Curtis Schickner ’12 Elected SAAC President and Appointed America East Representative to National SAAC

Curtis Schickner ’12 was recently elected the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President on campus by student athletes. In addition to this position, he was nominated to run for the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (National SAAC). He wrote an essay and submitted an application in early February for the position, and the NCAA appointed him the America East Conference representative on May 16.

From the NCAA:

The Division I SAAC consists of one student-athlete from each of the 31 Division I multi-conferences. Members are selected by the Division I Administration Cabinet from a pool of three nominees from each of the represented conferences. Each student-athlete serves a two-year term.

The Division I SAAC reports directly to the Division I Leadership Council. The SAAC chair and vice-chair participate in each meeting of the Leadership and Legislative Council, respectively, in an advisory capacity. In addition, a SAAC member serves in an advisory capacity to each of the six Division I cabinets and several Association-wide committees. It is through these mechanisms that NCAA Division I student-athletes offer input and assist in shaping the proposed legislation by which their division is governed.

Joe Adewumi Earns Second Consecutive America East All-Academic Team Honor

Junior tennis standout Joe Adewumi earned his second consecutive America East All-Academic team honor, as announced by the league office today.

Adewumi becomes UMBC’s first male repeat honoree in the sport since America East instituted All-Academic teams in 2005-06.

Only six student-athletes from the league’s five men’s tennis squads are selected to the team.

Adewumi was recently named a 2011 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and earned Second Team All-Conference honors at the No. 3 singles position.

He won 20 matches for his third consecutive year, going 12-7 in singles action and 8-10 in doubles’ play in 2011. He was named America East Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the week ending February 6 and was a member of the 2010 America East Honor Roll.

Adewumi has a cumulative GPA of 3.59 in biochemistry and molecular biology.

All-Academic squads for team sports are based on the number of athletes that participate in a contest at one time, for example, six student-athletes in the sport of tennis. To be nominated for the distinction, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve for their team and participate in at least 50 percent of their team’s games or competitions. In the classroom, student-athletes must have a 3.30 GPA and have completed at least one calendar year at their institution. Freshmen are not eligible for consideration.

Bill Thomas Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

On May 10, gerontologist and UMBC Erickson School professor Bill Thomas received the 2011 Governor’s Leadership in Aging Award for Lifetime Achievement from the State of Maryland. The ceremony was hosted by news anchor Denise Koch and attended by Maryland Secretary of Aging Gloria Lawlah and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamanetz. Thomas is an international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare and creator of Eden Alternative and Green House project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He has spent his career promoting more positive, home-like living environments for older adults. He seeks to encourage autonomy, individuality and agency among seniors, and improve their quality of life. In accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award, Thomas said, “This honor goes out to the elders of Maryland. Without you we would not be whole and we could not be complete.” Event photos and video are now online.

Alumni Film “Lift Up” to Screen at Film Fests

“Lift Up,” a new documentary on post-quake Haiti co-directed by Huguens Jean ’12, Ph.D., electrical engineering, and Phillip Knowlton ’03, visual arts, has been named an official selection of 2011 DC Caribbean Film Festival (June 3-6, at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland) and Third World Independent Film Festival (September 20-25, in San Jose, California). The film received positive reviews following a recent screening at the National Press Club. A write-up in the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire reflected on the uplifting effect of the documentary, which emphasizes finding joy in times of hardship. Catch the next screening of “Lift Up,” along with a filmmaker Q&A, at E Street Cinema in Washington DC at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 18.

Charlestown Appoints Vinson Bankoski, Aging Services, Associate Executive Director

Graduate student Vinson Bankoski was named the new associate director at Charlestown, a retirement community on a 110-acre campus that is home to 2,100 residents and 1,100 employees. Bankoski will soon earn his Masters of Arts in Aging Services from UMBC’s Erickson School.

Paramedic and EHS Student Ian Bussey Honored with Scholarship for Service

Congratulations to Ian Bussey ’14, Emergency Health Services, for receiving the Anne Arundel County 100 Club’s 2011 Duke G. Aaron Scholarship Award. Bussey is a paramedic/firefighter with the Anne Arundel Fire Department and has maintained a 3.9 GPA while continuing his full-time job. “It’s definitely a relief knowing that there’s programs like this out there,” said Bussey, reflecting on the impact his scholarship has had on his ability to pursue higher education. The awards ceremony was covered by Patch.com, the Maryland Gazette, and The Capital in Annapolis.

Tom Sadowski ’89 Honored by The Daily Record

Tom Sadowski ’89 was recognized by the Daily Record as one of 50 influential Marylanders. He appears at the 1:50 mark in the video below.

Elli Lieberman ’78, Political Science and Visiting Assistant Professor, Judaic Studies, to Publish Book

Elli Lieberman ’78, political science, and visiting assistant professor in the Judaic Studies program, will have his book, “Reconceptualising Deterrence: Towards Rationality in Enduring Rivalries,” published by Routledge Global Security Studies on February 12, 2012.

Robert Deluty, Graduate School, Publishes His 31st Book

Robert Deluty, associate dean of the graduate school, has published a new book of poetry, “Toward Darkness, Toward Light.” In his review, Richard M. Berlin writes, “In ‘Toward Darkness, Toward Light,’ we find Robert Deluty hard at work, doing what he does best: observing the human condition with his perceptive warmth and finely honed sense of humor. His poems can make you laugh and cry, but most important, they are filled with compassion and love. This latest volume is another jewel in Deluty’s magnificent body of poetry.”

Copies of “Toward Darkness, Toward Light,” as well as Deluty’s other books, are on sale at the UMBC Bookstore.

Kelly Cyr ’12, Biology, Selected as Newman Civic Fellow

Kelly Cyr ’12, biology, is among 135 students across the county selected as Newman Civic Fellows. The award, presented by the higher education civic organization Campus Connect, recognizes college student leaders who have demonstrated an ability to find solutions for challenges in their communities. Cyr, a native of Millersville, Maryland, is a volunteer with Baltimore Area Rescue Care Shelter (BARCS), and she is a fervent supporter of animal welfare and protection. She participated in LEADERShape, a local leadership development program, which aided her candidacy for the Newman Civic Fellow Award.