Additional information about this project:
In January, 2025, UMBC joined the ninth cohort of NASPA’s (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Culture of Respect Collective.
The two-year program guides colleges and universities committed to ending sexual violence through an intensive evaluation and action planning framework that will further enhance prevention and response initiatives on campus.
During the first six months of the program, UMBC completed an in-depth assessment to examine the University’s current work in six key areas: survivor support, policies and processes, prevention education, public disclosures of data, schoolwide mobilization and communication strategies, and ongoing self-assessment.
On September 30, 2025, a representative from Culture of Respect will conduct a campus site visit to meet with campus leadership and community members. As part of this site visit, the representative will facilitate both a Student Listening Session and Faculty/Staff Listening Session to gather community input. Campus community members who are interested in attending one of these in-person sessions should RSVP for the appropriate event on ECR’s myUMBC events page.
Questions? Please email ecrtraining@umbc.edu.
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This 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.
See original post and RSVP using this link:
https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/equityandinclusion/events/145892
Additional information about this project:
In January, 2025, UMBC joined the ninth cohort of NASPA’s (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Culture of Respect Collective.
The two-year program guides colleges and universities committed to ending sexual violence through an intensive evaluation and action planning framework that will further enhance prevention and response initiatives on campus.
During the first six months of the program, UMBC completed an in-depth assessment to examine the University’s current work in six key areas: survivor support, policies and processes, prevention education, public disclosures of data, schoolwide mobilization and communication strategies, and ongoing self-assessment.
On September 30, 2025, a representative from Culture of Respect will conduct a campus site visit to meet with campus leadership and community members. As part of this site visit, the representative will facilitate both a Student Listening Session and Faculty/Staff Listening Session to gather community input. Campus community members who are interested in attending one of these in-person sessions should RSVP for the appropriate event on ECR’s myUMBC events page.
Questions? Please email ecrtraining@umbc.edu.
-----------
This 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.
See original post and RSVP using this link:
https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/equityandinclusion/events/145893
Co-sponsored by the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts; the Center for Social Justice Dialogue; the Department of Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies; the Latin American Feminisms Faculty Working Group; the Latin American Studies Minor; the Latinx and Hispanic Faculty Association; The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity; and the Orser Center for Public Humanities.Johanna Toruño is the founder of The Unapologetic Street Series, a street art series that is exhibited at public spaces, such as walls, utility posts, and mailboxes. Her bold imagery and statements, often adorned in lush florals, celebrate queer, working class, and immigrant communities. Through her work, Toruño challenges social norms and centers messages of self-reflection and self-acceptance. Using a soft aesthetic with colors that remind her of home, Toruño brings storytelling and a chance for her audience to re-learn and decolonize their own self to accessible spaces. Her political and social messages highlight topics of reimagining norms, and the joy of holding space for collective liberation. Johanna is a TED speaker and lecturer at Universities like Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, and others. Johanna's work has been featured in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, NPR, Nylon, and more. Johanna lives and works in Los Angeles with her partner and 2 dogs. If she's not wheat pasting, she's cooking.
Serena Studivant, assistant director, commuter student success, will be a featured alumnus speaker for the September 11 “Young and Ambitious” panel discussion at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s (UMES) Founders Week.
The “Young and Ambitious” initiative is designed to connect current UMES students with accomplished alumni who can share insights regarding career development, professional challenges, and strategies for success. The panelists are asked to share their journeys since leaving UMES to offer valuable insights and inspire the students: their professional journeys since graduating from UMES, key decisions that shaped their careers, challenges they’ve overcome in their professional lives, advice they would offer to students preparing to enter similar fields, and how their UMES education contributed to their success. The program is part of UMES’s broader commitment to student career exploration and professional development, coordinated through the Career and Professional Development Center and Office of Alumni Relations & Special Events.
Studivant graduated from UMES in May of 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Design, and a concentration in Commercial Photography. In 2023, she received the 2023 Distinguished Alumna award on behalf of UMES, recognizing the accomplishments of alumni from each university in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Serena was appointed 2nd Vice President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) National Alumni Association in 2024.
UMBC’s restorative practices programs were featured in Word in Black on August 7 and republished by Afro Newson September 4. The article was also picked up nationally on social media and in media outlets including The Sacramento Observer, The Houston Defender, and The Seattle Medium, among others.
In the article, “How ancient practices at UMBC heal old wounds,” Dr. Cullen stated, “The problems and conflicts we’ve created in the modern world are complex, but the solution is actually pretty simple: we need to turn towards one another and talk. Circles have existed on the community level for thousands of years. I think we just need to get back to our roots.”
The article also includes interviews with UMBC student Georgina Nassuna and Iris Crankfield, M.A. ‘05.
The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents has selected Laura Schraven, director of Student Affairs Communications and Marketing (SACM), as a recipient of the 2024-2025 USM Board of Regents Staff Award in the Category of Outstanding Service to Students. The Board of Regents Staff Awards are the highest honors bestowed by the Board of Regents to recognize exemplary staff achievement. Award recipients will be recognized at a special celebration in spring 2026.
“Laura’s passion for this work is evident in her unwavering commitment to the betterment of our community,” says Fritzie Charné-Merriwether, associate vice president for student affairs and chief of staff. “Her vision, resilience, and unwavering dedication make her a linchpin in the efforts to achieve our collective goals, and it is a privilege to have her as a part of our team. Laura's extraordinary ability to create professional development opportunities for students, foster collaboration, and prioritize an inclusive approach to teamwork set her apart as a true leader.”
Schraven spearheaded the development of and serves as director of Student Affairs Communications and Marketing (SACM), a team focused on technology, communications, marketing, and design. SACM enhances branding through messaging and effective, inclusive, and accessible graphic and digital design, and develops and standardizes divisional practices for technology and digital environments to enhance communication effectiveness for departmental communications and across the division. She also serves as a key member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team.
In her 24 years at UMBC, Schraven has dedicated herself to serving as an innovator in mentoring and teaching students. In 2003 she created commonvision, UMBC’s Student Design and Print Center, now part of SACM. What she initially started over 20 years ago with just herself and one student assistant helping student organizations promote their events has grown into a space that houses 20+ undergraduate student workers and graduate assistants who provide full-service print, design, and animation services for the university.
commonvision is unique in the world of higher education. While many universities offer some print and design services, it is rare to have a space for student staff that serves as the primary hub for Student Affairs and student organization print and web design, animation, motion graphics, digital signage, wide format printing, outdoor signage installation, and promotional items, while also supporting university campaigns. Clients extend throughout campus, including students, faculty, staff, academic and administrative departments, offices, and more.
Even more important is the opportunity commonvision gives UMBC undergraduate and graduate students to work in a professional tier environment, through immensely valuable applied-learning experiences that complement their academic experiences, propelling students into the workforce with client and customer service experience, print production training, and soft skills, as well as a way to make friends, feel a sense of belonging, and help build community at UMBC. In addition, Schraven’s support in the pursuit of the most current technology and creative tools ensures students are entering the workforce well equipped and prepared with the tech skills necessary to thrive in their fields.
With an alumni network of over 100 past commonvision student staff, Schraven’s work extends beyond the UMBC experience. Alumni stay connected and involved with the space post-graduation, creating more opportunities for our students, and Schraven provides ways for them to make those important connections throughout multiple “generations” of students. Many students who worked at commonvision have gone directly on to work in the creative fields of their choice, with roles at Baltimore Magazine, Stanley Black and Decker, numerous ad agencies in Baltimore, Squad 47, Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. They have become notable speakers and authors, and produced work for companies like Hershey, Dunkin, Under Armour, and PBS Kids.
Laura’s current university service includes co-leading the Student-Facing Communications Workgroup, a UMBC Partnership with the National Institute for Student Success to collaborate on the implementation of communication strategies to enhance student engagement and outreach. She is the staff advisor for UMBC Review, and also serves on several committees, including Homecoming and Student Affairs’ Community Commitment Team.
Thumbnail photo caption: Schraven and over 10 years of commonvision alumni at an event in her honor.
Thursday, September 18
Belonging on Their Terms: Friendship Experiences of Autistic College Students
Students, Employees, Alumni
12:00 pm, Online Seminar
Meeting Link: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/94625574235
Presenters: Katie Tobin McDermott – Consultant; Dr. Karly Ball Isaacson – Michigan State University
College Autism Network: This presentation highlights autistic undergraduate college students’ perspectives on friendship using data from the PEACES project, a national, longitudinal, mixed methods study. We present key findings related to participants’ engagement in autistic spaces, practicing autistic authenticity, and bonding over shared interests. Drawing from these findings, we discuss strategies for higher education professionals and researchers to support belonging among this unique student group.
NOTE: This event is not hosted by, and is not associated with, any individual or group at UMBC.
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