Around UB

Next Meeting of UB Administrative Council, Nov. 2

The University of Baltimore Administrative Council will host its next meeting on Monday, Nov. 2 from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 301 of the Student Center. The council, which represents exempt and nonunion staff, is dedicated to engaging and informing these staff members as well as building a welcoming and inclusive community for them. UBAC also discusses issues and concerns affecting these staff members with campus leadership. The organization, which is part of shared governance at UB and within the University System of Maryland, strives to promote UB's overall mission and strategic plan while keeping the needs and concerns of staff at the forefront of long-term decision-making and planning. UBAC provides information and professional development opportunities to its members and the University community as a whole.

Bring your lunch and join us for our monthly meetings. UBAC will provide dessert.

Please R.S.V.P. through the UB calendar.

Click here to go to UBAC's Web site where you'll find more information.

Bloggers Present a Powerful Portrait of Life at UB

By Giordana Segneri

This semester's blogging team—as has been the case since we launched the official UB Blog last spring—is an incredible cross-section of the UB student population, without our even trying to achieve it. We have students from all walks of life, of all different backgrounds and in a wide swath of programs, from entrepreneurship to health systems management to creative writing to law. And they all have a lot to say about what it's like to be a UB student and a Baltimorean.

Their posts are insightful and entertaining, and our burgeoning number of official Followers (plus countless others who don't identify themselves as Followers) is testament to the power of social media on a college campus. It's become more than just a disparate group of students on virtual soap boxes; it's developed into a conversation, as readers post comments and receive responses. And it's growing: Our social media page has a lengthy list of blogs created and maintained by various departments across campus, along with ever-expanding "University of Baltimore" search results on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.

UB Named a 'City Savior' Campus

The University of Baltimore is one of three city institutions listed in the "honor roll" portion of the latest "Saviors of Our Cities" report, an ongoing national survey of colleges and universities engaged in civic partnerships by researcher Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State College in Westfield, Mass. UB joined Coppin State University and The Johns Hopkins University as Baltimore-area schools included in the list. Other Maryland schools include Bowie State University and Towson University.

Find out more.

 

Interview with Tony Tsendeas, Famed Poe Impersonator

The Latest recently interviewed Tony Tsendeas, Baltimore actor, director, and acclaimed impersonator of Edgar Allan Poe. Tsendeas will be on campus on Oct. 28, when he hosts UB's second annual "Poe Night." A Q&A with the actor follows:

For a variety of reasons, Poe seems to be more popular than ever. Would you say this has more to do with a growing fascination with his subject matter (indeed, his obsessions), than it does with new insights into his personality or the way he died?

Tsendeas: Yes, indeed, Poe was ahead of his time. He tapped into primal fears and internal extreme anxieties. In an age of anxiety, Poe's works continue to be relevant, perhaps they even speak to us more loudly. I do believe the appeal is timeless. Remember, in his short literary life Poe wrote many types of things, even comedies and romances. But even then, it was the horror that the public responded to most vigorously.

If he were living today, what would Poe be focused on? Would celebrity culture interest him?Would he be issuing cautionary tales about Wall Street bankers and their lifestyles?

Poe would be focused on writing and trying to make a living. As a critic he would undoubtedly take the hot air out of the culturally over inflated.

As a performer, what is it about Poe that appeals to you?

The characters are living at the extreme limits of human experience. What could be more interesting that that?
 

Social Media in the Organization: Embrace It. Don’t Block It!

(Article reprinted from The Merrick Exchange, the official newsletter of he Merrick School of Business.)

A truism in social media is that networks are constantly evolving. But what I said about Facebook, YouTube and the like in the Daily Record last summer is sticking: While there may a worthy debate inside organizations about whether these sites should be accessible to employees, I say keep them open. There is good business going on in there.

Companies need to embrace social media—not fight it.

(Want to learn more? Check out the full article here.)

 

About Those GAO Legislative Histories …

(Item reprinted from the University of Baltimore School of Law Library Blog.)

Despite all the controversy about Westlaw getting exclusive rights to the digitized legislative histories compiled by the GAO (see e.g. http://dukelawref.blogspot.com/2008/07/who-owns-legislative-history.html), I really didn't take a close look until I needed some examples for class.  There really is a lot of information in that database, and good quality PDF images. On the other hand, there are some questions about coverage, and some really annoying features in the database organization and search facility.

(Want to read more? Click here.) 

ubstory: A Twitter Experiment

(From the Academic Resource Center home page.)

ubstory kicked off on the National Day on Writing and will continue as long as it stays alive. Since none other than Edgar Allan Poe graces our beloved campus, we'll start the story like this:

       It was a dark and stormy night on Gordon Plaza...

The Plan

We're celebrating writing at UB by playing an old game with a new twist. The entire UB community is invited to tell a story, together, each person adding to what a previous person has written.

Want to read more? Click here.