UMBC Theatre Students Star in Film
Due to overwhelming audience demand, the independent feature film Ghostwatcher, starring UMBC theatre students Jillian Byrnes, Jennifer Servary and Marianne Hayden, has begun an exclusive engagement at Premier Cinemas located at 8120 Jumpers Hole Rd. in Pasadena, MD, just south of Glen Burnie. Tickets will be $3 per person, and seating will be on a first-come-first-serve basis. Check your local listings for showtimes or call the theater at (410) 768-9999.
www.ghostwatchermovie.com

Astrid Sperling Named NEC Athlete of the Week
On 11/20, Astrid Sperling was named Northeast Conference Swimming Athlete of the Week after leading the Retrievers to a 130-107 victory over Towson University. Sperling took home first place finishes in the 200 individual medley (2:08.86) and the 200 backstroke (2:04.32). Currently, she leads the league in both of these events. She was also part of the 400 medley relay team that finished in a time of 4:03.59 to claim first place honors. Sperling has won first place in every backstroke and IM event that she has competed in so far this season.

UMBC Fencing Club Wins Fall Chaos Open
The UMBC Fencing club took first on November 24th in the UMCP intercollegiateFall Chaos Open beating UMCP, JMU and St. Mary's College. Top scorers included: Ben Lashe (1st), Stan Thompson (3rd), Becca Puppa (5th). Sabre: Barry Herman (2nd), Eric Gauthier (tied 3rd), Eric Politowski (tied 3rd), Otto Czifra (6th). Foil: John Campbell (2nd). And in her first tournament Mary Baden competed in foil.

Keum-Hyeong Choi Receives Psychology License, Publishes Article
Keum-Hyeong Choi, University Counseling Services psychologist, has passed her exams for licensure and is now licensed to practice psychology in Maryland. Additionally, her article, "Psychological Separation -- Individuation and Adjustment to College Among Korean American Students: The Roles of Collectivism and Individualism," was published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Warren Cohen in the Los Angeles Times
Book reviews by Distinguished University Professor Warren Cohen appeared in the November 24 Los Angeles Times.
www.calendarlive.com/books/bookreview/cl-bk-cohen24nov24.story

Thomas Schaller in the Baltimore Sun
Thomas Schaller's OpEd, "Governor leaves big repair job," was published in the Baltimore Sun on 11/22.
www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.democrats22nov22,0,2934501.story?coll=bal%2Doped%2Dheadlines

Men's Hoops Win Third Straight Battle of Baltimore Title
Kareem Washington scored a game-high 17 points to help UMBC defeat Loyola 57-43 in the Battle of Baltimore's championship game 11/25 at Morgan State.
www.sunspot.net/sports/college/basketball/bal-umbc1125,0,1657016.story

For more information on how you can be a part of Food and Friends, visit www.foodandfriends.org.

* * *

Nancy Abell, administrative assistant in the Office of Administration and Finance, is a cat lover, so much that she would take strays in off of the street. There is only so much love in her heart for these furry friends, so when she found another stray kitten making his home in her backyard, she searched for a solution. The answer came in the form of the Maryland SPCA, which is a volunteer organization that places cats and dogs in homes.

"Every cat shelter I called was full, so I was referred to the Maryland SPCA," Abell comments. After dropping off this kitten, Abell was very emotional, but the SPCA staff eased the pain she felt. They made such an impact on her that Abell became a regular volunteer, moving from pet care and settling in with office work.

Working in the SPCA's Baltimore office, Abell sees the care with which the animals are placed in homes. Each prospective family goes through an interview process, and if the family seems questionable, they are required to take a pet care basics class. The SPCA also spays and neuters pets at a reduced charge, helping to lower the amount of unwanted animals. Abell tells stories of families coming in during the summer months and leaving their pets because they do not want to pay for kennels.

Pets are kept for an indefinite amount of time and all attempts will be made to find homes for these animals. Once placed, the animal's home is kept confidential. "I went there because they work very hard at getting the word out and finding good homes," Abell says, adding, "They're just wonderful people and they do a wonderful job."

For more information about the Maryland SPCA, go to www.mdspca.org.

- Jennifer Leigh Gibson

By Melisa Steffens, Assistant Director, Career Development and Placement

Do you have some free time over winter break? Are you wondering what to do with this time? Not only is winter break a great opportunity for you to take a load off from classes, but you can also take advantage of this time to explore your career interests. The Career Development Center (CDC) has some ideas to help you occupy your time while preparing you for life after UMBC:

1. Job Fairs: These events provide a great opportunity for you to meet with local employers to learn about internships, full-time job opportunities and what recruiters are looking for in a candidate. Mark your calendar and don't miss the Central Maryland College Job Fair on January 23 at Towson University from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. Part-Time Jobs: This is a great way to get some hands-on experience with the skills you are learning in your classes or just earn some extra money. Check out the following part-time job binders in the Career Resource Center (CRC), MP 212:

Part-Time Major Related
On-Campus/Off-Campus

3. Full-Time Jobs: If you are thinking a full-time job better suits your needs, then check out the following full-time job binders in the CRC:

*Degree Required
*No Degree Required
*Government Employment
*Community, Public Affairs and Social Service
*University and School Systems

4. CDC Web Site: For those of you who already have a fun-packed schedule for winter break, check out www.careers.umbc.edu to learn about upcoming events and career resources. Events are listed on the home page; click on "Students" and then "Career Web Sites" for direct links to job banks. (A great tool to search specific careers right from the comfort of your home!)

5. Internships: You are in a unique position to try out many different career-related interests without making a long-term commitment. Most internships last one semester, enabling you to try out many interests during your time hear at UMBC. Contact UMBC's Shriver Center at (410) 455-2493 to learn about internship opportunities.

6. Learn a New Skill: Consider learning a new skill to help prepare you and your resume for the job market, such as Power Point, CPR, JAVA, public speaking, etc.

7. Job Shadow: Have you have been thinking about a couple of career options and are wondering which would be the best fit for you? Job shadowing and informational interviewing are great ways to get exposure to the work environment while building networking skills and making great contacts.

8. Don't Procrastinate: We all have hectic lives and, at times, neglect important areas of our personal and professional development. Let the CDC help you explore major/career options, learn about professional organizations, practice interviewing skills and much more. Make an appointment today!

9. Resumes: So, you're thinking you might be interested in the ideas mentioned above, but you don't know where to start with your resume. Take a look at resume guidelines and examples in the free Career Development Guide at www.careers.umbc.edu and make an appointment with a Career Specialist in the CDC to get a personalized resume critique.

For more information, contact the CDC (Math/Psychology 204) at (410) 455-2216, careers@umbc.edu or visit www.careers.umbc.edu.

By Mark Terranova, Assistant Director,
Service Learning, The Shriver Center

Last week, I spent two days at a conference for foundations who fund service and civic engagement activities. The focus of the conference was to create a dialog among funders and practitioners on the ethic and practice of service and volunteerism, and how to support, promote, and require such activities. Several trends are emerging in the world of service and civic participation. In an effort to begin a dialog of how these trends affect UMBC, I would like to share some of what I think may be relevant to us.

A large-scale study of civic engagement funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts examined trends among youth ages 15 to 25 and their participation in civic participation and volunteerism. The study founds that compared to other age cohorts, youth are civically engaged at significantly lower levels. The report does suggest however, that youth positively respond to school-based programming designed to encourage more engagement.

The call for "Universal Service" for all Americans was also debated at the conference. As you may be aware, President Bush has asked all Americans to volunteer 4000 hours, or two years of their lives, to strengthen our communities. John Bridgeland, assistant to the President and director of USA Freedom Corps, spoke at the conference about how the federal government plans to support this trend by framing service and volunteerism as a strategy to engage our citizens and to protect our homeland, in ways still being defined by the Corporation for National and Community Service -- the government agency that funds Americorps and Freedom Corps.

How does this affect service at UMBC? Truthfully, I don't know. Many questions are raised by these new trends. How do faculty continue to encourage, support and promote service in their courses? How does the University continue to support civic engagement, an integral part of our vision, through service? How are homeland security efforts supported by volunteerism and service?

We already address these challenges in several ways at UMBC. Students in the Shriver Living Learning Centerchallenge this disengagement of youth by serving for three to five hours each week in the community and meeting once a week for ten weeks to connect their service to policies directly affected the populations they serve. Public Affairs Scholars participate in service-learning for two semesters to see first hand how policies directly affect communities.

I welcome all members of the UMBC community to actively participate in this new dialog on service, as we all move forward in new ways of understanding what it means to be citizens, and what it means to serve others. Please e-mail me at terranov@umbc.edu with ideas on how to expand this conversation, or to find out more about what we are already doing at the Shriver Center and other departments here at UMBC.

For additional information, please see:

www.cns.gov
www.gfcns.org

"An Evening of Adultery" is coming to UMBC. Granted, none of the participants are actually married to their onstage spouse, but in the world that George Bernard Shaw created, that is irrelevant. The Department of Theatre's latest production, "An Evening of Adultery," features two one-act comedies written by the famed British playwright and is under the direction of Colette Searls.

Both comedies look at adultery and the ramifications that it brings, but in a completely opposite manner. The first part of the production is Overruled. "This is more realistic and contains elements of farce and drawing-room British comedy," Searls says, adding, "It makes fun of British morality and British culture." When the adultery slaps each couple in the face, they sit down and have a nice chat about the situation. Enter jealousy and possessiveness and welcome to the second half of the evening -- Passion, Poison, and Petrifaction -- which introduces emotion and a hint of melodrama into the mix. "This is a volcanic theatrical explosion of passion," adds Searls.

Searls is a recent graduate of UC-Irvine's M F.A. Drama program, with an emphasis on directing. This is her first production at UMBC and the enthusiasm she exudes is obvious to all. Commenting on the reasons behind her choice of the Shaw plays, Searls says, "I chose these plays because the department and I determined that Shaw's language is extremely challenging and it requires very hard work." Searls is also impressed with the level of commitment and talent in the theatre department. "I'm very pleased to find the actors are up to the challenge," she states.

An Evening of Adultery runs on Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m., and Nov. 24 and Dec. 5 (free show for UMBC community) and 8 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $ 10 for general admission, $8 for UMBC faculty and staff, and $5 for students. All performances will be in the UMBC Theatre and all ticket proceeds benefit the UMBC Department of Theatre Scholarship Fund. For more information go to www.umbc.edu/arts or call the Box Office at (410) 455-2476.

A dinner theater performance of "An Evening of Adultery" is sponsored by the UMBC Friends of the Library and Gallery. 5:30 p.m. reception; 6 p.m. dinner and talk by director Colette Searls; 8 p.m. performance. For further information, reservations and tickets ($35/each) call the UMBC Library offices at (410) 455-2356 or e-mail aok@umbc.edu by Nov. 27.

- Jennifer Leigh Gibson

Graduate student Roz Croog has created something powerful from a place where hopelessness and despondency staked their claim. A second-year student in UMBC's Imaging and Digital Arts (IMDA) M.F.A. program, Croog conducted a multimedia research project to record images in Lorton Prison after it was shut down. Collaborating with a Howard University anthropology professor, Croog photographed a single row of cells and manipulated the images so that they appeared to be converging into each other. The effect is very dramatic and shows an intensity that both appeals to the eye and repels the viewer at the same time.

"What interested me about Lorton," she says, "were the buildings -- completely abandoned -- and the presence, yet invisibility, of the prisoners." Her work focuses on this invisibility as well as the impact of identity loss and isolation. "My intention was to create a feeling of claustrophobia and disorientation," which she accomplished by walking up and down a single cellblock with video camera recording "that long, lonely corridor with sounds of cell doors opening and closing, ghostly echoes, and voices far in the distance." Croog expressed the lack of privacy that pervades the work by setting up the cellblock photographs as a mirror image. "A prisoner is under constant surveillance," she says, "yet identity as an individual is never seen."

Another aspect of Lorton that she explored was the graffiti plastered across most of the walls. "The silent walls of their cells were the only listeners to the anguish of the prisoners," she says. "This was all they had for expression and identity, so they talked to the walls." Looking at these pictures, one cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the anguish and the anger that the art evokes. Calendars with days marked off, images of Jesus and Bible verses, and signs claiming territory for certain gangs were all a part of the prisoners' graffiti, acting as a running commentary on life inside a steel cage.

"Arriving at an interdisciplinary layering of media elements and concerns both aesthetic and political is very much what the IMDA program is about, and Roz exemplifies the effort our graduate students make in this regard," says IMDA Graduate Program Director Vin Grabill.

During four sessions at Lorton, Croog took more than 100 photographs and several hours of video, some of which she displayed in a public hallway of the Visual Arts building earlier this year. "To a certain extent, the placement of her enlarged images suggested the very corridors of the prison," adds Grabill. "Roz's interest in presenting her work outside of a gallery venue and within the less defined arena of a public space also points to our interest in seeking new ways for artists to express their works to the community."

Croog feels very strongly about the need to educate youth about the harsh realities of life in a cage. She hopes that the Lorton project becomes a means for teaching the consequences of what can happen when people become entangled in a life of crime. Croog also comments throughout her research and presentation on the value of life. "I'd like to send a message that every life is valuable and unique, that every individual is important. We must respect each other for our differences," she says, adding, "We're all human and we affect each other."

--Jennifer Leigh Gibson

By Jack Prostko, Director, Faculty Development Center

In order to assess what students know, most professors require some form of writing -- essays, term papers, lab reports, summaries, responses -- from undergraduates at some point in their courses. Writing helps us see how students are grappling with the ideas and content of a class, usually forcing them to engage in higher levels of thinking about a subject. Rather than simply memorizing information, students are asked to analyze or synthesize facts and ideas to develop their skills at thinking like a biologist or a historian or a social worker.

Writing is central to the intellectual development of undergraduates, and currently at UMBC there is a renewed examination of the writing requirements students must fulfill in order to graduate. A Writing Board, appointed by the Provost at the request of the Undergraduate Council and Faculty Senate, is examining the writing requirement and considering adding a "Writing in the Disciplines" component to the undergraduate curriculum.

Writing in the Disciplines (WID) programs at universities have flourished in the last twenty years, in conjunction with programs designed to engage students as active learners. The success of such programs is based on the notion that what we are attempting to do with students when they write isn't simply to improve their composition skills, but to involve them in the language and thinking of our disciplines. According to John Bean, "a teacher's purpose in adding writing components to a course is not to help English departments teach writing. Rather teachers should see writing assignments and other critical thinking activities as useful tools to help students achieve the instructor's content and process goals for a course" (Bean, p.xiv).

The writing emphasized in WID classes combines the use of writing as a tool for learning as well as a tool for communicating. As a tool for learning, writing involves what Art Young calls "discovery thinking," an attempt to make sense of information for the writer as he or she examines ideas and tests out a discipline's language. Such writing is generally informal--journals or rough drafts--and needs to be shaped in order to communicate clearly to a reader. This means that various forms of writing are involved in many WID classes, from ungraded work that helps writers explore a subject, to more formal and finished products. The process of writing and working out ideas, revising and rethinking issues, plays a more central role in WID instruction than it does in many courses that simply require a long paper at the end of the semester.

For professors interested in exploring ways of experimenting with the use of writing in their courses, several excellent resources exist, including Art Young's Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum (available online) and John Bean's Engaging Ideas (available at the Faculty Development Center). A key concern of some faculty is that assigning more writing means taking more time to grade--and that this additional time can make assigning extra writing difficult if not impossible. It's true that students will benefit most if they receive timely feedback on their written work, but this feedback need not be given on every informal writing assignment. And even with formal writing, specific comments on the structure of the ideas and clarity of the presentation are more significant that detailed attention to grammar or "correctness." Indeed, one of the errors beginning instructors often make is overmarking (or even copyediting) students' papers rather than giving specific comments on ideas and referring them to tutorial help to improve their grammar. (At UMBC, the Learning Resources Center provides excellent tutorial support for student writers.) Both Young and Bean offer a variety of strategies for providing concise, effective comments on papers.

For most students (and probably for most of us) writing is never a simple and straightforward task. Getting students to write more regularly and helping them develop the habit of thinking through their ideas on paper in stages of composition and revision can help them deepen their understanding of an academic discipline and help them begin to adopt the language necessary for successful professional work in that discipline.

Resources:

Davis, Barbara Gross, "Helping Students Write Better in All Courses," from Tools for Teaching, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1993.
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/writebetter.html

Writing Across the Curriculum Clearinghouse, with links and publications
http://aw.colostate.edu/resource_list.htm

Young, Art. Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum, Third Edition. 2002.
http://aw.colostate.edu/books/young_teaching/

Bean, John C., Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Fishman, Stephen M., and McCarthy, Lucille, Whose Goals? Whose Aspirations? Learning to Teaching Underprepared Writers Across the Curriculum, Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 2002.

Sorcinelli, Mary Deane, and Elbow, Peter, Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing Across the Disciplines, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1997.

For advice on improving professional writing:

Boice, Robert, Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing, Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press, 1990.

Rankin, Elizabeth, The Work of Writing: Insights and Strategies for Academics and Professionals, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

"This is a really good time to be in admissions at UMBC," says Yvette Mozie-Ross, director of undergraduate admissions. "People know of UMBC's reputation and visibility, they know that this is a special place."

This fall UMBC welcomed 1380 freshmen and 1150 transfer students to campus; 500 more transfers will join them in the spring semester. The freshman class boasts an average SAT of 1220 and an average gpa of 3.5. We are equally proud of our transfer students, many of whom are members of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society.

Insights recently spoke with Mozie-Ross about what's new in admissions.

Tell us about admissions' new programs.

We have a new Early Action Program, which is a non-binding way for strong students to get early notification of their admission decision (students still have to May 1 to accept their offer of admission). Students admitted through the Early Action program are given priority consideration for special opportunities including scholarships, Honors College and other selective admission programs. For the institution, Early Action presents an opportunity to identify strong students early on and to focus on continuing to nurture our relationships with the students and the parents as they review their college options.

Prospective students now have the opportunity to chat online with faculty, current students and admissions counselors. Chats are held monthly and have attracted over 150 students from Alaska to New York. Students are asking good questions about the quality of education here, student-faculty interaction and opportunities available to them.

The new recruitment materials illustrate UMBC's brand of school spirit with a focus on academic and social engagement. The new prospectus or viewbook builds on UMBC's reputation as an honors university and as a supportive, friendly environment that is focused on student success. It highlights UMBC's complete living and learning environment where students enjoy opportunities for growth both in their studies and in their social life. New sections include features such as "Ten Professors Not to Miss" and "A Club for Every Interest."

For parents of prospective students, there is a new special version of the UMBC Parent Connection e-newsletter. It's just as important for parents to feel a sense of "fit" with the institution.

In addition, we can now take reservations for events online, and follow up with RSVPs with immediate confirmation e-mail on event details, a link to our campus map, etc.

And be sure to check out the new undergraduate Web site!

What are your current recruitment strategies and what are the challenges you face?

Our strategy continues to be very high touch with a lot of direct contact with students, parents, counselors and teachers through school visits, open houses and the direct mail campaign.

People recognize UMBC, but now we are in a whole other ball game, competing with established institutions that have longevity. Some institutions can run with just their names but we still have to nurture, cultivate and generally work on high-end recruiting strategies. But we are giving them a run - some schools ask us, "How did you get that student? We've been talking with him for two years!" We continue to focus on increasing quality and diversity both ethnically and geographically.

We continue to attract more out-of-state students. We actively recruit in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio and Virginia.

We're on the road from September to December and will visit about 500 high schools and participate in numerous college fairs in Maryland and other targeted states. We host receptions and conduct telecounseling campaigns for targeted students. Our goal is to get the student and their parents to visit UMBC, because if we can do that it's very likely that they will apply here.

On campus, we host four open houses for prospective freshmen, two open houses for transfers and daily campus tours (most weekdays and Saturdays) in addition to special events for honors and other targeted populations.

How do you respond when people ask what an honors university means?

We tell prospective students and parents that it is not a designation but a definition. Most colleges have honors programs where special opportunities are reserved for an elite group of students, but at UMBC all students have access to these kinds of experiences. The honors university refers to the types of experiences a typical student will have, such as research opportunities, faculty-student interaction, study abroad and other special programs.

Do the prospective students you meet with know UMBC is a "Hot School"?

It's hard to quantify but yes, there has been a lot of response. When we speak at high schools, guidance counselors often bring it up in their introductions! This happened to me just recently when I was speaking to students and parents at Norfolk Academy.

Coming up in Insights: A Q & A with Janet Rutledge, associate dean of the Graduate School.

UMBC's Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT), already known as "the best resource on women and technology on the web" by ABC News.com, is now one of the best sources of educational scholarships in the region for young women pursuing IT-related degrees, thanks to the new CWIT Scholars program.

Funded by AT&T and Verizon, the CWIT Scholars program provides four years of financial and programmatic support to academically talented high school seniors as they pursue a bachelor's degree in an IT-related field. On October 8, CWIT board members came together with CWIT Associates and Scholars, corporate sponsors, parents, faculty and staff to celebrate the first class of CWIT Scholars.

The eight young women inaugurating the program are all computer science, computer engineering, or information systems majors. CWIT also has an Associates program that was launched last year. It offers UMBC sophomores, juniors and seniors financial and programmatic support in return for mentoring Scholars and participating in on-campus leadership activities.

CWIT founder Joan Korenman welcomed more than sixty guests at the October event -- including Eleanor Chlan, a recently funded Ph.D. candidate receiving support from AT&T to complete her Ph.D. in computer science -- and briefly reflected on the history of CWIT.

The evening's keynote speaker was Michelle Benvenga, chair of the CWIT External Board and Vice President of T. Rowe Price. "CWIT is moving strongly toward its goal of increasing and ensuring women's full participation in IT," Benvenga said. She discussed her view that CWIT will serve as a national model for universities across the country.

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski spoke next, mentioning how impressed he was to see such a diverse group of women leaders, especially from IT fields. Hrabowski congratulated Korenman and her staff, the CWIT Scholars and their parents, and the external and internal boards for their efforts. He also called for continued efforts to strengthen CWIT and make it a national model.

Rob Keesling, a representative from AT&T, joined Korenman, Hrabowski and Benvenga to present the CWIT Scholars with their certificates designating them as the first class of CWIT Scholars. Five of the scholars were AT&T CWIT Scholars and three were Verizon CWIT Scholars.

Claudia Morrell, CWIT's director of planning and grants, summed up the evening as a successful start for the CWIT Scholars program. "It was a wonderful affirmation after a year of hard work by a lot of people," said Morrell. "It just shows what can be achieved when we all work together."

Thanks to Claudia Morrell for contributing to this article.

Outside of Hilltop Circle, expectations are not particularly high for either UMBC men's or women's basketball this season. But the coaching staffs and players on both Tom Sullivan's men's team and Phil Stern's women's team are both thinking about playing a prominent role in the Northeast Conference races this year.

Sullivan: "Our goal is to win a championship"

The UMBC men's basketball program has won 38 games over the past two seasons. In four years of NEC play, UMBC is 52-26 and has been a step away from the league title game in three of those four years. But, the marquee players from those seasons are gone, leaving a few battle-tested veterans and many more bright-eyed underclassmen to carry on the new-found Retriever pride. Coach Sullivan is supremely confident that they will.

"What we have now is a group of youngsters who would challenge the first group for dominance last year," says Coach Sullivan. "The group that is here now has a very clear mission and a very clear motive, to prove that they are 'players,' and it was as much their team last year as anybody's."

UMBC's backcourt should be able to match any team in the NEC. Senior Justin Wilson was the top guard in the league in field goal percentage (57 percent) last season, and junior Kareem Washington (10 points per game) was the de-facto Most Improved Player in the NEC. Sophomore Rob Gogerty was named to the NEC All Rookie Team last season, as he averaged less than one turnover per game in 29 starting assignments. Up front, senior Andre Williams, junior Eugene Young and sophomore Andrew Feeley give UMBC its best combination of true post players in Sullivan's eight years at UMBC. Some talented newcomers, led by forward John Zito, should give the Retrievers some immediate help.

"The youngsters here feel they were major contributors," says Sullivan. "They are trying to prove that they are good. They have a great opportunity that doesn't always come along. Now they have the stage to show everyone. Now we'll see how they write the script.

"Our goal is to win a championship. The gauntlet has been thrown down by others who feel we can't," he adds.

Stern: "There is enough talent here to win games"

The future of UMBC women's basketball is truly bright. An injection of enthusiasm by new head coach Phil Stern seems to have rubbed off on his new players, and they are beginning to buy into his "We are Family" philosophy.

"I am extremely pleased with the way things have gone so far," Stern says. "I can sense that the team just wants to win and everybody seems to be on the same page. I am looking forward to working with them in practice everyday."

Several strong seniors should help Stern get off to a good start. Guard Jessie Brown is a two-time All NEC selection and wing player Shalayna Johnson is primed to make her final season her best in the black and gold. Post players Millette Green and Tiffany Coll should provide additional scoring punch and add toughness to the interior.

"I like how our schedule sets up," says Stern. "If we can do well against our non-league opponents, I see no reason why we can't be successful against the Northeast Conference. I believe that there is enough talent here to win games. Our first goal is to qualify for the Northeast Conference Tournament. If we can get in, anything can happen."

"UMBC fans should expect to see student athletes that they can be proud of on and off the court," adds Stern. "Our home games will become a happening for UMBC students and a great place to bring the whole family. They should also expect to see us challenging for championships each and every season."

PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES AS OF 11/4/02

If you do not see your name here, it was not listed on the current New Hire Roster, but should appear on the next report, depending on your date of hire. Check future issues of Insights.

Admissions
Susan Hannum, Admissions Counselor
Lesley Stein, Admissions Counselor
Sheryl Ogburn, Office Supervisor I
Christopher McBeth, Admissions Counselor

Athletics
Eboni Coffey, Specialist
Jeffrey Estis, Assistant Coach

Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jamil Saad, Research Associate

Communications Services
Gloria Bagwell, Office Assistant

Computer Science/Electrical Engineering
Kirk Nuss, Program Management Specialist I

Education
Mary Coppolino, Coordinator
Sutton Stokes, Research Assistant

Financial Services
Dece Tuengel, Manager
Diane Penn, Accountant
Bobbie Peach, Executive Administrative Assistant I
Crystal Coates, Office Clerk I

Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology (GEST)
Peter Colarco, Visiting Research Associate
James Coakley, Visiting Senior Research Scientist
Daniel Laughlin, Visiting Research Associate
Dan Lubin, Visiting Senior Research Scientist

Human Resources
David Jordan, Assistant Director

Institutional Research
Virginia Conner-Ransom, Office Assistant

Library
Margaret Randle, Library Tech II

Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR)
Carol Hilton, Research Assistant
Jennifer Trower, Administrative Assistant
Rebecca McCoy, Program Coordinator
Catherine Decker, Specialist
Marion Odubiyi, Health Educator

Music
Daphne Benichou, Instructor

Physical Plant
Frank Grimm, Electrician
Terrance Mann, Groundskeeper
Louis Mueller, Groundskeeper
Kevin Blades, HVAC Mechanic I

Physics
Dirk Petry, Associate Research Scientist

Registrar's Office
Pamela Lauer, Evaluator

Shriver Center
Esther Liu, Manager
Laura Dean, Manager
Michelle Gardner, Manager
Meredith Jossi, Manager
Deborah Poulos, Manager
Melissa Mahabir, Manager
Hope Whye, Coordinator
Alyssa Brown, Manager

Sociology/Anthropology
Ellen Eckert, Specialist
Paula Carder, Senior Research Assistant

University Health Services
Jennifer Jessell, Assistant Director

Brian Rowland is a man who wears many hats -- student, soccer goalkeeper/captain, and now he has added one more to his collection: record breaker. During UMBC's October 26 homecoming game against New Jersey's Monmouth University, Rowland earned his 23rd career shutout, breaking a school record for total career shutouts and his personal record of total shutouts in a season. His skills on the field also helped to guarantee UMBC's spot at the upcoming Northeast Conference championships.

Rowland hails from Toronto, Canada, and came across the border to UMBC on an athletic scholarship. He did not take the traditional route from high school to college. Finishing high school one year early, Rowland traveled to England, honing his soccer skills and trying to be one of the lucky few that get a professional contract the first time around.

After his sojourn in England, Rowland returned home and decided to go to school. After seeing the tenuousity of the soccer athlete's career, Rowland knew that he would need something to fall back on one day. With this in mind, he took UMBC up on its offer. "I decided to come here and get an education for free," he says.

Now a senior majoring in economics, Rowland is on the cusp of many major decisions, one of which is what to do after graduation. Right now his plans are up in the air. He is interested in staying in this area because of the proximity to his family. "It would be nice to be here because it's closer to home," he states, but Rowland is not averse to going overseas to Europe or England again.

This past summer Rowland took part in a summer league that focused on professional development. Made up primarily of college players like himself, Rowland grasped this welcome opportunity to sharpen his already well-defined skills. Despite a minor muscle pull, UMBC's star goalie was in top form at the start of the season.

Rowland understands the difficulty that the future may hold for him. Not that he has any doubt in his skills, but he knows how hard it is to be a new addition to a team, being the one that has to prove himself to more seasoned players. "It's hard at times to be always be the new person," Rowland reflects, continuing, "I had thought about roaming around next year, but I've done that before in Canada and when I went to England."

Looking at the team he will be leaving behind, Rowland feels, "There's definitely a good team there. It's a very young team and they have a lot of good players." As for the upcoming NEC championships, Rowland bluntly states, "I think we're going to win it. If you're going to play, you might as well be first."

Insights Update: Men's Soccer recently tied Long Island University for the NEC title. Read more here.

- Jennifer Leigh Gibson

The Albin O.Kuhn Library Gallery presents "Typographically Speaking: The Art ofMatthew Carter" through December 6. Organized by the Library Gallery with guest curator Margaret Re, assistant professor of visual arts, the exhibition will examine the significant contributions of Matthew Carter to the field of visualcommunications.

Carter is one of the pre-eminent type designers of the 20th century and a historian of printing. His career has encompassed the typographical revolution that evolved from working with the Enschedé printing house, where he learned how to cut metal type, to Carter & Cone, one of the first independent digital typefoundries. Typefaces to his credit include ITC Galliard, ranked as one of the most significant design contributions of the twentieth-century and Verdana, likely to be ranked as one of the most significant design contributions of the twenty-first century.

Typographically Speaking has received major funding from the NationalEndowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by an artsprogram grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Baltimore CountyCommission on Arts and Sciences, AIGA Baltimore, the Friends of the Library& Gallery, and Carol Twombly. At UMBC, support has been provided theDepartment of Visual Arts, the Graduate School, Special Sessions PolicyCommittee, and the Humanities Forum.

The exhibition has been designed to serve as both an introduction toCarter's work and to the breadth and range of his typefaces, as well as avisual document of how his typographic innovations have influenced the stateof visual communications. The core of the exhibition presents Carter's work with type panels selected from his own archive. Twenty-eight panels document the wide range of Carter's typefaces, some well-known and familiar, such as Bell Centennial, ITC Galliard, ITC Charter, Mantinia, and Miller, and others less so, such as Airport, National Geographic Caption, Elephant, and Olympian.

For more information about the exhibition, contact the Gallery at x52270, orvisit either the online arts calendar or the online press release.

Ethics. Honor. Integrity. One can hardly pick up a newspaper or a magazine today without seeing one of these words in the headlines. Unfortunately the terms are now most often associated with a breach of ethics, an abandonment of honor and a lack of integrity.

Defined by Webster as "adherence to a code of values," integrity is the buzz-word of the day as we look for leaders and colleagues who demonstrate integrity not only in their words but in their actions as well.

Academic Misconduct on Campus
The issue of academic integrity has been around perhaps as long as the schoolhouse, but is somewhat difficult to define - cheating to one person may be group work to another. To help sharpen the definition of academic misconduct the UMBC Student Academic Conduct Policy, approved by the Faculty Senate March 10, 1998 defines academic misconduct in the following ways:

Cheating: knowingly using or attempting to use unauthorized material, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.

Fabrication: Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism: Knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise, including works of art and computer-generated information/images.

The Honor Code
As part of his research on academic integrity, Rutgers business professor and founder of the Center for Academic Integrity Donald McCabe surveyed 2,100 students on 21 U.S. campuses in 1999 and found that about one-third of the students admitted to serious test cheating and half admitted to one or more instances of serious cheating on written assignments.

On the positive side, McCabe also found that academic honor codes significantly reduce levels of cheating on campuses. He found that serious test cheating on campuses with honor codes is typically one-third to one-half lower than the level on campuses that do not have honor codes. The level of serious cheating on written assignments is one-quarter to one-third lower.

The first recommendation in UMBC's Honors University Task Force report (May, 2000) was to "Develop an environment of academic integrity at UMBC involving administrators, faculty and students. The task force recommends establishing an honor code, but is aware that the scope and implementation of such a code requires careful consideration."

Based on this recommendation, an academic integrity steering committee and three subcommittees - communications, assessment and IT - were formed in November 2001 and charged with finding ways to enhance academic honor and foster a culture of academic integrity at UMBC. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Diane Lee and Assistant to the Provost Beth Pennington guided the committees through the process and worked together to compile the final reports, submitted to the Provost in the Spring of 2002 and accepted in August 2002.

A Value that Endures
The fruits of the committees' labors are already evident on campus in a variety of ways. The communications subcommittee's work is perhaps the most immediately evident, as they came up with the slogan, "Integrity: A Value that Endures," now being used on the academic integrity Web site and printed materials.

As one of the more than two hundred U.S. member universities, UMBC has access to information and resources via the Center for Academic Integrity. The assessment subcommittee used surveys, sample letters of informed consent, and even consulted directly with McCabe on how to best implement such an initiative on campus. Surveys will be distributed to faculty and teacher assistants across campus in the spring of 2003, enabling the committee to gather information over the summer.

The information technology (IT) subcommittee had three related but divergent issues to address - how technology can be used to prevent or detect academic misconduct, how technology can be used to enable misconduct and how technology can be used to promote compliance with the policy. The committee's most immediately evident product is the academic integrity Web site, www.umbc.edu/provost/integrity/ .Turnitin.com, a Web site to help faculty detect plagiarism, is now available through the Faculty Development Center.

For more information:

Center for Academic Integrity
http://academicintegrity.org/

Integrity Web Site
http://www.umbc.edu/provost/integrity/

Faculty Development Center
http://www.umbc.edu/fdc