Students walking with department banners to Convocation, October 1999
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.
UMBC Creative Services
University Photographs
10/1999
color negatives;; 35 mm
UARC 2013-013-25-0691
Down and Dirty Dawg Band play at a spirit rally in the UC Plaza
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.
UMBC Creative Services
University Photographs
10/24/2001
color photographs; chromogenic color prints; 4 x 6 in.
UARC 2013-013-32-0931
Steppin' in Style: Residential Life 1997-1998 Memory Book Program
In 1970, the Office of Residential Life was created at UMBC. The university's first residence hall, called Dorm I but now known as Susquehanna Hall, also opened to students that year. Susquehanna was followed by the openings of Dorm II (Chesapeake Hall) in 1971 and Dorm III (Patapsco Hall) in 1972. The West Hill and Terrace Communities were added in 1980 and 1981, and the Hillside Community opened in stages in 1986-1987. Other residences now include Potomac Hall, Harbor Hall, Erickson Hall, and the Walker Avenue apartments. Special lifestyle options and Living-Learning Communities that correspond to academic programs are also available. Residential Life at UMBC puts a particular emphasis on community, and seeks to provide facilities, services, and programs that support the academic mission of the institution and enhance the quality of life for students that live on campus."
UMBC Residential Life
University Publications
1997-1998
programs (documents); 8.75 x 11 in.
UPUB R1-002_1
Steppin' in Style: Residential Life 1997-1998 Memory Book Program, 1998, 8.75 x 11, University Publications, University Archives, UPUB R1-002
In 1970, the Office of Residential Life was created at UMBC. The university's first residence hall, called Dorm I but now known as Susquehanna Hall, also opened to students that year. Susquehanna was followed by the openings of Dorm II (Chesapeake Hall) in 1971 and Dorm III (Patapsco Hall) in 1972. The West Hill and Terrace Communities were added in 1980 and 1981, and the Hillside Community opened in stages in 1986-1987. Other residences now include Potomac Hall, Harbor Hall, Erickson Hall, and the Walker Avenue apartments. Special lifestyle options and Living-Learning Communities that correspond to academic programs are also available. Residential Life at UMBC puts a particular emphasis on community, and seeks to provide facilities, services, and programs that support the academic mission of the institution and enhance the quality of life for students that live on campus."
UMBC Residential Life
University Publications
1997-1998
programs (documents); 8.75 x 11 in.
UPUB R1-002_2
Remember the Times: A Year in Review. The Residential Life Banquet 2000-2001
In 1970, the Office of Residential Life was created at UMBC. The university's first residence hall, called Dorm I but now known as Susquehanna Hall, also opened to students that year. Susquehanna was followed by the openings of Dorm II (Chesapeake Hall) in 1971 and Dorm III (Patapsco Hall) in 1972. The West Hill and Terrace Communities were added in 1980 and 1981, and the Hillside Community opened in stages in 1986-1987. Other residences now include Potomac Hall, Harbor Hall, Erickson Hall, and the Walker Avenue apartments. Special lifestyle options and Living-Learning Communities that correspond to academic programs are also available. Residential Life at UMBC puts a particular emphasis on community, and seeks to provide facilities, services, and programs that support the academic mission of the institution and enhance the quality of life for students that live on campus."
UMBC Residential Life
University Publications
2000-2001
programs (documents); 8.5 x 11 in.
UPUB R1-001
UMBC Rathskeller by Photo Service UMCP
Places where students could socialize were limited during the early years of the campus. One popular location in 1971 was the Rathskeller, which was located in the basement of Hillcrest Building. The Ratt was a popular location that served alcohol on campus, since the minimum age for drinking beer and wine in Maryland was then 18.
University of Maryland Photo Services
University Photographs
1971
gelatin silver prints; black-and-white photographs; 6.5 x 10 in.
UARC Photos-07-02-0203
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
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
UMBC Alumni Association Annual Awards program
The Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award was established in 1988 to honor an alumnus or alumna who had achieved national recognition in his or her field. The first award was presented to Dr. Winston Griner ‘74, biological sciences, for his innovations in home health care. After graduating from Meharry Medical College in Nashville in 1978, Griner remained in Tennessee and established a house-call only practice - the only physician listed by the Nashville Academy of Medicine to be doing so. While others insisted that his business was impractical and unsustainable, Griner was able to develop relationships with his patients and closely monitor and assist them in their recovery.
University Publications
4/3/1998
programs (documents); 8 3/8 x 11 in.
UPUB A3-009
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