Applications for the USM Women’s Student Scholarship applications are OPEN and due June 15, 2022.  International students are eligible for the awards. 

Awards are open to any student who meets the following criteria:

• Attending a USM institution.

• Earned a minimum of 48 undergraduate OR 12 graduate credits (by June 1, 2022).

• Plan to enroll as a student for the Fall 2022 term.

• Currently has a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for undergraduate OR 3.25 for graduate at your USM institution (upload an unofficial university transcript).

• Demonstrated financial need (upload FAFSA or explanation of financial need)

• Students are eligible for only one scholarship per lifetime.

You can apply here: http://www.usmwomensforum.org/awards.html 

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Grad Students and Postdocs: if you are interested in teaching and want a starting point for understanding the origins of racism in educational environments and how you can actively work against that history to create a more inclusive and equitable learning space for your students, THIS PROGRAM IS FOR YOU. Certificate upon completion (and we will work with you on having this also count toward a CIRTL certificate as well - contact us if you are accepted into the program). Details below!

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From USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation:

Faculty and staff have an important role to play in creating environments and contexts where all students can learn and thrive. At the same time, systemic forms of racism and bias work against the promise of inclusive and equitable learning environments. Many faculty and staff want to take a more active stance in redressing inequities in their daily interactions with students, but may ask, “Where do I start?”

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation has partnered with Lumen Learning to pilot Exploration of Belonging for Educators: Creating a Sense of Belonging to Support Student Success and Well-Being -- a set of virtual, self-paced professional development modules focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). The modules are designed to help participants foster a sense of belonging so that students feel valued and respected. The modules invite participants to examine their own personal journey with DEIB by exploring identity, bias, power, and how these factors come into the educational environment. 

The Kirwan Center is pleased to be able to offer members of the USM community the opportunity to participate in the pilot this spring. Access to the modules is being made available to participants at no cost to them or their institutions -- all fees associated with the pilot will be covered by the Kirwan Center. 

Who Should Apply?

Eligible applicants are faculty and staff with student-facing roles at their institutions, such as instructors in any appointment involving teaching, graduate and teaching assistants, instructional designers, advisors, and student affairs and student success staff. No background in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is necessary.

What To Expect

Working at their own pace through four modules, participants will examine:

• Why belonging is essential to student success for students;
• How to foster a sense of belonging;
• Why social identities are important to learning, engagement, and belonging;
• How to recognize bias and address its effects in the campus community;
• How power dynamics impact campus communities; and
• Strategies that can empower students and address power differentials.

Important Dates

• Enrollments are being accepted on a rolling basis at https://info.lumenlearning.com/selfpaced-deib-md
• Pilot Start Date: Access to Modules will open on February 22, 2022
• Pilot End Date: Modules will close on June 30, 2022

Time Commitment and Expectations for Participation

Each of the four modules will take approximately 5 hours to complete, inclusive of embedded activities. Participants will be expected engage in personal reflection and to identify ways to apply the concepts and ideas presented. For the purposes of the pilot, we ask that applicants agree to work through all four modules within the time frame of February 22-June 30, 2022. 

Supports and Benefits

There will be a Lumen Belonging Coach providing nudges along the way to help participants stay on track. Participants who complete all four modules by June 30, 2022 will receive a certificate of completion. Participants can also pursue earning a badge in each of the four module areas.  

We invite you to learn more and apply today at https://info.lumenlearning.com/selfpaced-deib-md. Questions may be directed to Manuela Ambrosino at manuela@lumenlearning.com. 

Recently, our Graduate School Dean, Dr. Janet Rutledge, wrote to you as graduate students asking you to participate in a survey about your experience of microaggressions*. The deadline for the anonymous microaggressions survey has been extended to Friday Feb 18th. 

*Microaggressions are statements, actions, or incidents regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group on the basis of their racial or ethnic identity (here is a  youtube video that has many examples of microaggressions in higher education and a pdf listing some general examples of microaggressions as well).

Please fill out the survey about whether or not you've experienced  microaggressions as a graduate student here at UMBC and what you would like to see the Graduate School do to improve the community and climate here. The survey is short and can be completed in a few minutes, although there is an optional space for a narrative or recording to be added for you to share how microaggressions have impacted your graduate experience. Responses to the survey will be used as early as next week in a series of workshops for faculty, staff and administrators. 

We understand that revisiting and reflecting on microaggressions is difficult and we thank you, deeply, for being willing to do that in order for us to amplify and learn from your experience. 

In appreciation of your participation, there will be a separate link and instructions provided after completion of the survey that enables us to provide a $10 honorarium to you on your Campus Card (the anonymity of your survey responses will be protected). Thank you for helping us create a more responsive and inclusive graduate community.

 "This spring, the Multicultural Leadership Experience is open for the first time to GRADUATE students. Please take advantage of this special opportunity.

Original post can be found here.

Registration is open for the Multicultural Leadership COHORT Experience, a collaborative effort between Campus Life and the Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b), to be held during the Spring 2022 semester. The purpose of all MLE programs is to provide a space for students and student leaders who identify within diverse or marginalized backgrounds to discover their own capacity to lead, while also promoting a better understanding of their experiences, issues, strengths, and outcomes in navigating their own collegiate careers. Unlike the mini-series held in the fall, the spring cohort experience is offered SOLELY for selected applicants (up to 20 undergraduate and graduate students). All locations for meeting dates and times will be announced via email to selected participants and invited through Google Calendar. 

This spring, we will be exploring the concept of Deconstructing Grit and Greatness. We will do this in a leadership learning cohort by:

• Enhancing participants' leader identity and leadership capacity using an identity-conscious lens and student development theories;

• Increasing participants’ awareness of their personal abilities, identity development, and intersections that shape their story through authenticity, self-reflection, and cultural humility;

• Exploring the role they play in developing relationships while building intra/intercultural connections;

• And capitalizing on their unique differences, specifically in relation to their racial, ethnic, national, and other salient identity social groups

The first session will cover a brief overview of the program. However, please note that all session topics will be only disclosed to the cohort. For all session dates and times please click here. Additionally, as we continue to monitor all COVID related procedures, the first session will be held virtually followed by in-person sessions. This is subject to change according to university guidelines. 

Registration link: tinyurl.com/mle2022. Deadline for applying is Monday, February 14, 2022 at 11:59pm EST. For questions or more information, contact:

Beatriz Gutiérrez-Malagón, Coordinator for Leadership a bgutierrez@umbc.edu

Carlos Turcios '15, '17 M.A., Assistant Director with Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging at carlos6@umbc.edu

Our i3b staff strives to create the most inclusive environment possible. If you need to request a disability-based accommodation or have any questions, contact us at i3b@umbc.edu. For our uploaded event recordings, attendee lists, works cited, and other materials, please check out our Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion and Belonging (i3b) Events Drive. Materials will be available in this Box Drive within one business week after the event unless otherwise specified.