University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Infobox University
name = University of Maryland, Baltimore County

---

motto = An Honors University in Maryland
established = 1966
type = Public
calendar = 4-1-4
president = Freeman A. Hrabowski III
address = 1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
city = Catonsville|
state = Maryland, United States

(coord|39|15|19.80|N|76|42|40.52|W|region:FR_type:edu)

undergrad = 9,668
postgrad = 2,184
faculty = 949
campus = Suburban, 500 acres (2 km²)
free_label =
free =
nickname = Retrievers
colors = Black, Gold and Red [ [http://www.umbc.edu/umbcstyle/graphic_stand.pdf Graphic Standards] ]
color box|#000 color box|#ffc20f color box|#ef2b2f
affiliations = America East Conference; MAISA; AAU
mascot = True Grit
website = [http://www.umbc.edu www.umbc.edu]
[http://www.umbcretrievers.com www.umbcretrievers.com]
athletics = The UMBC Retrievers,
17 varsity teams,
NCAA Division I

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County [cite web |url=http://www.umbc.edu/umbcstyle/writing_stand.pdf |title=UMBC Style Guide |accessdate=2008-05-28 |publisher=UMBC] (generally known as UMBC) is a public research university, located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, in the community of Catonsville. Established as a part of the University System of Maryland in 1966, the university specializes in the natural sciences and engineering, while also offering a breadth of programs in the liberal arts. The University is not a satellite campus of the University of Maryland.

Mission

UMBC is a dynamic public research university integrating teaching, research and service to benefit the citizens of Maryland. As an Honors University, the campus offers academically talented students a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation that prepares them for graduate and professional study, entry into the workforce, and community service and leadership. UMBC emphasizes science, engineering, information technology, human services and public policy at the graduate level. UMBC contributes to the economic development of the State and the region through entrepreneurial initiatives, workforce training, K-16 partnerships, and technology commercialization in collaboration with public agencies and the corporate community. UMBC is dedicated to cultural and ethnic diversity, social responsibility and lifelong learning.

Vision

UMBC: An Honors University in Maryland seeks to become the best public research university of our size by combining the traditions of the liberal arts academy, the creative intensity of the research university, and the social responsibility of the public university. We will be known for integrating research, teaching and learning, and civic engagement so that each advances the others for the benefit of society.

Academics

UMBC's Undergraduate School offers 54 majors and 42 minors and 20 certificate programs in the physical and biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences, engineering, mathematics, information technology, humanities, economics and visual and performing arts. New degree programs include management of aging services, media and communication studies, and gender and women's studies. UMBC's Graduate School offers 33 master's degree programs, 23 doctoral degree programs and 20 graduate certificate programs. Programs are offered in emergency health services, education, engineering, imaging and digital arts, information technology, life sciences, psychology, public policy and a host of other areas of interest. A new gerontology Ph.D. program is one of only six in the United States.

Financial Aid and scholarships

UMBC is home to the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, a program focused on the cultivation of underrepresented minority scholarship and awareness in the math, science, and engineering disciplines. Other scholarship programs include the CWIT Scholars Program, the Humanities Scholars Program, the Linehan Artist Scholars Program, the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program and the Sherman Teacher Education Scholars Program. Major businesses in the Baltimore-Washington area recruit using scholarships and internship opportunities.

Rankings

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is particularly regarded for its natural science and engineering programs. According to the National Science Foundation, the University is among the top three Ph.D-granting universities in the United States in the production of IT degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. UMBC ranks second nationally in degrees awarded by colleges that grant bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees in the computing sciences. The university continues to be the largest producer of IT graduates in the Maryland area [ [http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/achievements.php UMBC Honors and Achievements, Leadership and Innovation] ] . The Carnegie Foundation's new classification of American colleges and universities places the university alongside other extensive doctoral/research universities. UMBC is one of only two public universities in Maryland to hold this position, the other being University of Maryland, College Park. Only 152 universities are part of this category nationwide.

The university is also regarded for its diverse student population. The "Princeton Review" ranks UMBC 2nd [ [http://www.princetonreview.com/schoollist.aspx?type=r&id=699&uidbadge= 2009 Princeton Review Rankings] ] on its Diverse Population list, as well as including it on its Best in the Northeast list [ [http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/schoolsays.asp?category=1&listing=1023332&LTID=1&intbucketid= Princeton Review] ] . According to the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMBC is ranked 1st nationally in the total number of undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry degrees awarded to African Americans, 4th nationally in the total number of chemistry and biochemistry undergraduate degrees awarded to Asian Americans, and 7th nationally in overall undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry degree production [ [http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/achievements.php UMBC Honors and Achievements, Leadership and Innovation] ] .

UMBC is among the top five national universities recognized as innovative schools to watch in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 Best Colleges Guide

UMBC is ranked by the USNews and World Report rankings as a national university: third tier. [http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/directory/brief/drglance_2105_brief.php]

The Carnegie Foundation's new classification of American colleges and universities, issued this month, places UMBC in the top tier of America's research universities. Of the nearly 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide, UMBC is one of only 152--the top 3.8 percent--to be included in the elite category, "Doctoral-Research Universities/Extensive."

UMBC also is among the top 100 national public universities ranked in the 2001 U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges. U.S. News ranked UMBC 14th nationwide in its listing of national universities graduating students with the least amount of debt; UMBC was the only Maryland institution represented in this category, which also includes the California Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The 2001 edition of the Kaplan Newsweek College Catalog rated UMBC a "best value," based on a national survey of guidance counselors, who cited UMBC's strong professional, computer-technology, and arts programs. UMBC is Maryland's only university named in this category, which also includes William and Mary, the University of Virginia, and the University of California, Berkeley.

In recognition of its multicultural campus and academically exceptional students from all backgrounds, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has been ranked second on The Princeton Review “Most Diverse Student Body” list.

UMBC’s student body is among the most diverse nationally (37 percent minority, including 18 percent Asian, 15 percent African American and 4 percent Hispanic and Native American).

The Princeton Review recognized UMBC in its newly released rankings of U.S. colleges, The Best 368 Colleges: 2009 Edition. The annual publication offers updated reviews of each institution and separate rankings lists about student life, based on responses from administrators and student surveys.

The “Most Diverse Student Body” ranking lists 20 leading institutions. UMBC placed ahead of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Temple University and State University of New York-Stonybrook University.

The 2003 Kaplan/Newsweek How to Get Into College guide has hit the newsstands featuring UMBC as one of “America’s Hot Schools.” This exclusive list of a dozen schools that are among students’ top picks is “dominated by some of the country’s top public universities,”

"Faculty Research Recognized with Top Rankings"

UMBC faculty continue to be recognized for excellence in research. The University now ranks second among U.S. universities in NASA research funding, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The university's NASA-funded centers are the Joint Centers for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), the Joint Center for Astrophysics (JCA), Goddard Earth Systems and Technology Center (GEST) and the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST).

"We are training a new generation of scientists that the nation needs to conduct research which literally may be critical to the health of the planet in the future," said Raymond Hoff, professor of physics and director of JCET and GEST. "The opportunity for a medium-sized state research university to become the number two partner with NASA on grant-based research could not have happened without the effort of strong supporters at NASA and the research performed by the young faculty that UMBC has been able to hire through these centers."

In addition, the University's geoscience research was ranked third nationally for citation impact (the number of times peer professors cite UMBC faculty work in their own research papers) by Thomson Scientific's Science Watch. Harvard and the Georgia Institute of Technology are the only other U.S. universities with more frequently cited research on the environment, water, soil, atmosphere, pollution and climate change, according to Science Watch.

The Departments of Information Systems and Public Policy were ranked eighth and tenth respectively in their fields by the 2007 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, which measures the number of books and journal articles written by faculty members, the number of times other scholars have cited these publications and the grant monies, honors and awards the faculty members received. The index is prepared by Academic Analytics, a for-profit company that ranks academic programs in a wide range of fields.

Notable professors

;Africana Studies
* Dr. Acklyn Lynch- noted scholar, writer, cultural critic and activist

;Aging Studies
* Dr. William H. Thomas - an international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare, founder of The Eden Alternative and author of "What Are Old People For??" ;American Studies
* Warren Belasco - food scholar and renown historian, author of ""

;Biological Sciences
* Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg - a leading immunologist

;Chemistry
* Ramachandra S. Hosmane- a leading organic synthesis and medicinal chemist.
* Michael F. Summers - a Howard Hughes Investigator and a leading biological NMR spectroscopist

;Emergency Health Services
* Dr. Stephen Dean - An internationally recognized expert in Emergency Medical Services system design.

;English
* Christopher Corbett - A former news editor and reporter with The Associated Press, and the adviser for UMBC's student newspaper, "The Retriever Weekly".

;Gender and Women's Studies
* Carole McCann - reproductive politics, cultural politics of gender, sexuality, race and science, U.S. women's history
* Anne Brodsky, Director of the Gender and Women's Studies Program, author of ""

;Mathematics
* Thomas Mathew - one of the leading statisticians
* Bimal Sinha - one of the leading statisticians ;Political Science
* (Former Professor) Nabil Mikhail - expert in the field of Middle Eastern Relations
* Thomas Schaller - talk show host, political commentator, and author of "Whistling Past Dixie" ;Philosophy
* Stephen E. Braude - a leading parapsychologist and a noted thinker in Temporal Logic and the Philosophy of Mind. ;Psychology
* Christopher Murphy - one of the country's premiere domestic violence researchers
* Carlo DiClemente - a leading expert in addictions, co-developer of the Stages of Change model.

Novel by Math Professor and Author Receives National Attention

The Age of Shiva, the second novel by celebrated novelist and Professor of Mathematics Manil Suri, was recently favorably reviewed in the New York Times Book Review and the New Yorker.

In the New York Times Book Review, critic Caryn James writes, “Suri… is fearless in imagining a passionate, confused and not always admirable woman. That striking creation, and his refusal to give in to any hint of the didactic or the predictable, affirms his position as a writer worth serious attention.”

After Suri's debut novel, The Death of Vishnu, was published to critical acclaim, he was awarded a 2004 Guggenheim Fellowship. Suri also was named a Time magazine “Person to Watch,” and the book received multiple awards, including the 2002 Barnes and Noble Discover Prize, the 2001 Ralph Heyne Corrine Buchpreis (Germany), the 2002 McKittrick Prize (UK) and a Pen-Bingham Fellowship for 2002-04.

At UMBC, Suri is a mathematics professor who specializes in partial differential equations and is dedicated to fostering interest in mathematics among K-12 students and the general public. Last year, he was awarded a University System of Maryland (USM) Elkins Professorship for his “exemplary ability to inspire students” and for “professional work and scholarly endeavors [that] make a positive impact beyond the USM.”

Most recently, Suri has conducted mathematics workshops with area middle and high school students and teachers.

Campus

Notable buildings

Public Policy Building

Completed in 2003 at an estimated cost of $18,700,000, the Public Policy Building houses the Shriver Center and related departments.

The Hillcrest Building

In 1965 the land UMBC currently occupies was sold to its proprietors, which included the Hillcrest Building. In this period it functioned as an administration building, with rooms for student organizations and clubs and housed the Residential Life office. The basement of the building was renovated into a club known as "The Rattskeller". The building ceased to be used by the university in 2000, and future plans to demolish it were announced. Some students took an interest in trying to preserve the building on the grounds of its historical significance.

Trevor J. Blank, a former student at UMBC, has led a historic preservation effort to halt administrative efforts to raze the structure. He currently is working towards a Ph.D. at the Indiana University Folklore Institute and is in the process of co-authoring a book with David S. Helsel, M.D. on the history of Spring Grove State Hospital, which will include a spotlight on the Hillcrest Building's history. It is scheduled for a February 2008 release by Arcadia Publishing.

During the Summer of 2007 the building began to be demolished. As of late August, the building has been completely torn down.

The Commons

The Commons, which opened in January 2002, is the hub of student life on campus. It consists of multiple dining opportunities, the campus bookstore, Off-campus Student Services, the Women’s Center, various student lounges, meeting rooms, administrative offices, as well as office space for many of the 180-plus UMBC student organizations, including the Graduate Student Association. Occupying more than 144,000 square feet, The Commons is "high-tech" with wireless computer technology and information displays. Architecturally, the facility is quite unusual in design featuring a multitude of glass windows that provide an appealing environment for the many social activities.

Other locations

Drainage tunnels

A system of drainage tunnels lies underneath the campus at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Unknown to most of the student body, it is most accessible through a sizeable entrance near the Commons Garage and the Grassy Knoll. It traverses through much of the campus, the main shaft ending at the artificial pond near the Albin O. Kuhn Library. Multiple secondary tunnels deviate from the main tunnel, branching off towards the Biology and the Public Policy Buildings. Many students have explored and made their mark (often with graffiti) within the system, The condition of the tunnel system is not satisfactory for exploration by the public.

team tunnels

The steam tunnels are a series of maintenance tunnels that connect almost all major buildings on campus. The main tunnel runs directly under the "main concourse" that leads from the library to the administration building, and is about 1/2 a mile in length. They carry all heating, water, electrical, and data lines within them. They are only accessible from secured entrances within the buildings themselves and a few select grates near Erickson Field.Fact|date=May 2007

Grassy knoll

The "Grassy Knoll" is a landmark in a somewhat hidden clearing in the woods between the Administration Drive and the Commons Garage. It is accessible via a path near the drainage tunnel.

Pig Pen Pond

Located on the south end of campus, Pig Pen Pond is one of the few remaining elements of the farmland upon which UMBC was built. It is home to much wildlife, including the Baltimore oriole [ [http://userpages.umbc.edu/~sjoshi1/nature/birds_more.html UMBC campus birdlist] ] .

Campus Police

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County Police Department is a nationally accredited law enforcement agency servicing a population of 10,628 students and faculty not including daily visitors on over 50 acres of campus property and adjoining streets and roadways. The Police Department also employs a number of students as Police Student Marshals. Their main function is to provide campus wide escorts, event security, and to unlock and lock buildings.

tudent life

Approximately 75% of freshman students live on campus. With the completion of Erickson Hall, Harbor Hall, and the Walker Avenue Apartments, UMBC is making the transition from a commuter school to a residential school. As more students move onto campus, organization such as the Resident Student Association (RSA) and Student Events Board (SEB) are continually creating more activities for students to become involved in. In addition to events created and sponsored by the University, hundreds of university-sanctioned clubs and organizations are present on campus to build a sense of community. These clubs and organizations range from Greek life to academic and cultural clubs, to activity-based clubs including ice hockey, sky diving, sailing, tennis, rowing, and the martial arts. The school is known for the ethnically diverse student body and remains in the top 20 most diverse schools in the country.Fact|date=March 2007

tudent activities and organizations

Athletics

The school's sports teams are called the Retrievers, with colors black and gold with red. The mascot of the University is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the state dog of Maryland, named True Grit. There is a statue of True Grit that stands in front of the Retriever Activities Center (RAC). The Retrievers participate in NCAA Division 1-A as a part of the America East Conference, fielding 17 varsity sports; eight men and nine women. The Retrievers fight song is the UMBC Riser, and was written by Dr. George LaNoue, a professor of policy sciences.

The Retrievers won their first regular season American East Men's Basketball title in 2007-08, and also qualified for their first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Notable Alumni

;Arts and entertainment
*Brian Dannelly - Writer of the film "Saved!."
*Duff Goldman - Owner of Charm City Cakes and central character in Ace of Cakes, a reality show on The Food Network.
*Robert Mugge - Film writer, director & producer
*Johnathon Schaech - Actor
*Kathleen Turner - Actress
*Lauren Drew - TV Commercial
* James Collins- Musician, of jazz, soul group Fertile Ground
* Olu Butterfly- Poet
* Devin Walker- Author, musician, community activist
* Bassey Ikpi- Def Poetry Jam poet

;Journalism
*Tony Harris - CNN news anchor.

;Politics
*Ron Dillon, Jr. - Anne Arundel County Councilman, District 3.
*Allan H. Kittleman - Maryland state senator, District 9.
*James N. Mathias, Jr - former mayor of Ocean City, MD, member Maryland House of Delegates.
*Dan Patrick - Texas State Senator, District 7, Radio Talk Show host.
*Victoria L. Schade, former member of Maryland House of Delegates, District 31.

;Sports
*Wayne Franklin - Former Major League Baseball pitcher for the York Revolution in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
*Dan Marohl - National Lacrosse League forward for the Philadelphia Wings
*Brendan Mundorf - National Lacrosse League forward for the New York Titans; Major League Lacrosse forward for the Denver Outlaws.
*Jeff Ratcliffe - National Lacrosse League forward for the New York Titans.
*Brian Rowland - United Soccer Leagues Second Division goalkeeper for Crystal Palace Baltimore.
*Rick Steirer - former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
*Drew Westervelt - National Lacrosse League attack for the Philadelphia Wings; Major League Lacrosse attack for the Denver Outlaws.
*Jay Witasick - Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.

References

ee also

*Mid-InfraRed Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE) (largely based at Princeton University)
*Swoogle (search engine)

External links

* [http://www.umbc.edu University of Maryland, Baltimore County]
* [http://www.umbcretrievers.com Official UMBC Retrievers site]
* [http://www.umbc.edu/library Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, UMBC]
* [http://wmbc.umbc.edu UMBC Freeform Radio Station]
* [http://wmbc.umbcwrestling.net UMBC Wrestling Homepage]
* [http://www.retrieverweekly.com Retriever Weekly] - A weekly print and online newspaper created by UMBC students for UMBC students.
* [http://umbcunderground.com UMBC Underground] - An alternative news blog created by anonymous individuals for UMBC students.
* [http://overheardatumbc.net Overheard at UMBC] - A daily blog posting humorous and out of context quotes overheard at UMBC.
* [http://weather.umbc.edu/ Baltimore Weather] - Provided by the weather station at UMBC.
* [http://www.umbc.edu/cahss/ College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences]
* [http://www.umbc.edu/engineering/ College of Engineering and Information Technology]
* [http://www.umbc.edu/cnms/ College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences]
* [http://www.cps.umbc.edu/ Continuing & Professional Studies]
* [http://erickson.umbc.edu/ Erickson School of Aging Studies]
* [http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/ Graduate School]
* [http://www.umbc.edu/socialwork/ School of Social Work]
* [http://www.umbcicehockey.com UMBC Men's Ice Hockey]