Hello UMBC Parents & Families,
Glad to have you as part of the Retriever family! My name is Matt Hoffman and I am the Assistant Director with Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion and Belonging (i3b). My role is focused on helping students and community members connect with religion and spirituality resources on campus as part of identity development and belonging during their time at UMBC. In addition to helping oversee the day-to-day operations of Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, located in the Center for Well-Being on campus, I work with our 18+ Religion and Belief Student Organizations. I help plan events that support student spiritual growth and connection and provide guidance to our UMBC Religious Council (clergy, volunteers, and professionals who can provide one-on-one pastoral care, help lead activities on campus, and help inspire students to imagine themselves as part of a multifaith world). I help convene the Gathering Space Student Advisory Board, a student-driven space to provide guidance and help our campus engage in interfaith work, aimed at lifting up energetic pluralism. Additionally, I get to partner with the other i3b identity-based centers as we help students find places for belonging at UMBC: The Pride Center and the Mosaic: The Center for Cultural Diversity.
College can be an important time for identity formation and exploration for your student, and religion and spirituality is no exception. Many of you might notice students asking new or different questions, learning about different religious traditions, or shifting priorities around religious practice… don’t fear! This is all part of their journey and UMBC has many partners to help them along the way. It is my hope that our work in the Gathering Space can be an important part of this journey of exploration.
If students are looking to connect with a particular religious tradition, invite them to check out the Religious & Belief Student Organizations on MyUMBC. For help connecting them to members of our Religious Council, follow this link. For students who are interested in exploring spirituality, we are offering two new programs this semester: 1) Mindfulness Mondays, each Monday, from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 m. in the Gathering Space. This program is a partnership between the Office of Health Promotion, i3b, and Campus Rec and will take a different approach to exploring mindfulness each week, from yoga, to mindfulness meditation, to engaging in the wisdom of various religious traditions. 2) Gathering with Gratitude, each Wednesday, from 12:00 p.m. -1:00 p.m. in the Gathering Space. This program offers all UMBC community members the opportunity to practice gratitude, lifting up this important idea in their lives, and to lean into the practice of gratitude journaling. Students are also encouraged to take academic coursework through the Religious Studies Minor or the Judaic Studies program.
Please feel free to drop by the Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, located in the Center for Well-Being for more information. Swing by my office (CWB 105) to talk about resources and/or how to find belonging on campus. Or send me a quick email (matt.hoffman@umbc.edu) or phone call (410-455-6795) to introduce yourself!
Go Retrievers,
-Matthew D. Hoffman, MDiv, STM
Assistant Director for Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b)
Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, CWB 105
