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What's New at UMUC Archives - 2009

UMUC Celebrates Constitution Week

Date Posted: September 14, 2009

Constitution Week is September 17–23. Visit the Constitution Day Web site and join UMUC in celebrating and exploring the significance of the U.S. Constitution. Find an introduction from President Susan Aldridge, read the Constitution, take a short quiz and access a wealth of Constitution resources. You can also own your own Pocket United States Constitution, which includes the Preamble to the Constitution, all Constitution Articles and all Amendments to the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights. Request your free copy.

School of Undergraduate Studies Fall 2009 Faculty Meeting

The School of Undergraduate Studies (SUS) Fall 2009 Faculty Meeting will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2009, at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi, Maryland. The meeting will include sessions on academic discipline and remarks from President Susan C. Aldridge; Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Greg von Lehmen; and Vice Provost and Dean of SUS Dr. Marie Cini. RSVP today to receive more information and the meeting agenda. You will need your Empl ID to register. To find your Empl ID, log in to the faculty portal. Select Faculty Self-Service > MyInfo > Contact Information > Display My Empl ID.

UMUC Remembers Maj. Gen. Wherley Jr. and Ann Wherley

UMUC is deeply saddened to learn of the untimely death of Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. and his wife, Ann Wherley, in the Metro accident on June 22, 2009. Upon retiring as commanding general of the DC National Guard, Maj. Gen. Wherley became an executive coach at UMUC's National Leadership Institute following his storied 40-year military career, during which he was applauded for his heroic leadership of the 113th Fighter Wing on September 11, 2001.

"He was a wonderful, highly intelligent and humble man, given his impressive military career, and genuinely invested in helping improve the lives of others, especially young managers and military officers," said university President Susan Aldridge.

UMUC expresses its condolences to the family and friends of Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. and his wife, Ann Wherley.

Virtual Dragons Bring Home Three Medals in DC's 2009 Dragon Boat Festival

The courageous UMUC Virtual Dragons team braved rough river currents, strong winds and occasional rain over the course of two days in a test of nerves. They won two gold medals and one silver in the Washington, D.C. Dragon Boat Festival held May 16–17, 2009:

Gold in 500m Mixed "E" Finals
Gold in 500m Open "B" Finals
Silver in 200M Open "B"

Shiny as they are, the medals do not tell the full story of the team's true accomplishments—they competed in more races than the other 60 teams, were focused and determined and had a smile on their faces all day.

FOX 5’s Holly Morris got the inside scoop on dragon-boating. Watch her Fox Morning News report.

UMUC Alumni Association President Represents Military Families on Capitol Hill

Pam Stokes Eggleston, UMUC Alumni Association president and a Blue Star Families member, spoke on Capitol Hill at a roundtable session with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and several other Congressional representatives. The session focused on how to help military families feel more connected to the larger community, a pertinent issue now that Michelle Obama has made military families a priority, establishing the Council on Women and Girls. UMUC has a rich 60-year military history and has numerous programs geared toward military spouses.

Read the MSNBC story and the Military.com story.

UMUC and WMAL Host Big Thanks Road Show for the Troops

To celebrate National Military Appreciation Month, UMUC has teamed with Newstalk 630 WMAL for the Big Thanks Road Show. At each of these events, the mission is to collect thousands of signatures on a giant "Thank You to Our Troops" greeting card. People can sign the card with messages of love, support and thanks to our military heroes.

Listen to the WMAL radio promo below to hear what all the excitement's about.

National News Outlets Speculate About Mystery Donor

The $6 million anonymous donation UMUC received is a part of nearly $70 million in mystery donations across the country. All donations were given under grounds of strict secrecy and with the condition that the university not try to identify the donor.

Many out there are trying to solve this mystery, and they have noticed a trend in the giving—each beneficiary university has a female president and all but one are public institutions. The New York Times, Jezebel and others all have articles filled with theories and speculations.

UMUC Mystery Money Receives National and International Attention

The $6 million anonymous donation UMUC received earlier this month was among eight other anonymous university donations in the past few weeks, with gifts totaling more than $45 million. It's not clear whether the gifts came from an individual, an organization or a group of people. In every case, the donor(s) dealt with the universities through a third party.

More than 1,000 UMUC students are already slated to receive scholarships, and thousands more will be receiving them soon.

Watch a new Fox News Video about the mystery donation and one of its scholarship recipients.

Coverage of this event spans the U.S. and overseas. The story has also been featured on MSNBC and the San Diego Union Tribune, to name a few.

Student Web Site Invites You to "Think Globally, Act Locally"

UMUC students created a Web site aimed at teaching the public how to “Think Globally, Act Locally: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.” The Web site shares simple ways to use the Three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to decrease landfill material and pollution runoff. The site boasts interactive features, including tips to help the planet, multimedia presentations and an interactive map to find local reuse and recycling resources.

This project is part of a National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet. UMUC faculty member Sabrina Fu led the project, which received a $10,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008. UMUC’s technological resources worked with the UMUC Environmental Management Club, which currently has over 150 members, and is located in 10 countries and four continents to create the Web site.

The students displayed their project at the National Sustainable Design Expo and Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet held April 18-20, 2009 on the National Mall. The competition was for the EPA's P3 award, which makes teams eligible for up to $75,000 in additional funding.

NLI Offers New Skill-Based and Self-Awareness Workshop Series

The National Leadership Institute (NLI) has announced two exciting new workshop series: the Self-Awareness Series and the Skill-Based Series. Each series will be offered on several dates between April and July, 2009 and includes four targeted one-day workshops designed to enhance leadership skills in different ways. The Skill-Based Series provides managers with practical tools and techniques that they can implement immediately on the job, while the Self-Awareness Series helps managers understand the critical elements of leadership and their own leadership style. If you're seeking to improve the performance of your group and hone your skills as a leader, you won't want to miss these unique, critically-important workshops. For details and to register, visit NLI Leadership Workshops. (link "NLI Leadership Workshops" text to http://www.umuc.edu/nli/programs/)

UMUC Office of Marketing and Communications Wins Numerous Awards

UMUC recently won five University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) 2009 Strategic Marketing Awards, including a Gold Award for the UMUC Gear Online Store; Silver Awards for the Fall 2008 Achiever magazine and the President’s Circle brochure; and Bronze Awards for the Veterans Day Tribute and Color in Freedom campaign.

View a complete list of UCEA marketing award categories and winners.

Additionally, the department won three awards in the 2009 Council for Advancement and Support of Education, District II (CASE II) Accolades Awards. The university earned a gold award for its Military Students Web site and bronze awards for its President's Circle and Scholarships for America's Heroes print-based fundraising campaigns.

View a a complete list of winners.

UMUC also won the 2008 Award for Excellence for Academic Support Services by the Mid-Atlantic UCEA. With this award, the association recognizes UMUC's commitment to students through its innovative online clubs and honor societies. One of these student honor societies, Alpha Epsilon Chi—the university's history honor society—received an Honorable Mention in the 2008 Phi Alpha Theta Best Chapter Award competition.

Air Force Web Site Provides Insight into UMUC Classes on Base

Deployed personnel with master’s degrees are stepping up to teach UMUC classes in the Air Force’s Southwest Asia (AFNS) base, allowing students to pursue their classroom education. Air Force Link, the official Web site of the United States Air Force, spoke to several of these servicemembers.

Read the Servicemembers teaching others while deployed article.

UK's Financial Times Features UMUC in Two Articles

The UK publication highlighted the benefits of UMUC's online classes, the evolution of its distance learning format and the university's growth over its 60-year history in two articles:

To view the full articles on the Financial Times Web site, you can complete a free site subscription.

MSNBC Interviews Troops and UMUC Faculty in Iraq

News outlet msnbc.com recently interviewed UMUC faculty and students on the ground in Iraq, highlighting the university's innovation and flexibility as it offers classes and services to deployed servicemembers. The first U.S. university to serve troops in Iraq, UMUC now has 500 students enrolled there.

Get the full story—see the msnbc.com news video.

UMUC Listed Among the Top 10 Colleges for Adults

Citing the vast array of program choices, flexible scheduling options and broad range of academic support services available, an MSN Encarta article recently recognized UMUC as one of the top ten colleges for adults.

Noting that adult students typically have demanding schedules that include work and personal responsibilities in addition to academic rigors, UMUC was rated among the best schools for this segment of the population, as well as for military servicemembers.

With 130 undergraduate and graduate programs available online or on-site and more than 150 worldwide locations, the university’s well-deserved global reputation for excellence continues to grow.

Read the "Top 10 Colleges for Adults" MSN article.

More Than 350 Attend UMUC IT Job Fair

UMUC held its Human Resources IT Job Fair on Saturday, January 31, 2009. More than 350 people attended the fair at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi. Applicants interviewed on-the-spot for "mission critical" IT jobs, including Network Engineer, Development Manager, PeopleSoft/Oracle Database Administrator, and more.

MyFox D.C. News was at the fair—read the MyFox article and watch the video to learn more.

Find Your Future at UMUC! IT Job Fair, January 31

UMUC is seeking to fill multiple positions within its Information Technology department. RSVP today to attend the IT Job Fair for an on-site interview. The event will be held on Saturday, January 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center.

Open positions include: Network Engineer, Development Manager, PeopleSoft/Oracle Database Administrator, and more. Entry-level and experienced opportunities are available. UMUC employees enjoy excellent benefits, including 28 days of leave, tuition remission, insurance options and retirement benefits.

EOE/F/MC/V. Women and minority applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

UMUC Becomes First U.S. University to Serve Ground Troops in Iraq

UMUC is the first U.S. university to have faculty and staff on the ground in Iraq, now offering undergraduate courses to servicemembers stationed there. More than 150 military personnel have enrolled, studying at Education Centers at Camp Victory in Baghdad or at Joint Base Balad, some 40 miles to the north.

The first classrooms opened in November, with two field representatives supporting six faculty members on the ground.

"This is an honor and privilege for UMUC and an important advantage for our military students, who can enroll with confidence, knowing that we'll be there for them no matter where they are called to serve," said UMUC President Susan C. Aldridge. "It's a commitment we take seriously, and our 60-year history of providing quality education to men and women in uniform—in more than 20 countries currently—stands as a testimony to our success. We are proud to be able to continue that tradition in Iraq."

For most servicemembers, Military Tuition Assistance covers the cost of classes, and a new UMUC scholarship fund helps to subsidize the purchase of textbooks.

The U.S. Department of Defense granted UMUC the education contract in May 2008 that called for the university to provide undergraduate and select graduate programs on the ground to troops stationed in Iraq and other countries within the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Under an amendment to an earlier contract, UMUC was already teaching military students on the ground at several other CENTCOM sites.

To learn more about UMUC on the ground in Iraq, read the January 5, 2009 Washington Post article.

UMUC Now Offers Alliance Agreements with All Maryland Community Colleges

UMUC announced that it will form an alliance partnership with Wor-Wic Community College (WWCC). As a result, UMUC will have alliance partnerships with all 16 community colleges in Maryland. UMUC signed its first alliance agreement in 1996, and today more than 40 percent of the university’s enrollments consist of transfer students from community colleges.

The Alliance Program offers in-state and out-of-state community college students the opportunity to transfer with ease to UMUC. Students can earn a bachelor's degree while receiving full credit for coursework completed at their 2-year institution. Transfer students can also apply for the UMUC Community College Transfer Scholarship.

Learn more about the UMUC's Community College Alliance Partnerships and Transfer Scholarship