Terp Winter 2010

TERP

CONNECTING

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COMMUNITY

VOL. 7, NO. 2 WINTER 2010

A Bright

Idea Student Entrepreneur Seeks to Empower Developing Nations

TACKLING TEXTING 9

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DAWN OF A NEWS AGE 20

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FIVE YEARS AT ALUMNI HOME 28

TERP PUBLISHER

Brodie Remington Vice President, University Relations ADVISORY BOARD

J. Paul Carey ’82 M.B.A. Managing Partner, JPT Partners John Girouard ’81 President and CEO, Capital Asset Management Group Anil Gupta Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Strategy and Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business Beth Morgen Chief Administrative Officer, Maryland Alumni Association Danita D. Nias ’81 Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations and Development Vicki Rymer ’61, ’66 M.B.A., ’83 Ph.D. Teaching Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business Keith Scroggins ’79 Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools Lee Thornton Professor and Eaton Chair, Philip Merrill College of Journalism MAGAZINE STAFF

Lauren Brown University Editor Kimberly Marselas ’00 Managing Editor John T. Consoli ’86 Creative Director Jeanette J. Nelson Art Director Joshua Harless Patricia Look ’08 Catherine Nichols ’99 Brian G. Payne Contributing Designers Monette A. Bailey ’89 Mandie Boardman ’02 Cassandra Robinson Tom Ventsias Writers Kelly Blake ’94 Beth Cavanaugh Contributing Writers Anne McDonough M.L.S. ’09 Photographer’s Assistant Kathy B. Lambird Production Manager Elizabeth Burzenski ’10 Stacy Jones ’10 Magazine Interns E-mail terpmag@umd.edu Terp magazine is published by the Division of University Relations. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Send correspondence to Managing Editor, Terp magazine, 2101 Turner Building, College Park, MD 20742-1521. Or, send an e-mail to terpmag@umd.edu The University of Maryland, College Park is an equal opportunity institution with respect to both education and employment. University policies, programs and activities are in conformance with pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on non-discrimination regarding race, color, religion, age, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

Dear Alumni and Friends, I AM WRITING this message at the onset

of a brand new year—one that the University of Maryland entered on a winning note.

Maryland jumped from 9th to 8th place for resident students in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s 2010 list of “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” and from 14th to 13th for out-of state students. This is an achievement that we can all take pride in.

Each year, Kiplinger’s ranks the top 100 schools that combine excellent academics (academic quality accounts for about two-thirds of the score) with economic value. The university beat out several of its peer institutions, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, Illinois and Michigan (read more on page 5). At a time when all of us have felt the sting of a troubled economy, Maryland is working to fulfill its promise to provide both affordable and exceptional academic programs for our students.

Before being recognized again for saving students some green, Maryland was recognized for its commitment to staying green. The university was designated “America’s Greenest Campus” by Climate Culture in late 2009. The organization challenged colleges around the country to reduce their carbon footprint, inviting students, faculty and staff to learn how to decrease their impact on the environment. Our university had the largest number of participants, beating out 450 competitors. Read more about this accolade on page 3.

We’re also touting the success of distinguished university professor Stanley Plumly, who was named poet laureate for the state of Maryland. He is an award-winning poet and biographer, and over the next three years, he will travel the state to promote creative

prose. We congratulate Professor Plumly on his latest achievement and thank him for shining a light on our university.

And we have to acknowledge the winning ways of alumnus and NFL player Madieu Williams ’03, a force on and off of the playing field (page 31).

The Minnesota Viking and former Terp football star donated $2 million to the university’s School of Public Health to establish the Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives, which will work to improve the quality of life for people in Prince George’s County, Md., as well as in Williams’ native Freetown, Sierra Leone, where his late mother was known for her efforts to improve health care. She would be proud to know that her son has become an inspiration to us all.

For more on the University of Maryland’s winning ways, keep turning the pages of this issue of Terp. From academia and research to arts and athletics, Maryland is making an impact—and the new year has just begun!

Go Terps!

Danita D. Nias ’81 Assistant Vice President Alumni Relations and Development

2 BIG PICTURE Unstoppable starts here; Best value college; writing vets’ history; and more 6 TERP ONLINE Call for class notes; an expert on careers; after the comet; and more 7 ASK ANNE Capturing fencing history; on the catwalk; and more 8 CLASS ACT Taking on texting; engineer perfects the tango; expanding alumni clubs; and more 12 M-FILE Famed director takes the stage; bionic ears inspired by animals; a stargazers guide; and more 16 PLAY-BY-PLAY New coaches drive baseball’s rebirth 17 SPOTLIGHT Student purchases bring art to Union 18 MARYLAND LIVE An opera based on the life of boxer Joe Louis; lacrosse tournament time; Maryland Day; and more 31 IN THE LOOP Football pro takes on health; CEOs mark 10 years of success; economics professor honored with fellowship; and more 36 INTERPRETATIONS New general education program launches

departments

features 28 MAKING MEMORIES Members of the Maryland family share snapshots and recall the first five years at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

BY MANDIE BOARDMAN ’02

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THE BOLD NEW WORLD OF JOURNALISM

Despite the bad news about traditional media, journalism applications are up, and so is optimism about the evolving online industry and the bevy of career options it provides. The new John S. and James L. Knight Hall—with its multimedia labs and the latest in digital video, audio and editing equipment—is the perfect place to train the journalists of the future.

BY LAUREN BROWN

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A POWERFUL SOLUTION

An undergraduate finds inspiration in his roots and uses Maryland’s entrepreneurial tools to develop a sustainable business model. If he succeeds in generating energy for people in Sierra Leone and other impoverished nations, the results could dramatically change their lives—and his own.

BY TOM VENTSIAS

COVER PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

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bigpicture University Launches New Marketing Effort

Students and faculty show off unstoppable Maryland pride as they pose for our new marketing effort.

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PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

YOURwords I READ WITH FIRST THERE WAS a guerrilla marketing effort, with turtles tucked into hiding spots

all over campus. Then came UM-Shuttle buses wrapped with a bold, geodesic turtle shell design and sporting quirky phrases like “Shell on Wheels” or “More Turtle in the Tank.” By now, you’ve probably even seen a peppy new public service announcement during Maryland basketball games.

The “Unstoppable Starts Here” initiative is designed to brand Maryland as one of the nation’s top research universities, says Brodie Remington, vice president for university relations. It builds on the marketing efforts of the “Fear the Turtle” campaign, which started in 2004.

“Fear the Turtle is not going away,” says Millree Williams, Maryland’s executive director of public affairs strategy. “We see this new endeavor working in tandem with Fear the Turtle as an extension of our previous creative work.”

Surveys show that significant strides in the quality of students and faculty, research breakthroughs and economic value to the state over the past decade have outpaced public perception of the university’s achievements.

“Perception of quality directly relates to human and financial resources,” says Remington. “Great students want to go to a great university, and donors tend to gravitate toward institutions they view as top quality and that are doing leading-edge research.”

A comprehensive set of messages is based on the university’s strategic plan and promotes the university’s distinctive values and characteristics. Materials such as banners and ads share a confident and sometimes tongue-in-cheek approach in promoting Maryland’s great work ethic, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and other strengths.

“We have an obligation to our stakeholders to be a great university,” Remington says. “And you’re not going to be a great university until you are both a great university in reality, and are also perceived as a great university. The two are inextricably linked.” —TV

Professor Named State’s Poet Laureate A NOTED UNIVERSITY author, scholar and educator is now carrying his passion for the written word beyond the classroom to a statewide audience.

Stanley Plumly (right), distinguished university professor of English and co-founder of the department’s graduate program in creative writing, was named poet laureate for the state of Maryland last fall.

Plumly is the author of 10 books of poetry, including 2008’s “Posthumous Keats,” which The New Yorker called a “moving new study of the poet’s work and legend.”

He is the state’s ninth poet laureate, appointed to a three-year term that will take him to schools, libraries, community centers and other venues to promote poetry and inspire Maryland residents to honor and appreciate creative prose.

Plumly says that while he is “flattered and pleased” by the honor, the position is as much about poetry itself as it is about any one poet. “It is a public way of celebrating the value and vitality of poetry in our culture and in our personal lives,” he says. —TV

FALLOUT SHELTER COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

interest your article concerning fallout shelters on the College Park campus (Fall 2009, Ask Anne, page 7). In 1975 and 1976, I was employed as a student worker cleaning out the remaining survival supplies. The high-rise dorm shelters were stocked with thousands of gallons of chlorinated water, packaged in 20-gallon olivegreen cans. Over the years, many of the cans had rusted through and leaked, creating quite a mess for us to clean up. In addition to the water, the shelters were also stocked with five-gallon sealed cans of “survival biscuits,” hard candy, basic first-aid supplies and interestingly enough, hundreds of bottles of Phenobarbital tablets. It is my understanding that the drugs were in the shelters for the purpose of sedating the occupants during a nuclear attack.

I remember being amused by the then-already-obsolete Cold War notion that it would have been possible to survive in the minimally equipped shelters in the event of a thermonuclear attack on Washington, D.C. E. PAUL GIBSON ’75

BY THE (RIGHT) NUMBERS

A graphic that accompanied a Fall 2009 article on international recruitment (Undergraduate Enrollment Gets More Global, page 3) showed the total number of students from nations around the world, rather than the undergraduate counts. Terp apologizes for the confusion.

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bigpicture

GROWTH spurt

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s Maryland grows, so do the transportation demands of its many visitors and commuters. Visitor parking is now more convenient and secure, and we’ve rolled out the welcome mat for alternative rides like bikes and scooters.

Offering Convenience to Visitors New multi-space pay stations, like ones found next to the Visitor Center and the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, offer flexibility to all drivers. The new meters, about half of which are solar-powered, let users set up accounts to pay for parking and receive alerts on their cell phones when time is almost up. Visitors can park in any of the 2,000 digital pay station spots and pay with dollar bills or credit cards. The switch has allowed the Department of Transportation Services, or DOTS, to save money by reducing parking garage personnel.

Helping Cyclists Protect Their Wheels The biking community at Maryland is expanding, and we’re making sure riders keep their wheels safe. DOTS recently gave away 200 heavy-duty U-locks to commuters who took advantage of Maryland’s free bike registration. The department also added new bike racks throughout campus and moved the campus bike shop to a bigger location in Cole Field House, where it now offers longer hours.

Making Space for Scooters To encourage commuters to opt for two-wheeled transportation, Maryland now offers more than 300 free motorized scooter, moped and motorcycle parking spaces. The Mowatt Lane garage also features a new covered parking locker for small vehicles. Riders can rent space on a semester or yearly basis. The group locker is outfitted with security cameras and keeps motorized scooters and motorcycles safe from foul weather.

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PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

Filling Out the Past at Last JACK ROBERT AMASS ’43 was in a work-study program on metallurgy in

Kiplinger’s Ranks Maryland 8th “Best Value” MARYLAND CONTINUES ITS CLIMB up Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine's list of Best Values in Public Colleges—up to No. 8 for 2009-10.

Maryland’s in-state ranking moved up from 9th last year and 28th in 2008. Our ranking among values for out-of-state students also jumped, from 13th to 11th.

Each year, Kiplinger’s ranks fouryear schools that combine outstanding education with economic value.

Criteria include academic quality, student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, cost and financial aid.

“The university, along with our Board of Regents, Gov. O'Malley and the state legislature, have made strong academics and affordability a priority by keeping the needs of students and families first—maintaining a tuition freeze for the fourth consecutive year and implementing a variety of cost-cutting, cost-saving and short-term emergency aid initiatives,” says President Dan Mote.

In the magazine, a Kiplinger’s editor, Jane Bennett Clark, noted Maryland’s “tortoise-like tenacity;” top-ranked programs in engineering, journalism and computer science; and improved graduation rates. —BC

MEMORIAL BOOK PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

Baltimore when he was sent to fight in the Battle of the Bulge as an Army infantryman. He was killed after a month overseas. The Marines drafted football star Richard “Dick” Alexander in his sophomore year, and he died at Guadalcanal on Sept. 11, 1942. Don Gentile ’51 enrolled at Maryland after shooting down 32 German aircraft in World War II, only to be killed in a local plane crash four months before graduation.

These men’s names are among 200 listed in the Memorial Book, a 1961 volume honoring alumni who were killed in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Learning the stories behind each name is the goal of a project launched by Memorial Chapel coordinator Megan Miller, with the help of Jason Speck M.L.S. ’09, assistant university archivist and librarian.

Several undergraduate interns are poring over old yearbooks, Alumni News issues and news clippings, traveling to libraries and calling survivors to piece together these veterans’ pasts. They and future interns will compile biographies over the next few years, which, along with documents, photos and letters they unearth, will be part of a digitized, interactive version of the Memorial Book.

“This changes the focus from the book to the people in the book,” says Speck. “It’s not just the physical artifact that deserves attention, but the names in the book that make such a volume necessary.”

The 14-by11-inch physical artifact featured the handicraft of White House calligrapher William Tolley ’43.

It was periodically displayed in the chapel, but is now stored at Hornbake Library to protect its condition.

Speck and Miller hope that putting the biographies online will prompt more people to learn about the veterans, as well as the university’s history. —LB

View all 200 names at www.terp.umd.edu.

To share details about any of the veterans, or to point out any omitted names, contact mdillard@umd.edu or 301.314.9893.

Maryland’s long tradition of military service has often been captured in yearbooks, including photos of drills and honor guard services (above and left). The Memorial Book pays homage to those killed in wartime.

terp online FASCINATING

terp.umd.edu

ORIGINAL CONTENT DESIGNED TO

FEED YOUR BRAIN, FUEL YOUR CAREER AND SPARK CONNECTIONS AWAITS YOU AT OUR WEB SITE. VISIT US AT WWW.TERP.UMD.EDU TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING AT MARYLAND.

it’s news to you After you’ve read the feature story on the future of journalism, join us online to witness Maryland’s influence on a changing industry.

As part of News21, a national program that encourages innovative forms of reporting, 12 Maryland journalism fellows (including those at right) tell the story of “The New Voters” through video shorts, “talking” charts and other emerging technology. terp.umd.edu/journalism

follow through Back in 2005, our cover story told you how the university and NASA were working on the Deep Impact mission to smash a spacecraft into comet Tempel 1. New Deep Impact data recently helped NASA find clear evidence that water exists on the surface of the moon. Combined with other recent moon-centric NASA activity, the discovery raises hope for further exploration there.

expert on call As the new director of the University Career Center and the President’s Promise, Rick Hearin influences the career development and advancement of many Maryland students. He’s also building a career program for alumni and providing new networking opportunities. If you’re about to enter the job market or are struggling to find a new niche in this economy, Hearin can offer advice and point you to the right resources.

class notes Do you have great news to share? Send us a note about your recent accomplishments, including weddings, births, new jobs, promotions or publications.

We’ll spread the word for you and tell you what your classmates are doing these days. It’s all in Class Notes. While you’re there, help us identify Maryland images from decades gone by.

Contribute at terpmag@umd.edu, and we’ll enter you in a drawing for some fun Maryland swag.

terp.umd.edu/classnotes

terp.umd.edu/experts

terp.umd.edu/followthrough

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HEARIN PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI; TERP BABY COURTESY OF RACHEL MARTIN

ask Anne Questions for Anne Turkos, university archivist for University Libraries, may be

Q. I belonged to the Maryland

fencing team in 1977–78 when the team won the ACC Championship. Several of us would like to

sent to terpmag@umd.edu.

assemble a team history. Where in the UM collection would we begin our search? —Melinda Day ’79 A. You can use various resources in University Archives to compile this history. For starters, you can examine yearbooks, now digitized at www.lib.umd.edu/univarchives/year books.html.You can also come in

Q. Some time between 1970 and 1972, my friends and I made and hung a “GO TERPS” sign from the catwalk in Cole Field House. We never took a picture— might you have one? —Bill Levitt ’72

to browse records from

A. We found several images of your sign in

Intercollegiate Athletics and

our Campus Photo Services collection— some are from the January 1971 commencement; others are from basketball games. It also seems the sign made its way into the football stadium: We found an image of what appears to be your sign hanging from the team house during the September 1971 game against Villanova.

others donated over the years.

This undated photo of the fencing team hangs in the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

IMAGES COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

Q. I am a senior broadcast journalism major and I am doing a story on the origins of “Fear the Turtle.” Could you tell me about the start of this tradition at Maryland? — Norman Carter IV ’10 A. This phrase is credited to Wilton Andrews “Drew” Elburn Jr., who popularized it in 2001, when the Terps made their first trip to the men's basketball Final Four. According to the Trademark Electronic Search database, however, the university filed an application to trademark this phrase prior to March 2001. “Fear the Turtle” is now so ubiquitous that it’s even been used as an ice cream flavor at the Dairy.

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alumniprofile

Artist’s Portfolio Includes Mats and Books Richie Frieman has evolved from wrestler to Web site creator to children’s book author.

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ASK RICHIE FRIEMAN ’01 what he does for a living and

he’ll answer with a laugh, “Where do I begin?” A consummate multitasker—his résumé combines professional wrestling, writing and illustration—he is the creator of an award-winning Web site and a published author.

Interested in sharing the stories of other creative types, Frieman launched PensEyeView.com in 2006.

Videos, sound clips and photos supplement the feature stories he writes. A new article is posted every 48 hours.

He hopes that this free exposure provides musicians a broader audience. The Computerworld Honors Program, which recognizes those who use technology to benefit society, bestowed laureate status to his site in its 2008 annual awards.

One of Frieman’s own stories, a children’s picture book named “Terple,” was selected as a finalist in the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards. It is the story of a turtle who yearns to explore life beyond his pond.

Frieman says that its “believe in yourself ” lesson seems to resonate with readers.

“It’s been really well-received,” he says. “I do a lot

of outreach work, talk to children.” Frieman is working on a second printing.

He says that his ability to find joy and success in myriad projects stems from his experiences at Maryland, where professors encouraged the art major to explore.

“The community at Maryland has so much going on and there are a lot of interesting people,” he says.

While in school, Frieman experimented with several creative outlets. He painted and wrote a little bit.

Frieman even began wrestling right before his senior year as Buster Maccabi, “the thrill from Israel,” in the Eastern Wrestling Alliance. He retired as a promise to his wife when their now 20-month-old daughter was born.

Now, in addition to PensEyeView, Frieman also writes a column for the Baltimore Jewish Times called “Tuned In,” an idea he pitched.

Constantly looking for new opportunities, Frieman admits that his career path looks a bit schizophrenic.

“There’s no connection … but whatever it is I do, I put myself out there 100 percent.” —MAB

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHIE FRIEMAN; PORTRAIT BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

alumniprofile

Driven to Make Driving Safer IN THE TIME it takes to send a text

travel 2010 Canadian Maritime Aug. 13-22 Experience the maritime magic of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, where a magnificent, rolling landscape of green meets the brilliant blue of sky and sea. Immerse yourself in the unique cultures that thrive here.

Italian Lakes & the Dalmatian Coast Sept. 8-19 Discover a wealth of offshore islands, lovely beaches, innumerable bays and coves, superb mountain views and historic towns along the rugged Dalmatian Coast that exude old-world charm.

Moroccan Discovery Nov. 13-26 This land of dramatic contrasts beckons you to its ancient ruins and sacred mosques, endless desert and storied mountains.

Open your eyes and heart to a truly foreign land, an age-old culture and genuinely hospitable people.

For more details on these and other tours featured in the Travel 2010 program, visit www.alumni.umd.edu or call 301.405.7870/ 800.336.8627.

message, carelessness and technology shattered Weida Stoecker’s life.

The special education teacher lost her husband, Chuck ’71, the father of her four children, in a violent accident on a winding country road less than two miles from their White Hall, Md., home.

At his viewing, witnesses told Stoecker ’71 the teenage driver who’d struck Chuck’s sedan had been using his cell phone just before the head-on collision.

The boy paid a hefty fine but never faced criminal charges.

Stoecker has morphed her sorrow into a crusade to ban text messaging and other distractions behind the wheel.

“There are too many people who forget what they are doing on the road,” says Stoecker. “We’re sending the wrong message with all these electronics. We’re trying to take ‘home’ and put it into the car.”

Stoecker’s advocacy blends her love for politics and for her husband of 33 years. Weida and Chuck met through the College Republicans in 1967; Chuck later served as president at Maryland.

Politics remained a joint interest, and Weida turned to old connections to start her anti-texting efforts.

Nine months after Chuck’s 2007 death, she tearfully recounted his accident before news cameras as the Department of Transportation campaigned against aggressive driving. Later, she spoke on behalf of the Maryland Highway Safety Foundation to get the state to ban texting and cell phone use in government vehicles.

Del. Wade Kach, R-Cockeysville,

TRAVEL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION; STOECKER PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

said Stoecker’s testimony last who is also working with Stoecker year before the House Judiciary to allow victims’ family members Committee encouraged previously to formally confront drivers who reluctant delegates to move an cause fatal accidents. anti-texting bill on to passage by Meanwhile, Stoecker teamed the full House. up with the AAA Safety Maryland’s law banFoundation on NBC’s Weida Stoecker ning typing or send“Today” show and is holds a 1983 ing text messages talking to legislators in photo with huswhile driving went many of the 33 states band Chuck and children Miranda, into effect in that still don’t have tex5, and Charles, 1.

October; the first ting bans.

Along with siboffense carries a “I feel everything lings Thomas and Rebecca, the fami$500 fine. that I have done has ly launched a “It’s very imporbeen directed by scholarship in tant that the offiChuck,” Stoecker says.

Chuck’s memory. cials making these “I think he has given me decisions should the strength to continue have some insight into the victims by doing what I am doing and tryand their families,” says Kach, ing to make people aware.” —KM

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Engineer Lives for Dancing Nights DESPITE THE FACT that one requires analyzing sludge

and the other gliding across a dance floor, Irina Chikounova M.S. ’00 finds similarities between her training as an environmental engineer and her avocation as a milonguera.

Roughly translated from Spanish as one whose life revolves around tango, the word defines Chikounova well. Her thick Russian accent does not dull the enthusiasm with which she talks about the Latin dance.

“It is refined, intelligent. There are so many subtleties,” she says. Tango and engineering “both have a very fixed framework, but a lot of freedom to improvise within the structure.”

She muses that maybe because tango is played regularly on the radio in her native Siberia, that “some of it is in our blood.”

It wasn’t until she took a lesson in a club nearly 12 years ago, though, that it took hold. Chikounova learned quickly and became a sought-after partner, working with internationally known dancer Murat Erdemsel and others.

“Plenty of dancers have skill, but Irina has range and the courage to really improvise. That's what sets her apart,” says former partner Jake Spatz, a Washington, D.C., teacher and performer.

Chikounova says that her mood determines how she interprets the music, but “once you surrender to the music, everything else falls into place.”

And though the sensuous dance is more exercise than intimacy for her, she appreciates the closeness of tango. “In Europe, [being close] doesn’t bother us, but in America, there is more distance between people.”

Her days may be spent as a wastewater treatment consultant, but most of Chikounova’s nights are spent on a dance floor or giving private lessons.

While she once believed that not everyone could learn true Argentine tango—which she says differs sharply from more popular forms in technique—she now feels that those with a true desire to learn and listen can dance well.

She offers a word of caution, though. “Tango is a little dangerous; it’s addictive.” —MAB

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A mirror reflects both sides of dancer and engineer Irina Chikounova.

PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

BYalumni A Lifetime of Loyalty SOME THINGS WERE not meant to last a lifetime: your freshman

Perennial is no longer just a word to describe flowers. Become a life member and show perennial support.

year haircut, the lingering smell of your dorm room, the anxiety you suffered before a particularly tough exam. Your love for Maryland, however, never has to expire.

Thousands of devoted Terps have already shown their perennial passion by becoming part of the University of Maryland Alumni Association’s Life Member Program. For their contribution, they received lasting recognition on the Eric S. ’71 & Frann G. Francis Lifetime Member Wall, at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

“Our enthusiastic alumni have shown us that their Terp spirit is a lifetime dedication. Life membership is just one more way we can help create that lasting link to our world-class university,” says Steve Rotter, president of the alumni association.

In addition, life members receive a Life Member Card, never-ending access to member benefits, a perpetual connection to Maryland and the enduring thanks of the alumni association. Tax-deductible dues support alumni programming, the Riggs Alumni Center and the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

Show your Terrapin pride today by joining the Life Membership Program and have your name added to the Lifetime Member Wall*. Contact the alumni association at 301.405.4678 or visit www.alumni.umd.edu. —MLB

* Membership must be paid in full to appear on the Lifetime Member Wall.

Clubs Extend Reach of Maryland Family THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is expanding its clubs and chapters program to connect graduates whose lives may take them far from Maryland.

In the last year, the number of regional clubs has more than doubled to represent about 24 areas nationwide. Additional academic chapters representing 11 of the university’s schools and colleges, as well as affinity groups—such as the Latino Alumni Network— unite Terps with a shared interest.

Members of clubs and chapters often team up with fellow alumni to watch games, but Jessica Barsch, director of alumni volunteer programs, says the emphasis is on becoming more engaged with the university.

“It’s not just a social program,” she says.

“Clubs can support our admissions process and our philanthropic initiatives.”

In the Denver area, more than 100 registered Colorado Terps watch Maryland basketball, football and lacrosse together and hosted a “Homecoming Away From Home” party. In 2010, says Tom Dougherty ’85, they plan to be more involved with academic recruiting and hold send-off parties for new freshmen.

Barsch said regional clubs usually form in areas with at least 1,000 alumni. To find out whether you live near fellow Terps or can launch an affinity group, contact her at jbarsch@umd.edu. —KM

ALUMNI CLUB PHOTOS COURTESY OF WYLIE BURGESS ’87; ALUMNI BOOKS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

Set in modern Ireland, The Rag Tree

by D.P. Costello ’76 tells the story of people seeking reconciliation and identity amid unprecedented change. Costello unfurls his knowledge of Irish culture with sardonic wickedness and surprising characters.

Join young Maddie and Max as they learn a valuable lesson from a little lost owl in Baby Owl’s Rescue

by Jennifer Keats Curtis ’91, M.A. ’93.

The brother and sister just wanted to play baseball. They never expected to come face-to-face with a wild animal. This story reminds us that we live in a world surrounded by animals that deserve our caution and respect.

Justice Older Than the Law: The Life of Dovey Johnson Roundtree by Katie McCabe ’72, M.A. ’75 tells the story of civil rights warrior Dovey Johnson Roundtree, who challenged Jim Crow in the military and in the courtrooms of the nation’s capital.

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m-file NEWSdesk UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FACULTY ARE THE SOURCE NEWS MEDIA TURN TO FOR EXPERTISE—FROM POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY TO SOCIETY AND CULTURE TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. “She helped to transform the public sphere of American life through what some have called the ‘Oprahfication’ of our culture, by making it OK for grown people to be emotional in public, to talk about ourselves in ways that were deemed impolite before.”

“The space shuttle was designed to be a very heavy payload lifter, and it has performed that job extremely well. But you don't need to send a Mack truck into space when a Toyota Celica will do.”

MARK LEWIS, AEROSPACE ENGI-

“As soon as we put a price on carbon, the increased price will pass all the way down (to consumers).

When I consider my home heating-oil bill, my natural-gas bill in the winter, the prices will drive decisions.”

NEERING, ON THE NEW, SMALLER

JAE EDMONDS, JOINT GLOBAL

SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCHING THIS

CHANGE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ON

SPRING, AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE,

THE UNITED NATIONS DEBATING

JANUARY 2010.

HOW TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF

SHERI L. PARKS, AMERICAN STUD-

GLOBAL WARMING, USA TODAY,

IES, IN AN OP-ED PIECE ON THE

NOV. 24, 2009.

IMPACT OF THE END OF “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW,” THE BALTIMORE SUN, NOV. 29, 2009.

“The commercially available cigarettes that we tested were chock full of bacteria, as we had hypothesized, but we didn’t think we’d find so many that are infectious in humans.”

Brain Imaging Center to Examine Language, Emotion and Thought A TECHNOLOGY THAT will bring together researchers from across campus to study the neural basis of language, emotion and thought is the centerpiece of a new brain imaging center now under construction.

The Brain Imaging Center at Maryland will feature a functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, scanner, which measures oxygenated blood flow during brain activity, compared to a traditional MRI that reveals the internal structure of the body.

“This center will enable the university to become a leader in the areas of cognitive and affective developmental neuroscience,” says Nathan Fox, distinguished university professor of human development.

Fox and other researchers in human development will use the fMRI technology to examine brain activity as children learn to read, develop memory skills and deal with acceptance or rejection. The university’s Center for Advanced Study of Language plans to use the machine to investigate the brain regions involved in foreign language learning and use.

The 14-ton, 10-foot-long fMRI scanner is funded by a nearly $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Professor Robert Dooling is director of the university’s Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program, which led the initiative to create the center. “It should lead to new interdisciplinary research on campus while also prompting the creation of courses to train faculty and graduate students in the use of fMRI technology,” he says.

AMY R. SAPKOTA, MARYLAND INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, ON HER NEW STUDY THAT FOUND DISEASE-CAUSING BACTERIA IN CIGARETTES, TIMES OF INDIA, NOV. 20, 2009.

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Dooling expects the facility to be operational by this fall. —TV

ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN G. PAYNE

Raising the Curtain WALTER DALLAS, SENIOR ARTIST IN RESIDENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE, CAME TO MARYLAND FROM PHILADELPHIA’S ACCLAIMED FREEDOM THEATRE. HE HAS DIRECTED MORE THAN 25 WORLD PREMIERES, INCLUDING THE CRITICALLY HAILED PRODUCTION OF AUGUST WILSON’S “SEVEN GUITARS” IN CHICAGO. TERP’S LAUREN BROWN CAUGHT HIM MID-MOVE FROM A VICTORIAN MANSION IN PHILLY TO SMALLER DIGS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

TERP: A former student, now a Broadway actress, said that next to her parents, you’ve been the most influential person in her life. How do you build that kind of relationship with young theater artists?

DALLAS: Honesty and tough love. It’s important that my students get to know me, the Atlantan who often slips into a thick accent, the cancer survivor who spent a night in jail in Oakland, about my work with the Black Panthers. Soon, lasting relationships develop.

TERP: You were lead writer of “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” the Grammy-winning documentary about the Funk Brothers, the house band for greats like Stevie Wonder and the Supremes. How did you get involved?

DALLAS: I struck a sweet deal with Warner Bros. and Orion Pictures to adapt two black film classics, “Cooley High” and “Sparkle,” into musicals for the stage. I needed a first-rate music director and hired the brilliant Allan Slutsky for both projects. Alan had been working on producing “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” for years. As soon as he got financial backing, he called me, and, because he loved what I had done with the script adaptations for the two movies, hired me to write the narration.

TERP: You were founding director of the University of the Arts’ successful theater program in Philadelphia when Freedom Theatre officials recruited you. Why did you get on board?

DALLAS: People thought I was crazy for walking away from a great program and tenure! But my long-term goal had always been to be artistic director of a professional theater that had a training program. Freedom now has 900 students in its comprehensive training program.

TERP: You’ll direct “Blue Door” at Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre, which hosted your first photography exhibit in January, and “The Bluest Eye” at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in March.

You’re also doing charitable work in Ghana, where a new junior high school was named for you. How do you keep up?

DALLAS: I am intensely passionate, and I love life and making positive differences. There’s this calm exterior, the mallard gliding effortlessly on the surface of the water. Underneath, I’m always paddling like hell!

PHOTO BY MIKE CIESIELSKI

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m-file Bionic Ears Inspired by Nature ANIMALS SUCH AS owls and small reptiles may inspire more

sophisticated hearing aids and cochlear implants that enable users to better identify the sources of sounds they hear, says biology Professor Catherine Carr.

“There are two things that cochlear implants still don’t do well,” says Carr, who is affiliated with the university’s NIHfunded Center for the Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing. “One is music—that is the holy grail—and the other is telling you where sound is coming from.”

In an article published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Carr describes how recent studies of animal hearing, including that of barn owls, geckos, frogs and insects, might be used to design “bionic ears.” Humans can normally identify the direction and distance of a sound, even with our eyes shut or amid multiple conversations at a party, because circuits in the brain stem compare the time it takes for sound to reach each ear.

Other animals have evolved hearing strategies too.

“Barn owls are the world champions of sound

localization,” says Carr, “because they make their living chasing mice.” Owl hearing mechanisms could be incorporated into the microprocessors of future hearing aids to remedy problems detecting low-frequency sounds.

Research scientist Katrina MacLeod, who collaborates with Carr, is studying how sound information is encoded in the brain using owls as a model. She is also working with Monita Chatterjee, associate professor of hearing and speech sciences, to improve the auditory processing mechanisms used in cochlear implant systems.

Scientists are also looking for hearing aid clues in other animals. “Lizard ears are connected by a continuous airspace between the eardrums,” explains Carr, who has studied gecko hearing with Chinese and Danish researchers. “They don't use neural circuits to process sound. They determine the direction of sound from the signal coming from each ear.”

Scientists are optimistic that they can use principles from additional studies on the hearing of small reptiles, frogs and some insects to develop miniature processors that will perform more like human ears. —KB

Computer engineer Bruce Jacob also engineers unique guitars.

Changing His Tune COMPUTER ENGINEERING PROFESSOR Bruce Jacob does-

n’t wait for things to break before he starts trying to fix them.

While preparing to record some music during a sabbatical five years ago, Jacob felt limited by the sounds his electric guitar could produce.

Ever the innovator, he opened the instrument and found that the circuits in it were fundamentally identical to their ’30s and ’40s predecessors.

Baffled by their innate limitations, Jacob created his own multi-tone circuits to add a range of sounds not usually found in just one guitar.

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That tinkering led him and five former and current Maryland students to create Coil Guitars last summer. The company sells pre-manufactured electric guitars featuring Jacob’s customized circuits.

“Guitarists sit down and play the thing, and their eyes light up and they just get this big stupid grin on their face,” Jacob says, “We haven’t figured out how to make things sound like a flute, but to a guitarist, they sound wildly different.”

Jacob’s circuits allow tone modification to originate from within the guitar, rather than from processing or special effects, requiring only the flick

of a switch or the turn of a knob to change musical personalities.

“Well, my sons love the guitar and have been playing it every chance they get,” says Carole Teolis ’94, a former computer engineering student and customer.

Coil Guitars has also donated guitars and audio equipment to the university, where Jacob extended his audio innovation to “Electronic Guitar Design.” The course, offered through the electrical and computer engineering department, covers guitar physics and circuit design. —SJ

COIL GUITAR AND PORTRAIT BY BENJAMIN DAVID SOLOMON

Stargazers Take Note THE EASILY VISIBLE rings of Saturn, made of ice and dust that reflect the sun’s light in vivid hues of orange and yellow, have some company. University of Maryland astronomer Doug Hamilton and colleagues from the University of Virginia have discovered a massive ring that lies in the outer reaches of Saturn’s gravitational field. The ring has a diameter of about 22.5 million miles—almost 300 times the size of Saturn, which itself is almost 95 times the size of Earth. It is also very thick: About 20 planets the size of Saturn could stack vertically inside it, easily making it the largest planetary ring in the solar system. This NASA rendering shows Saturn enlarged in the circle to the right and represented as a mere dot at the center of the newly discovered ring. —TV

{

Measuring National Happiness AMERICANS’ OBSESSION WITH

sharing every thought and feeling may provide enough data for a Maryland adjunct professor to craft a policy-influencing happiness sensor.

“Gross domestic product is not the only way to gauge” a country’s

SATURN RENDERING COURTESY OF NASA; HAPPINESS ILLUSTRATION BY JEANETTE J. NELSON

well-being, says Chris Danforth, who is with Maryland’s earth sciences department and an assistant professor in the University of Vermont’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Bhutan, for example, has a nearly 30-year-old, influential Gross National Happiness index.

Using word-processing software, Danforth and Vermont colleague Peter Dodds are tagging approximately 1,000 keywords from public Twitter, Facebook and other social media pages, along with song lyrics and State of the

Union addresses, rating billions of sentiments on a 1-to-9 scale.

Their “hedonometer” is a more honest measure of societal happiness than surveys because these unsolicited feelings tend to be more genuine than answers to questionnaires. The researchers look forward to improved technology and software that will allow them to capture more text from more sources.

“We hope to harness tweets to learn what makes people happy,” Danforth says. —MAB

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play-by-play New Coaches Bring Diamond Pedigree IT STARTED WITH A LUNCH.

With the hiring of new Head Coach Erik Bakich, one of the nation’s best recruiters, Maryland baseball planned to become competitive in the ACC and the NCAA. To do so, Bakich knew he needed to connect with high school baseball coaches across the state and reconnect with the university’s baseball alumni.

So he invited Bernie Walter ’63, one of the best-known baseball minds in the country and president of the Maryland State Baseball Coaches Association, out for a meal.

When they met, Bakich quickly discovered the former Maryland shortstop and second baseman was still an avid Terrapin fan after 36 years coaching elsewhere.

“I noticed his Maryland baseball bumper sticker and floor mats and soon realized that this man bleeds red, white, black and gold,” Bakich says. “With his baseball experience and passion for the university, I knew I had to have him on this staff.”

Walter is the winningest coach in Maryland public high school history. His teams at Arundel High won a state-record 10 championships and 12 regional titles. Walter’s career took him beyond the prep level to coach American Legion and amateur teams to multiple state and national championships. He’s a three-time national coach of the year and one of a select few high school coaches inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association.

“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been a part of winning teams.

They weren’t like that when I got there, but I helped turn the programs around,” says Walter.

Maryland hopes Walter can help turn around its baseball program, which posted a 27-27 record in 2008. And much to Walter’s and Bakich’s credit, the players are already noticing a difference.

“Practices are different now,” says sophomore pitcher Sander Beck.

“Coach Walter knows so much about the sport, he can help with every aspect of our game.”

Bakich knows Walter has his sights set on one more goal. “He always wanted a Maryland championship ring. He came aboard to help us get that.”—MLB

SCOREcard Maryland swept the Atlantic Coast Conference's annual field hockey awards for the second consecutive year in 2009. Head Coach Missy Meharg was named Coach of the Year, junior Katie O’Donnell Offensive Player of the Year and senior Emma Thomas Defensive Player of the Year. Seniors Alexis Pappas and Nicole Muracco were named to the All-ACC team.

Blaise Stanicic ’09 continues to dominate the women’s water polo scene.

Stanicic is going overseas to play for Mladost, a Croatian water polo club from Zagreb. Stancic was a twotime All-American with the Terps. She had a team-best 35 assists last season and was second in points.

The football team wore military-inspired uniforms for its matchup against Virginia Tech last fall. Players took the field in black and desert camouflage uniforms to raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project, a not-for-profit organization that provides programs and services for injured service members and their families.

Bernie Walter (far left) is teaming with Erik Bakich to create a winning identity for Maryland baseball.

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BASEBALL PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI; FOOTBALL BY GREG FIUME, MARYLAND ATHLETICS

spotlight Outside the Gallery Walls A GROWING ART collection graces the Adele H. Stamp Student Union-Center for Campus Life, with the buyers as much a part of the display as the artists.

Five students from across the university selected the photography, paintings and video through the Union Contemporary Art Purchasing Program.

Members work with galleries, professional artists and professors to buy beautiful and meaningful work every two years.

“Art is a valuable part of our society and cultural education,” says Jackie Milad, program coordinator for the Stamp Gallery and the Art and Learning Center. “It’s really something we need more of, not just to beautify the building itself, but to push concepts and challenge ideas.”

Six new works debuted in the gallery, then moved late last year to permanent locations around the union. They include a video by Jefferson Pinder, an assistant professor of art at Maryland whose work encourages observers to question the human experience, and a photograph by Edward Burtynsky that explores perspective and climate change through Australian quarry operations.

The committee studies art and the art market, travels to galleries in New York and Washington, D.C., and buys pieces the members hope will intrigue visitors to the Stamp. Students must apply to serve; the third cohort forms this spring and will make purchases in 2011.

“I was just shocked that there was an opportunity like this for undergraduates,” says Ophra Paul ’08. “It really gave me a sense of buying art for an institution versus buying art for an individual. We had to think about what might interest … someone who’s not necessarily interested in art and get them involved.”

Milad said the rare program is modeled on one at Wake Forest University that includes works by Picasso and other famous artists. Maryland students, unlike those at other institutions, must complete course work such as “Contemporary Art: Theory, Markets & Collecting.” A two-year, $50,000 budget—much of it provided by private donations—covers artwork as well as travel, display costs and maintenance.

Karyn Miller, manager of visual arts for the Cultural Development Corp. in Washington, met

TOP PHOTO BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

with the group twice as part of an advisory committee. She calls Maryland’s program exceptional, noting the substantial budget builds a collection that can grow in monetary and social value.

“Contemporary art asks your brain to think in a certain way, to be open, free, creative,” she says.

“That can serve you well in many areas.” —KM

Photos by Barbara Probst (above) and Annu Palakunnathu Matthew (right) and art by Linn Meyers (below) decorate the Stamp.

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The life of heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis unfolds on stage in an unlikely format with the world premiere of “Shadowboxer.”

The Maryland Opera Studio production, directed by Leon Major, dramatizes a hero’s rise to the top and the fading of his star.

Fifteen cast members, a 12-member chorus and an eight-piece jazz ensemble perform on a set that includes three massive pro-

Ina and Jack Kay Theatre

APRIL 17, 21, 23, 7:30 P.M. APRIL 18, 6 P.M. APRIL 25, 3 P.M. $32/$9 STUDENTS

The School of Music Presents “Shadowboxer: An Opera Based on the Life of Joe Louis”

• A YOUNG ALUMNI BARBECUE IN THE MOXLEY GARDENS AT THE SAMUEL RIGGS IV ALUMNI CENTER.

• THE ANNUAL SPRING FOOTBALL GAME AT CAPITAL ONE FIELD AT BYRD STADIUM.

• THE BIG TOP WITH HOURLY LIVE PERFORMANCES AT THE HEART OF MCKELDIN MALL.

Highlights include:

Campuswide The 12th annual Maryland Day celebrates the university’s leadership on big issues and big ideas at home and around the world. Wonder what we’re doing to shape climate change policy, health care reform or economic debate? Explore more than 400 events that make learning about science, technology, business and agriculture fun. In addition, you’ll find sports action, children’s entertainment and alumni events across campus.

APRIL 24 10 A.M.-4P.M. FREE

Maryland Day 2010

Shake off the chill of winter with great Maryland events. Warm up with an original opera, bask in the golden age of broadcasting or head to campus as spring sheds new light on great outdoor events.

JOE LOUIS POSTER COURTESY OF CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER; MARYLAND DAY PHOTOS BY JOHN T. CONSOLI AND ANNE MCDONOUGH; CORWIN PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

JUNE 17 DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED

New York

MAY 5 6:30 – 8:30 M&T BANK STADIUM

Baltimore

Enjoy refreshments, connect with fellow alumni and meet special guests at gatherings up and down the East Coast. Visit the alumni association Web site for updates and more details.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

HOSTED BY THE MARYLAND

Celebrating Terp Spirit Near and Far

MARYLAND DAY 2010 www.marylandday.umd.edu

chuckh@umd.edu

LIBRARY OF AMERICAN BROADCASTING 301-314-0401,

www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu

CLARICE SMITH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 301.405.ARTS (Ticket Office),

ATHLETICS 301.314.7070 (Ticket Office), umterps.com

www.alumni.umd.edu

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 301.405.4678 or 800.336.8627,

HOT LINE

Atlantic Coast Conference title contenders—often among the top 10 teams in the nation—battle it out during the ACC championships right here in College Park.

Ludwig Field

ACC WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT APRIL 22-25

Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium

ACC MEN'S TOURNAMENT APRIL 24 & 26

Lacrosse in Action

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Norman Corwin’s passion for words, his depiction of the greatness inherent in the ordinary American and his belief in democratic ideals made him the first choice for high-profile World War II commissions. His program devoted to the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights—broadcast just after Pearl Harbor—was the highest-rated in radio’s history. “Not So Wild a Dream” examines Corwin’s life and career with historic images and recordings, as well as an event celebrating his 100th birthday on May 3.

Hornbake Library Exhibit Gallery

THROUGH JULY | FREE

“Not So Wild a Dream” Norman Corwin, Progressive Poet of Radio’s Golden Age

jection screens as well as images representing Louis’ memories projected onto the characters themselves.

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j O u RNaLISm SCH O O L FI N dS O PPO RTu N ITY I N u NSETTLEd TI m ES

By Lauren Brown Illustrations by Yuko Shimizu

Amid massive layoffs and plummeting profits in journalism, you might think that Maryland would struggle to recruit the newshounds of the future.

But the university’s aspiring journalists and seasoned faculty are helping to rewrite the stale story of the Internet clobbering traditional media. The new narrative: The Internet can strengthen and enhance their craft.

Students and faculty are embracing the burgeoning world of online journalism and its ability to reshape how people get information. The consensus is that this isn’t a time of despair in journalism. It’s one of opportunity.

“This is the most exciting time I’ve seen in journalism, even more than when the Web was being born,” says Leslie Walker, the Knight Visiting Professor in Digital Innovation and former editor-in-chief of washingtonpost.com. She predicts that jobs wiped out in the industry’s upheaval will be replaced by as many new jobs, if not more. They’ll just be different jobs.

Despite the turmoil in the field, applications to the Philip Merrill College of Journalism were up 12 percent last fall for undergraduates and 25 percent for graduate students. And in January, under new Dean Kevin Klose, the university opened the $30 million John S. and James L. Knight Hall to house the college.

In Knight Hall, with its multimedia labs, open space and latest in digital video, audio and editing equipment, faculty are taking on the challenge of teaching a skill set that is changing as quickly as graduates head to the job market. The college has refocused courses to incorporate Facebook and Twitter and answer new questions about media ethics and law, introduced a fellowship program that exploits

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the power of the Internet to tell stories in new ways and launched a Web site that will showcase original reporting and compile data and studies on the Chesapeake Bay. These developments are a prime reason why master’s student Justin Karp enrolled at Maryland in the fall. Like many in the graduate program, he came to the university after working in the field for a few years—in his case as a sports radio producer in Phoenix—and realizing his career had stalled. Now he’s trying to expand his multimedia skills and figure out how to make a financially viable product out of his 3-year-old blog on Arizona State University sports, www.pitchforknation.com, which draws 600 to 700 visitors a day.

“The industry is changing so much that if you don’t keep up with technology, you’ll fall behind,” Karp says. “I want to be at the front and to embrace the change.”

a d A PTI N G TH E STO RYL I N E Carol J. Pardun, president of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication, says that the Merrill College, like other J-schools nationwide, is at a crossroads. Though the industry is in an upheaval—which we’re reminded of ad nauseam by a dejected traditional media corps—its necessity remains as long as people must communicate and disseminate news and information. So the next step for journalism schools is to innovate.

“They need to concentrate on the non-negotiables such as freedom of speech, freedom of democracy and the role that the media plays, while thinking about ‘What does journalism look like in the future,’ ” says Pardun, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina.

Klose remains fiercely committed to the school’s longtime mission of training journalists to provide accurate, independent, contextual reporting—“Democracy depends

on an informed citizenry” is a mantra. At the same time, he waxes enthusiastic about how the technology behind his BlackBerry has altered the media landscape.

A former longtime editor and reporter for The Washington Post, who came to Maryland last year after a decade of running National Public Radio, Klose won over the faculty with his experience and energy. After consulting with them, he quickly modified Knight Hall’s third-floor layout to feature what everyone calls the “garage band space,” where new ideas in story structures, field reporting and video presentation can take flight.

“It’s a lab,” he says of Knight Hall, “an integrated lab where students and professors and technology experts mix up, and applied research takes place in ways that are marvelously active.”

Meanwhile, a committee of faculty and students is reviewing the entire curriculum to ensure that offerings evolve and remain relevant. The committee has been exploring ways to make the traditional sequences of broadcasting, print and online better reflect today’s newsrooms, which increasingly blur the lines between all three.

One way could come from “Information 3.0,” one of 24 new courses open to all undergraduates this semester as part of the overhaul of the university’s general education requirements. “I’ll be learning how the younger audiences on campus seek, select and share information,” says Assistant Professor Ron Yaros, who chairs the curriculum committee and is an expert on innovation in multimedia journalism. “Students’ behavior and preferences might give us a key to the future of journalism.”

F R E S H C O NTE NT With four years on Facebook and a passion for old-school newspapers, Adam Kerlin ’12 represents that future. “We feel like we were born to use the techniques that are coming into prominence in journalism right now.” He and his classmates are learning to put their Web savvy to work: how to use social media to track down sources for stories, how to cover news through Twitter, and perhaps most important, how to market their skills and areas of expertise.

“It used to be that you started out working as a beat reporter at a small daily. Now, a journalism graduate with tech skills can get a better job with more responsibility at a bigger news organization or a startup,” says Sean Mussenden, then-digital and research coordinator at the

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Watch a video tour of Knight Hall at www.terp.umd.edu/journalism.

Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, who teaches an online journalism course.

While that course goes back a decade, students today are examining successful media Web sites such as Politico, The Huffington Post and CNN.com.

They learn about trends like citizen journalism, a term that covers the work of uninformed attention-seekers blogging in their basement as well as of people tracking down federal stimulus spending for ProPublica.

Walker, the digital innovation expert, is exploring another trend, entrepreneurial journalism, in a course she’s teaching this semester with Asher Epstein, director of the university’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. Their students are examining news and communication startups like GlobalPost and Twitter and pitching ideas for new media businesses.

And in the fellowship program she directs, Walker is helping students discover new forms of journalism. Maryland is one of eight universities nationwide hosting journalism incubators each summer as part of the Carnegie-Knight initiative called News21. The Maryland students last year researched how race and

ethnicity are changing American politics. They told those stories by inventing tools such as a Web video player that allows viewers to sort and find interview clips by clicking on keywords. This year, students are focusing on the environment.

Collaborative Web journalism is also a primary focus of Capital News Service, or CNS. The highly respected Maryland program provides a public service in the state, offering original reporting produced by students at reporting bureaus in Washington and Annapolis; a broadcast bureau that produces a nightly newscast; and an online newsmagazine. Chris Harvey launched the online bureau in 2001, and today students working together have tackled reporting projects ranging from the state’s economic crisis to the execution of the Beltway sniper.

The “Bay Beat” Web site that CNS launched this semester focuses on what Annapolis Bureau Director Rafael Lorente calls the most important story in Maryland, because the ailing Chesapeake Bay affects so much else, from development to agriculture. The site will eventually bring together information from government agencies and advocacy groups, and students can experiment with multimedia tools like video, graphics and slideshows to fill a void in the shrinking for-profit media.

“If they want to put together a waterman’s oral history or do computerassisted reporting, I say, ‘Knock yourself out,’ ” Lorente says. “I hope they come up with something I can’t imagine.” terp

Th e futu r e o f j o u r n a l i s m j o b s Newsrooms are hiring, but job titles and responsibilities reflect the changing times. Among the new media positions:

Community manager Oversees audience engagement via social media, blogging and other strategies, and mines the community for new content ideas.

Search engine optimizer Tags and titles content with understanding of how keywords and phrases impact search traffic and rankings; manages data analytics tied to site searches, including benchmarking traffic across keywords.

new media job icons by brian g. payne

Data visualization/infographics specialist Creates engaging, interactive art elements used in presentation of content, including infographics, “hot maps,” timelines and charts.

Content editor Edits original and aggregated content and tracks key metrics to inform future content production.

Web producer Writes headlines and “teases,” converts and enhances stories for Web presentation, posts video and other images and monitors site.

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ď‚ş FUELING A DREAM maryland student HARNESSES the power of entrepreneurial thinking by tom ventsias

Trevor Young does some of his best thinking from behind the wheel of his taxicab.  During his all-night shifts crisscrossing the streets of Washington, D.C., Young reflects on his native Sierra Leone, a country wracked by poverty and violence where the vast majority of people have little access to electricity. Forced to leave the West African nation at age 9, Young, now 35 and a husband and father of four, constantly thinks about what he can do, from half a world away, to improve conditions in his homeland.

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aspirations is to give back,”Young says.

“Especially living in America—you get so much opportunity, you feel almost guilty.

My goal is to be in a position to help others to experience a more fulfilling life like I’ve been able to.”

Energy and opportunity

Between shuttling fares around Washington, D.C., Trevor Young does schoolwork and brainstorms ideas.

In his other job as a University of Maryland senior, Young is putting his thoughts into action. With the support of several hands-on entrepreneurship programs at Maryland and mentors who’ve given him critical advice, he founded Tseai (pronounced sah-I) Energy Unlimited, a company that seeks to use biofuels to help underdeveloped communities produce their own electricity and boost their economies.

The agricultural and resource economics major and his team won $5,000 in seed money and another $25,000 in a university business plan competition last year.

Young is aggressively, if charmingly, pursuing more funding that will allow him to travel to Sierra Leone and lay the groundwork for turning his concept into reality.

“Lots of people are working on biofuels, but with Trevor’s sheer will and determination, and the talent he has to get people to believe in his vision—it’s hard to bet against somebody like that,” says Dean Chang, one of Young’s advisers and director of venture creation and entrepreneurship programs at the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, or Mtech.

Young has total confidence in his plan for a startup venture to transform palm oil byproducts into electricity that would power a community center and, eventually, entire villages.

“Everyone who knows me knows that one of my main

Young’s parents sent him to live with relatives in New Jersey in 1984 because of unrest in Sierra Leone that ultimately led to civil war in 1991. His mother died from cancer soon after he arrived in America, and his father died a few years later of complications from injuries he received in the Sierra Leone violence.

Young moved to the Washington area after graduating from high school, selling souvenirs on the National Mall, among other ventures, before purchasing a taxicab in 2002 and enrolling at Prince George’s Community College three years later.

He landed at Maryland through the Hillman Entrepreneurs Program, which offers full scholarships to students at the community college who are interested in entrepreneurship and leadership.

“Trevor is really the epitome of what the Hillman program looks for,” says Karen Thornton, a senior fundraiser in the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the founding director of the Hillman program. “It’s those people who are just entrepreneurial down to their bones. They want to work for themselves. They want to be empowered. They want to make a difference.”

When he arrived at the university,Young was already a self-starter, driving his cab until 10 most nights after classes and pulling 12-hour shifts until 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays to support his wife, Darlinda, and their children, now ages 5, 4, 3 and 1.

Young uses a mini-laptop to do schoolwork between pickups; he knows which cabstands have wireless access so he can send e-mails and do homework while waiting for a passenger.

“Two things [taxi] drivers do: listen to NPR a lot, and think about how to solve the world’s problems,”Young says.

Entrepreneurship Resources at Maryland Students, faculty and Maryland residents pursuing their entrepreneurial passions need only look to the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, part of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, for expert assistance.

Key resources include:

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The Hinman CEOs program, the nation’s first living and learning entrepreneurship program to support undergraduates launching their own companies.

The Hillman Entrepreneurship Program, a four-year scholarship program for students who transfer from Prince George’s Community College to learn entrepreneurship and leadership skills.

The VentureAccelerator program, which helps university inventors get started, offering expert advice in business planning, understanding customers and markets, setting goals and priorities and raising capital.

The annual Technology Start-up Boot Camp, an intensive, one-day workshop on launching and growing new ventures. It features prominent regional entrepreneurs and separate tracks for beginning, bio-focused and high-tech entrepreneurs.

A sustainable plan

production and electricity generation.

Others came In his first year at Maryland,Young had a lot of ideas, on board, including Kyle including starting a company to provide low-cost airfare Gluesenkamp, an engineerfor Africans in the U.S. wanting to return home and using condensed solar power to energize impoverished rural areas. ing graduate student who helped identify requireBut venture capitalists and business plan specialists ments and equipment brought in to advise Hillman students made him realize for the power-generating these weren’t sustainable business models. facility.

Young, like so many aspiring entrepreneurs before him, Last May,Young and his team entered the annual Mtech went back to the drawing board. He researched turning $75,000 Business Plan Competition and won the $10,000 the byproduct of the oil palm tree into methane biogas.

The plant is abundant throughout West and Central Africa, first prize in the undergraduate category and a $15,000 prize for having a plan with positive social impact. “Their and its pressed oil is a valuable commodity. model addressed three important points: revenue production, He envisioned palm oil sales funding a processing innovation to make people’s lives better and sustainability. It plant that would convert the byproduct into fuel to run was a winning combination,” says Warren Citrin, a successful electricity-producing generators. entrepreneur and competiYoung discovered the College of Agriculture and tion judge who sponsored Natural Resources had just hired a new faculty member the social impact prize. who specialized in producing methane biogas in agriculTseai Energy now tural regions of Costa Rica. As assistant professor of enviresides in an Mtech startup ronmental science Stephanie Lansing recalls, “Trevor came lab, where the company is to me and said: ‘I hear you are doing anaerobic digestions. testing its ideas in earnest What can you do for me?’ ” and is looking to secure Together they developed a business plan using Lansing’s almost a quarter-million research on introducing microorganisms into agricultural dollars more in funding. byproducts to produce methane gas. That ultimately led to As of press time,Young the formation of Tseai Energy, named for one of Young’s and Lansing are expectdaughters, whose name means “sunshine” in Amharic, a —karen thornton ing a grant that will allow language spoken in Ethiopia.

Young to travel to northEverything seemed to fall into place quickly.Young western Sierra Leone, where he hopes to lease land for met Akua Nkrumah, a fellow Maryland student who the agricultural processing plant. Next to it, he anticipates grew up in Ghana and was also studying methane building the power-generating facility that runs a community center offering health care and schooling. This project will be a model that can be customized to other crops in locales worldwide.

“It is something that needs to happen,” Young says.

“The conditions in parts of sub-Saharan Africa are just unacceptable. I can’t just say, ‘It’s not acceptable’ without doing something about it. ... That’s why I know this is going to happen.” terp

“Trevor is really the epitome of what the hillman program looks for. it’s those people who are just entrepreneurial down to their bones.”

Student members of the Tseai Energy team include (left to right) Nnenna Nwosu, Akua Nkrumah and Young.

The Maryland Industrial Partnerships program, which funds research and connects companies in the state with University System of Maryland faculty to develop technology-based products.

The Technology Advancement Program, offering furnished offices, flexible lab space, faculty expertise, a talented student pool and resources afforded by a top research university.

photos by john t. consoli

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship in the Robert H. Smith School of Business, including the Pitch Dingman program, providing professional investment staff that can evaluate new business ideas. The center also hosts the Cupid’s Cup Business Competition, sponsored by Kevin Plank ’96, CEO of Under Armour.

The Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center, which provides free legal services to emerging technology companies and explores relevant legal, ethical and policy issues in the high technology and intellectual property areas. —TV To access university resources available to entrepreneurs, go to www.entrepreneurship.umd.edu.

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Crowd-Pleaser five years of memories at the riggs alumni center

by mandie boardman

Celebrating Terp Milestones

Y

oung alumni gather for a barbecue outside the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. Emeriti alumni reminisce in its Dorothy D. and Nicholas Orem Alumni Hall. Professionals and students network in public meeting spaces.

The Riggs Alumni Center is where the Maryland family comes back to reconnect, a unique and inviting place suited to functions grand or intimate. Most important, it is a landmark that serves as a testament to the Terrapin spirit. This was the vision of Samuel Riggs IV ’50. As a philanthropist, he had a deep respect for history and tradition and the ability to identify promise. He pictured a grand building at the university that would bring with it the promise of a better-connected, more vibrant alumni community. Mr. Riggs died in 2002, but his leadership gift and the support of many others led to the center’s 2005 opening.

As we celebrate its fifth anniversary, the Maryland Alumni Association offers a glimpse of how this spirited building is helping alumni create new Maryland memories.

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From birthday celebrations to bar mitzvahs, people choose the Riggs Alumni Center because it is as special as their events.

A replica of the Cole Field House “M” and the A. Ford Hall stained-glass ocular featuring the university globe are two Maryland touches that contribute to an inimitable experience.

When planning their father’s 70th birthday celebration (pictured at right), the Schwab family considered many locations but ultimately decided on the Riggs Alumni Center.

The university has provided a common thread that binds the Schwab family—from the guest of honor, Norman Schwab ’62, to his grandson Jake Pace, a freshman soccer player. “It was such a unique experience to be able to host our friends and family in the garden and terrace. We were able to take the time to enjoy the setting, take in the displays and appreciate the work that has gone into building a special venue for Terp alumni,” says Sandi Schwab Olek ’91.

It’s How You Watch the Game Pre-game festivities hosted by the alumni association are a tradition that has grown considerably since the opening of the Riggs Alumni Center.

The center provides the perfect fun and family-friendly environment. Those who visit on football game days enjoy activities from crafts for kids to the tailgate grill. They also line Terp Alley as the team parades past on its traditional pre-game walk to Byrd Stadium.

One crowd-pleaser is the Maryland Club, fitted with a bar, fireplace, plasma-screen TVs and a floor featuring the “M” replica. Dennis ’68, M.B.A. ’72 and Carolyn ’70 Gurtz meet their friends and fellow alumni for home games at the Maryland Club, where they made a donation to name the “Fight Song” inscription.

“I get chills when we walk in the building; it means a lot to me to have our names in such a special place,” says Carolyn Gurtz, left, with husband Dennis.

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Wedding Central

Strengthening the Promise Carolyn and Carl Fichtel (above, in red sweaters) join friends at the center.

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It took much more than bricks and mortar to make the building what it is today. It took the support of the Maryland family.

Carl and Carolyn ’65 Fichtel host friends and family at the Riggs Alumni Center for special events, including renting the Chaney Library for Carolyn’s garden club activities. They know that with their support—and that of fellow Terrapins—the building will continue to thrive. “It was important for us to make a donation to help

winter 2010

maintain the building and the gardens so that there is something there for the future,” explains Carolyn. Their generous gift specifically provides for maintenance and beautification projects.

Naming opportunities are still available for donors at all levels, providing the chance to be a part of the Riggs Alumni Center’s ongoing story.

Continued support will ensure that quality programming, services and events will be sustained for generations of future alumni.

Nearly five years ago, Remy ’00 and Casey ’02 Gomes (near left), winners of a “dream wedding” contest to help promote the opening of the building, celebrated the first nuptials at the Riggs Alumni Center. Since then, 79 weddings have been held here, including Tashica ’03 and Al-Wayne ’02 Morgan’s (top, far left).

The Morgans met as classmates in Cumberland Hall and have been together since Homecoming 2000.

Both college students without cars, they got to know each other on long rides aboard Shuttle-UM. In 2008, their relationship came full circle as they returned to campus and became the first couple to get married in the Dessie M. and James R. Moxley, Jr. Gardens. “We knew that we wanted to get married on campus,” says Tashica. “When we took a tour of the building we realized we could see both of our former dorms from the garden and knew it was the perfect spot.”

The romance lives on in the Riggs Alumni Center. In addition to weddings, the alumni association holds an annual Valentine Party that gives alumni the opportunity to share their affection for their alma mater and their loved ones. terp

Football Pro Tackles Health Literacy GROWING UP IN PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, former Terp football star

Madieu Williams ’03 called his mom “Mother Teresa” because she was so devoted to her work as a nurse in a local hospital and helping families in the community. In their native Freetown, Sierra Leone, she was known for her efforts to get vaccines from a distant hospital to immunize children in their neighborhood.

Now 28 and the starting free safety with the Minnesota Vikings, Williams seeks to honor his mother, Abigail Butscher, who died in 2005, and help improve the two communities that nurtured him. He donated $2 million to the university’s School of Public Health to establish the Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives.

Williams is the youngest alumnus and the fi rst African American to make an endowed gift of this magnitude.

“I’m blessed to be in a position to make a real difference,” says Williams, who has played six seasons in the NFL, two with the Vikings. “I grew up in a home where social consciousness was always advocated, and at Maryland Coach [Ralph] Friedgen stressed the

1 BILLION 900 M

importance of making a difference in the world beyond football.”

In announcing the gift, President Dan Mote noted, “Madieu has a passion for his profession and an inspired vision of how his success can transform the lives of others.”

Williams says he envisions the center working to improve the quality of life of people in two areas separated by great distance who share some of the same challenges.

“The area where Prince George’s County borders Washington, D.C., is not so dissimilar to Sierra Leone in terms of the need for health literacy and nutrition education,” says Williams, who earned a degree in family science. “My hope is that the center will have a lasting impact on making families in both places healthier and stronger.”

School of Public Health Dean Robert S. Gold says the center, in partnership with Prince George’s County and the Embassy of Sierra Leone, will address social factors of health that promote wellness, quality and longevity of life and healthy lifestyles.

Williams says he’s proud not only to partner with Maryland on this project, but also to create an opportunity that brings resources in to Sierra Leone, rather than takes them out. —CR

Madieu WIlliams (above) as a Terp, and (below, second from right) with School of Public Health Dean Robert S. Gold (left), President Dan Mote (second from left) and Sierra Leone Ambassador Bockari Stevens at an event announcing the gift.

800 M

–$693 MILLION

700 M 600 M 500 M 400 M

campaign total

300 M

$693 MILLION as of Dec. 31, 2009

200 M 100 M

PHOTO ABOVE COURTESY OF MARYLAND ATHLETICS; PHOTO AT RIGHT BY JOHN T. CONSOLI

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CEOs Capitalize on Hinman Gifts In 2009, Lurn and Squarespace, two companies launched by graduates of Maryland’s Hinman CEOs program, made Inc. magazine’s list of the nation’s 500 fastest-growing private companies. A year earlier, Lurn founder and CEO Anik Singal ’05 ranked No. 2 in BusinessWeek.com’s list of the “Best U.S. Entrepreneurs 25 and Under.”

Maryland celebrated success stories like these during last fall’s 10-year anniversary of the first university-based living and learning program designed to develop young entrepreneurs. In 1999, CEO Brian Hinman ’82 envisioned a culture of entrepreneurship at Maryland that extended beyond the lecture hall. Today, alumni of Hinman’s namesake program are building competitive businesses, thanks to his foresight.

“We are already seeing our graduates being nationally recognized as having multimillion-dollar ventures just a few years after their undergraduate career,” says program Director James Green. He notes that in addition to starting their own companies, many of the 300 graduates have taken positions at entrepreneurial corporations like Google or apply their skills to benefit social causes like Teach for America and the Peace Corps.

Hinman’s initial $2.5 million gift and subsequent contributions fully fund the operations of the Hinman CEOs, or Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities, program, which has grown to include about 90 juniors and seniors annually.

“We launched the Hinman CEOs program with the hope of developing a vibrant culture of entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland,” says Hinman. “In the 10 years since we started, more than 20 successful companies have been started, and at least 20 other colleges and universities have emulated this first-of-a-kind program. I couldn’t be more pleased with our progress.”

Chad Stern, a senior who started a business mowing lawns when he was 12, says he was excited when he learned about “a program designed for people like me who run, or plan on running, companies of their own.” An accounting major and landscape management minor, Stern says he looked to the CEOs program to “enhance my overall education at Maryland and allow me to develop my company to its full potential.”

Stern’s professional landscape management company, Mowing & More, serves residential and commercial clients in the Washington, D.C., area. He has seven employees and earned nearly $400,000 in revenue in 2008.

Hinman made an additional $1 million gift to the CEOs program last year that will expand efforts to equip students for the global marketplace. Plans are under way for an international entrepreneurship course and a student exchange program with China. —CR Chad Stern grew his landscape company through Hinman CEOs.

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photo by John T. Consoli

Maryland’s Will McConnell (right) faces off against an opponent in a rented ring at last year’s Rumble at Ritchie. The club will hold matches in its own ring this March.

The Eppley Fund: Widening the Field When members of Maryland’s revitalized boxing club wanted

to buy a ring for their annual spring competition, they considered repeating a fundraising effort like the one that required them to build loft after loft in residence halls.

Instead, a fund created to support recreational experiences for students allowed the boxers to leave the heavy lifting for the gym.

The Eppley Fund, named for former dean of students Geary Eppley, has awarded $25,000 to student club teams and fledgling recreation programs since 2006.

The goal is to ensure all students can participate in physical activities, whether through sports, outdoor recreation or other wellness programs.

“Physical activity is a great part of a well lifestyle,” says Jay Gilchrist, director of Campus Recreation Services, or CRS. “If we’re not seeing students come

photo by Qstreet f/oto

through our doors, are they doing something else? And can we support that in some way?”

The Eppley Fund was created in conjunction with the renaming of the campus recreation center; donors continue to support it with gifts large and small. Chris Miller ’09 worked at the center as a student and gave to the fund last year.

“I can’t make a large gift right now, but it’s nice to know that my contribution combines with others to support health and wellness,” he says.

The boxing ring, which debuts at the Rumble at Ritchie in March, should save money long-term. The club previously rented one for $500 each use.

“Getting the ring is a great way of showing that the club is going to be a fixture at the university in the years to come,” says President Steve Walsh ’10.

The university’s 44 club teams provide a competitive arena for about 3,000

recent awards include:

· Funds toward two racing shells, one each for men’s and women’s crew. · Travel money for the baseball club, which won a national tournament berth. · About $2,500 toward the boxing ring.

students annually. Clubs supplement limited university funding with fundraising to pay for uniforms, equipment and travel.

The Eppley Fund allows Campus Recreation Services to respond to urgent club needs and build long-term recreational programs.

In August, the fund helped relocate the CRS bike shop to Cole Field House, and this semester it is helping to launch a wellness initiative that promotes healthy lifestyles. —KM

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Former Doctoral Students Honor Modest Professor “He provided a donation that I could as robin grieves Ph.d. ’73 tells it, cite when asking other students to help Professor roger betancourt is far too bring his fellowship about,” says Grieves, selfless for his own good. a finance and quantitative analysis profesGrieves, who completed his doctorate sor at New Zealand’s University of Otago under Betancourt, noticed a few years and a former vice president of market risk ago that his adviser’s name appeared on oversight for Freddie Mac in Virginia. only one dissertation published in a jourThe endowment decreased in value nal. Despite working closely for five years as the economy suffered, Betancourt says, apiece with dozens of Ph.D. students, but his hope is that the first beneficiary, a Betancourt wasn’t giving himself credit. graduate student working in applied eco“This is unheard of,” says Grieves. nomics, will receive funds this year.

“The normal quid pro quo for advising is Betancourt says that his advisees get the adviser’s name goes on the papers.” to know him so well that they meet and Grieves and several other of spend time with his wife, Alicia. He sugBetancourt’s former doctoral students A fellowship named for Professor Roger and Alicia gested that the fellowship also carry have spent the past three years raisBetancourt assists doctoral students. her name to signify just how ing funds for the roger and alicia closely they work with his students betancourt fellowship in applied economics, and expect to The fellowship, Betancourt says, will be assigned to stumake their first award to a student this year. dents during their fifth year of graduate work, when they Since its creation in January 2005, the fellowship has brought in need to devote as much attention as possible to completing more than $165,000 in pledges from about 100 donors, including their dissertation and initiating a job search. some of Betancourt’s colleagues.

It helps to be able to concentrate on writing the paper Betancourt, 66, still works out of his Tydings Hall office as a and applying for jobs rather than worry about how to pay professor emeritus advising three doctoral students and has been for school, he says. “It’s a very intense period.” —SJ integral to the success of the fellowship, Grieves says.

Priya Kumar ’09 (left) initially felt a little jealous last fall as she toured Knight Hall, the new building that became home to journalism students in January.

“It made me wish I was still a student,” she says. “I thought how much better the programs could become now that they have these wonderful facilities.”

As she looked more closely at the spaces still under construction, Kumar realized she could play a part in completing them. Less than two months into her career, she recalled her father’s encouragement that she should do something with her fi rst paycheck to give back. The next day, she wrote a check for $251 to support Knight Hall construction, avoiding giving in an even amount to honor the tradition of her Indian culture.

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“Maryland was always my fi rst-choice school, and the journalism program prepared me so well I wanted to make this fi rst gift a sizeable amount,” says Kumar, coordinator of the university’s Federal Semester program. “It felt really good to write that check.”

Emily Schwarz ’10 (right) started dancing in her hometown of Manta, Ecuador, when she was about 9. Today, she maintains membership in the Ecuadorian dance company Ceibadanza as she studies contemporary and folkloric dance at Maryland.

Schwarz is the fi rst recipient of the Meriam Rosen Scholarship for Excellence in Dance, an award

photos AboVe AnD At left by John t. Consoli; photo At riGht CoUrtesy of CspAC

Make your mark on Maryland cheer join share volunteer give

Alumni and Students Network About Work as a government and Politics maJor, Paul mandell ’95 (right) got a lot of good advice

on what courses to take and how to apply to law school. But at the time, he says, there were few structured opportunities to seek the expertise of alumni or hear a variety of perspectives about the field.

Mandell, who graduated from Yale Law School and founded Clutch Group LLC, a global legal support company, was one of 20 alumni who returned to campus last fall to answer the same kinds of questions he once had. “I can offer a unique perspective on what else you can do if you’re not interested in practicing law.”

A one-day event at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center was the fi rst of its kind for 75 pre-law students, and one of an increasing number of career networking programs.

In March, the Engineering Graduate Student Council will welcome back alumni for its annual career day and the College of Information Studies will hold its CareerTalk event to connect students with alumni. The School of Public Policy’s yearly career night draws more than 300 people.

named for longtime dance educator and choreographer Meriam “Mim” Rosen M.A. ’66 “Mim has plied the art and science of dance and dance instruction, dance mentorship, improvisation, choreography, stage movement, rehearsal direction and, most importantly, a rare devotion to her students

Greg Shaffer, coordinator of pre-law advising in Letters and Sciences, said the event he organized was not only for students, but alumni looking to reconnect with the university.

“You don’t have to pull out your checkbook to contribute to Maryland,” he says. “The students really appreciate hearing from alumni in the profession.”

“You don’t have to pull out your checkbook to contribute to Maryland.”

—GREG SHAFFER

While Mandell talked about how he used his law degree to become an entrepreneur, other alumni lawyers focused on such topics as clerking and working in large fi rms.

Senior Tiffani Long says she enjoyed information about paraprofessionals and underrepresented minorities in law.

“I’m trying to learn everything I can, to learn from their expertise,” she says. –LB

that exceeds any and all honors,” says John C. Ford ’64, a former narrator for the Maryland Dance Ensemble, who established the $25,000 scholarship fund along with his wife, Sandra S. Poster ’64.

By the time Rosen retired last spring after 48 years at Maryland, she had infl uenced thousands of students.

“She has been an inspiring presence in my education as a dancer and choreographer,” Schwarz says, “and to receive a scholarship in her name has defi nitely encouraged me to challenge myself and my artistry to achieve great things.”

Shamia Brightful ’09 (right), a senior majoring in family science, was one of three public health students

photo At riGht by Monette bAiley

able to keep their academic progress on track, thanks to an award from the Kesi GilfordReynaud Scholarship.

Louis Gilford ’99 established the scholarship last year with a $10,000 gift in memory of his sister, who died of lupus seven years ago. The scholarship targets “motivated, highcaliber” School of Public Health students with an urgent need for fi nancial assistance.

Changes in Brightful’s fi nancial situation had forced her to give up on-campus housing, and commuting expenses were still a challenge for her. She was grateful for the scholarship, which eased the pressure as she completed her fi nal semester.

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Interpretations

New Requirements for a New Generation WHAT SHOULD WE expect every

undergraduate to know before graduation? That has always been the question for all universities. The University of Maryland’s answer to this question for the next decade is in a new core undergraduate curriculum.

For each student, the new General Education Program—previously known as CORE—develops a breadth of knowledge beyond the major, a capacity to think deeply and rigorously and an ability to use the knowledge acquired to address today’s problems.

The iSeries, 24 pilot courses launched this semester, invites students to explore big ideas and engage in research on some of the important issues of our time early in their college studies.

Our goal is to challenge students to explore multiple disciplines and consider how each contributes to understanding issues. Grounded both in the humanities

“For each student, the new General Education Program—previously known as CORE—develops a breadth of knowledge beyond the major, a capacity to think deeply and rigorously and an ability to use the knowledge acquired to address today’s problems.” and in the arts and sciences, the courses were created through more than a year’s effort following the adoption of the university’s strategic plan in 2008. The new courses were developed by faculty from each of our 13 schools and colleges and were selected by a committee—led by Distinguished University Professor Ira Berlin—that is drafting the new program.

Some of the individual courses focus

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on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, engineering in the developing world, genetically modified humans, human evolution, world religion, HIV/AIDS and managing risk in the economic market.

The iSeries courses are intended to inspire further investigations and guide implementation of innovative ideas. Writing and communication skills are major emphases, along with rigorous analyses of content. The revised General Education Program will also expand fundamental studies requirements in English and mathematics.

A key component of the transformed program is the increased number of permanent faculty leading courses. We welcome university leaders such as English Professor Maynard Mack, former director of University Honors, and electrical and computer engineering Professor Romel Gomez into the General Education Program. Along with their colleagues, these esteemed faculty will provide new opportunities for student-faculty interaction and use innovative teaching methods to inspire their students.

By this fall, we expect about 40 iSeries courses will be available. In the meantime, the committee will present final recommendations on the revised General Education Program to the University Senate for its approval.

The result will be a program that benefits all undergraduate students by providing an academic structure that helps them develop critical, integrative and creative thinking skills and equips them to contribute to solving the great problems of the 21st century.

—Dan Mote, President

PHOTO BY JEREMY GREEN

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