Dear UMBC Community,

UMBC remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment where every voice is heard and valued. The campus climate shapes the lives of us all and understanding our community's diverse experiences is crucial to ensure we are upholding our core value of inclusive excellence.

Last spring, our community took part in a Community, Engagement, and Belonging survey, led by the Division of Institutional Equity and its vice president, Tanyka Barber. We hope you will join us and the Rankin Climate team to hear results from the survey on Monday, February 9. The presentation will highlight what we are doing well and where challenges remain, helping us better understand the perceptions of our learning, living, and working environments related to sense of community, engagement, and empowerment across faculty, staff, and student bodies. The presentation is an important step in ensuring our university continues to be a place where all individuals feel supported and able to thrive.

Join in-person: The Fine Arts Recital Hall, 12 – 1 p.m.
Join online: Livestream available for the full campus community
Registration is required.

This will be an opportunity to learn, reflect, and ensure your voice is part of our collective effort toward a more inclusive UMBC.

Best wishes,

Jasmine A. Lee
Associate Vice President, Division of Institutional Equity
Co-Chair, Campus Climate Workgroup

Orianne Smith
Professor, English
Co-Chair, Campus Climate Workgroup

You can meet in-person with a TIAA rep to discuss your retirement outlook and any questions you may have! Appointments are available in-person between 9am and 4pm.

Whether you are just getting started or planning to retire soon - a session with Ms. Jahleel Gordon (TIAA rep) can help you create a plan for your goals. It’s at no additional cost and included as a part of your retirement plan. 

You can discuss these questions and more:

• Am I invested in the right mix of investments to help meet my goals?

• Am I saving enough to create the retirement income I need?

• How do I take income from my retirement account after I stop working?

This Week in EA

• UMBC Spring 2026 G.O. Fair | Feb. 4th | 11am-2pm | Commons Main Street

  Visit the UMBC Global Opportunities Fair to learn all about all kinds of global opportunities! Explore education abroad, international internships, research, community engagement, and more. There's an opportunity for everyone!

• French in France Info Session | Feb. 5th | 1pm-2pm | UC 204/Online
  

  Interested in taking a French course in Angers, France this Summer? Join our faculty leader, Rebecca Grenouilleau-Loescher and the Education Abroad Team for a hybrid info session to learn all about the course options, the cultural activities, and the ins and outs of the application process.

Recurring Events and Deadlines

• February 8th, 2026: ISEP Exchange and Nanzan University Fall '26, and AY 26-27 Applications due (Deadline extended)

• February 16, 2026: Summer 2026 Faculty-led Program Applications due

• March 10th, 2026: Summer (non-faculty led), Fall, and Academic Year 2026-2027 Applications due

• Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and Academic Year 2026-2027 advising is available now! Contact educationabroad@umbc.edu to schedule an advising appointment.

• Study Abroad 101 Sessions
  Monday | 2pm-3pm | Virtual
  Tuesday | 1pm-2pm | Virtual
  Friday | 11am-12pm | Virtual

Faculty-Led Study Abroad Corner

Applications for all Summer 2026 Faculty-led Programs  are due on February 16, 2026. Please email educationabroad@umbc.edu with any questions!

• Picturing Italian Art and Culture in Context

  Are you interested in learning about the nearly 3,000 years of globally influential art, architecture and culture on display in Rome, Italy, while in Italy? Explore ancient ruins, such as the Forum and the Coliseum, that are situated within the modern urban landscape and evoke the power of the Roman Empire. This program utilizes the city as a living laboratory, including field trips to the Forum, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, The Vatican, Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borghese Gallery, Bernini's Fountains, Ponte Sant'Angelo, and the Roman Catacombs. Through firsthand experience, the class examines art and architecture within the context in which it was originally created and allows students to experience other aspects of Italian visual culture such as authentic cuisine and music from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Students will receive credit for either ART215 or ART329

March 12, 2026 – 2:00 p.m. ET

Taking Ideas Public: A Scholar's Guide to Trade Publishing

Blair LM Kelley, President and Director, National Humanities Center
Tanya McKinnon, Founder and Principal Agent, McKinnon Literary

Join us for a lively conversation on what is lost and gained when academics write for trade publishers. The webinar will feature literary agent and founder of McKinnon Literary, Tanya McKinnon, who for the last 19 years has helped authors bring their ideas to life and find their audience. Tanya will be in dialogue with NHC President and Director Blair LM Kelley to discuss the writing and publication process, and how authors can make the leap from university presses to trade.

Blair LM Kelley is president and director of the National Humanities Center. An award-winning author, historian, and scholar of the African American experience, her scholarship and social commentary have focused on African American social movements, segregation, and the Black working class. Before joining the NHC, she served as the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and directed the Center for the Study of the American South. Previously, Kelley spent 20 years on the faculty and as an administrator at North Carolina State University, including as associate dean of interdisciplinary affairs and partnerships.

Tanya McKinnon is the founder and principal agent of McKinnon Literary. As a literary agent, she works to amplify progressive voices and help authors sharpen their projects regardless of genre. Having spent time on both sides of the agent-author relationship, she draws on this experience to bring a holistic perspective to the publishing industry and ensures her clients and their projects are handled with utmost care. McKinnon represents serious nonfiction, literary fiction, children's books, and graphic novels. Several of McKinnon's clients include New York Times best-sellers, winners of the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Lambda Literary Award, the LA Times Book Award, the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, and many more.

Have you been seeing more announcements or emails related to AI tools or usage on campus?Do you have questions regarding the recent guidelines that were shared on the use ofartificial intelligence (AI) tools in the classroom? Would you like your voice heard, or wouldappreciate having student perspectives brought to the forefront of these conversations relating to AIpolicy and guidelines? 

The AOK Library would like to hear from you! If you would like to come together in a safe space to discuss AI use on campus, please stop by room 259 in the Library for three student only,student focused, in-person listening sessions happening Wednesdays (please see dates and times below and in our events page). Faculty will not be present, and conversations thatoccur within the space will remain anonymous to protect students' identities. All majors are welcome! 

There will be free pizza and drinks, and participants will be offered the chance to grab free swag, in addition to bonus library privileges! 

Session 1: Wednesday, February 25th, 12:00pm-1:00pm (Room 259)

Session 2: Wednesday, March 4th, 12:00pm-1:00pm (Room 259)

We encourage students interested in participating to add the individual events to their calendars!

These listening sessions are supported by the AOK Library, in partnership with Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, and the Dresher Center. We thank you for your support!