General Honors Course Guide
The predecessor of the Honors College was established in 1980, with options for both a general Honors Program and individual departmental honors programs. Students enrolled in the Honors Program were able to select from courses that boasted smaller classes, more and livelier discussion, and more opportunity for independent study projects.” Students were also members of the Honors Student Association, which held lectures, volunteer opportunities, and social events on campus throughout the semester. An Honors Lounge, for Honors students only, was opened in Fine Arts Room 529 in 1981. Departmental honors programs, which are still in place at UMBC today, are tailored to each department’s requirements and encourage original research by the undergraduate students; students that complete this program graduate with Departmental Honors.
The success of the Honors Program and departmental honors eventually led to an expanded program, and a proposal to create an Honors College was submitted by Provost Adam Yarmolinsky in March 1988. The Honors College and Lounge are now located on the second floor of the Library.
University Publications
Fall 1985
booklets; description; 11 x 8.5 in.
UPUB H3-003
Report to Undergraduate Council on Honors Report
The predecessor of the Honors College was established in 1980, with options for both a general Honors Program and individual departmental honors programs. Students enrolled in the Honors Program were able to select from courses that boasted smaller classes, more and livelier discussion, and more opportunity for independent study projects.” Students were also members of the Honors Student Association, which held lectures, volunteer opportunities, and social events on campus throughout the semester. An Honors Lounge, for Honors students only, was opened in Fine Arts Room 529 in 1981. Departmental honors programs, which are still in place at UMBC today, are tailored to each department’s requirements and encourage original research by the undergraduate students; students that complete this program graduate with Departmental Honors.
The success of the Honors Program and departmental honors eventually led to an expanded program, and a proposal to create an Honors College was submitted by Provost Adam Yarmolinsky in March 1988. The Honors College and Lounge are now located on the second floor of the Library.
University Senates records, Collection 52
2/22/1988
reports; 11 x 8.5 in.
50UMBC-061
Quadmania, Page 6 of the Retriever, Volume 16, Number 4, Newspaper, September 21, 1981
UMBC celebrated the first Quadmania on Saturday September 19, 1981, and it has since become a treasured campus tradition. Part concert, part carnival, Quadmania has been UMBC’s main social event ever since for students, alumni, and the surrounding community.
Wong, B.; The Retriever
University Publications
9/21/1981
newspapers; articles; 11.2 x 16 in.
UPUB R4-001
Invitation to the Dedication of the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery , Invitation, 1982, 5 x 7 . University Publications, UPUB L1-013
The library went unnamed, aside from Library or University Library, until the official dedication ceremony on December 13, 1982 when it was named for UMBC’s founding chancellor, Albin O. Kuhn. The occasion was hosted by Chancellor Dorsey and took place in the Special Collections Reading Room. The standing room only throng of people heard Richard W. Couper, President of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and President Emeritus of the New York Public Library, speak about libraries and their role in society.
Dorsey, John W., 1936-
University Publications
12/13/1982
invitations; 5 x 7 in.
UPUB L1-013
Naming University Buildings
Conflicting opinions about the naming scheme of UMBC’s buildings, and Academic IV in particular, motivated the formation of a committee to propose a formal process by which names could be approved. The report of the committee was sent to the UMBC Faculty Senate in March 1983. The committee recommended that the existing convention of using geographical names for dormitories should be continued, however, As names of Maryland bodies of water are all but exhausted, the committee proposes that the six academic buildings be named for the counties in closest proximity to Baltimore City, and that future buildings be named for other counties.” This suggestion was never implemented.
Arnold, Joseph L.; Meckler, Alvin; Rosenthal, Alan
University Senate records, Collection 52
3/21/1983
memorandums; 11 x 8.5 in.
50UMBC-018
UMBC's Computer Center: Facts in Brief
UMBC’s earliest access to mainframe computing was through telephone connections to a Univac computer at University of Maryland, College Park. In 1981, UMBC Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Walter Jones was presented with an opportunity to acquire a Control Data mainframe computer system called Cyber.” UMBC did not have the $3 million price of the system, and Jones did not expect the state government to pay for the system without incentive to do so. He arranged to rent the computer to diverse clients including the Baltimore City Public Schools to help gain the funds for the computer. By 1985, a new VAX computer was acquired to replace the Cyber. As computers became central to the campus for many purposes, a computer center was established on the third floor of the Social Sciences Building, and this document was produced to publicize the available computing services.
University Publications
9/20/1984
documents; 8.5 x 11 in.
UPUB C6-004
Alumni News, UMBC Alumni Association
In 1986, UMBC commissioned alumna Paulette Raye ‘87, philosophy, to create a bronze-cast model of the Retriever for the school’s 20th anniversary. Raye worked in a studio at Towson University, using a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Nitty Gritty as her model. The 500-pound, life-size statue was unveiled on December 7, 1987, outside of the Field House, now the plaza between the Administration Building and the Retriever Activities Center. Its name, True Grit,” is actually the name of Nitty Gritty’s father. In an interview with UMBC Magazine, Raye said that she wasn’t exactly sure why the mascot received that name [True Grit instead of Nitty Gritty] … other than it sounded bold and strong—like the [school’s] team.”
This edition of the newsletter asked alumni to be a believer in our Retriever” and make donations toward the commissioned statue of UMBC’s mascot.
University Publications
Fall 1986
newsletters; 11 x 8.5 in.
UPUB A3-013
Faculty Senate minutes, April 12, 1988. Minutes, 4 pages, April 12, 1988
In 1988, Governor William Donald Schaefer signed a bill that would completely change the way Maryland divided the state’s academic budget and programs. The newly created University System of Maryland (USM) would bring together the five University of Maryland campuses and six other public colleges. The bill also created a Cabinet-level Secretary of Education and a USM chancellor, responsible for 95% of USM’s state funding and overseen by a Board of Regents. The first chancellor was University of Maryland President John S. Toll. At this time the title of the administrative leader of the individual campuses changed from chancellor to president.
University Senates records, Collection 52
4/12/1988
minutes (administrative records); 8.5 x 11 in.
50UMBC-022
The Silo by Karine Mardirossian
Both a symbol and a signpost, the silo serves as a sentinel along UMBC Boulevard, reminding those entering and leaving campus about the school's agrarian past. Built about 1919 when Spring Grove State Hospital owned the property, the silo is a traditional style made of concrete reinforced with metal hoops. After having the Library named in his honor in 1982, Albin Kuhn joked that the administration should have considered the Kuhn Silo instead, recognizing not only his farming background but also his original decision to not remove the silo in the 1960s due to the high cost.
Mardirossian, Karine
University Photographs
1983
gelatin silver prints; black-and-white photographs
UARC 1989-29-002
Men's Lacrosse Team, 1980
The 1980 UMBC men's lacrosse team brought glory to the campus by winning the first national championship in school history. During the regular season, the team won strong victories over Salisbury State (21-11), Delaware (22-12), and perennial Division I powerhouse University of North Carolina (18-9). The team defeated Adelphi University (23-14) for the Division II Championship. The championship game was played at UMBC that year as was the women's championship game.
Front row (l to r): Kevin Kline, Greg Horne, Craig Tucker, Joe Baldini, Matt Christian, Russ LeClair, Frank Valenza, Dave Staley, Dave Gay. Center row: Andy Lentz (manager), Joe Gold, Bruce Baldwin, Jim Weller, Carl Rausch, Dennis Wey, Marty Cloud, Dave Quattrini, Scott Hundertmark, Bill Boone, Phil Whims, Jay Harkey, Howard Berman (manager). Tow row: Head Coach Dick Watts, Rick Paret, Craig Linthicum, Dan Nickerson, Steve Urban, Mike Ruland, Rich Tobin, John Horine, George McGeeney, Steve Rodkey, Jay Robertson, Assistant Coach Kurt Kimball.
University Publications
1980
gelatin silver prints; black-and-white photographs; 8.5 x 11 in.
UPUB A7-013 (1981)