May 30, 2007

To: The UMBC Community

Fr: John W. Jeffries, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Re: Carlo C. DiClemente Named First Lipitz Professor of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

I am pleased to announce that Carlo C. DiClemente, Professor of Psychology, has been named the first Lipitz Professor of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. This professorship is supported by an endowment created by Roger C. Lipitz and the Lipitz Family Foundation “to recognize and support innovative and distinguished teaching and research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.” Professor DiClemente will hold this position in Academic Year 2007-08.

It is particularly fitting that Professor DiClemente will serve as the first Lipitz Professor. He is a world-renowned scholar of addictive behavior, with more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and other scholarly outlets and with millions of dollars in funded research. His research is distinguished not only for its scholarly rigor and significance but also for its practical applications to the field of substance abuse and health behavior change. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has been honored by numerous other organizations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Vanguard Foundation and the Maryland Psychological Association. In 2006, he won the Community Partner Award from Healthcare for the Homeless and the John P. McGovern Award from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He has served as consultant and reviewer for a wide array of organizations and has been an invited lecturer to numerous professional and public organizations in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In addition to his scholarly eminence, he is an excellent teacher and mentor, served with distinction as chair of the Department of Psychology from 1995 to 2006, and has taken on an important variety of service activities for the department, the University and the profession.

Professor DiClemente has recently established the Psychology Community Collaborative project at UMBC, funded by the AIDS Administration. He will focus his efforts next year on developing an instrument to assess the functioning of HIV-positive individuals. He will report on his research next spring, when he delivers the first annual Lipitz Lecture.

I know that everyone will join me in congratulating Professor DiClemente on his extraordinary record of accomplishment and on being named the first Lipitz Professor of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

May 31, 2007

To: The UMBC Community

Fr: Arthur T. Johnson, Provost
John W. Jeffries, Dean, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Re: UMBC's Center for the Humanities

We are pleased to announce important changes involving the UMBC Center for the Humanities. Thanks to a generous gift from the Dresher Foundation, the Center will now be known as the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities. The Dresher Center for the Humanities will have an expanded mission to support and enhance research in the humanities while continuing to manage the existing Humanities Scholars Program and Humanities Forum lecture series. This larger mission for the Center is a priority of the University administration and of the current Capital Campaign.

Professor Rebecca Boehling will be Director of the Dresher Center for the Humanities, and Professor Michele Osherow will be Associate Director. We are fortunate to have such well-qualified leaders for the Dresher Center and its programs. An Associate Professor of History who received her B.A. from Duke University and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professor Boehling is a scholar of 20th -century German history. She is author of A Question of Priorities: Democratic Reform and Economic Recovery in Postwar Germany as well as of numerous articles and essays, and she has two book manuscripts currently underway. She has also received a number of research awards, including a prestigious Volkswagen Foundation Research Fellowship and a Visiting Research Fellowship from the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies. She has served as Graduate Program Director in the Department of History and as Acting Director of the Honors College, and she is affiliated with the Gender and Women’s Studies Program and the Judaic Studies Program.

Professor Michele Osherow will teach in the Department of English as Clinical Assistant Professor while serving as Associate Director of the Dresher Center for the Humanities. She has previously been Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Assistant and Associate Director of the Shakespeare Association of America, and Acting Director of the UMBC Center for the Humanities. A scholar of Shakespeare and Renaissance literature, Professor Osherow earned her B.A. from Carnegie Mellon and her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research combines her interests in early modern literature and biblical studies, and she is completing a book manuscript on this topic. She has also published a number of articles and is a dramaturg and an actor at the Folger Theatre and other theatres.

We look forward to the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities taking on a major role in promoting scholarship in the humanities on campus and in the region.

Graduating Seniors Erin Voss and Isaac Matthews in the Baltimore Sun
On May 22, the Baltimore Sun published “Outstanding Scholars Put Retrievers at Head of Pack” about graduating seniors Erin Voss and Isaac Matthews. Voss, a biochemical engineering major, was captain of the UMBC’s women’s basketball team for two years. She will enter the University of Wisconsin’s medical school. Matthews, a mechanical engineering major, was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. A member of the track team, Matthews will pursue a master’s in mechanical engineering from M.I.T.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.steele22may22001518,0,3998733.column?coll=bal-sports-columnists

Graduating Senior Andrew Engel in the Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun’s “A Beautiful Mind” recounts the story of Andrew Engel’s bout with a malignant brain cancer in 1995 and his 12-year journey to graduate from college. Engel received his bachelors in health administration in policy at UMBC undergraduate ceremony on May 24.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bal-to.graduate23may23,0,1167077.story?coll=bal-features-headlines

President Freeman Hrabowski and Michael Summers, HHMI, on the Tavis Smiley Show
President Freeman Hrabowski and Lead Investigator for UMBC’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute Laboratory and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Michael Summers have appeared on the Tavis Smiley show on May 18 to discuss their efforts in increasing the visibility of minorities in science, technology, engineering and math.
http://tsr01.erban.net/zen/TSR/theshow051807.php

Kristi Harris, Physics, in the Baltimore Sun
Kristi Harris, a Ph.D. student in physics, was profiled in the Baltimore Sun’s “Enjoy Every Day That You Have, Even a Bad Day” on May 25. Harris is the recipient of a prestigious graduate fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy. The article profiled Harris as a committed mother, student and wife.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.neighbors25may25,0,4159002.story?coll=bal-local-howard

May 18, 2007

President Freeman A. Hrabowski in The Presidency
UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski, who delivered the keynote address at the American Council on Education (ACE) 2007 Annual Meeting, is pictured on the cover of the spring 2007 issue of The Presidency, ACE’s magazine for higher education leaders.
http://www.umbc.edu/news/2007/05/president_hrabowski_featured_o.html

President Freeman A. Hrabowski to Deliver Commencement Address at Wheaton College; Will Receive Honorary Degrees from Wheaton, Haverford College
UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski will address the Class of 2007 during Commencement exercises at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19. Hrabowski will also receive an honorary degree from Haverford College in Haverford, Pa., during its Commencement exercises at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 20.
http://www.umbc.edu/news/2007/05/president_hrabowski_to_deliver.html

UMBC Mechanical Engineering in the News
Students in UMBC’s mechanical engineering’s machine-design course and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Tony Farquhar appeared in the Jeffersonian’s May 8 article, “Course Tests Brainpower.” Farquhar’s class held a drill-powered vehicle race on Saturday, May 5. Students in this course were divided into teams and were required to design, build and race their vehicle as part of the final project for the class.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=811&NewsID=804677&CategoryID=16986&on=1

This same story also appeared in the Catonsville Times.

UMBC Lacrosse in the Baltimore Sun
On May 14, the Baltimore Sun published “UMBC, Delaware Inject Parity into NCAA Tourney.” The article discussed the chances of either UMBC’s Lacrosse team or the University of Delaware’s team making school history by appearing in its first Division I final four. UMBC and Delaware will compete on May 20 in Annapolis, Md.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/lacrosse/bal-sp.lax14may14,0,1127097.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines

More coverage of the UMBC Lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament is available at http://www.umbc.edu/menslacrosse/.

Tom Schaller in the News
On May 9, Associate Professor of Political Science Schaller appeared in the Baltimore Sun’s “O'Malley to Back Hillary Clinton” about Gov. Martin O’Malley’s announcement that he will endorse Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.clinton09may09,1,6657356.story

Schaller’s Baltimore Sun column, “Irish-Cuban-Catholic Background Shapes Mooney's Views,” was published on May 9. In the article, Schaller explained how Sen. Alex X. Mooney’s Irish-Cuban-Catholic background forms his view on certain political issues.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.schaller09may09,1,7778426.column

The Baltimore Sun’s May 6 “Madam President?” quoted Schaller on the possibility of U.S. voters electing a woman president.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.women06may06,1,3633498.story?page=1&ctrack=3&cset=true

May 11, 2007

Dave Marcotte, Public Policy, Featured in The Atlantic
An innovative study on the impact of antidepressants on suicide rates co-authored by Associate Professor of Public Policy Dave Marcotte is featured in the June issue of The Atlantic.
http://www.umbc.edu/news/2007/05/antidepressants_study_by_publi.html

Emergency Health Services’ Crista Lenk Stathers and UMBC’s Critical Care Symposium in the Capital
Crista Lenk Stathers, director of professional and continuing education for the Department of Emergency Health Services, and UMBC's inaugural Critical Care Symposium were featured in the Capital’s “Symposium Exhibits Latest in Critical Care” on May 9.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_09-21/NBH

May 4, 2007

Akshay Java, Computer Science, on Jenerous.com
On April 25, Akshay Java, a Ph.D. computer science student, was interviewed on his research and views on social media by staff at Jenerous.com. This Web site helps "leading marketers, entrepreneurs and innovators “jenerously” share their stories and knowledge with the world" by publishing podcast interviews.
http://www.jenerous.com/
http://www.jenerous.com/2007/04/25/akshay-java-of-umbc-ebiquity-on-the-state-of-social-media-research/

Sophomore Alex Pyles Writes for Baltimore Sun
Sophomore English and media and communication studies major Alex Pyles wrote “Hernandez, Wright Appear Healthy After Rehab Stint” for the Baltimore Sun on April 24. Pyles reported on the physical condition of the Baltimore Oriole’s Ramon Hernandez and the Frederick Keys’ Jaret Wright, who both recently completed therapy for injuries.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-keys0424,0,2030405.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the News
On May 2, Associate Professor of Political Science Tom Schaller’s Baltimore Sun column, “Collapse of Center Makes for a Different Political Animal,” discussed whether we have a big center of moderate-independents (one-humped camel distribution of American political identities) or a bi-model, bifurcated, two-humped camel distribution.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-op.schaller02may02,0,7506945.column

In “Edwards's Southern Strategy,” Schaller discussed John Edward’s claim that he can win the South in the 2008 Presidential election. This column appeared in the New York Sun Politics on May 1.
http://www.nysunpolitics.com/article/32

Schaller’s April 25 Baltimore Sun column, “GOP Dragged Us Into a Decade of Political Decline,” contrasts politics today and politics 10 years ago.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.schaller25apr25,0,6211288.column?coll=bal-oped-headlines

UMBC Theatre Department’s “Silence, Cunning, Exile,” Reviewed in the Howard County Times
On April 25, the Howard County Times reviewed the UMBC Department of Theatre’s production of Stuart Greenman’s "Silence, Cunning, Exile.” The play is based on the life and work of noted photographer Diane Arbus, who committed suicide in 1971, and who left behind perhaps the most original and shocking body of work in late-twentieth century American photography.

Stephen Braude, Philosophy, Publishes The Gold Leaf The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations
Stephen Braude, professor of philosophy, will publish his fifth book this fall. Entitled The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations (University of Chicago Press), the book describes Braude's most memorable encounters with ostensibly paranormal phenomena. In a review, Fred Frohock, professor of political science at the University of Miami, wrote: “This book isn’t just good, it’s excellent. Stephen Braude is at the top of the intellectual food chain in the study of paranormal phenomena, an accomplished philosopher of science who brings his first-rate intellect to bear in a fair and deep treatment of the supernatural. Replete with personal accounts and anecdotes from his many investigations, The Gold Leaf Lady is a riveting read, a tour through the paranormal that both enchants and instructs us.”

Three techcenter@umbc Companies Selected as Finalists for 2007 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards
Three techcenter@umbc companies are among the finalists for the 2007 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards.

• Lentigen (www.lentigen.com)
• Amulet Pharmaceuticals (www.amuletpharma.com)
• BDMetrics (www.bdmetrics.com)

Winners will be announced on June 19.

May 18, 2007

Arnold, Worchesky Issued U.S. Patents
Bradley Arnold, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Terrance Worchesky, associate professor of physics, were issued patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Arnold’s patent (#6,872,786) is entitled, "Molecularly Imprinted Polymeric Sensor for the Detection of Explosives,” and Worchesky’s is titled, "Dual-side Waveguide-based Wavelength Demultiplexer. More information on the patents is available at http://www.uspto.gov (click on Patents). If you would like additional information on patents, copyrights or start up companies, visit the Office of Technology Development's website at http://www.umbc.edu/otd.

May 11, 2007

UMBC Students Competed in College Bowl National Championship
Four UMBC students participated in the 29th Annual College Bowl National Championship at the University of Southern California, and competed against 15 of the best academic teams in the country. College Bowl is the longest running academic competition in the country.

Seniors Brian Chan and Michael Pollard and sophomores Michael Fasulo and Bryan Wilkinson, who are all also members of the UMBC Quiz Bowl Team, competed in the tournament. The UMBC Team finished in 13th place, ahead of such teams as Purdue University, Northwestern University and Seton Hall University. Additionally, Michael Fasulo finished the competition as one of the top 10 scorers in the country. This is the first time that UMBC has participated in the College Bowl National Championships.

The Commons, the Student Affairs Office of the Vice President, Student Events Board and Student Government Association sponsored the UMBC College Bowl program.

Deluty Publishes A Handful of Sand
Robert H. Deluty, associate professor of psychology, has published his new book, A Handful of Sand. In his review, Dr. Ronald Pies of Tufts University School of Medicine writes: "In this, his twelfth book, Robert Deluty confirms the reader's suspicion that he is a true force of nature. The title is a lovely metaphor for the poet's tragic-optimistic view of life: sand could slip through one's fingers in an instant, or be compressed into a diamond with sufficient force and time.”

A Handful of Sand, as well as Deluty's earlier books, are on sale at the UMBC Bookstore.

May 4, 2007

UMBC Faculty and Student Receive Honors at Rosebud Film Festival
Eric Dyer, assistant professor of visual arts, won the grand prize for Best of Show at the Rosebud Film Festival for his latest film, “Copenhagen Cycles.” Earlier this year, “Copenhagen Cycles” was screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. (Read more on Dyer at http://www.umbc.edu/window/dyer.html.)

Chair of the Department of Dance Carol Hess and Imaging and Digital Arts graduate student Neil Van Gorder were nominated for their works "Substrata" and "In the Land of Milk and Honey," respectively.
http://www.rosebudact.org/

Visual Arts Faculty and Student to Screen Films at Maryland Film Festival
Vin Grabill, associate professor of visual arts, Joe Reinsel; visiting assistant professor; and Phil Davis, a visual arts graduate student, will show video works in the "Avant-Garde Shorts" program at the Maryland Film Festival, Saturday, May 5 at noon:

- “Chucking” – Phil Davis
- “ITISTA” – Joe Reinsel
- “Mexico Painting” – Vin Grabill

Grabill will also sit on the panel, "Why You Make Short Films: Leverage For Future Work or Satisfying By Themselves" in the Tent Village, Saturday, May 5 at 2 p.m.
http://www.md-filmfest.com/index.cfm

United Business Media Acquires techcenter@UMBC’s Physicians Practice
Physicians Practice has been acquired by United Business Media, a leading global business information company based in London. Among its holdings, United Business Media owns PR Newswire and CMPMedica, a division that produces an extensive portfolio of healthcare media brands. Physicians Practice employs approximately 30 people, and will continue to operate from bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park.

Medical Education Solutions Group (MESG) and Med-IQ are led by co-CEO's Scott Weber ‘85 and Gerry Hartung. MESG and Med-IQ will also continue to operate from bwtech@UMBC. MESG employs approximately 40 people.
http://www.physicianspractice.com/index/fuseaction/forPress.details/prID/50.htm

On behalf of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of Facilities Management invites you to attend a design presentation for the new Performing Arts and Humanities facility on May 16 at noon-1 p.m. in Lecture Hall 7. The design process for this important new facility has only just begun. Join this exciting process as it unfolds for the largest capital project ever undertaken in the history of UMBC. Meet the design architects, review the project scope and offer input for future development of the design.

If there are questions, or additional information about the presentation is needed, contact Planning and Construction Services at ext. 5-5664 or pahfinfo@gmail.com.

On Tuesday, May 22, UMBC anticipates an unusually high volume of traffic and limited parking availability due to the Graduate School Commencement ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. in the RAC. On the same day, UMBC students will be taking final exams. Please be advised of the parking and traffic policies that UMBC’s Parking Services and Police Department will enforce that day:

• Guests attending the Graduate School Commencement ceremony will be required to park on Lot 17. Entrances to this lot are located off Hilltop Circle and Poplar Avenue.

• No left turns from Hilltop Circle will be allowed onto Commons Drive.

• Parking on Lot 10 (Administration Drive Garage) will be restricted to VIP guests and handicapped parking until 9:45 a.m. Cars must display handicapped license plates or hang tags.

Directional signs will be posted at all major campus entrances, leading guests to the designated parking areas. Parking is not permitted at fire hydrants or in fire lanes or yellow curbs.

Commencement participants and their guests, as well as students taking exams that day, should allow sufficient time for travel and parking. To alleviate parking difficulties, graduate candidates and their guests are strongly encouraged to carpool.

The Maryland Forum, hosted by UMBC, presents former Vice President Al Gore at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8. The series is presented in partnership with the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, Inc. This event is now sold out.

All Maryland Forum lectures are held in the Retriever Activities Center. Doors to the RAC open at 6:30 p.m. and the lectures begin at 7 p.m. There will be limited parking on the upper deck of Lot 10 until 3:30 p.m., when the lot will close. A campus map and directions to UMBC are available online.

Backpacks, audio and video devices will not be permitted inside the RAC.

UMBC community members who have purchased discount tickets must have their UMBC IDs available to show at the door.

For more information about the Maryland Forum, visit www.themarylandforum.com.

Previous Maryland Forum Events

Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Pulitzer-prizewinning journalist Bob Woodward

Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Ehud Barak, former prime minister of Israel

Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Former Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken

April 30, 2007

To: The UMBC Community

Fr: Lynne Schaefer, Vice President, Administration and Finance

Re: Update on Fliers Posted on Campus

On the evening of Thursday, April 19, two fliers containing language with racial overtones both hateful and threatening to the campus community were posted on campus. The proximity of the incident to the Virginia Tech tragedy prompted the UMBC Police to proceed with extra caution in advising the campus.

The UMBC Police continue to work with the County and State Police to monitor this situation, and currently there are no suspects. We ask that you continue to be attentive and report any suspicious activity to them at 410-455-5555.

We will keep the community informed should more information become available.