. He is making a major contribution to rethinking teaching in the Department of Biological Sciences, and indeed around the UMBC campus. His national appearances and contacts will help spread his influence around the country. His contributions to teaching thus goes well beyond his own classroom." Sokolove says, "I'm glad that I could represent UMBC as one of the recipients of a Regent's Award. The fact that I was nominated by my peers was the most meaningful part of it. I was touched that they recognized the work I am doing. We tend to teach behind closed doors, but it is not my intention to do so, so therefore I invite faculty and administrators to sit in on my Biology 100 class anytime."  Regents' Faculty Award for Excellence in Inter-USM-Campus Collaboration: Raymond Starr, along with UMB's Maureen Black and Howard Dubowitz
A collaboration between researchers at UMBC and UMB is benefiting both students and the field of psychology. "It is nice to be recognized for my years of research and mentoring in collaboration with Maureen Black and Howard Dubowitzin Pediatrics at UMB," says Raymond Starr, professor of psychology. "But the real pleasure is in the impact that our work on child abuse and neglect has had on scientific understanding, practical application and public policy. "In addition, I think that the model that we provide for the undergraduate and graduate students who have been partners in our efforts will serve them well in their future, real-world employment. For indeed, the complexities of understanding human behavior are often best understood through the insights achieved by collaboration," explains Starr, a nationally recognized developmental psychologist who has focused his teaching, research and service activities on mental retardation and child abuse and neglect. Linda Baker, professor in the Department of Psychology and interim chair during the nomination process, says, "Starr's collaborative work with Black and Dubowitz is very highly regarded in the wider research community. The successful track record in obtaining grants and the large number of peer-reviewed publications arising from the funded research provide compelling testimony that this collaboration is worthy of recognition. The collaboration goes well beyond excellence in research; it also encompasses excellence in mentoring. They have provided more than 50 UMBC undergraduates with the opportunity to acquire research experience under carefully scaffolded guidance. In addition, more than a dozen UMBC graduate students have been collaboratively mentored in their master's thesis and doctoral dissertation research." Three more members of the UMBC psychology faculty have begun to play active roles in the ongoing studies: Carlo DiClemente, chair; Anne Brodsky, assistant professor; and Steven Pitts, assistant professor. At UMB, the collaboration now involves both the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Social Work. Most recently, Dubowitz and Diane DePanfilis established the interdisciplinary Center for Families. Starr has collaborated with DePanfilis and other members of the social work faculty and is a member of the Center's advisory committee. Catherine Koverola, a psychologist and director of research as the Center for Families, is already working with UMBC students.
April 9, 2002
Moving Plans into Action
Moving Plans into Action, the Planning Leadership Team's second semi-annual report to the campus, is now available on the Provost's website. The report tracks progress in implementing the recommendations of task forces and will continue to be updated each semester as the University moves through the three-to-five year time horizon established in the planning process.
Moving Plans into Action, the Planning Leadership Team's second semi-annual report to the campus, is now available on the Provost's website. The report tracks progress in implementing the recommendations of task forces and will continue to be updated each semester as the University moves through the three-to-five year time horizon established in the planning process. Four years ago, the campus entered a planning process committed to actionable, pragmatic planning focused on strategic issues key to UMBC's future. Nearly 100 faculty, staff and students served on task forces to develop goals and action steps for enrollment management, advising, continuing education, UMBC's development as an honors university, building the research culture and environment and advancing student life. "Throughout the planning process, there has been strong endorsement of UMBC's vision to integrate teaching and learning, research and civic engagement," says Provost Arthur Johnson. He notes that there has also been repeated affirmation of the two major strategic goals identified by the planning process: to continue to rank in the top tier of research universities and to continue to build the quality and size of the undergraduate and graduate student bodies through improved academic and co-curricular experiences. Improving the link between University planning and budgeting was a particular goal of the planning process. The Planning Leadership Team and the University Budget Committee have worked together to align resources with planning task force recommendations, both through allocation of new revenues and reallocation undertaken within divisions, Johnson says. The Planning Leadership Team identified two foundation investments necessary to support the recommendations of all planning task forces. One goal is to improve information systems and business processes that support faculty and staff involved in budget management, human resources management, grants management, advising, and student services. The first budget shaped by the planning process, Fiscal Year 2002, included $2 million for the Delta Initiative--a multi-year, cross-campus effort that will create new business processes and information systems for financial management, human resources management, and student information. As a result, hundreds of faculty and staff are engaged in redesigning our finance and human resources information systems with a planned delivery date of July 2003. The second fundamental goal proposed by the Planning Leadership Team is the addition of faculty lines and start-up funds to attract highly productive research faculty, build staff and facilities infrastructure for the research enterprise, create new opportunities for student engagement with core faculty, accommodate growth in high-demand programs and facilitate curricular enhancements. An investment of more than $2 million for faculty recruitment and start-ups in Fiscal Year 2002 resulted in 34 hires and 18 net new faculty spanning Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Social Work. Of the total hires, 17 are in tenure track positions. There has also been substantial investment in and progress on recommendations from each task force, and these initial accomplishments are noted in Moving Plans into Action. Johnson says, "Many administrative, faculty, staff and student leaders are engaged in bringing task force recommendations to life. This is ambitious and difficult work, often subject to revision based on the deliberations of the campus governance process and developments in the larger world. "We are all writing the next chapter in UMBC's growth and development. We must continue to be alert to the shifting issues and opportunities that will affect our future and constantly evaluate our progress and plans. To that end, I invite campus response to the report as well as thoughts on issues and opportunities important to address in the future," Johnson adds. President Hrabowski and Provost Johnson will host a campus town meeting to provide an opportunity for campus community discussion of the report and issues and opportunities important to address in the future. The town meeting will be held on April 29, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., in the Skylight Room on the 3rd floor of The Commons. The campus community is also invited to respond to the report via Blackboard. Faculty, staff and students have been enrolled in the Planning Community Forum. Log in at http://blackboard.umbc.edu using your user name and password (the same password you use to access your UMBC account). Once you are logged in you can access the Planning Community Forum under "My Organizations." For additional information about the report or the town meeting, please contact Lisa Akchin, associate vice president, marketing and public relations, at akchin@umbc.edu.
April 9, 2002
New! Strow Helps Satellite Take Better Look at World
In a few months, weather forecasters across the globe will be able to make better long-range predictions thanks in part to UMBC physics professor Larrabee Strow.
In a few months, weather forecasters across the globe will be able to make better long-range predictions thanks in part to UMBC physics professor Larrabee Strow. A key instrument in a new NASA satellite set to launch later this month will bear the mark of years of labor by Strow and his colleagues as it also helps scientists gain more insight into the mystery of global climate change. 
Strow's seven-person research group, the Atmospheric Spectroscopy Laboratory, helped develop the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). AIRS is part of a new NASA satellite, AQUA, that will study global weather and climate change. AQUA, a mission of NASA's Earth Observing System, is scheduled to blast off into orbit at 2:55 a.m. on April 26 from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The AIRS instrument is in charge of taking the most accurate global satellite measurements to date of air temperature, humidity, clouds, and surface temperature. "AIRS is a Cadillac," Strow says. "We pushed four or five technologies to the limit. It has the most complex infrared detector system ever built, which cost $70 million alone." 
AIRS data will help the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to make better weather and climate models. Weather services for the United Kingdom, France, and other European Union countries will also take advantage of AIRS data. "The big hope is to increase the quality of long-range, four to five day forecasts," says Strow. "It should also help with hurricanes and lower the number of forecast busts." The waiting is the hardest part, according to Strow. The AIRS and AQUA teams hope to begin receiving data about two months after launch, a delay necessary to allow the instrument to stabilize and for its detectors to cool to 60 degrees Kelvin. "We're all so anxious to get a hold of this data," Strow says. "It's like pre-game jitters. We've trained and trained and now we're ready to go." AIRS was developed by Lockheed Martin Infrared Instrument Systems (LMIRIS) under a contract from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At one time, AIRS had as many as 600 people working on it. The Atmospheric Spectroscopy Lab at UMBC consists of an undergraduate student, a graduate student, plus full time research faculty members. UMBC Physics professor Wallace McMillan is working with the AIRS team to validate the instrument data, and scientists from UMBC's Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) are also involved. The AQUA team comprises members from across the globe including Brazil, France, Italy, Australia, a group Strow is proud to be a part of. One of the Brazilian group members will be spending six months with Strow's group at UMBC soon after launch. "We work extremely hard, with limited budgets to produce some of the most complex instruments known to man," says Strow. "People don't always appreciate the work that goes into it. When the Hubble telescope went up and the images were a little fuzzy, I was amazed that it worked at all." Strow pointed out that the team worked 70-hour weeks for six months during the instrument calibration phase of the project in Massachusetts. AQUA is a $1.4 billion (not including the data system) NASA earth science satellite mission named for the vast array of data the mission will collect about water, which covers 75 percent of our planet?s surface. AQUA will gather data on clouds, soil moisture, evaporation from oceans, atmospheric water vapor, precipitation, and ice and snow cover on land, sea and tundra. The spacecraft is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research project to determine how manmade and natural changes are affecting our global environment. "Climate change is still an unsolved mystery," says Strow, referring to a recent study published in the journal Science showing that Earth is shedding more heat than ever before. "The mechanisms are so complicated. We need more precise measurements like the kind AIRS should provide." For the AIRS project, Strow assembled a massive computer system comprising 60 central processors and 5000 Gigabytes of disk space. For Strow, the launch will be one of the biggest events in his career at UMBC. Strow is a native of nearby Elkridge, where he still resides with his wife and family on a small farm where they grow most of their own vegetables. Strow graduated with a BS in Physics from UMBC in 1974 and earned his PhD at the University of Maryland, College Park. He returned to UMBC after 10 years of working for NASA. The work is really just beginning for Strow since he estimates that it will take the AIRS team another seven months to a year to wrestle the instrument down and master it. "I'm going to have a very, very busy summer," Strow says with a laugh.
April 1, 2002
UMBC's First Division I Champion
Senior Cleopatra Borel won the women's shot put in the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships, held at the University of Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Center on March 9.
 Senior Cleopatra Borel won the women's shot put in the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships, held at the University of Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Center on March 9. Borel's next-to-last throw, a personal best of 17.50 meters (57'5"), outdistanced Kansas State's Austra Skujyte (55'9") and Iowa State's Lisa Griebel (54'10.25") to capture UMBC's first Division I national title.
"Last year was my first time competing in the national championships, and I was nervous. But the competition is a lot of fun, something I always look forward to," said Borel, who is an academic star as well, maintaining a 3.4 GPA. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Borel earned a pair of All America citations last season, with top eight finishes in the shot put at both the indoor and outdoor championships. She credits preparation as the key to her success. Borel is an interdisciplinary studies major focusing on "Studies in Health Psychology." She plans on attending graduate school after leaving UMBC, but may have to delay while she trains for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. ESPN2 aired Borel's winning throw on Sunday, March 10. Hear an interview with Borel at http://www.sportscastproductionsinc.com/Media/WSP.htm.
April 1, 2002
March Associate Staff Employee of the Month: Nancy Hay-Quantock
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 When Nancy Hay-Quantock, director of capital planning, walks through The Commons, she can't resist telling students to keep their feet off the furniture, her favorite part of the building. "I'm The Commons' mom," she explains with a laugh.
Since Hay-Quantock came to UMBC as a facilities planner in 1990, the campus has doubled in square feet. Between 17 new projects and additions or renovations, she's been responsible for over 1.4 million square feet and the details that come with it. Now she looks to build the next stage of her life, with her impending retirement this semester. Vice President for Administration and Finance Mark Behm says, "Nancy has been an integral member of a very successful team that brought the campus many new facilities over the past ten years. It's been a pleasure to work with her." Hay-Quantock is responsible for the first four project stages (master plan, concept, program, design). During construction, she oversees interiors and landscaping to assure they conform to the design. She also works with architects on space planning and is responsible for the capital budget. One of her priorities has been to make buildings friendlier. "I've insisted on more and more glass," she explains. "Every new building has tons of glass, so that there would be natural light in as many spaces as we could get it in." You can definitely see her love of glass in the Library, the project she says is "nearest and dearest to my heart," but also in The Commons. "It's a wonderful building that brings the campus together. The architecture makes it an inviting and open place. It's a limitless building-you can do almost anything you want to do. "I also enjoyed working on the Physics building and its openness, and take great pride in the two newest buildings: Information Technology/Engineering and Public Policy. Both will provide UMBC with user friendly classroom teaching spaces that have never been tried here before. I am very excited about coming back to see how they are used," she says. In the meantime, Hay-Quantock will be painting, decorating furniture and spending more time with her grandchildren. She and her husband recently built a house outside Charlottesville, Virginia, so they will spend time touring the area and visiting the local vineyards. She adds she may do some consulting on the side. Hay-Quantock says she wishes she had been able to spend more time getting to know people as well as the buildings she has worked on. "I've been afforded a great opportunity at UMBC to do the things I love the most. If I get sentimental and look back-I've met a lot of wonderful people. Some people perceive me as cold and aggressive but really in my job I've had to be. There's been so much to get done in so little time….sometimes you forget the 'power of nice.' I wish I had had time to make more friends-that's the one thing I regret." Overall, though, she's excited about UMBC's growth. "The buildings will around much longer than me and will be used for many years. They are part of something bigger than me. That's made my job very exciting and satisfying." The campus is invited to a retirement party for Hay-Quantock on Wednesday, April 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Skylight Lounge at The Commons. A donation of $5 is requested for food and a gift. Please RSVP to Malqueen Taylor by Friday, April 19 at x56797 or maltaylo@umbc.edu. Cash or checks (made payable to the University of Maryland Foundation) should be submitted to the Office of Administration and Finance, Administration room 923).
April 1, 2002
Student Cancer Researcher is California-Bound
Junior biology major Erika Danna is on her way to San Francisco this month thanks to a prestigious undergraduate travel award from the American Association for Cancer Research.
Junior biology major Erika Danna is on her way to San Francisco this month thanks to a prestigious undergraduate travel award from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). 
Danna's work under the mentorship of UMBC biological sciences professor Sue Rosensberg through the Department of Defense funded BCURE (Breast Cancer Undergraduate Research Experience) program earned her the opportunity to take part in the 2002 AACR national meeting and make further connections for a future research career. "It's a $3,000 award to encourage undergraduates to become interested in research and is very prestigious,” says Rosenberg. The award will also allow Danna, a junior biology major with a minor in psychology, to attend the 2003 AACR Meeting. Rosenberg explained that the selection of AACR travel awardees is very competitive and noted that AACR judges may have been impressed by the sophistication of Danna's undergraduate research and the fact that she presented her research findings at the national meeting of the Society for Biological Therapy last fall. Since June of last year, Danna has spent a lot of time in Room 205, Rosenberg's research lab suite in the newly renovated Biological Sciences Building. There, Danna is part of a research team focusing on finding a vaccine to prevent cancerous tumors from spreading to other parts of the body. "I look at how tumor cells suppress the immune system,” says Danna, whose BCURE mentors have been Rosenberg and Beth Pulaski. Danna, an Ellicott City resident and Centennial High School graduate, has been pleased about preliminary results in her recent experiments. Danna's current work may identify windows of time when patients' immune systems are not suppressed and are thus a better time to receive vaccines. "It was exciting because it has a real world application,” she said. Like many people, the disease she studies has also touched her life. "I knew a few people who had cancer when I was growing up,” Danna says. "The sister of one of my good high school friends had bone cancer.” Danna isn't sure what disease she'll study in the future, but is definitely planning to pursue her Ph.D. and a career in research. She admits to not having much spare time between classes and her work in the lab, but when she does, she spends it on "normal stuff” like friends and family. "I even squeeze in time for my boyfriend once in awhile,” Danna says. Then she returns her concentration to the lab bench and her current experiment, her mind back on the next step.
April 1, 2002
Kudos
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Presentations by Tim Brennan
Tim Brennan, professor of policy sciences and economics, gave a talk at Oberlin College on "Challenges in Deregulating Electricity: Drawing the Right Lessons from California" as part of a March 9 conference on energy. He gave an abbreviated version of that talk on March 12 at the National Energy Modeling System/Annual Energy Outlook 2002 Conference, arranged by the Energy Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy. He also gave an extensive talk on this subject on March 1 to the Department of Economics and Van Horne Institute of the University of Calgary in Alberta. Members of Education Department on RIF Broadcast
In February, the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) Exchange television series broadcast "Nonfiction: Reading to Learn," featuring experts from UMBC's education department. Charles Pierce, who works with UMBC's Elementary Science Integration Project (ESIP) and teaches at UMBC over the summer, was a studio guest. The program also featured taped segments with Wendy Saul, professor of education, and Donna Dieckman, ESIP director, and an alumna (B.A. and M.A.) and current Ph.D. student. Visit http://www.rifnet.org/304/304_index.html EHS Department Approved for Increased Federal Disaster Training
The Department of Emergency Health Services received a $940,000 addition to their current contract to provide training for National Disaster Medical Assistance Teams. The additional funding will be used to provide hands-on field training nationwide. Currently, the department is providing online didactic instruction. The new award brings the total contract value to $3.67M. Richard Bissell, associate professor and graduate program director, emergency health services, is the principal investigator. UMBC Hosts Central Maryland History Day
Hundreds of middle and high school students and their families and teachers convened on campus on Saturday, March 16 for the fifth annual Central Maryland History Day. The students presented their exhibits, documentaries, essays and original dramatic performances to judges on the National History Day theme "Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History." Eight middle and high schools in Baltimore and Howard counties were represented by 42 entries. Nineteen of those entries, on topics as diverse as "The Conflict of Hindus and Muslims and the Creation of Pakistan," "Navajo Code Talkers," and "Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Revolution," will advance to the state competition next month. Central Maryland History Day is a project of the Department of History and Center for History Education. The 2002 UMBC competition was coordinated by graduate students Mary Carroll-Mason and Pam Lauer and administrative staff member Carla Ison. Diane Lee, vice provost for student academic affairs, welcomed the participants on behalf of the university. Central Maryland History Day has become an informal alumni event for the department. Among the judges at this year's competition were six alums, as well as 16 current graduate and undergraduate students and several faculty members. Hamid Fakhraei and John J. Kaelin Publish Article
Hamid Fakhraei and John Kaelin of the Center for Health Program Development and Management) and Richard Conviser (of Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) published an article in the current issue (volume 23, number 2) of Health Care Financing Review. The article is titled "Comorbidity-Based Payment Methodology for Medicaid Enrollees with HIV/AIDS." Bryan MacKay's New Baltimore Trails Guidebook
Bryan MacKay's newest guidebook has been published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Entitled Baltimore Trails, the book is a comprehensive guide to hiking and mountain biking trails in the Baltimore metropolitan area. It is available at the UMBC Bookstore and most other area booksellers. Bryan is an instructor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Sally Shivnan Receives Award for Short Story
Congratulations to Sally Shivnan, lecturer in English, who has won a Silver Rose Award for Excellence in the Art of the Short Story from the ART Foundation, for her story "The Confectioner," which appeared in Glimmer Train (Spring, 2001). ART, which stands for American Renaissance for the 21st Century, is an educational arts foundation founded in 1992 whose mission is "to promote a rebirth of beauty and life-affirming values in all of the fine arts." "The Confectioner" will be featured in the Silver Rose Anthology, to be published in spring 2002. Shivnan is a UMBC alumna who graduated with Honors in English, classof 1995. She remarks, "The coolest thing about the award was that it wasn't something I applied for or sought out in any way--they came looking for me as a result of scoping out magazines and literary journals. A complete, and pleasant, surprise." UMBC Students Help Provide Purim Treats for the TroopsPurim, a Jewish holiday commemorating the Jewish people's salvation from annihilation at the hands of the wicked Haman, is a time for celebration and joy. If you a solider, far from home and family, you miss the traditional treats of this holiday. Rachel Slomovitz, Hillel's Jewish Campus Service, created a plan to do something for the Troops serving overseas and here in the United States. After contacting the Jewish Welfare Board, a group that oversees the needs of Jewish troops throughout the world, she decided the best way to help the troops was to give them goodie bags during this holiday. Hundreds of students from UMBC and throughout the city helped to send over 500 bags filled with cookies, candies and a personal note to the troops. This event was co-sponsored by Delta Kappa Sigma, a multi-cultural sorority. Sara Faibisoff, secretary of the Jewish Midshipmen's Club, said, "I would like to send you a great big 'thank you' for remembering this Purim. The Hamantaschen were a wonderful treat, and they were well appreciated by all of us (midshipmen)." For more information contact Rachel Slomovitz at x52637.
April 1, 2002
Can Democracy Survive the War Between Jihad and McWorld?
Since September 11, Benjamin Barber's Jihad vs. McWorld, published in 1995, has become a bestseller and he has been called upon as a commentator on terrorism by media outlets worldwide. Now Barber comes to UMBC to discuss "Can Democracy Survive the War Between Jihad and McWorld?" at 3 p.m. April 10 in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery.
 Since September 11, Benjamin Barber's Jihad vs. McWorld, published in 1995, has become a bestseller and he has been called upon as a commentator on terrorism by media outlets worldwide. Now Barber comes to UMBC to discuss "Can Democracy Survive the War Between Jihad and McWorld?" at 3 p.m. April 10 in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery. Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is scheduled to introduce Barber. The event is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Social Sciences Forum and the Department of Political Science. Call (410) 455-2160.
Provost Arthur Johnson says, "UMBC is fortunate to have political scientist and internationally best-selling author Benjamin Barber coming to campus to deliver the Civil Society Lecture. Barber argues persuasively that in order to defeat terrorism, we need more than a military response. His thesis is that only through the spread of democracy can the excesses of both Jihad and 'McWorld' be tamed to make the world a place of safety and prosperity for all people. We are pleased that Professor Barber will be sharing his ideas with students, faculty, and staff at UMBC, enabling us to explore in greater depth the long term implications and responsibilities we face in this post 9/11 world." Barber, one of the most distinguished political theorists of our time, is the Gershon and Carol Kekst Professor of Civil Society and University of Maryland System-wide Wilson H. Elkins Professor. His other books include the theory classic Strong Democracy and, most recently, The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House. He is a principal in The Democracy Collaborative, a component of the university's Civil Society Initiative that brings together an international consortium of the world's leading academic centers and citizen engagement organizations. Barber served as director of the Walt Whitman Center for the Culture and Politics of Democracy at Rutgers University for 12 years, where he also held the Walt Whitman Chair of Political Science. He has consulted widely with political and civic leaders, including former President Bill Clinton. He writes frequently for Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, Le Nouvel Observateur, Die Zeit and many other scholarly and popular publications in America and Europe. He was a founding editor and for 10 years editor-in-chief of the distinguished international quarterly Political Theory. His honors include Guggenheim, Fulbright and Social Science Research Fellowships, the Palmes Academiques (Chevalier) of the French Government, and the Berlin Prize of the American Academy of Berlin. He holds Ph.D. and M.A. from Harvard University, and a B.A. and honorary doctorate from Grinnell College. For television, Barber co-wrote with Patrick Waton the prize-winning CBC/PBS ten-part series "The Struggle for Democracy" and the companion book (1988); he also contributed to the Channel Four (U.K.) series "Greek Fire," as well as to the American series "The American Promise" and many other educational documentaries. His work for the theater includes the libretto for George Qunicy's opera "Home and the River" (produced in New York), the dance theater performance piece Kaspar (produced at Café La Mama in New York) created with his wife, the choreographer and performer Leah Kreutzer, and other dramatic musical works off-Broadway and in regional theaters.
April 1, 2002
Freshman Swimmer Lindsey Prather Competes at NCAA Championships
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UMBC freshman Lindsey Prather became the first Retriever swimmer to compete in the NCAA Championships in 12 years when she qualified for both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held in late March in Austin, Texas. At the championships, Prather placed 28th (of 41 competitors) in the 200 breaststroke, clocking in at 2:16.76. She was 38th in the 100 breaststroke, with a time of 1:04.26. Prather holds the UMBC record in both events, both recorded at the (Universityof Virginia) Cavalier Invitational in December. Her time of 2:16.32 in the 200breast at the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh, PA was an NCAA provisionalmark and earned her a gold medal in that event. The native of Edgewood, MD has been named Northeast ConferenceSwimmer of the Week on two occasions this year and was named Rookie of theMeet at the NEC Championships after capturing the 100 and 200 breast and the200 individual medley. Her times in the 200 breast outdistance her NECcompetition by over ten seconds while in the 100 breast, the separation isover five seconds.
April 1, 2002
April Fools UMBC Athletics Logo Changed Again
The UMBC Athletics department announced this week that the University's recently-revamped logo has been changed to reflect concerns from Northeast Conference athletes and area retriever-rights groups that the previous one was too fierce.
The UMBC Athletics department announced this week that the University's recently-revamped logo has been changed to reflect concerns from Northeast Conference athletes and area retriever-rights groups that the previous one was too fierce. 
According to UMBC Athletic Director Charles Brown, the growling, tooth-baring and otherwise vicious image of the retriever from the previous logo had triggered several problems for the University. Complaints were filed by several NEC coaches after their players refused to compete upon seeing the intimidating new logo emblazoned on UMBC jerseys. "We had a few incidents when ballgames couldn't even get started because our NEC opponents cowered in fear the minute our athletes removed their warmup shirts and brought their adversaries face to face with a snarling hellhound,” said Brown. "You should have seen them,” Brown added with a chuckle. "One kid was still wearing adult diapers two weeks later. Those graphic designers did a hell of a job, I tell you what.” Subsequent, vague threats of protests or legal action from a local group known only as Retrieverphiles United For Fairness (RUFF) convinced UMBC officials to make the change. The origins and membership of RUFF are unclear, but an email sent to Insights said in part that "Retrievers are sweet, friendly companions, not some sort of dehumanized, stereotyped, filthy beast that walks about on all fours and slobbering and sniffing.” "It is with great pride that I reluctantly unveil this court-mediated logo,” said Brown as he pulled the cord that removed a curtain from a giant poster of the new logo at the April 1 ceremony. "We hope that Woofy the Wuvvable Retriever TM, will quiet the various controversies surrounding our athletic mascot's image,” Brown said. The pep band, formerly known as the Down and Dirty Dawg Band (now known as the Kind and Courageous Canine Combo) then broke into their new fight song "Who's A Good Boy?” The new logo was sponsored in part by the Hello Kitty Corporation of Japan. "We were looking at some serious bills to change the logo twice in just a few months,” said Greg Simmons, associate director of corporate relations. "Luckily we had some alumni in Tokyo that really went to bat with us for this sponsorship. Plus our research shows that the new look will result in a 450 percent increase in merchandise sales to women age five to seven.” So how do UMBC's athletes feel about the softer, but less-litigious look? "Uh, it's okay, I guess,” said UMBC men's basketball guard Rob Gogerty. "I kind of preferred the one before, but maybe this will lull the other team into a feeling of false confidence now, or something,” Gogerty said as he attempted to turn his jersey sideways while a group of sorority girls passed by.
April 1, 2002
The Delta Initiative Update
Q & A with Chief Information Officer Jack Suess
1. What is the Delta Initiative? The Delta Initiative is focused on improving information systems and business processes at UMBC through the deployment of new administrative software, primarily Peoplesoft. Over the next fifteen months we will deploy new systems to support Human Resources and Finance, begin development of our enterprise data warehouse and start our efforts on deploying a new student information system. By fall 2005 we will have implemented the full package, including a new student information system. 2. Why is it important for UMBC to incorporate the Delta Initiative at this time and what are the benefits for the campus? How will it change the campus? First, our current business systems are antiquated. Our present Financial system was implemented in 1979 and our student information system was completed in 1985. Second, the computing environment used for these two systems, Hewlett Packard's MPE business systems, will no longer be updated and all hardware and software support will end in 2006. Third, UMBC is a much different institution than it was in 1979, so these new systems will support a modern research university and allow for our continued growth. 3. Who is involved in developing and implementing the Delta Initiative? Broadly speaking I hope the majority of faculty and staff are involved in the Delta Initiative in some way. This is our collective opportunity to develop something that will support UMBC for the next 25 years. Specifically, over the next few months we have about 20 staff in Finance, Human Resources, Institutional Research, and OIT working full-time on the project team. They are joined by approximately 45 staff working on advisory committees and up to 200 staff and faculty that we anticipate will participate as "subject matter experts" on specific functions within the modules. Finally, I will be doing my best to meet with campus groups and get feedback on the project. The module advisory committees for finance and human resources will be key committees for insuring campus involvement. Finance is co-chaired by Tom Vogler and Janie Stevenson, human resources is co-chaired by Jim Milani and Valerie Bell. 4. What is the timeline for implementation? In the short-term for HR and Finance, the module advisory committees are working to identify a broad mix of subject matter experts for the design sessions that will begin in late April. These design sessions will run throughout the summer. Our plans call to bring up different components of the software during the spring 2003 period with full cutover to the new system June 29, 2003. We expect to bring up enterprise warehouse for HR and Finance in the winter of 2004 with a staggered implementation of the student system in 2004 (admissions and recruiting) with full implementation completed summer 2005. 5. How will the campus be informed of progress? We have updated the Delta Organization under our Blackboard system with as much information as we have. We have auto-enrolled all full-time faculty and staff. To get to this information login to myUMBC, click on the tab labeled Blackboard, then press the "login" button on the left. You will see a link to the Delta Organization on the right side. Starting in mid-April we will be creating discussion boards to solicit comments on the different design sessions. These discussion boards will allow everyone to provide the project with feedback.
April 1, 2002
UMBC Visual Arts Faculty Sweep Maryland State Arts Council
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UMBC's visual arts faculty received six of the seven Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards in the New Genre category, which honors artists whose visual-based work goes beyond traditional disciplines, and includes work in which the computer is central to the creation, presentation, or understanding of the work. Recipients are Colin Ives, Timothy Nohe, David Crandall, Davina Grunstein, Terry Nauheim and Department Chair John Sturgeon. In the Media category, which cites excellence in film, video and audio, four of the twelve awards were presented to UMBC faculty: Holly Lavenstein, Amie Siegel, Jill Johnston-Price and Jorge Castro. Granted biennially, the Maryland State Arts Council's Individual Artist Awards are highly competitive and are adjudicated by peer review panels. Other UMBC faculty who received Individual Artist Awards include Barbara Simon (Fiction), Cathy Paine (Solo Dance Performance), Sandra Lacy (Solo Dance Performance), Hamid Hossain (Solo Instrumental Performance) and Susan B. McCully (Solo Theatrical Performance).
April 1, 2002
Tech Tips
With more than 10,000 distinct campus users, Blackboard has become a popular tool for academic AND general campus needs. If you're teaching a class or managing an organization with Blackboard, here are a few tips that will make life easier for your users.
With more than 10,000 distinct campus users, Blackboard (http://blackboard.umbc.edu) has become a popular tool for academic AND general campus web needs. If you're teaching a class or managing an organization with Blackboard, here are a few tips that will make life easier for your users. Save & Upload Documents in both Word and HTMLOne of Blackboard's early selling points was that it allowed faculty to just upload their Microsoft Word documents such as syallabi, handouts and assignments. But this only works if your end users have Word AND their browser is configured to launch the application when it links to a file with the .doc extension. This is almost a default action in Internet Explorer, which is used by more than 70 percent of users accessing UMBC's web site (see http://www.umbc.edu/stats). But if your users don't have Word or they're using Netscape, they'll likely have to 1) download your document or 2) open up another application to convert/view your Word document. Not exactly a "seamless” browsing experience, is it? Instead, save your Word (or WordPerfect) document as an HTML file: ![]() Almost all word processors have a "Save As Web Page” or "Save As HTML” option and they require no knowledge of HTML—they simply create the same document with a *.htm or *.html file extension. Just upload this file with your word-processed *.doc file, and then anyone with any kind of web browser can see your content immediately. Here's an HTML version of this article using this method. Note: If you don't want to cater to users' needs, encourage them to comply with yours. You might tell students all documents will be posted in Word (or PowerPoint or Excel) and that you expect them to use Internet Explorer. If so, then refer them to the USM Microsoft Agreement so they can install Microsoft software for free. The same holds true for other preferred formats or applications, like *.rtf (rich text file) or *.pdf (portable document file) or Adobe Acrobat. Obviously, this works better for a class because you have a little more control over your learning environment. Send email (push) and post announcements (pull) about any new Bb contentWhen you're just getting started with Blackboard—or your users are new to it—you can help reinforce the habit of checking the site by giving them a reason to do so. If you add a new document or start a new discussion, send them email announcing the content is available. You can reinforce this by posting a Blackboard announcement, which is the default entry point for most course and organization sites. It may seem tedious, but when you're getting started, it's an easy way to help make the website a regular part of your users' experience. Once it is, you can back off. Delete Blackboard navigation buttons you're not usingBy default, any new Blackboard course or organization site lists all of the navigation buttons. If you don't want to use a discussion board, or there's no real difference between "Course Information” and "Course Documents,” then enable or disable these buttons as you see fit. You can do this in "Control Panel" -- "Course/Organization Settings" -- "Area Availability." Archive older threads in a very active discussion forumIf you've got an active discussion board AND you allow users to create their own threads, sometimes there can be a lot of postings to wade through. Users can of course sort these messages by date, author or topic in the forum, but as the course instructor or site manager, you can append older or irrelevant postings to an archive. Select the "Archives” link at the bottom of the forum, create a new archive, and then select the threads you want to archive. You might want to do this monthly, weekly or daily depending on the number of messages. This way, users always see the most current (or relevant) topics, but you haven't lost threads others might be interested in keeping. Customize (or Bypass) Blackboard's navigation with a "Little Bit of Code”If you're in an assignment and want to reference another document in your Blackboard site, use HTML to link to it directly—rather than explaining to the user where it is. Just go to the source document you want to link to, click the right mouse button to "copy link location,” then go to the document you want to link from, and paste the code. The HTML code for the source document in Blackboard will look very complex, but you don't have to understand it. Just wrap it in "quotation marks” like you would in making any web link, and then use a simple "HREF” command to link to it. For example: 
Use everything between the < and > characters above, but replace the "http://www.umbc.edu” code above with the source code of the document you want to link to inside Blackboard. Note: If you're linking to anything OUTSIDE of Blackboard, your HREF link code will need to look like this: 
If you don't use TARGET=_top, your web link will display inside the main window of your Blackboard site which can be disorienting to users as they browse that new site (see below): ![]() Basically, every web site manager has to balance ease of use for users vs. ease of site production and maintenance. The key is communicating this in advance to manage everyone's expectations. |
