The Giving Tree

This year the MCC is more focused on showing the spirit of giving rather than the dollar amount that you give. Every dollar can make a difference.

• A $20 donation can provide lodging, or a home-away-from-home,  at the Ronald McDonald House for families whose children are receiving medical care at local hospitals .
• A $10 donation to an animal shelter can provide spay or neuter surgery for one dog or cat, which can prevent hundreds of unwanted puppies or kittens from being born and ending up in shelters or on the streets.
• A $5 donation can provide five handbooks for the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver CPR in Schools program, which teaches students emergency rescue procedures.
• A $1 donation to any charity, combined with other donations, can have endless possibilities.

Dawn Swierczewski, business service specialist for the Department of Biological Sciences, is a coordinator for the Maryland Charity Campaign. She’s constructed a giving tree in her department. For every person who donates to the MCC, a paper button goes up on the wall, and the logo of the charity selected is added to the tree.

Don’t you want to be part of the giving tree?

Survey: What Library Services are Valuable to You?

The Albin O. Kuhn Library is seeking your input on the relative value of library services. The University is facing budget cuts, and the Library would like to know what services you consider feasible to cut or decrease,and those which you would consider crucial to maintain as we plan for future budget cuts. The Library and other university committees will use your input in future planning in challenging economic times.

The survey is available separately for faculty and for student input as follows:

Faculty Survey

Student Survey 

For further information, contact the Library Administrative Offices at ext 5-2356 or aok@umbc.edu.

Coat Drive (Through 12/15)

The Professional Staff Senate is seeking donations for a coat drive to benefit The Choice Program clients and their families now through December 15. Specifically, we are collecting gently worn and new winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves and gift certificates to Wal-Mart, Target, Giant or Safeway. The target group are males, ages 14-18 (sizes S-XXL). We will also accept donations for parents and siblings of the program’s clients. The senate is excited to participate in this initiative because it directly benefits one of UMBC’s signature programs, The Choice Program.

If you would like to donate toward this drive, you can do so in any of the following ways:

1. Give your item to Monique Armstrong or Stanyell Bruce in the Alumni House.
2. Donate your item at three different central locations on campus: the RAC (information desk), Administration Building lobby and The Commons (information desk).

For more information, contact Stanyell Bruce at bruce@umbc.edu or ext. 5-2632. 

Music Alumni Included on Baltimore Compilation

Several UMBC alumni have contributed to a compilation of songs featuring Baltimore bands covering other Baltimore bands. The mix was put together by Zach Kaufmann of Splicetoday.com with mostly covers of new songs but with a older classics as well. Featured on the mix are John Dierker ‘88 on clarinet, Mike Formanek on bass, Marc Miller (former student)on guitar and Will Redman ‘98 on drums.

You can access the collection here.

MCC Video: Leslie Tinker

Watch as Leslie Tinker, executive administrative assistant for the Office of Institutional Advancement, discusses why she gives to the Maryland Charity Campaign.

Rev. Leo Patalinghug ‘92, Political Science, on CBS Sunday Morning (11/22)

Rev. Leo Patalinghug ‘92, political science, will be featured on the CBS Sunday Morning news show for his work with “Grace Before Meals” on November 22, at 9 a.m. Founded by Patalinghug in 2003, the “Grace Before Meals” concept (which involves families cooking and sharing meals together) has grown from a simple idea to a worldwide movement, producing a book, blog and even a pilot for a TV show endorsed by PBS.

Patalinghug will also be highlighted in the winter issue of the UMBC Magazine.

The clip will be available here on Monday, November 23.

UMBC Technology Labs in Washington Technology

A joint project between UMBC technology labs and Lockheed Martin was featured in Washington Technology. The project revolves around detecting and monitoring information crises and associated relief efforts from online sources including both social media and main stream media. UMBC is currently focused on mining and integrating information from Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

The article, “When disaster strikes social media to the rescue,” ran Thursday, October 29.

President Hrabowski In the News

President Freeman Hrabowski was featured in a number of publications for his recognition by Time Magazine as one of the “Top 10 Best College Presidents.”

Baltimore Sun

Washington Times

Catonsville Times 

Daily Press

Read the Time Magazine article here.

Tom Schaller, Political Science, on MSNBC

Tom Schaller, associate professor of political science, was featured on MSNBC’s “Morning Meeting” in a discussion about Sarah Palin running for office. “I think she’s got more to lose than to gain, and she’s already a national celebrity,” said Schaller. “But a lot of it isn’t positive, which is part of the reason I think she won’t run.”

The segment aired Wednesday, November 18.

Robert Deluty, Graduate School, Publishes His 23rd Book

Robert Deluty, associate dean of the Graduate School, has published a new book of poems, “Right Simple.” In her review, Adrianna Amari of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine wrote, “One reads through these poems with appreciation, amusement, gasps of recognition, pangs of the heart and then, in their entirety, with something akin to astonishment that Deluty manages to capture the variety and complexity of human experience, personality and emotion in images so purely drawn with words so right and simple. With his singular vision, Deluty gives his poetic ‘subjects’ the gift of life and gives his readers the gift of profound and intimate interconnectedness with humanity in all its vastness and infinite detail.”

“Right Simple,” as well as all of Deluty’s other books, may be purchased at the UMBC Bookstore.