Faculty Diversity at UMBC
Although UMBC never had a segregated student body, whether by race or gender, our campus has struggled in many ways to increase its diversity of the student body. UMBC is now promoted as a diverse institution and this is part of the defining narrative of the school and a point of pride for many administrators, faculty, students, and alumni. UMBC has been recognized as having the second most diverse student body (Princeton Review, 2008) and as one of the top 25 most diverse national universities (U.S. News & World Report, 2012). What does a racially diverse student body mean at UMBC? During the 2014-2015 academic year, 44.2% of the student body self identified as white, 16.4% as African American or Black, 20% as Asian, 5.9% as Hispanic or Latino, and less than 1% self identified as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Students that identify with two or more races made up 3.6% of the student body, while 4.8% did not self identify. International students were separated in this data and made up 4.6%. This data is distributed each year in several sources, including the annual Progress Report on Institutional Programs of Cultural Diversity, available through the Provost’s Office.
Diversity in the faculty communities at UMBC has continued to be a struggle. Faculty and staff at UMBC that self identify as white routinely make up about 70% of respondents. The administration and campus leaders have repeatedly tried to recruit a more diverse faculty, and most recently put in place several programs and initiatives to address this issue, including the Executive Committee for the Recruitment, Retention and Advancement of Underrepresented Minority Faculty, the UMBC OutList, and the UMBC Postdoctoral Fellows Program for Faculty Diversity which began in 2011.
University Publications
ca. 2012
pamphlets; brochures; 4.7 x 8.5 in.
UPUB P12-028
First Annual Lavender Celebration
Although UMBC never had a segregated student body, whether by race or gender, our campus has struggled in many ways to increase its diversity of the student body. UMBC is now promoted as a diverse institution and this is part of the defining narrative of the school and a point of pride for many administrators, faculty, students, and alumni. UMBC has been recognized as having the second most diverse student body (Princeton Review, 2008) and as one of the top 25 most diverse national universities (U.S. News & World Report, 2012). What does a racially diverse student body mean at UMBC? During the 2014-2015 academic year, 44.2% of the student body self identified as white, 16.4% as African American or Black, 20% as Asian, 5.9% as Hispanic or Latino, and less than 1% self identified as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Students that identify with two or more races made up 3.6% of the student body, while 4.8% did not self identify. International students were separated in this data and made up 4.6%. This data is distributed each year in several sources, including the annual Progress Report on Institutional Programs of Cultural Diversity, available through the Provost’s Office.
The first annual Lavender Celebration, honoring LGBTQ graduates and campus allies, was held on May 1, 2014 and was coordinated by the Office of Student Life's Mosaic: Center for Culture and Diversity. The Mosaic works within the Office of Student Life to promote and foster a community of diversity and acceptance on campus. In addition to honoring graduating students, honors are also awarded to departments and faculty/staff allies; the 2014 recipients were The Women’s Center, the department of Gender & Women’s Studies, and GWST professor Dr. Kate Drabinski. The Queer Camping & Leadership Retreat (Student Life) and the Spoken Word Comes Alive with Andrea Gibson (Freedom Alliance) were also recognized.
University Publications
5/1/2014
programs (documents); 8.5 x 5.5 in.
UPUB M9-003
Convocation 2013
Each Fall semester, UMBC holds an opening ceremony known as Convocation. Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to attend. The incoming freshman participate in a processional along Academic Row to the Retriever Activities Center (RAC) for the ceremony. The faculty form a receiving line at the doors to the RAC and welcome the new students. Speeches are given, the alma mater is sung, and freshman are given UMBC pins to celebrate joining the UMBC community.
University Publications
8/27/2013
programs (documents); 4 5/8 x 8 1/2 in.
UPUB C12-001
Program from the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, September 17, 2010
The groundbreaking for the Performing Arts and Humanities Building (“the PAHB”) in 2010 represented on-going work to increase the support, advocacy, and exposure of the arts and humanities scholarship at UMBC. As the reputation of the school increasingly focused on the science and technology fields, there was a push to ensure that the administration was not neglecting the arts and humanities. Out of these discussions came the promise of a new building to replace the aging Fine Arts and Theatre facilities, two of the oldest on campus. After several delays in state funding, the groundbreaking was finally held on September 17, 2010, and attendees could collect small packets of dirt from the site as a souvenir. Phase I of the building opened in 2012, and Phase II opened in 2014.
The PAHB now houses a theatre, concert hall, Dance Cube, and black box theatre; classroom and department offices for the departments of Ancient Studies, Dance, English, Music, Philosophy, and Theatre; and offices and support space for the several academic programs and centers including the Linehan Artist Scholars and the Humanities Scholars, the Center for Innovation, Research and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA), and the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities. In addition to being awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status, the building was honored by both the American Institute of Architects Baltimore Chapter and the Urban Land Institute in 2014.
Institutional Advancement records
9/17/2010
programs; booklets
UARC 2010-024_2
Packet of dirt from the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building
The groundbreaking for the Performing Arts and Humanities Building (the PAHB) in 2010 represented on-going work to increase the support, advocacy, and exposure of the arts and humanities scholarship at UMBC. As the reputation of the school increasingly focused on the science and technology fields, there was a push to ensure that the administration was not neglecting the arts and humanities. Out of these discussions came the promise of a new building to replace the aging Fine Arts and Theatre facilities, two of the oldest on campus. After several delays in state funding, the groundbreaking was finally held on September 17, 2010, and attendees could collect small packets of dirt from the site as a souvenir. Phase I of the building opened in 2012, and Phase II opened in 2014.
The PAHB now houses a theatre, concert hall, Dance Cube, and black box theatre; classroom and department offices for the departments of Ancient Studies, Dance, English, Music, Philosophy, and Theatre; and offices and support space for the several academic programs and centers including the Linehan Artist Scholars and the Humanities Scholars, the Center for Innovation, Research and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA), and the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities. In addition to being awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status, the building was honored by both the American Institute of Architects Baltimore Chapter and the Urban Land Institute in 2014.
Institutional Advancement records
9/17/2010
packets (containers); earth (soil); 3 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.
UARC 2010-024_1
Pennant for Homecoming 2014, Retriever Fever
The first homecoming celebration at UMBC was held in February 1976, after several false starts in the years preceding. The 1976 event included the Almost Anything Goes tournament, where student organizations competed against each other for prizes; a club volleyball tournament; a pep rally; and a basketball game against the Towson Tigers. In the 40 years since, UMBC has revised and reconfigured the annual Homecoming events, changing the time of year and which sport to highlight as The Big Game - without a football team, this honor has been given to lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, and basketball, among others. Nowadays, Homecoming tends to include a festival on the Quad, alumni reunions with academic departments, a spirited 5k around the Loop, and the annual bonfire outside of the Library. This year homecoming will run from October 5th to 8th.
Institutional Advancement records, Collection 97
10/8/2014 to 10/11/2014
pennants; 8 1/2 x 25 in.
50UMBC-064