UM Excels in "Programs to Look For"
Maryland posted considerable gains in the rankings of its business and engineering programs in the annual undergraduate rankings published by U.S. News and World Report. Under the category of Programs to Look For, UM appeared in four rankings: First Year Experience, Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects, Learning Communities and Service Learning. It is the only member of U.S. News's Top 25 Public Universities to be so honored. Read more …

Greening Terp Home Games
Maryland Athletics launched an aggressive recycling program for home football games this year, part of a campus-wide initiative to green the university that is spearheaded by President Dan Mote. The program, "Feed the Turtle," kicked off at the season opener on Aug. 30, and includes custom recycling containers in and around Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium where fans can now recycle bottles and cans and place food waste and biodegradable packaging in compost containers. Read about more green changes for game days …

Maryland Wins International Robotics Competition
Domo arigato, Mr. Underwater Roboto! Last month, Maryland students won the 11th annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition held in San Diego. This is only the second year of participation in this event for the Robotics@Maryland team. Their robot, Tortuga II, competed against 25 others from across the U.S., India, Canada and Japan. Read more …

U.S. Middle East Policy is Focus of Sadat Forum
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Camp David Accords, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development will present the Sadat Forum on Sept. 18. Free and open to the public, the forum will include a panel discussion on American Policy in the Middle East and will feature Gen. Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor; Ambassador Dennis Ross, Special Middle East Coordinator and Distinguished Fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and William Quandt, Edward R. Stettinius chair, Department of Politics, University of Virginia. Shibley Telhami, Maryland's Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, will moderate. Read more …

Leave Your Legacy
Make your mark through the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center Legacy Brick Campaign. Take advantage of this opportunity to etch your name into Maryland history. Purchase a personalized brick or paver, and you will have a presence at—and a way to give back to—your alumni home on campus. With plans for the first installation over the 2009 academic year, the bricks and pavers will adorn the center's plaza level and Moxley gardens—great locations, as thousands of alumni enter the plaza on their way to football games. Learn more …

UM Launches Online Farmer's Market
Prefer to sleep in on the weekend rather than scour your local farmer's market for produce? Now, with a click of your mouse, Maryland residents can get an instantaneous listing of the fresh foods local farmers have to sell, the price and the location. The free online farmer's market was launched in July by the university's Environmental Finance Center with the hopes of encouraging Marylanders to buy more local food and support area farms. Learn more …

Under Armour Is Official Terps Outfitter
Alumnus Kevin Plank '97, Under Armour chairman and CEO, is keeping it all in the Maryland family. The Department of Athletics announced that Under Armour will become the exclusive official outfitter of Maryland Athletics. The agreement gives the Baltimore-based apparel and footwear company the right to provide uniforms, apparel and footwear to each of the Terps' 27 varsity sports. Plank founded Under Armour after playing college football as a special teams captain for the Maryland football team. Read more …

Clarice Smith Center Announces New Season
War and the environment might sound like hot-button issues, but the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's new season can take the heat. In 2008-2009, artists aim to open a dialogue on new ways of living in the world. In collaboration with the College of Arts and Humanities, the center will present performances around the theme "Art Responds to War" in the fall and spring semesters. In April, "Living in Our Landscape" will celebrate the natural world with various performances and an Earth Day event featuring experts from natural resources management and public policy as well as appearances by environmental groups and country music star Kathy Mattea. Preview the season …

War Is Subject of First Year Book
At a time when the United States is engaged in war, author Chris Hedges offers incoming students the opportunity to examine the meaning of war, how wars begin and the impact war has on our national psyche. Hedges, a former war correspondent who has covered conflicts in Central America and the Sudan, uses writings from the classical period to the present day in his reflections on war. His book, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, is Maryland's 2008-2009 First Year Book selection and is given to all first-year students. Read more about the First Year Book program …

Take a Terp to Work!
Share your "Terpness" with a Maryland student! The alumni association and the University's Career Center are reaching out to the Maryland family to Take a Terp to Work. The externship program is a one or two day job experience that provides students with the opportunity to observe and network with alumni and other professionals and to explore a career field within a working environment. Take a Terp to Work is scheduled for January 2009. To take a Terp to your office or for more information, contact Kourtney Kleine Temple at ktemple@ur.umd.edu or 301.405.8071/800.336.8627.

Rub Testudo's Nose Wherever You Go!
Ever wish you could give Testudo's nose a rub for good luck while away from campus? Now you can—when you wear the official University of Maryland Class Ring! Designed by students, alumni, faculty and staff the ring bears some of the university's most iconic symbols, including Testudo. Available only to College Park graduates and students who have 75 or more credit hours, the ring symbolizes your bond to the university and your fellow alumni. Learn more …