Dear UMBC faculty:

We are thrilled to announce the call for applications for the UMBC Global Learning Lab, a joint initiative of the Office of the Provost and the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) that aims to develop a faculty learning community dedicated to increasing student access to global learning opportunities. The Global Learning Lab is a cohort-style, semester-long program that provides a framework for faculty to exchange best practices and innovative models for expanding access to global learning opportunities over a series of four workshops. This program is made possible with funding from the Office of the Provost. 

All full-time faculty—tenured/tenure-track, non-tenure-track—and adjuncts (minimum of six semesters at UMBC) are invited to apply for the Spring 2026 cohort. Faculty accepted into the Lab must commit to attending each of the workshops below and producing one project to present at the conclusion of the lab. Faculty will receive a $1,500 professional development stipend to support their intended project. The funds will be transferred to the fellow's home department upon successful completion of the Spring 2026 Global Learning Lab. Applicants must discuss their intended project with their department chairs prior to applying. 

Workshop #1: Friday, February 6, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Internationalization of the Curriculum Through Curricular Mapping will focus on identifying the ideal term(s), course(s), location(s)/partner(s) for students to participate in a global learning experience.

Workshop #2: Friday, February 27, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Developing a Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program will focus on building a study abroad program using best practices to support student learning and the development of skills, attitudes, and experiences that promote global and cultural competency.  

Workshop #3: Friday, March 27, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Global Learning for All: Virtual Exchange will focus on how to foster opportunities to develop cultural and global competencies in an existing course through virtual exchanges known as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).

Workshop #4: Friday, May 1, from 9 AM - 12 PM

Global Learning Lab Project Presentations will provide an opportunity for faculty in the lab to present their global learning project (i.e. curricular mapping for their department, faculty-led study abroad program proposal, or COIL course).

Important

The ideal faculty cohort will represent the diversity of UMBC programs and a diversity of intended projects. As such, if more than one faculty member from a specific department is applying, they are encouraged to speak with their colleagues to ensure their intended projects are complementary (i.e. one faculty member may propose to work on a virtual exchange/COIL and another will work on proposing a faculty-led study abroad program).

The deadline to apply for the Spring 2026 cohort is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2025. Faculty will be notified about the status of their application by Friday, January 16, 2026. Please note that in-person attendance at each workshop is required. All applicants should save these workshop dates now. 

Questions? Contact Katie Heird at kheird1@umbc.edu at the Center for Global Engagement. 

Sincerely,

Ana Oskoz, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

David Di Maria, Vice Provost for Global Engagement

It's that time of the semester, you're finishing finals, wrapping things up, and getting ready for break – BUT WAIT! Before you go, you should clean up your cloud storage space so you will be set for when you come back. 

During the semester, you probably created and used a bunch of documents for your classes that probably won't see the light of day again. Now is a good time to assess whether those documents are worth keeping or trashing to make room for the documents you'll use next semester. 

Check your Google Storage

To see how much storage you're using, click here:

Check my Google Storage Usage

Here are some FAQs and Resources to help free up your cloud storage

Tips and Best Practices for Managing your Cloud Storage

Take Control of Your Google Drive: A Guide to Freeing Up Space

Declutter Your Inbox: A Guide to Cleaning Up Your Email

Cloud Storage Quotas & Changes - UMBC FAQs 

MSRP webinars are open to all Faculty and Staff. 

Click here to Register. All webinars are approximately 45 minutes in length.

The Retriever Re-Store, UMBC's Green Move Out donation collection initiative, is up and open for business in Upper Flat Tuesdays, on the second floor of the Commons. 

Students can donate unwanted goods and items from their dorms/apartments in the green bins located in each residence hall lobby.

 Donations are collected and sorted in the free store in Upper Flat Tuesdays for all to browse from, free of charge! Help us keep these items out of the landfill and into a new home by donating to the Re-Store!

See the attached flyers for a list of accepted items and donation locations. 
Learn more at https://sustainability.umbc.edu/home/campus-initiatives/
If you are a staff/faculty member interested in donating, please email us to set up a donation appointment.