In response to the tragic events in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas last week, and ongoing acts of hatred and violence across the country and around the world, President Freeman Hrabowski and Provost Philip Rous have called for community support and honest and thoughtful conversations in the following message to the campus community:

In the wake of the act of terror in Orlando one month ago today, the killing of young black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the killing of police officers and wounding of other officers and civilians in Texas this past week, we are struggling to come to terms with ongoing acts of hatred and violence across the country and around the world, from Turkey to Bangladesh. On behalf of the entire UMBC community, we extend our sincere condolences to the families and communities that have suffered such tragic personal losses.

 

In challenging times, when heartbreaking acts of violence occur so frequently, it can be difficult to find a path forward, but we know it must start with coming together as a community, across protest lines and lines of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and geography. We must work together to eliminate the causes of violence and injustice in our communities.

 

As a university community, it is our responsibility to lead and engage in honest and thoughtful conversations on difficult topics that are of great importance to our society, including systemic inequality, racism and prejudice in all its forms, and social justice. Many faculty, staff, and students have already created opportunities for such conversations across campus, as well as opportunities for reflection and healing. The Women’s Center and Mosaic Center will host a community safe space discussion tomorrow, noon-1 p.m., in the Women’s Center.

 

We will convene groups on campus to examine pressing social issues and identify new and existing resources to support our community in the coming weeks and months. This will include looking at ways to make sure these important conversations are a part of campus programs, events, and curricula.

 

As we consider the difference the UMBC community can make, we want to remind everyone of the following campus resources already in place:

 

• LGBTQ Faculty/Staff Association: lgbtfsa@umbc.edu
• Counseling Center: (410) 455-2472
• International Education Services: (410) 455-2624
• The Mosaic and Interfaith Center: (410) 455-2686
• Women’s Center: (410) 455-2714
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs: (410) 455-2393

Despite the continuing challenges facing our nation and world, we must remain hopeful. UMBC is a special community, and our mission has never been more important.

Image: UMBC library and Baltimore City skyline. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

There has been widespread analysis and commentary in recent weeks about what the Brexit vote will mean for the global economy, but School of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short wrote in a June 25 op-ed in The Conversation that the vote reveals a lot about the political geography in the United Kingdom.

“The vote laid bare a seldom-acknowledged political and economic imbalance within the country. It has also raised the chances of dissolving a more than three centuries-old union,” he explained.

Short wrote about the economic and social inequality in the U.K. and how the voted reflected competing interests in a crowded political space.

“There is a spatial dimension to this social inequality. The U.K. has the most marked regional inequality in Europe. The rich and wealthy are concentrated in London and the South East where household incomes are higher than the rest of the country. As the U.K. became a more unequal and divided society, the cleavage between London and the South East compared to the rest of the country is becoming more marked.”

In two new publications, Honors College Professor Ellen Handler Spitz provides rich analysis of intersections between psychology and the arts.

In a special online issue of the American Psychological Association journal, “Psychoanalytic Psychology” devoted to the humanities, Spitz has the lead article, linking the humanities with psychoanalysis by building on an expanded lecture presented initially at the Austen Riggs Center’s Erikson Institute. Read more about her article “Anna, Gregor, and Ajax: Translation and Transference” on the APA website. 

Spitz is also the author of a chapter on “Psychoanalysis and the Visual Arts” in the new Routledge Handbook of Psychoanalysis in the Social Sciences and the Humanities. Her chapter focuses on Rembrandt’s “The Polish Rider,” which lives in the Frick Collection in New York City.

Earlier this month, Professor Spitz presented a talk at the 33rd International Conference on Psychology and the Arts at the Université de Reims in France. Her talk was based on her research on “The Psychology of Fairy Tales.” The conference was attended by delegates from the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Austria, Pakistan, Japan, Mexico, and Belgium, among other countries.

Spitz is the author of six books on the arts and psychology. Read more about Spitz’s work on the Honors College website. 

Image: Rembrandt’s “The Polish Rider.” Image from Art Gallery ErgsArt, public domain image.  

We are less than a month away from one of our favorite events of the year, Summer Preview Day! On Friday, August 5th, students and their families will be able to learn more about admission, financial aid and scholarships, residential life, the Honors College, student activities, and more. Guests will also have an opportunity to go on a tour led by our enthusiastic student guides. If you are a rising high school senior, this is a great event for you to get to know more about UMBC before applying later on in the year.

If you are interested in registering for this event, click here!

After visiting UMBC, you can explore Baltimore by using the Baltimore Collegetown guide.

We look forward to seeing you there! :)  As always, follow us on our social media sites @UMBCadmissions to stay up to date with the latest information from our office!

The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), a museum and library in Baltimore, is recruiting volunteer docents to deliver interactive tours and programs for student and adult groups. We are seeking candidates who have an interest in history, enjoy working with the public, and feel comfortable speaking to groups. Training on MdHS collections, exhibitions, tour methodology and themes, and museum policies will be provided. Volunteers are scheduled as needed upon mutual agreement with MdHS staff for the following:

School Tours

The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), a museum and library in Baltimore, is recruiting volunteer docents to deliver interactive tours and programs for student and adult groups. We are seeking candidates who have an interest in history, enjoy working with the public, and feel comfortable speaking to groups. Training on MdHS collections, exhibitions, tour methodology and themes, and museum policies will be provided. Volunteers are scheduled as needed upon mutual agreement with MdHS staff for the following:

School Tours

The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), a museum and library in Baltimore, is recruiting volunteer docents to deliver interactive tours and programs for student and adult groups. We are seeking candidates who have an interest in history, enjoy working with the public, and feel comfortable speaking to groups. Training on MdHS collections, exhibitions, tour methodology and themes, and museum policies will be provided. Volunteers are scheduled as needed upon mutual agreement with MdHS staff for the following:

School Tours

The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), a museum and library in Baltimore, is recruiting volunteer docents to deliver interactive tours and programs for student and adult groups. We are seeking candidates who have an interest in history, enjoy working with the public, and feel comfortable speaking to groups. Training on MdHS collections, exhibitions, tour methodology and themes, and museum policies will be provided. Volunteers are scheduled as needed upon mutual agreement with MdHS staff for the following:

School Tours