Tue, 01 Nov 2005 05:00:00 -0500
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Helping Women Achieve Their Potential

UMBC’s array of programs that empower women to be both successful students and successful professionals has been recognized for the second year in a row by CosmoGIRL! magazine’s guide to the 50 best colleges for girls. Featured in the magazine’s October 2005 issue, the guide also includes such institutions as Amherst College; Brown University; Duke University; MIT; Stanford University; the University of California, Berkeley; and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“We’re confident that the girls who go [to UMBC] are given the opportunity to see other women being innovative thinkers and successful leaders, and that these students will, in turn, follow in their footsteps and become the powerhouses of tomorrow,” said CosmoGIRL!’s Editor-in-Chief, Susan Schulz.

In compiling the list for its readership of young women ages 12 through 17, editors at CosmoGIRL! consulted admissions officers and guidance counselors across the country to determine the kind of environment that gives girls the best chance of success in school and after graduation. These key factors include prominent female role models on campus, strong women’s sports programs, outstanding technology and entrepreneurship programs, excellence in internship and job placements and effective alumni networks.

UMBC impressed the magazine’s editors with a variety of programs that empower women. UMBC’s Women’s Studies Program, which emphasizes the importance of historical, cross-cultural and international perspectives, recently added certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students. The Women’s Studies Coordinating Committee worked with the Office of Student Affairs to develop Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL) , which engages the campus in a learning community that promotes academic excellence, leadership development, career exploration and civic engagement on women’s issues. The University’s Women’s Center provides programs that support women’s academic and intellectual growth, professional development and personal empowerment.

Other innovative programs that help women achieve their potential include the Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT), dedicated to achieving women’s full participation in all aspects of information technology (IT), while the Imaging Research Center (IRC), specializing in high-end computer animation and visualization, offers both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to work on professional projects with clients such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, PBS and the Discovery Channel. Through UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, students can gain targeted expertise through internships, test their skills through competitions, accelerate a business concept through the Idea Lab, and attend courses and lectures tailored to spark their entrepreneurial spirit.

In addition, UMBC is one of only 16 schools in the country chosen by the National Science Foundation to sponsor an ADVANCE program designed to support the recruitment and advancement of women faculty in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Programs that help women prepare for success after graduation include the UMBC Alumni Association’s popular “Backpack to Briefcase” program, which offers students the opportunity to network with the University’s alumni. UMBC’s Career Services Center and Shriver Center offer internship and coop placement, as well as other programs that help students make a successful transition from UMBC to the workforce.

(10/24/05)