July 2021
Welcoming Newest Gators
series of three photos: 3 students posing at table, faculty advising a student at desk, students and parents sitting in chairs watching presentation

Over the past month, NDMU Student Life and Admissions welcomed our newest Gators to campus and virtually through Registration Days. During the Registration Days held over several weeks, our students and guests had the opportunity to meet some of our faculty, staff, and newest Orientation Leaders. For many, this was their first time on our campus. The NDMU community welcomed both the students and their families with a full day of programming. Students received their first introduction to the IMPRINT program with a student-led activity, met with course advisors, and learned about Student Life and campus life programming. These students will arrive for their first semester at NDMU ready to be fully immersed in their academics and campus life. We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus this August.

headshot of rochelle thompson in front of NDMU academic building
Thompson ’22 Awarded Newman Fellowship

Sending out our congratulations to Rochelle Thompson ’22, one of 212 students awarded the prestigious Newman Civic Fellowship by Campus Compact in the 2021-22 cohort. An active member of the Notre Dame community, Rochelle was recognized for her notable community involvement, volunteering her time as a mentor, and engaging in local advocacy in Baltimore County. Read more about Rochelle, her campus involvement, and the Newman Civic Fellowship.

headshot of ashley hodges in orange shirt
Dr. Ashley Hodges Leads Gators

On July 19, Notre Dame athletics will welcome Dr. Ashley Hodges, the new director of athletics. Dr. Hodges comes to Notre Dame from Rosemont College, where she served as assistant athletic director and the senior woman administrator. She is a seasoned leader and advocate for student success, directing many student-athlete programming and teaching several courses throughout her professional career. Learn more about Dr. Hodges and her appointment as director of athletics.

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Commencement Week

students and staff pose for group photo in cap & gown

From May 17-23, NDMU celebrated both the Class of 2020 and 2021 here on campus for Commencement Week. Throughout the week, students celebrated their accomplishments with their families and friends, getting to walk across the LeClerc stage and taking photos in their caps and gowns. The week was full of excitement. On Saturday afternoon, NDMU celebrated the annual Commencement Liturgy, live-streamed from Marikle Chapel. The week concluded with our virtual Commencement Ceremony, honoring both the Class of 2020 and 2021. Be sure to check out the coverage below from the week's events including the ceremonies and virtual Commencement:

Photos

Videos

MICUA News

On July 1, President Marylou Yam began her appointment as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Maryland Independent Colleges and Universities Association (MICUA). She has previously served as the Chair of the Capital Projects Committee and for the past two years as MICUA Secretary-Treasurer.

NDMU joins other members of MICUA to help more of the state’s community college students earn a four-year liberal arts degree, thanks to an initial $50,000 Teagle Foundation grant awarded to MICUA. Notre Dame will work with the 16 community colleges in Maryland to help create a comprehensive transfer consortium and improve transfer pathways to colleges. Learn more about the grant and its impact for community college students.

Dr. Evans Accepted to AOTA Academic Leadership Institute

Dr. Myrtle Evans, Director of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, has been accepted to take part in the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Academic Leadership Institute (ALI) workshop. The ALI’s overarching goal is to train academic leaders to further advance their knowledge and skills under the mentorship of recognized experts in occupational therapy education. This is a seven-month intensive workshop using interactive learning experiences. Some of the workshop’s objectives are geared toward academic and research program developments; leadership in an academic environment; and capacity-building for a learning climate that honors diversity and promotes confidence and competence in future OT practitioners. The workshop equips Dr. Evans with more tools as she leads the OT Department in continuing to refine the OTD curriculum and in preparing for the OTD program's self-study phase of the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) accreditation. 

Human Resources

Shannon Raum is one of six members of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) to be selected for the 2021-22 Emerging CUPA-HR Leaders program. The year-long program recognizes volunteer leaders from across the country who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and initiative within higher ed HR and a desire to play an active role in advancing the profession.

Career Center

At nearly every college and university, Handshake is the central way students and employers are connecting. At NDMU, the number of local jobs and internships continue to grow. This summer, there is a 31% increase in opportunities (more than 2,100) located in D.C. and Maryland. And this fall, NDMU will continue to co-host a job fair with more than 10 private local colleges, which will have more than 200 participating employers. If you know of any employers who would like to be involved, direct them to the Career Center at Career@ndm.edu.

Library

Loyola Notre Dame Library is happy to announce we are now members of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). More information on both groups and how they are used can be found on the CRL research guide and ICPSR research guide.

Are you a faculty member interested in pursuing a Digital Scholarship project? The Library can support you! Visit the Digital Scholarship page to learn more and submit a Digital Scholarship Project Proposal form.

School News
School of Arts, Sciences & Business

Dr. Ademar Bechtold was interviewed by Global Catholic Education for its Interview Series. Dr. Bechtold shares what he values most in his teaching and his focuses on research.

Dr. Sean P. Coyne and students Grace Cross, Casey Nutter, and Hermione Riggs presented their research at the American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Conference, June 14-15. Their talk is entitled, "The Effects of Patriotism and Race on Attitudes about Immigration in Young Adults."

School of Education

Ryan Schaaf, Associate Professor of Educational Technology, presented Gaming and Society: An Honors Program at the Serious Play Conference (virtual). The presentation covered the genesis and successful implementation of the honors course IDS 374 Gaming and Society to higher ed professors, gaming scholars, and educators.

The School of Education shares with the NDMU community Professional Development School (PDS) accomplishments for 2020-2021. Here you will find NDMU’s School of Education impact in the 14 PDS schools across the four different school systems. This partnership helps develop teacher interns, provide professional development to school-based faculty, and support school improvement goals. Sending our congratulations on the successful academic year!

On March 24, 2021, the School of Education held its annual Speaker Series event. Learning from Leaders: Empowering Teachers & Students to Think Globally featured three talented Notre Dame alumni and alumnae serving as educational leaders in the Baltimore/Washington area. Our leadership speakers' topics included educational equity, global collaboration, and support for struggling students. This free virtual event amassed a broad audience of regional teachers, students, and educational stakeholders.

The speakers were:

  • Joshua Parker, M'10
  • Melaney Sanchez, Ph. D.'12 
  • Cara Schrack, Ph. D.'17 

As a token of its thanks, the School of Education made a considerable contribution on behalf of the speakers to the following charities and organizations: Tinina Q. Cade Foundation, West River Center Summer Camp, and Save the Children.

NDMU dissertator Olukayode Banmeke presented a paper titled, “Exploring Predictors of Black Secondary School Students’ Persistence in STEM (ELS: 2002 Restricted Access Database)”, at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 8, 2021.

NDMU dissertator Suzanne DeWeese presented a paper titled, “Impact of Building Resilience Through Social Emotional Learning and Its Correlation to Disciplinary Incidents”, at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 8, 2021

Assistant professor Angelo Joseph Letizia presented a paper titled, “Drawing Comics and Citizenship” at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 8, 2021.

NDMU dissertator Julie M. Carter presented a paper titled, “Beyond the Curriculum: Analyzing the Relationship Between Administrator Expectations, Support Adequacy, and Student Achievement Scores”, at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 9, 2021.

NDMU dissertator  Maryellen Morrissey presented a paper titled, “Secondary School Science Student Attitudes and Grade Point Average: A Perception Paradox” at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 10, 2021.

NDMU dissertator  Angela Klinger presented a paper titled, “Language of Instruction and Student Achievement for Early Elementary Students” at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 10, 2021.

Associate professor Rachel E. Durham presented a paper titled,  “Student Attendance: A Persistent Challenge and Leading Indicator for Baltimore's Community School Strategy” at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 10, 2021.

NDMU dissertator Kimberly C. Culbertson presented a paper titled, “Can Kindergarten Teacher Reports of Students' Attention Levels Predict Scores on a Standardized Reading Assessment?, at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 11, 2021.

Associate Dean Juliann Dupuis presented a paper titled, “How Do Teacher Preparation and Instructional Practices Relate to Students' Attitudes Toward Learning and Achievement?”  at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 12, 2021.

NDMU dissertator Melissa E. Didonato, Associate Professor Mark J. Fenster and Professor Christa DeKleine presented a paper titled, “What Happens to English Language Students Who Exit ESOL Services in the Second Grade?” at the virtual American Educational Research Association conference, April 12, 2021.

School of Nursing

Dean for the School of Nursing, Kathy Wisser, and ABSN student, Paige Clark, spoke with WBAL’s Kim Dacey about how NDMU is filling the dire need for nurses in Baltimore and throughout the state with the Accelerated Second-Degree BSN program.

Three School of Nursing graduates recently received accolades for their excellence at their hospitals this past year. From the first ASBN cohort, Jennifer Dickensheets ’20 was named Rookie of the Year and a nominee for Nurse of the Year at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital. Mary Marquez ’20 who graduate from the Undergraduate Studies during the pandemic was named Nurse Residency–Nurse of the Year at MedStar Franklin Square Medical. Cristina Aquia Hass ’15 from the first undergraduate TBSN graduating class was recognized in Baltimore Magazine as the Excellence in Nursing Winner. She works in Labor and Delivery at St. Joe’s Medical Center.

School of Pharmacy

As part of the COVID-19 College Vaccination Challenge, the Notre Dame School of Pharmacy held a one-day clinic in June to help get any community members that were still in the need of a vaccine and were struggling to find an appointment vaccinated. Dean Anne Lin spoke with WJZ-TV and WBAL Radio about the importance of reaching out to individuals that have not yet had the opportunity to get vaccinated.

School of Pharmacy students helped answer some of the toughest questions surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and help dispel some myths. Check out their COVID-19 Vaccination Frequently Asked Questions video available in both English and Spanish. 

Save the Dates

A Conversation with Amy Tan

September 30 | 7:00 p.m.

We are pleased to welcome virtually to campus Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club. Her other novels include The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement, all New York Times-bestsellers. She is also the author of a memoir, a book about writing, two children’s books, and numerous articles and short stories. 

In 1993, The Joy Luck Club was made into a major motion picture, with Tan as co-producer and co-screenwriter. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 2020, and Tan is currently working on a sequel. She is also the subject of a documentary entitled, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, which debuted at Sundance in January 2021 and aired as part of PBS’s American Masters series. 

Amy Tan has been nominated for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the International Orange Prize, and she has won many awards, including the Commonwealth Gold Award and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature. Her essays and stories are found in hundreds of anthologies and textbooks. Her work has been translated into 35 languages.

Reunion 2021

gibbons tower save the date flyer

October 1-3 | Save the Date!

Notre Dame cannot wait to welcome back our alumnae and alumni for Reunion Weekend 2021 on campus. We will have virtual and in-person opportunities to reconnect with classmates, learn about what is happening at your alma mater, and rekindle that feeling of home when you walk by Gibbons Tower. More details will be sent out via email!

Academic Calendar

Be sure to check out the latest version of the Academic Calendar for 2021-2022.