CADVC’s “Where Do We Migrate To?” in ARTPULSE Magazine

ARTPULSE Magazine’s J.W. Mahoney reviewed “Where Do We Migrate To?”, an exhibition organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture.

Will Redman ’98, Music, in NewMusicBox

Will Redman ’98, music, was featured in NewMusicBox, a publication of the American Music Center, including a video interview: “Will Redman: Graphic Ideas in Sound.”

SkillSoft Topic of the Month: Communicating With Confidence

Are you reluctant to voice your opinions for fear they will be judged negatively? Do you find yourself avoiding awkward communication situations? Confident interpersonal communication skills are essential for healthy and successful relationships, whether personal or professional. Once you’ve learned how to apply them, these skills enhance your influence and help you achieve your goals. This one-hour course shows you how the essential elements of trust, credibility, and specific confident communication behaviors bring about confident communication and enhance your influence. It highlights the advantages of communicating with confidence, explores the construction of trust and credibility and clarifies how trust and credibility result in confident communications.

Visit the UMBC SkillSoft website for a Quick Start Guide, FAQs, and the link to log in to SkillPort. This module is Course Number: comm_21_a01_bs_enus

For more information about the Business Exploration Series courseware, click here.

To schedule a department presentation about using SkillSoft for professional development, call ext. 5-6262 or e-mail hrtraining@umbc.edu.

Practices for Cultivating Healthy Relationships

July’s new relationship practice is “Design an Effective Mood.” Click here for more information.

Thomas F. Schaller, Political Science, in the New Republic and Baltimore Sun

In a new article featured in the New Republic, Thomas F. Schaller, associate professor of political science, argues “there is demonstrable evidence of a gradual ‘House-ification’ of the national Republican Party since the mid-1980s, a trend with important implications for contemporary politics and policy in Washington, as well as the 2012 Republican presidential primary.” Schaller delves into the data behind this assertion and discusses why he believes strategies underpinning the GOP’s “House-ification” have helped the party succeed electorally on some fronts, but have hindered Republican candidates for the Senate and presidency.

Schaller’s latest Baltimore Sun column tackles a different issue: same-sex marriage in Maryland. Shortly after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed his state’s same-sex marriage bill into law, Gov. Martin O’Malley announced his support for a similar bill here in Maryland, and he has received a range of responses from the state’s political leaders. Schaller focuses on comments from black legislators in particular, some of whom identify same-sex marriage as an important civil rights issue and some of whom oppose the right of gay couples to marry through religious arguments.

Roy T. Meyers, Political Science, on Patch.com

As the nation’s debt limit crisis come to a head, Patch.com reported on reactions in Maryland, including concerns about how a default could negatively impact the state’s economy. “State and local borrowing is highly related to federal government borrowing,” said Roy Meyers, UMBC professor of political science. “A spike in federal interest rates would have very serious implications for some state and local governments. Those are legitimate concerns for all local county executives and county counselors.”

Meyers also reflected on the possible state-level impacts of massive federal budget cuts to public programs. “Maryland is reliant on government employment and federal contracting. In the long-term, the strengths of the local economy will be threatened,” he said. “The eventual magnitude of cuts will be larger than what can be put in place this year. Over the next three or four years, local government will have to plan for that eventuality.”

UMBC Receives Grant to Operate NASA Center Focused on Space Weather

UMBC will administer a new NASA research center focused on studying space weather and the impact it can have on human activities.

The Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI), operating under a 5-year, $10 million cooperative agreement, will provide support and resources for university researchers to collaborate with scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as they refine efforts to predict the solar activity that ejects charged particles into space. The “weather” created by these events interferes with power grids, telecommunication systems and other activities on Earth, while also threatening spacecraft and creating risks for space travel.

“This agreement offers a great opportunity to continue research that is deepening our understanding of solar and magnetospheric physics,” said Jan Merka, director of the new center. “The main goal is to more reliably predict space weather so we can avoid the impacts on space and Earth activities caused by extreme solar and magnetospheric events.”

UMBC has a long history of working closely with scientists at NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to GPHI, UMBC administers the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), which focuses on geosciences and is now in its sixteenth year. The university is also a partner in the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), which focuses on astrophysics.

“We are delighted to continue collaborating with NASA in the area of planetary and heliophsyics research as GPHI scientists work to expand our understanding of space weather,” said Geoff Summers, UMBC’s vice president for research. “This ongoing area of research is particularly exciting as it both increases our understanding of the solar system and helps explain the effect of space weather on Earth.”

Fall Opening Meeting (8/24)

From President Freeman Hrabowski and Interim Provost Philip Rous

Each year, at the start of the fall semester, the UMBC community comes together to welcome colleagues and students back to campus, celebrate our achievements, and launch the beginning of a new academic year. Please join us at the Fall Opening Meeting on Wednesday, August 24, in the University Center Ballroom. A light lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the program begins promptly at 12 noon.

It will include the President’s annual State of the University Address, focusing on the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff, enrollment, budget, campus facilities, and the capital campaign. The meeting will also include welcoming remarks by the Interim Provost, as well as two of our incoming undergraduate and graduate students who will talk about why they chose to join the UMBC community.

So that as many people as possible can attend, release time for staff will be granted. All campus offices will remain open, and services will continue to be offered. We ask supervisors to work with staff members to arrange for office coverage.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, August 24th.

UMBC Again Named a “Great College to Work For”

From President Freeman Hrabowski and Interim Provost Philip Rous

For the second consecutive year, a Chronicle of Higher Education survey has rated UMBC as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to results released today.

UMBC is among only 42 campuses included in the Chronicle’s Honor Roll, and is the only four-year institution in Maryland to receive this designation.

The Chronicle surveyed more than 43,000 faculty and staff at 310 colleges and universities nationwide, including UMBC. This year, UMBC received high ratings in eight categories:

• Collaborative Governance
• Professional/Career Development Programs
• Work/Life Balance
• Confidence in Senior Leadership
• Supervisor/Department Chair Relationship
• Respect and Appreciation
• Tenure Clarity & Process
• Diversity

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.

Thank you for all you do for UMBC. We are a “Great College to Work For” because of you.

For more information and to view all the results of the survey, visit http://chronicle.com/academicworkplace.

“For All the World to See” in the Network Journal

Clarence V. Reynolds writes about the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture’s “For All the World to See” exhibition in the Network Journal.