Meet a Retriever—Emily Passera, coordinator for community engagement

Feb 14, 2024 / 4 minutes of reading

Meet Emily Passera, the program coordinator for service-learning and community engagement in the Shriver Center. In her role, Emily coordinates the student leadership development programs for the residential Shriver Living Learning Community and serves as a member of the Exempt Staff Senate. She also facilitates school, nonprofit, and government agency partnerships with UMBC and coordinates implementation of applied learning courses across campus with a focus on career readiness, experiential learning, and storytelling. Her not-so-secret recipe for bringing joy to her job? Saying “yes” as much as possible! Take it away, Emily. Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone to… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Emily Passera, coordinator for community engagement

UMBC's campus at night, featuring the Albin O. Kuhn library and reflective pond, with street lamps lighting a path.

Why We Love it Here

Dec 8, 2023 / 12 minutes of reading

What gets you up and out the door each morning? And what makes a job more than a job—or even more than a career? For so many who make UMBC their professional home, the value goes way beyond a paycheck. Case in point: Employees for the 14th consecutive year rated UMBC as one of ModernThink’s Great Colleges to Work For in all 10 categories, including shared governance, mission and pride, job satisfaction and support, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, the Baltimore Sun has once again named UMBC a 2023 Top Workplace winner based on a confidential employee survey conducted… Continue Reading Why We Love it Here

English major learns to facilitate social change through writing and conversation

May 8, 2023 / 3 minutes of reading

Clair Volkening has used her voice as a writer, editor, and facilitator to help UMBC community members build connections with one another and to inspire social change. Continue Reading English major learns to facilitate social change through writing and conversation

A group of students and a professor stand stand close together holding small gold and black signs, civic engagment

Inaugural UMBC Paw Poll reveals high levels of student civic engagement

Feb 15, 2023 / 5 minutes of reading

“My guiding philosophy is to create applied-learning projects that have legs—that go beyond the classroom context. Paw Poll is one example,” says Ian Anson, associate professor of political science. “I want students to experience how political science theories and applications impact communities—in this case, the UMBC community.” Continue Reading Inaugural UMBC Paw Poll reveals high levels of student civic engagement

I voted stickers lay next to a board that says Voting Day

Finding Joy in the Democratic Process

Dec 14, 2022 / 3 minutes of reading

On a Tuesday evening in early November, Main Street in The Commons was uncommonly crowded. Hundreds of democratically-minded students eagerly—and perhaps, anxiously—milled around watching the 2022 mid-term election returns. Dilnaz Hasim ’25, economics, found the scene fitting, saying, “Election Night Extravaganza is supposed to be experienced as a community, rather than as a single person, because when you make a vote, you’re making it for the whole community.” Jointly hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, the Student Government Association (SGA), and the Graduate Student Association, the campus-based election event has been around since 2004. Students from every… Continue Reading Finding Joy in the Democratic Process

Five people pose next to a mail in ballot drop off box on campus.

Voting Is an Everyday Practice

Nov 8, 2022 / 7 minutes of reading

Today, millions of college students across the country are voting. Other students are not voting—they might be discouraged that their voice can make a difference, uninformed about their voting rights, or just unengaged with the political process. In a conversation facilitated by UMBC Magazine, Musa Jafri ’24, political science, SGA director of civic engagement, Sunil Dasgupta, professor of political science, and founder and host of the podcast “I Hate Politics,” and David Hoffman, Ph.D. ’13, language, literacy, and culture, the director of UMBC’s Center for Democracy and Civic Life, discuss the vital democratic process—on campus and off—and the daily practice… Continue Reading Voting Is an Everyday Practice

An adult with short wavy hair wearing a dark blue suit poses in front of a tree. Rehman Liaqat.

Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic names UMBC’s Rehman Liaqat, human rights advocate, a 2022-23 Civic Fellow

May 11, 2022 / 9 minutes of reading

UMBC grad Rehman Liaqat is heading to Georgetown as a Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellow. He says, “I want to show future generations of Pakistani students all that is possible.” Continue Reading Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic names UMBC’s Rehman Liaqat, human rights advocate, a 2022-23 Civic Fellow

Exploring Pathways to Social Change

Apr 15, 2022 / 7 minutes of reading

UMBC students use their Spring Break to deconstruct their ideas on service and learn more about the community of Baltimore. Continue Reading Exploring Pathways to Social Change

MUTUAL FLOURISHING

Jun 10, 2021 / 15 minutes of reading

Different disciplines are training up social justice-minded students to do no harm in the communities they work with, one thriving relationship at a time. Continue Reading MUTUAL FLOURISHING

Center for Democracy and Civic Life

Search UMBC.edu