Warren I. Cohen, distinguished university professor of history at UMBC, has been awarded one of the top honors given to American historians--the Norman and Laura Graebner Prize of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Cohen is the ninth person to ever win the award.

Given every two years, the Graebner Prize is a career achievement honor that recognizes a senior historian of U.S. foreign relations who has made significant contributions to the field through excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The award was established by the former students of Norman A. Graebner, professor of diplomatic history at the University of Illinois and the University of Virginia, to honor Graebner and his wife Laura for their years of devotion to teaching and research.

Cohen is one of the world's leading experts on the history of American-East Asian relations. He has been a pioneer in the study of U.S.-Chinese relations as a bilateral phenomenon, examining closely the Chinese side of the relationship. He has also been a keen observer and, at times, harsh critic of evolving American policy on the Korean Peninsula.

A prolific writer, Cohen is author or editor of some 17 books, including the recently published fourth edition (revised) of his book, America's Response to China, which continues to be a standard text on the history of Chinese-American relations, used by officials of the U.S. and Chinese governments, as well as by students and scholars of both countries.

He was general editor of the authoritative Cambridge History of American Foreign Policy, and author of the concluding book in the series, America in the Age of Soviet Power, 1945-1991.

Most recently, the Harvard University Press published his book, The Asian American Century, which has already been published in Japanese and Italian versions. In addition to his scholarly publications, Cohen writes for the Atlantic Monthly, Times Literary Supplement, and the Nation, as well as many of the nation's leading newspapers.

"Professor Cohen is quite accurately described by his peers as a towering figure among historians of American foreign relations," says John Jeffries, professor and chair of history at UMBC. "The recipient of numerous prizes and awards, he is one of the most distinguished and accomplished historians in the United States, and he is a superb teacher as well. We are delighted to have a scholar of his stature on our faculty."

Cohen came to UMBC in 1993 as distinguished university professor of history. He was named a presidential research professor at UMBC for 2001 through 2004.

In 1994, he was appointed the first scholar-in-residence at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center at the U.S. State Department. Shortly thereafter he served a term as director and is now senior scholar in the Asia Program at the Smithsonian's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Cohen holds a BA from Columbia University, a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

UMBC awarded degrees to 2,226 undergraduates and nearly 200 graduate students from the Class of 2004 during the University's 42nd commencement ceremonies on May 19 and May 20.

The UMBC Class of 2004 includes students headed to prestigious graduate programs at universities including Princeton, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, UNC-Chapel Hill, William & Mary, Rice and Columbia. Graduates have secured jobs across a wide spectrum of corporations, nonprofits and government agencies, including IBM, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, ABC News, Titan Systems and SAIC.

Anthony Hoffman, who maintained a 4.0 GPA while earning a B.S. in physics with a minor in mathematics, is UMBC's 2004 valedictorian. He will begin Princeton University's Ph.D. program in electrical engineering this fall on a Princeton Graduate School Endowed Fellowship.

Hoffman says he chose to attend UMBC because of opportunities to conduct research in the new Physics building's facilities. Another strong draw was the dedication of UMBC's faculty. "The professors here seemed the most welcoming," Hoffman says. "They aren't just teachers; they reach out to mentor students."

Also graduating was former University System of Maryland student regent Phil Shockley, a double major in political science and information systems. Shockley, who served as UMBC Student Government Association president during the 2002-03 academic year, was just the second student in UMBC history to be named to the Board of Regents, and holds the distinction of being the only student regent to never miss a meeting. While serving on the Board, Shockley became known as a consistent voice for students during state budget cuts to higher education and resulting tuition increases.

The Graduate School Commencement speaker was Dr. William A. Haseltine, chairman and chief executive officer of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGSI). Haseltine, who founded HGSI in 1992, is a former professor at Harvard's schools of medicine and public health. He has received numerous honors and awards for his cancer and AIDS research and work in the field of regenerative medicine and is active on many corporate boards and civic organizations. Haseltine received a doctorate of science at the Graduate School ceremony.

At the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony, Ursula M. Burns, president of Business Group Operations and corporate senior vice president at Xerox Corporation, delivered the keynote address to the Class of 2004. President Freeman A. Hrabowski presented Burns with her first honorary degree, a doctorate of engineering. Burns' career highlights include being named to Fortune magazine's 2002 list of "Most Powerful Black Executives;" Time magazine/CNN's annual list of "Global Business Influentials;" and U.S. Black Engineering & Information Technology magazine's 2004 list of the "50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology."

Sheila Cotten, Sociology and Anthropology, Receives Award from GSA
The Graduate Student Association has awarded assistant professor of sociology Shelia Cotten the 2003 UMBC Recognition for Graduate Research and Educational Advisor or Teacher Award (UR GREAT Award). The award, presented at the GSA's last Senate meeting of the year, was established to honor those who strive to aid graduate students in their academic and professional pursuits during their time at UMBC. Cotten received a plaque, $500 towards educational or research expenses and a gift certificate for dinner.

M. Appa Anjanappa, Mechanical Engineering, Receives Patent
Congratulations to Professor of Mechanical Engineering M. Appa Anjanappa for his patent entitled "Precision Fluid Dispensing System," patent number US 6,739,478, issued on May 25. This invention relates to a two-piece pump and a precision closed loop controller drive system to address the small volume precision dispensing requirements of the Bioscience market. The patent can be viewed it its entirety on the US Patent and Trademark Office's Web site. If you would like more information about patents, copyrights, trademarks or start-up companies, please visit the Office of Technology Development in ECS329, or call us on extension 5-1414.

John Jeffries, History, Named Distinguished Lecturer
John Jeffries, professor and chair of history, has been named a Distinguished Lecturer for 2004-07 by the Organization of American Historians. The OAH Distinguished Lectureship Program is designed to enable institutions and organizations to identify and invite as speakers historians "who have made major contributions to the many fields of American history."

Jon Gossard, Baseball, Chosen for America East All-Rookie Team
UMBC baseball freshman Jon Gossard was selected to the America East Conference All-Rookie team on Wednesday afternoon. Gossard was one of two rookie catchers selected for the team. Gossard finished his first season with a .288 batting average, fourth best on the team. He played in the most games on the season for the Retrievers starting 48 and playing in 50 of the team's 52 possible games played. Gossard recorded 49 hits on the year, seven doubles, a triple and one homerun. He finished the year with 24 RBI and 14 runs scored. The All-Rookie Team is selected by the conference's head coaches and is chosen regardless of position.

In the News, 5/28/04

Lou Cantori, Political Science, in The Sun
Professor of Political Science Lou Cantori was quoted extensively in an article by Michael Hill that appeared in The Sun on May 23. The article discusses the differences between American and Arab cultures that complicate communication between U.S. officials and civilians in Iraq.

Don Norris, Public Policy and MIPAR, in The Sun
Professor of Public Policy and Director of MIPAR Don Norris was quoted in an article that appeared in The Sun on May 24 discussing the new addition of wireless access to the Baltimore Circuit Courthouse.

Thomas Blass, Psychology, in WebMD Medical News
Thomas Blass, professor of psychology, was featured in a story that appeared in WebMD's Medical News on May 24. Blass is the author of a recent biography of psychologist Stanley Milgram, whose 1960s experiments on obedience to authority offer insight into the aspects of human psychology that contributed to the prisoner abuse scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

2004 Graduate Tavon Cooke Featured in Letter to the Editor in The Sun
A letter to the editor in response to The Sun's recent story on 2004 graduate Tavon Cooke appeared on May 25.

President Hrabowski in Washingtonian Magazine
President Hrabowski was featured in an article, "Who Can Fix the Schools?," that appeared in the June 2004 Washingtonian. He was ranked third out of a list of seven people who would be ideal candidates to head the District of Columbia Public School System. Others included on the list were Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, and former President Bill Clinton. The article is not available online.

Stephen Holden, Information Systems, in the Federal Times
Assistant Professor of Information Systems Stephen Holden co-authored an op-ed piece that appeared May 24 in the Federal Times. The piece discusses what other government agencies can learn from the success of the IRS's electronic tax filing service.

Theatre Alumni in The Sun
Gbenga Idowu and Benjamin Pohlmeier, theatre alumni, were featured in a story that appeared in The Sun on May 26. The story discusses their role in Medal of Honor Rag, a play about a troubled Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor winner that will be presented this weekend by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 451.

Claudia Morrell, CWIT, on Maryland Public Television
Claudia Morrell, director of the Center for Women and Information Technology, appeared with Donna Stevenson, CEO of Early Morning Software, on MPT's Business Connection on May 27. The topic for the show was "Closing the IT Gender Gap."

New techcenter@UMBC Tenant in the Daily Record
New techcenter@UMBC tenant, TechGuard Security, LLC, was featured in a story that appeared in the Daily Record on May 27. The article is available online only to subscribers.

2004 Graduates Featured in the Arbutus Times
2004 graduates Greg Small and Phil Shockley were featured in a story that appeared in the Arbutus Times on May 26.

The Department of Human Resources has announced UMBC's first Employee ofthe Quarter award recipients.

Nafi Shahegh, an administrative assistant II for the Departments of Philosophy and Ancient Studies, is the nonexempt Employee of the Quarter. She has 12 years of service at UMBC, beginning as a contractual employee with the education department. Since then, Shahegh has also worked for the history and physics departments before coming to philosophy in May 2000. Last summer, she was assigned to handle the administrative affairs for both the philosophy and ancient studies departments.

Shahegh acknowledges that it was a significant challenge to take on the administrative responsibilities for two departments, but, according to those who work with her, she has managed the added workload with competence and grace. Says Terry Aylsworth, executive administrative assistant in the College of Arts and Sciences, "Nafi is a dedicated UMBC employee. She has taken on two departments without complaint and has managed them beautifully, asking for nothing in return. She has taken a difficult situation and managed to make everyone extremely happy."

Despite these kind words, Shahegh never expected to be honored for her work. "I was very surprised when I was informed about the award," she says. "I am very proud to be one of the first to be given the new Employee of the Quarter award and it feels good that my colleagues recognize the effort I put into my work."

Gary Rupert, the senior major gifts officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement, is the exempt Employee of the Quarter.

Rupert came to UMBC as the associate director of athletics and has been working in Institutional Advancement for nearly 15 years. Under his leadership, both the alumni and faculty/staff fundraising campaigns have exceeded their goals, with the last faculty/staff campaign raising over $1 million.

David Moore, a former colleague from the Office of Institutional Advancement, says, "Because people know Gary cares, they feel comfortable talking with him about philanthropic support. People also know that Gary is not just there for their money. He builds relationships with people across the campus in all capacities. He knows that faculty and staff contribute in many ways beyond their dollar-they give of their time, their talent and, like Gary, they give of their heart."

"It's always nice to be recognized by one's peers," says Rupert, reflecting on this honor. "But it's even nicer to be rewarded for something you love doing. I believe in UMBC, which makes it very easy to do my job well."

Each recipient will receive a check for $500, a personalized parking space, one day of administrative leave, a certificate, his/her name on the Employee of the Quarter plaque and an invitation to the annual luncheon for all the recipients.

Human Resources offers special thanks to everyone that nominated an employee for the award and encourages members of the campus community to nominate employees deserving of the award. Nominations received during the first quarter are eligible for consideration throughout 2004. The next Employee of the Quarter award will be given in August. Nomination forms and additional information may be found on the Human Resources Web site: www.umbc.edu/hr/EOQ.html.

As news coverage of the abuse and torture of Iraqi POWs at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison continues, many Americans are trying to fathom what made the accused U.S. soldiers behave so inhumanely towards other human beings.More puzzling still is the question of why some soldiers blew the whistle while others carried out violations of the Geneva Conventions so routinely that souvenir snapshots were taken.

There are many historical precedents of soldiers "just following orders" and comparisons to My Lai and the Holocaust have already been made in the mass media, but perhaps the most troubling questions about Abu Ghraib are the underlying ones about human nature and authority.

Thomas Blass, UMBC professor of psychology, thinks many of the answers lie in his research and writing about the work of Dr. Stanley Milgram, one of the most controversial psychologists in modern history, known for his experiments on obedience to authority.

"We should all be shocked by the sheer humiliating, degrading aspect of it," Blass said in a recent Houston Chronicle interview about the abuse at Abu Ghraib, "But...I'm not that surprised, given what we know about the power of an authority whom a person accepts as legitimate enough to dictate my behavior."

Milgram is best known for his "Obedience Experiments" carried out at Yale University in the 1960's. These experiments showed how 65 percent of test subjects repeatedly gave seemingly real and painful electrical shocks to another subject (actually an actor) just because a scientific authority figure running the experiment commanded them to.

Blass, a social psychologist and Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor, has studied Milgram for 15 years and authored over 20 publications and an equal number of academic papers on Milgram's life and work, including a recent article for Psychology Today.

Blass recently completed The Man Who Shocked the World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram (Basic Books, 2004), which Library Journal called "among the best biographies of psychologists...highly recommended." He also runs the website www.stanleymilgram.com, devoted to preserving Milgram's legacy and connecting his research to current events.

In 1965, Milgram, who is also famous for originating the "small world" or "Six Degrees of Separation" method, summed up his infamous obedience experiments with an observation that still echoes through today's headlines:

"A substantial proportion of people do what they are told to do, irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority," Milgram said.

For more information on Blass, his book and Stanley Milgram, please visit www.stanleymilgram.com.

UMBC's Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents "We Shall Overcome: Photographs from the American Civil Rights Era," on display through June 6.

During America's civil rights era, the fight for equal rights took many forms, including boycotts, sit-ins and marches. Photographers contributed to the movement by relaying the struggle to every corner of the nation. "We Shall Overcome," comprised of 80 black and white photographs, explores the role of several prominent American photographers in documenting the era from 1954 to 1968.

The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES), and curated by Robert Phelan, an art historian, museum curator, and former director of CREED Photos (a database project for civil rights). Following its showing at the Kuhn Library Gallery, the exhibition will continue to tour through 2004. Works are by some of America's most thoughtful and gifted photographers, including for LIFE magazine photographers Gordon Parks and Charles Moore; Magnum photographers Bob Adelman and Leonard Freed; then-staff photographer for the Nation of Islam, Robert Sengstacke; and Black Star photographers Matt Heron and Bob Fitch. Drawn from the personal collections of the artists, these works bring the viewer into the presence of the people and events of the American civil rights movement of the 1960s. The images reflect both the power and beauty of the photographic medium when used as a tool for social change.

The striking photographs in the exhibition are juxtaposed with the words of James Baldwin, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other movement participants. These quotations provide viewers with an opportunity to examine the civil rights movement through the experiences of those directly involved with the struggle.

Photographers in "We Shall Overcome" captured various aspects of the civil rights movement. Leonard Freed's images represent his perceptions of racial conflict in America at the time of his return to the United States after several years abroad. Bob Adelman's photographs document voter registration activities in the Deep South. Matt Heron's pictures consider direct action by the young in the movement. Bob Fitch's work chronicles grassroots organizing, primarily in association with the efforts of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Charles Moore's images reveal incidents of extreme violence. Robert Sengstacke's images of the separatist response of the Nation of Islam sharply contrast with his photographs of other civil rights activists. Gordon Park's works are drawn from an assignment by LIFE magazine during 1963 when Parks was traveling with Malcolm X. The exhibition ends with a selection of photographs of Martin Luther King taken by each of the photographers.

For more information, call 410-455-2270 or visit www.umbc.edu/arts.