U.S. News highlights UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program in a new feature article on highly successful national models for engaging and supporting black students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The article describes UMBC and Morgan State University as working to decrease longstanding racial and gender disparities in STEM-related employment and education.

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program enrolls exceptional students of all backgrounds who are committed to increasing the representation of minorities in science and engineering and who aspire to become leading research scientists and engineers. The program has found that offering students robust research opportunities, mentorship, and a supportive peer community, along with comprehensive financial aid, summer bridge programs, and other supports, yields tremendously positive results for student experiences and success.

Recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges reveal that UMBC is the #1 producer of African American undergraduates who go on to enroll in MD/PhD programs. In the 2011-2015 period, 15 UMBC alumni were enrolled in MD/PhD programs, more than double the #2 university, Yale.

“It has become a point of pride for the institution,” says Brit Kirwan, chancellor emeritus and regents professor of mathematics at the University System of Maryland, speaking of UMBC and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. “This is not a top-down mandate. Faculty, staff, students see this as a mark of distinction for the institution.”

Read the full article “Universities Ramp Up Black Students’ Interest in STEM” in U.S. News.

Image of Holly Summers (l) and Blossom Tewelde (r) ’14, biochemistry and molecular biology, from the Meyerhoff Scholars Graduation Dinner. Photo by Jim Burger for UMBC.

Hello Future Retrievers!

I hope you all are having an amazing school year! This upcoming week UMBC will be closed for Spring Break. Do not worry, our office will be back up and running on Thursday, March 17th at our regular hours (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.).

Please email us at admissions@umbc.edu if you have any questions, and we will get back to you once we return.

Also, don’t forget to set your clocks back on Sunday for daylight savings time! SPRING IS HERE!!! But, knowing Maryland weather it’s probably going to snow next week…

Remember, you can always stay up to date with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by following us on our social media sites @UMBCadmissions!

A resource round-up provided by Women’s Center staff members

In case you missed yesterday’s roundtable on Trans Identities + Mental Health (or if you were there and want to keep the conversation going), we thought it might be useful to summarize some of the discussion in addition to linking to some useful reading materials and resources. 

As with all of our roundtables, we reached out to our panel members and asked them to keep some of guiding questions in mind as they shared their stories and examples. Some of these questions included:

• Where do the intersections of trans identities and mental health show up for you personally? In the classroom? In your activism? In your peer networks?
• How does stigma against mental illness impact trans people’s experiences seeking support or other mental health services?
• How are the needs of trans people different and/or similar to those of LGB+ people with regard to mental health?
• Why is the intersection of trans identities and mental health a social justice and/or feminist issue?

One student panelist, Dan, described his experience with gender identity and mental health using an extended metaphor of a car sitting on top of a messy desk in order to illustrate the difficulty of adequately addressing various ongoing mental health issues that are distinct from — yet often complicated by — issues related to gender identity.

With only an hour to spend together, there’s still so much more we could have delved into and learned together as a community. Let the work continue! Below are a few articles and resources to help continue doing self-reflection and growth. As a reminder, this is not an exhaustive list so let us know if you recommend other great resources!

Follow on Twitter!

• @janetmock
• @juliaSerana
• @reinagossett 
• @deanspade
• The Sylvia Rivera Law Project @SRLP

Articles, Blogs and Books on the subject:

• DSM-5: Gender Dysmorphia
• Janet Mock’s Revealing Caitlyn Jenner: My Thoughts on Media, Privilege, Healthcare Access & Glamour
• Transgender People More Likely to Develop Depression and Anxiety
• Dysphoria and Dysmorphia: Understanding Identity and Mental Illness
• Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines for Working With Gender-Variant People and Their Families
• Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community

On-campus resources:

Spectrum – this Women’s Center and Mosaic Center program is for UMBC community members who identify as trans, genderqueer, gender fluid, outside of the gender binary, and/or those who are questioning their gender identity. The program meets weekly in the Women’s Center on Thursdays at 3pm.

UMBC Counseling Center

•  Trans Support Group run through the Counseling Center
• Online Kognito Training for students AND faculty on staff on how to create a supportive campus for LGBTQ students

Critical Social Justice (October 2016)

Read More from Other Roundtable Roundups:

Black Trauma + Mental Health Resources Round-Up (February 2016)
White Womanhood + Critical Whiteness Resources Round-Up (September 2015)