The UMBC men's swimming and diving team capped a perfect season by claiming the America East title with a score of 920 points, while the Retriever women took third place with a mark of 502. Binghamton was the runner-up on the men's side (611), followed by Stony Brook (570). In a tight race on the women's side, New Hampshire (754) ended Northeastern's (737) five-year reign, as the Wildcats' 400 freestyle relay team edged the Huskies by 0.81 seconds in the final event of the weekend to take the conference title.

The depth of the UMBC men's team helped the Retrievers to 18 individual medals on the day. In today's finals, they were led by sophomore Ryan Karrer, who won the 1,650 freestyle, senior Jakub Sroczynski, who won gold in the 200 backstroke, and junior Geza Szabo, who finished first in the 200 butterfly.

Karrer was followed by sophomores Evan Swann and Cliff Schmardel in the mile, as Swann and Schmardel took second and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Sroczynski led Nebojsa Zimonjic and Brian Jaeggi in the 200 back, as Zimonjic finished fourth, and Jaeggi, fifth. Szabo also had fellow Retrievers with him on the podium as freshmen Eric Skrabacz and Zack Hurd were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 200 fly.

Other individual winners included junior Adam Blais, who was fifth in the 100 free at 47.39, freshman Karn Yisomruay, senior Aaron Schenker, and junior Ian Carey, who finished second, third, and fifth in the 200 breaststroke. In addition, sophomore Jeff Salgado was second in the 3-meter diving competition and freshman teammate Tim Ward was fourth.

On the women's side, freshman Rachel Lesslie claimed gold in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 17:16.10, and classmate Katrina Hubbard was third with 17:53.84. In addition, senior Lindsey Prather and sophomore Agnes Stanislawska finished second and third, respectively, in the 200 breaststroke, while junior Amber Harris was fourth in 200 backstroke with a time of 2:05.64. Senior Jessica Prosen also gained points for UMBC with a fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:09.48.

UMBC's Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents "Suburban Journals: The Sketchbooks, Drawings and Prints of Charles Ritchie," on display from January 31 through March 26.

Since 1978, contemporary Maryland artist Charles Ritchie has filled intimate journals with written notations and watercolor studies exploring subjects drawn primarily from his suburban home. Dating from 1983 to the present, the sketchbooks, drawings and prints in the exhibition trace Ritchie's creations from journal conceptions as watercolor and pen and ink studies, through independent sheets in various drawing media, to a range of possibilities as prints.

Over 50 works are arranged into three thematic sections: still lifes, landscapes and self-portraits.

In a recent review in the magazine Art on Paper, writer and critic Faye Hirsch observed, "Ritchie's very ordinary suburban house and yard are becoming, in the hands of this artist, a subject as loaded with expressive potential as the most sublime landscape.?

"Suburban Journals" highlights the process by which the artist translates moments of inspiration into abstracted accumulations of events and experiences from everyday life. For example, the earliest image in the exhibition is a journal study for Rocking Chair in black watercolor from 1983. This was the basis for a drawing of the same year done in watercolor, graphite and pen and ink.

When Rocking Chair was translated into a mezzotint print 13 years later, the artist eliminated almost all detail to accentuate spare, luminous elements isolated against an inky background.

Working primarily in black and white, Ritchie places emphasis on dark and light contrasts. Shadows engulf his compositions, obscuring details and evoking a sense of subtle drama. Ritchie said, "The pictures begin with the scene but aim to move deeper. Over years of scrutiny, my subjects have accrued greater meaning and mystery for me.?

In each of the small-scale works, Ritchie invites the viewer to participate in an intimate scene from his environment, and in this exhibition to understand the process from which it results.

Ritchie received his B.F.A. from the University of Georgia, Athens, in 1977, and his M.F.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh in 1980. His awards include the Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2004, 2002 and 1998; the MacDowell Colony Fellowship in 1999; and the Individual Artist Fellowship from the Arts Council of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Ritchie's artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions, and his work is in many public collections including the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio; Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Art Museums; and the University of Richmond Museums.

Gallery hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 12 p.m.-4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 12 p.m.- 8 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 410-455-2270.

Scott Bass, Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Research and Planning, Serves As Moderator for White House Conference on Aging
Scott Bass, dean of the graduate school and vice provost for research and planning, was chosen to serve as moderator for the first hearing of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, held in Winter Park, Florida. The theme of the conference, "Engaging Older Adults in Society,? was focused on ways of increasing elderly residents' involvement in civic activities. Information from this and other forums will be submitted to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging Policy Committee.

Phoenix Performs at the BMA
In collaboration with Dance Baltimore, the Phoenix Dance Company, the modern dance company in residence at UMBC, performs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The program will feature Common Axis III, a multimedia work for eight dancers by Carol Hess and Doug Hamby, featuring video by Timothy Nohe and sound performed live by Joe Reinsel.

7 p.m., Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore. Admission is free. For more information, call 410-396-6314.

Three Retrievers Chosen in Major Indoor Soccer League Draft
Forward Derek McElligott, UMBC's Division I leader in goals (47) and total points (106), was selected in the first round of the 2005 Major Indoor Soccer League College draft by the Baltimore Blast. Retriever teammates Danny Mongello, a 2004 All Conference midfielder, and defender Mike Pennacchia, were drafted by the rival Cleveland Force in the second and fourth rounds respectively.

Students Receive National Residence Hall and Resident Student Association Awards
The National Residence Hall Honorary and the Resident Student Association recognized two UMBC students for December 2004. Tiffany Harris, a student in Patapsco Hall, was recognized nationally as "Student of the Month.? Nathan Howell, a student in Erickson Hall, was recognized nationally as "Executive Board Member of the Month.? Both Nathan and Tiffany were awarded OTM's at the regional level (CAACURH) and were nominated for national recognition to the National Association of College and University Residence Halls.

Shlomo Carmi, Engineering and Information Technology, Moderates STEMEd Caucus
Shlomo Carmi, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, moderated an assembly meeting at a new member luncheon for the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Education Caucus. The STEM Education Caucus works to improve all areas of STEM education, to raise Congressional and public awareness of issues and legislation affecting STEM education, and to provide resources on those issues.

Junior Grant Huang Awarded Reese Cleghorn Internship
Grant Huang, a junior in political science, was awarded a Reese Cleghorn internship from the Maryland/Delaware/D.C. Press Association for the summer of 2005. Huang will spend his internship at the Baltimore Sun. In addition to writing for The Retriever Weekly, Huang has had internships at the Baltimore Sun and with the Patuxent Publishing Company, which operates a chain of weekly newspapers in the greater Baltimore area.

UMBC Athletics Fall 2004 Highlights
UMBC's student-athletes broke three school records in the classroom for the Fall 2004 semester.

The combined athletic team grade point average was 2.94, eclipsing the 2.92 mark recorded in the spring of 2004. The combined overall team (to include the support teams of student trainers, pep band, dance team and tumbling team) was at 2.95, just above the 2.94 mark, also set last spring. In addition, 228 students achieved 3.0 grade-point averages or higher (52% of population), besting the 208 that exceeded that plateau last spring.

In addition, 58 UMBC fall student-athletes earned 2004 America East Conference honor roll accolades (3.0 gpa or higher) and 25 were named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.50 gpa or higher)

Other highlights included:

*26 students earned a 4.00 semester GPA

*101 students (23%) earned a 3.50 or higher GPA

*9 athletic and support teams earned 3.0 or higher semester GPA's

*Keith Puryear's women's tennis team took the GPA title with a team GPA of 3.24. Just behind were women's basketball and field hockey (tied at 3.23), women's swimming & diving (3.19), men's tennis (3.18), and volleyball (3.14).

JoAnn Crandall, Education, to Serve on MD Adult Education Panel
JoAnn Crandall, professor of education, will serve as one of the education experts on a panel to study adult education in Maryland. The 10-member panel of business, community and education leaders was formed by State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick and will examine the critical issues of resources and program effectiveness. The findings will be presented to the Maryland State Board of Education in April 2005; a subsequent report will be given to the Maryland General Assembly.

The Shriver Center's Choice Program Commended by Parents
In Parents' Voices: Don't Treat Us Like We Did the Crime, a focus group report released by the Maryland Juvenile Justice Coalition (MJJC), parent advocates gave praise to the Shriver Center's Choice program peer counselors, who have helped their children overcome social and emotional obstacles. The Choice Program, founded in 1988, provides intensive intervention, supervision and advocacy to youth involved in the juvenile justice system or at risk of dropping out of school.

Poetry Manuscript by Piotr Gwiazda, English, Wins 2005 Washington Writers' Publishing House Competition
Assistant Professor of English Piotr Gwiazda's poetry manuscript, Gargarin Street, was chosen by a panel of poets as the winner of the 2005 Washington Writers' Publishing House poetry competition. Thebook will be published in September 2005.

The Washington Writers' Publishing House is a non-profit organization that haspublished over 50 volumes of poetry since 1973.

-Steffany Magid

The Department of Human Resources has announced the latest Employee of the Quarter recipients: Barbara Thomas and Brian Souders.

Barbara Thomas, financial transaction supervisor for Financial Services, is the Nonexempt Employee of the Quarter. Barbara has worked at UMBC for the past 14 years. Her roles include travel coordinator and petty cashier. Barbara was instrumental in implementing the campus e-Travel process and converting the campus travel reimbursement process to PeopleSoft.

Director of Financial Services Jim Citro said, "Barbara has always looked for a better or more efficient way to perform all of her duties throughout the years at UMBC. If you would ask any administrative support staff members on campus, you would be hard pressed to find one Barbara has not gone the extra mile to assist at one time or another."

Assistant Manager, Business Services Linda Miller agreed, "Barbara always goes above and beyond the call of her duties to help the campus community with all travel and petty cash inquiries. Her customer service commitment to the UMBC campus community is exemplary."

Barbara received her award at a presentation ceremony held on January 7.

Brian Souders, the Exempt Employee of the Quarter, was hired as UMBC's first study abroad coordinator and has made outstanding progress in increasing participation in the program over the past four years. He is the Exempt Employee of the Quarter.

Director or International Education Services Arlene Wergin said, "I have received many positive comments from parents and students alike about the degree of help and professional insight which Brian has provided. He counsels students about going abroad and sometimes spends time comforting anxious parents and providing them with information and guidance. Brian keeps up with all Department of State advisories and is in constant communication with our students who are currently abroad.

"Brian also demonstrates outstanding effort outside of his work environment: he runs marathons to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, he is a Ph.D. student in UMBC's Language Literacy and Culture program and he has traveled extensively and speaks nine languages. He was elected to UMBC's Professional Staff Senate. Brian is a great asset to UMBC and contributes greatly to its mission as an honors university.?

Brian received his award on February 2.

Employee of the Quarter recipients 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. Previous nominations received will be eligible for consideration for one year from the date received. The next Employee of the Quarter recipients will be selected in March.

Learn how to nominate an employee that you feel is deserving of this award for the next quarter.

-Kim Harris