TTL Students and Alum--

Please join us on April 21 & 23 for UMBC's first BookFest, a two-day celebration of writers, readers, makers, and advocates. All events are free and open to the public, so bring a friend!

April 21

BookMarkIt --11 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Library Plaza
Enjoy letterpress printing, a book arts display, wrapped mysery books and giveaways, zinemaking and zine swaps, a book drive supporting the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, the Baltimore County Bookmobile, bookish swag, and more!

One Maryland, One Book — 5:00–6:30 p.m., 312 University Center
In collaboration with Maryland Humanities’ One Maryland, One Book program, BookFest will welcome Lawrence Burney, the author of the 2026 OMOB selection No Sense in Wishing. Burney will be in conversation with writer Chris Terry (assistant professor of English) about his essay collection. Refreshments will be served!

April 23

Bigger Than Books: Understanding Attacks on Libraries--12:00-1:00 p.m., AOK Library Room 259. 

What should you know about the current assaults on authors, readers, libraries, and librarians? How can you better advocate for libraries, access to reading materials, and the freedom to read? Join facilitators Allison Jennings-Roche (UMBC Alum and Associate Director of Digital Initiatives and Collections at The University of Baltimore Library & Archives) and Tif Sutherland (Calvert Library and Maryland Library Association) for a lunch-and-learn. This event requires registration. Space is limited to 30 participants, so please secure your spot no later than April 20. Lunch will be served. REGISTER HERE!

Freedom to Read: Libraries and Our Democracy — 5:00–6:30 p.m. — Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery
Book challenges and censorship efforts are still on the rise across our state and nation. What can we do to protect the right to read and to ensure access to our nation’s library services? Join some of Maryland's distinguished librarians and advocates for a panel discussion: 

• Morgan Miller, Maryland State Librarian
• Stacey Nunn, Library Media Specialist, Southwest Academy Magnet School for Science and Engineering and finalist for School Library Journal’s School Librarian of the Year
• Christine Feldmann, Anne Arundel County Public Library
• Andrea Lewis, President of Citizens for Maryland Libraries
• Betsy Peisach, Maryland Public Television

This event is co-sponsored by the Maryland State Library Agency. Refreshments will be served!

For complete information about all the events, please visit the UMBC BookFest ’26 site.

Join us this spring for the Spring Teaching Assistant Series, a 7-session professional development workshop series designed to support Teaching Assistants and Postdocs in building effective, inclusive, and transferable teaching skills.

      Location: ILSB 301
      Time: 10:00–11:00 AM
    When: FRIDAYS this Spring
    Hosted by: Dr. Robin Cresiski & Dr. Jamie Gurganus

Spring 2026 Workshop Schedule

• February 13 – Building Community & Belonging

• February 27 – Active Learning

• March 13 – Mid-Semester Evaluations & Classroom Management

• March 27 – Question, Persuade, Refer: Suicide Prevention Training

• April 3 – Formative and Summative Assessment

• April 17 – Overcoming End-of-Semester Overwhelm

• May 1 – Translating Your TA Skills to Your Resume

This 7-session series contributes toward earning a CIRTL Certificate, a strong addition to your CV or resume and a valuable credential for future academic and professional opportunities.

Learn more about CIRTL and certification requirements here: at UMBC and General.

As you wrap up this busy semester, consider of these program offerings from the Office of Grad Student Life on campus!

Week of 12/1

★  Dec 1, 10 AM, The Commons : 308, OGSL Free Coffee Mondays! 

★ Dec 2, 8:30 AM, The Commons : Sports Zone, Good Morning Commuters (GMC)

★ Dec 2, 1 PM, The Commons : Lower Flat Tuesdays, Terrariums, Tea, and Talk

★ Dec 3, 12-1 pm, Online, Translating Research for a Public Audience

★ Dec 3, 12 PM, Commons 308, GSA President Office Hour

★ Dec 4, 4:30 PM, Information Technology/Engineering 229 and online, Decoding Your Research Niche: From Broad Ideas to Focused Questions

★ Dec 5, 1 PM, Commons 331, Translating Your Teaching Skills to your Resume- Effective Teaching Series

★ Dec 5, 12 PM, Online, Generative A.I. for Graduate Students & Post Docs: an Interactive Webinar

★ Dec 5, 3 PM, Off Campus, Off-Campus Trip: Bowling at Main Event

Week of 12/8

★  Dec 8, 10 AM, The Commons : 308, OGSL Free Coffee Mondays! 

★ Dec 9, 8:30 AM, The Commons : Sports Zone, Good Morning Commuters (GMC)

★ Dec 10, 12 PM, Commons 308, GSA President Office Hour

★ Dec 12, 12 PM, Public Policy 438, Prompt-Engineering & Fine-Tuning in R, REGISTER- Lunch will be provided for registered attendees. 

Week of 12/15

★ Dec 15, 10 AM, The Commons : 308, Free Coffee Mondays! 

★ Dec 17, 12 PM, Commons 308, GSA President Office Hour

★ Dec 17, 2 PM, ticketed, online, The Introverts' Guide to Assertive Communication

You're invited to attend the upcoming CAHSS College Senate Town Hall on Friday, October 24th, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM in UC Commons 331. The discussion will cover campus academic resources, access to research funding and scholarships, mental health and wellness, and educational accountability.

I encourage you to attend and participate in shaping graduate education in our college!

The Dresher Center for the Humanities invites applications for a Residential Graduate Student Research Fellowship for Spring 2026. Funding is intended to support and promote promising research in the humanities by graduate students at UMBC. The fellowships are open to all UMBC doctoral and master's level students working on humanities-related research projects that will culminate in a dissertation, master's thesis, or capstone project.  Proposals will be reviewed by the Dresher Center Advisory Board, with decisions on Spring semester fellowships by mid-November.

Fellows will receive up to $3,000 ($1,500 can serve as a stipend while the other $1,500 should be used for research travel, materials, or other directly-related research expenses). They will present a session as part of the CURRENTS: Humanities Work Now series and attend the Humanities Forum and other Dresher Center events and workshops. The Dresher Center will allow fellows to work in Center office space, as available.

After the fellowship semester, fellows will submit a summary of the work accomplished during the semester, as well as a statement on the progress made toward the completion of their dissertation or thesis.

The application for Spring 2026 fellowships is due November 15. Submit proposals and research advisor letters of support to dreshercenter@umbc.edu.

For more information and guidelines, click HERE. 

Welcome to the 2025-2026 academic year!