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Counseling and Mental Health Students with Disabilities UMD Graduate School Writing Center Dissertation Success Support Program
International Student & Scholar Services Office IT Services Vice President for Education Office Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts Voting and Voter Registration
Graduate Student & Early Career Resources UMCES Principles of Conduct
Counseling and Mental Health Resources
In an emergency, dial 9-1-1 or visit your nearest emergency room.
Local Resources
Health insurance plans now must cover mental health services. Accordingly, even if you do not have a University of Maryland benefits plan, your insurance may cover mental health counseling and/or psychiatry from providers of your choice. You can contact local mental health providers (counselor or psychiatrist) to verify insurance coverage, or check your provider directory on your insurance website to see if a provider is listed. UMCES has developed a living document of mental health resources available to students, staff, and faculty. The document highlights state level resources as well as local resources for each of the lab units (AL, CBL, HPL, IMET, IAN, and MD Sea Grant).
College Park Resources
Students registered in the MEES program (or any other University of Maryland College Park affiliated program) have access to the Mental Health Services provided by the University of Maryland, College Park.
Website: http://www.health.umd.edu/mentalhealth/services In addition to the Mental Health Service, UMD offers counseling services, including available walk-in hours. Website: http://www.counseling.umd.edu/
Guidance Resources Online – Employee Assistance Program
All students, whether employed as graduate assistants or not, whether you have elected for health insurance coverage through the state or not, are covered under the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This program provides a number of resources including online or over-the-phone counseling and consultation services, articles, videos, forums, and other resources to assist UMCES students in addressing life issues.
UMCES HR Website with Additional Information: https://www.umces.edu/human-resources
Students with Disabilities
UMCES is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace accessible to all students, regardless of physical or mental disabilities, and will ensure there are no barriers that interfere with ability of students to perform their job duties and excel in their studies.
UMD Resources
Accessibility and Disability Services
For more information on what services are provided at UMD, please see this website.
Terpware – Morphic Installation
UMCES students have access to downloading Mophic, an open-sourced tool that makes it easier to change screen scale, use the magnifier or snip tool, have text read out loud, and change contrast or color filters (for color blindness). See the Terpware site for more information.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
UMCES students in the MEES Program have access to a variety of deaf and hard of hearing services, including captioning accommodations, assistive listening devices, and a variety of other resources. Please see this website for more information, including the procedures for requesting accommodations, including accommodations over Zoom.
UMD Graduate School Writing Center
UMCES students enrolled in the MEES Program have access to the UMD Graduate School Writing Center. The Center provides opportunities for conversations about writing and oral communication across the graduate community. They offer support for graduate students at every stage of their development as academic and professional communicators who can, in turn, fulfill the university’s mission of sharing research, educational, cultural, and technological strengths with the broader community. The writing center offers the following services: writing and oral communication consultations, workshops, writing groups, and English editing for international graduate students.
Dissertation Success Support Program
UMCES students enrolled in the MEES Program have access to the Dissertation Success Support Program for students at the writing stage of their dissertation. Each semester, the Graduate School Writing Center offers a Dissertation Success Support Program, a semester-long coaching and accountability program for students at the dissertation stage. The program includes weekly accountability meetings, scheduled "write-together" times, and resources from the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. You have to register to become part of the program. For more information and how to register, see this website.
International Student & Scholar Services Office at UMD
The UMD International Student and Scholar Services Office is available to assist international students with transitioning to the U.S., advising on immigration requirements, and making the most of their academic experience. Students may set up both virtual and in-person visits for a variety of topics. The ISSS Office has put together a list of frequently asked questions that may be pertinent to UMCES international students.
IT Services
UMCES students in the MEES Program have access to a variety of available software and IT services. Each laboratory has its own IT department which are available to assist with computer setup and answer any IT-related questions. Students also have access to TERPware at UMD. Here you can find software related to analysis and modeling, design and production, operating systems, security, accessibility, as well as a variety of other topics.
Vice President for Education Office
Dr. Larry Sanford and the Horn Point Laboratory and Ms. Amy Griffin at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory are available via Zoom, phone, or in person to discuss any student matters related to academics, student services, and student-advisor issues. Please reach out to education@umces.edu with any questions or comments.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Ms. Angela Richmond and Dr. Larry Sanford co-chair the UMCES Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collaborative. The Collaborative provides a forum for a community of practice and will partner with the Faculty Senate as well as the Executive, Administrative, Staff, and Graduate Student Councils to effect institutional changes promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Establishing the Collaborative with an appropriate structure highlights our institutional values and communicates our commitment to our partners and funders. President Goodwin's Charge to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collaborative outlines his vision and commitment to DEI initiatives at UMCES.
Voting and Voter Registration
In order to register to vote in local, state, and national political elections, you must be a U.S. Citizen, a Maryland resident (for local and Maryland elections), and be at least 16 years of age.
For more information and to register to vote, see this website.
UMCES has a Staff Voting Coordinator, Amy Griffin, as well a Student Civic Leader, Andrea Pfaff. A 2022 Student Voter Engagement Plan is in place for UMCES and its students.
Graduate Student and Early Career Resources
- The Oceanography Society - Student Resources: The Oceanography Society has a variety of resources geared toward graduate students and early career scientists. These include webinars, employment links, fellowships, shiptime and other fieldwork opportunities, and articles of interest.
- Science Careers Individual Development Plan: A useful website and tool to assist PhD students in defining and pursuing their individual career goals. This website has a web-based planning toll to meet the needs of PhD students in the sciences.
- Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention: A community-based program that provides late graduate school physical oceanographers mentoring in their early careers. The aim is to reduce the barriers to career development for all junior scientists in the field, with a particular focus on improving the retention of junior women.
- Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography - Early Career Resources: ASLO has a variety of resources, including jobs, webinars, balancing your family and research, and networking opportunities for early career aquatic scientists.
UMCES Principles of Conduct
The UMCES Principles of Conduct (POC) was formally approved by all levels of UMCES shared governance in late 2021. Representative of UMCES' institutional values of diversity, civility, and respect, the POC outlines the conduct expected at all times by all members of the UMCES community.