STRiVE 2026 in January was the 18th year and 20th iteration of the leadership for public purpose program, hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life with support from SGA. Forty three UMBC undergraduate students spent five days exploring their stories, values, talents, and identities; developing strong relationships with other members of the UMBC community; learning how to enact meaningful and sustainable social change; and leaning into their power to intentionally create empowering, connective environments in which everyone can thrive.

STRiVE 2026 was facilitated by a team of 12 UMBC undergraduate student and staff coaches trained by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. The student coaches — all of whom had participated in STRiVE in 2024 or 2025 — were Ben Bazarsuren, Carly Shearer, Francheska Burrola, Keven Guruswamy, Maryada Bhattarai, Nate Cullen, and Vannessa Morant. (Maryada and Vannessa took on special responsibilities by serving as our "site coordinators," managing materials and logistics throughout the week.) 

The staff coaches were Dr. Ciara Christian (Center for Social Justice Dialogue), Dr. David Hoffman (Center for Democracy and Civic Life), Dr. James DeVita (Division of Student Affairs), Dr. Jasmine Lee (Division of Institutional Equity/Center for Social Justice Dialogue), and Tess McRae (Center for Democracy and Civic Life).

During the week, other staff members from UMBC visited the program to support  the participants' learning. Angelina Jenkins (The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity), Matt Hoffman (Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism), Michael Canale (Office of Student Disability Services), Dr. Ricky Blissett (Center for Democracy and Civic Life), Tiffani McGronan (Office of Health Promotion), Tori Ciorra (Student Engagement), Trentqual Rhone (Center for Democracy and Civic Life), and Wendy Low (Center for Social Justice Dialogue) served as "stakeholders" by meeting with small groups of students exploring topics of interest and concern at UMBC (Accessibility, Civic and Political Engagement, Equity and Justice, Finding Community, and Well-Being) and connecting with students as thought partners and co-creators. Blissett also co-facilitated select STRiVE sessions, and Dr. Renique Kersh, vice president for student affairs, visited to connect with and inspire STRiVE participants.

"STRiVE gave me a community unlike any I've experienced before, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it. Learning in STRiVE was incredibly empowering with what I've learned about myself, my place in my community, and what I can do as a leader," said Lexi Malenfant '29, computer science, one of the STRiVE 2026 participants.

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life's evaluation data from STRiVE 2026 indicates that the program was a phenomenal success. Out of 38 students who completed the program evaluation:

• 100% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel a greater sense that I belong at UMBC." (73% answered "strongly agree" and 27% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 97.3% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel more confident in my ability to engage in groups and communities." (76.3% answered "strongly agree" and 21.1% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 97.3% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel more empowered to work alongside others to create positive change." (94.7% answered "strongly agree" and 2.6% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 100% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agree with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel like I have changed for the better as a person." (78.9% answered "strongly agree" and 21.1% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 100% indicated that they would recommend the program to another UMBC student. 

Read more about STRiVE 2026.

Students are invited to attend Black & Gold Rush 2026 info sessions to learn how they can support UMBC's annual giving campaign. Stop by Flat Tuesdays in The Commons on Wednesdays, February 11, 18, and 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

At these sessions, students can learn how to become a Black & Gold Rush advocate, help write thank-you cards for donors, and earn free UMBC swag. The Black & Gold Rush campaign will take place March 4–5, 2026.

Critical Social Justice (CSJ) Week is a campus-wide initiative dedicated to deepening our collective understanding of equity, inclusion, and community care. Through panels, workshops, and creative programming, CSJ Week invites students, staff, and faculty to engage in meaningful conversations about justice and belonging within and beyond the university.

Critical social justice has a history in the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center, and we are excited to bring back this work now within the Community & Culture unit in the Division of Institutional Equity.

All events are open for participation from students (grad and undergrad), staff, and faculty!

The events apart of Critical Social Justice Week are as follows: 

Cup-Filling Activism: Supporting Student Organizers Through Community, Care, and Capacity Building

McNair x Critical Social Justice Week

Saturday, February 7, 2026 · 1 - 2:30 PM

Sondheim Hall: 101

Racial Healing Discussion Panel

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 · 3 - 5 PM

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn

On Caring for Community

The Pursuit of Equity and Justice at UMBC with University Leadership

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 · 4:30-6 PM

SKYLIGHT in the Commons

Chat and Chew: All About Love

Read with us and engage in discussion

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 · 12 - 1 PM

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn

More details about each event can be found on the WGEC or CSJD myUMBC Page. 

These event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

From the snow- and ice-covered confines at the tippy top of the Administration Building, I send a warm welcome with the first spring 2026 edition of the Provost's Perspective. Despite freezing temperatures and a delayed start to the semester, the campus is abuzz with the warmth of activity and energy—a sight that brings a smile to my face and adds pep to my step. And can we give another shout out to all the people who worked night and day to get campus clean from snow and ice? 

I hope that after the fall semester you had a chance to decompress, step away from work, and feel refreshed for the spring semester. Hopefully, you also had a chance to connect/reconnect with family and friends during the break. As a scholar of close relationships, I am often reminded of the power of close relationships for our own health, including physical health. In addition to prioritizing my own self-care, I prioritized time with family and friends over the break. For the first time, I had one of my children come home after having moved out last summer to move to Michigan. It was wonderful to spend time with her and her boyfriend and see how she was emerging as an adult.

Re-envisioning General Education 

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to meet with the Re-Envisioning General Education Faculty Committee led by Peggy Re and Susan McDonough. The committee's work supports the core mission of any public university to prepare future citizens to positively impact their communities. 

As I read the news and watch what happens around the world, I don't think there is a better time than now to re-envision our general education program and ask the question What do we want all undergraduate students at UMBC to learn, and how do we want to send them off to positively impact their communities and the future of our world? 

This is such an exciting opportunity for faculty, students, and staff. I look forward to working with the university community on this effort. Peggy and Susan will share more details at the Faculty Senate meeting Tuesday, February 10, and we will also share more information on March 5 at the Office of the Provost Strategic Initiatives meeting.  

Provost Strategic Initiatives Meeting

March 5, 3:30 – 5 p.m., Fine Arts 118 and online

We heard your feedback that there is a need to better communicate and share information about what we are doing and how work is moving forward. You will see several new things from our office this semester, including regular updates to our website, but we will also start regular conversations with you about the work that is being coordinated through our office. 

As a start, we invite you to join us on March 5 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. for the Provost Strategic Initiatives Meeting in Fine Arts 118. We will present information on current strategic initiatives, including re-envisioning general education, student success strategy, graduate student recruitment and enrollment strategy, fostering curricular innovation, strengthening global education, AI strategy, infrastructure needs, refining and enhancing budget models, expanding and strengthening K-12 partnerships. 

During this meeting you will learn about goals, timelines, and how you can get involved/provide feedback. After the session there also will be an opportunity for informal conversation with leads of initiatives and the Office of the Provost team. 

Register here.

Guidelines for AI Use in the Classroom

If you missed Anupam Joshi's announcement before winter break concerning university guidelines for AI use in the classroom, check it out here. The guidelines were developed through broad consultation with faculty and staff and reflect emerging best practices and examples from peer institutions. They feature a "traffic light" model to help instructors articulate permissible, limited, or prohibited uses of AI tools.

Global Academic Reputation Survey

Some of you may have received the Global Academic Reputation Survey last semester. It was sent to a curated list of faculty and academic staff between November 5 and December 5 from surveys@timeshighereducationsurvey.com. The subject line of the email was: Have your say in Times Higher Ed's (THE) Global Academic Reputation Survey. You may also have received a reminder survey. 

Both emails start with a "Dear researcher" salutation instead of a personalized one. Please rest assured that the invite is genuine.

If you received the survey and feel comfortable doing so, please complete it.  

Thank You for the Feedback

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback this semester. The Provost's Perspective is a work in progress and will continue to evolve to more fully serve you, UMBC's faculty and academic staff. If there is a subject or topic that you feel should be covered (or have general feedback on the content), drop me a note here. Your feedback and input matters!

Mark your calendar

Refusing Generative AI in College Writing Instruction: A Conversation with the Authors Maggie Fernandes, Megan McIntyre, and Jennifer Sano-Franchini

Hear diverse perspectives on genAI in higher education

Wednesday, February, 11, noon to 1 p.m., online

Join the Faculty Development Center for a conversation with the scholars who created Refusing Generative AI in Writing Studies. The speakers will share how and why they decided to create Refusing GenAI in Writing Studies as well as its impact as a rhetorical intervention. In addition, they will address stock arguments in support of generative AI adoption in the classroom before offering some practical teaching strategies for negotiating some of the challenges that generative AI poses for education. Teachers from all disciplines who assign writing, who are interested in learning about diverse perspectives on generative AI in higher education, and who are interested in resisting Big Tech's incursion in higher education may benefit from attending this teaching talk.

Click here and select "Going Virtually" to register.

absolute alternatives

2026 Arts+ UMBC Faculty Exhibition

Now through February 28

Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture

The Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture presents "absolute alternatives," the 2026 Arts+ UMBC Faculty Exhibition. Organized by guest curator Maleke Glee, "absolute alternatives" presents faculty from across UMBC whose interdisciplinary research is a form of creative practice, including Jude Agboada, Fiona Bell, Kelley Bell and the Cheeky Magpie Collective, Lee Boot, Lynn Cazabon, Lisa Cella, Mayank Chugh, Cathy Cook, Arit Emmanuela Etukudo, Eva Grandoni, Tahira Chloe Mahdi, Phillip Mann, Steven McAlpine, Lisa Moren, Edgar Reyes, Julie Sayo, Sarah G. Sharp, and Airi Yoshioka.

Inspired by the boundary-pushing spirit of the Arts+ initiative, the exhibition proposes alternatives to defining research through absolute disciplinary categories.

Public Programs

• An opening reception, featuring a performance of Zosha Di Castri's Dream Field, by flutist Lisa Cella and violinist Airi Yoshioka, will take place on Thursday, February 12 (note new date), from 6 to 8 p.m.

• On Saturday, February 28, at 2 p.m., conductor Philip Mann and curator Maleke Glee will be featured in Creative Convergence: A Conversation with a Conductor and Curator.

Visitor Information

Admission to the exhibition and all public programs is free. The CADVC is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 5 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2026 Office of the Provost Strategic Initiatives Meeting

March 5, 3:30-5 p.m., Fine Arts 118 and online

Mark your calendars and plan to join Provost Manfred van Dulmen and the provost leadership team either in person or online to learn about the 2026 strategic initiatives for the Office of the Provost. We will present information on current strategic initiatives including re-envisioning general education, student success strategy, graduate student recruitment and enrollment strategy, fostering curricular innovation, strengthening global education, AI strategy, infrastructure needs, refining and enhancing budget models, expanding and strengthening K-12 partnerships. 

During this meeting you will learn about (a) goals, (b) leads, (c) who is involved, (d) timeline, and (e) how you can get involved/provide feedback. After the session there also will be an opportunity for informal conversation with leads of initiatives and the Office of the Provost team. 

Register here.

New Faculty Spotlights

Each week we feature the newest faculty members of our community.

Hasan Shahid, Assistant Professor, Economics

Areas of Research/Interest: Health Economics

Fun Fact About Hasan: I lived in Warsaw, Poland, for six years as a child.

Corine Jackman Burden, Assistant Professor, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Areas of Research/Interest: Cell-cell and microbe-host interactions, Human vaginal microbiome, Streptococcus pneumoniae, microdroplet technologies, and biomimetic platforms

Fun Fact About Corine: My Girl Scout Gold award was signed by President Obama.

Are you a new faculty member? Please take two minutes to fill out the form and submit your bio if you have not already done so.

Help Make this Newsletter Better

The goal each week of this message is to deepen our connection to UMBC, whether that is learning about an upcoming event, a divisional accomplishment, an innovative program, or an  update from the Office of the Provost. If you know of a program or event that should be highlighted, please share it here.

Until next week, 

Manfred van Dulmen

To connect with an advisor:

Schedule an online or in person appointment with your advisor. If you do not have an assigned advisor or they are unavailable you can also schedule an appointment with any advisor here. 

For quick questions email your advisor or coeitadvising@umbc.edu

Attend Walk In Advising (pending University opening)

Monday, February 9:  1:00 - 3:00

Tuesday, February 10:  10:00 - 12:00

Wednesday, February 11:  10:00 - 12:00

Thursday, February 12:  1:00 - 3:00

Friday, February 13:  10:00 - 12:00

Please bring your laptop to Walk In Advising if you need to make schedule adjustments.

A sign in sheet will be located on the table outside ITE 204. 

The Bookstore's Spring Hours have begun! 

Monday–Friday: 8 AM to 4 PM

Saturday/Sunday: CLOSED

Visit: bookstore.umbc.edu for information on special weekend events and Team Store hours!