Bobbie Shahpazian has hundreds of kids at UMBC but is capable of giving each one valuable personal attention. As associate director of scholarships, Shahpazian works with and gets to know nearly all of UMBC’s merit scholarship recipients. “They are delightful, wonderful young people,” she says. “Every year at graduation, I’m as proud of them as a parent would be.”

As a member of the library’s circulation department for more than 25 years, Sally Hearn has checked out thousands of books—and witnessed many changes. “I remember entering dates by hand to charge out library materials,” she says. “We are now in the third generation of an automated library system, and we now enjoy a beautiful library, with computers on every floor and electronic reserves. It has been rewarding to look back and realize you played a part, regardless how small, in making UMBC what it is today.” Hearn received a Regents Staff Award for Excellence from the University System of Maryland Board of Regents in 2001.

Director Mikhel Kushner has made the Women’s Center a nexus of diversity for the campus community. On almost any day of the week, the center offers programs, classes, or activities that span a range of issues appealing to an audience of all ages, from mothers’ meetings and yoga classes to voter registration drives and programs for caregivers of elderly relatives. Kushner received two notable honors in 2001: The UMBC President’s Commission for Women Achievement Award and the State of Maryland’s Woman of Achievement Award.

Since Symmes Gardner came to UMBC in 1989 as director of programs for the Fine Arts Gallery (now the Center for Art and Visual Culture), he has overseen a nonstop schedule of exhibitions—some traveling across the United States—that have drawn “must see” reviews in local and national media, in newspapers, and leading art journals. But with its strong emphasis on community outreach, artist residencies, and public programming, Gardner and his staff have turned the space into more than just a place to view art—it is a venue for the discussion of art and its place in contemporary society.

Jim Milani has been an integral part of UMBC for 32 of the University’s 36 years, starting from his days as an undergrad. He’s worn a remarkable number of hats at UMBC, having worked in the Counseling Center, the Advisement Center, Residential Life, and now in the College of Engineering where he’s involved in planning the new Information Technology/Engineering Building. “Being part of the UMBC community has been a blessing and an honor,” says Milani, who received awards from UMBC and from the University System of Maryland Board of Regents in 2002 for his outstanding service to the University.

A staff member at UMBC for more than 20 years, program coordinator Norma Green has served without fanfare as a goodwill ambassador for UMBC and as a role model for students, using her leave time to work with Habitat for Humanity and giving untold hours to neighborhood and community association projects in Baltimore. In recognition of this extraordinary commitment to public service, Green received the Board of Regents’ highest honor, a University System of Maryland Staff Award.

A dedicated staff member at UMBC for more than 20 years, groundskeeper Dennis Belloff is most proud of keeping pace with the evolving demands of a growing university. “I take great pride in developing and maintaining a product the institution can be proud of,” he says.

Beth Jones, in the Division of Professional Education and Training, coordinates a new on-site master’s degree program in education for Anne Arundel County teachers, serving as a liaison between the teachers, UMBC faculty, and school administrators. All give Jones high marks for making the program a success. “When Beth says she’ll do something, it gets done, and done well,” says one colleague. “She is the consummate professional—she sets high standards for herself and raises the bar for others.”

Betty Glascoe heads UMBC’s Career Development Center, which provides programs and services to help students connect with potential employers. “The business community often remarks that UMBC students excel over and above those of most national universities,” Glascoe says. “One employer from the Naval Surface Warfare Center said, ‘When I get a student from UMBC, I know that I’m getting the best.’ We believe in our students and in what UMBC stands for,” she says. “When we say that we have the best, we believe it, because it’s true.” Glascoe was honored with UMBC’s Presidential Associate Staff Award in 2001.

Jill Randles, assistant vice provost for undergraduate education, has been a steadfast advocate for a number of important causes that have brought changes to the University, from increasing the visibility of women in leadership positions on campus to bringing a greater focus on undergraduate advising. A former member of the Planning Leadership Team and active in the Professional Associate Staff Senate, Randles also sits on the boards of the Center for Women and Information Technology and the Women’s Studies Coordinating Committee. She received the UMBC President’s Commission for Women Achievement Award in 2002.