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Maryland Today

Fall 2023

football team runs through "Go Terps" banner

Parting Shot

September 14, 2023
Popular Football Uniform Returns Full-Time This Fall
two gymnasts pose on horse

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Can You Make Sense of This Horseplay?
food in test tubes

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Food Scientist Melds Chemistry, Culinary Passion at McCormick
Lynde Washington poses in front of his artwork

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Former Cornerback Tackles Subjects’ Essences on Canvas
Amie Ward portrait

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Alum Serves Up Resources to Improve Health, Equity of Hospitality Industry
members of the Sugar Hill Sisterhood

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
From College Park to the Caribbean, Sugar Hill Sisterhood Celebrates 50th Gathering
fans watch as Mighty Sound of Maryland marches by

Post-Grad

September 14, 2023
Meet the New Members; 3 Reasons to Return for UMD Homecoming
A white truck was driving down a country road

Features

September 14, 2023
In rural Maryland, a new “been-there-done- that” approach to the opioid crisis offers hope on four wheels.
Yellow taxi on the road

Features

September 14, 2023
Alum named NYC taxi commissioner navigates ridesharing’s rise, drivers’ economic woes—and plenty of midtown traffic.
two students sit on WMUC couch. Inset photos: students install radio tower; students review tally sheets

Features

September 14, 2023
How do you track 75 years of college radio at Maryland? Decades of deejays replay history, hijinks and the music that made WMUC.
fire burns down houses

Explorations

September 14, 2023
UMD Leads National Study on Long-Term Effects of Wildfires
Hal Daumé III behind projection of code

Explorations

September 14, 2023
Researcher Heading New $20M NSF-Backed Institute Says Systems Should Support Societal Good
Toucha11y rendering

Explorations

September 14, 2023
Palm-sized Robot Navigates Touchscreens for Visually Impaired Users
Jennifer Smallwood-Holmes talks to kids in classroom

Explorations

September 14, 2023
Ask an Expert: Advice for Real Life
holding hands

Explorations

September 14, 2023
We’ll Give Up a Lot to Share Experiences With Loved Ones, Study Shows
bus shelter with plant growing on top

Explorations

September 14, 2023
UMD-Grown, Plant-Packed Bus Shelters Debut Near Campus

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

Passings

Peggy S. Ratcheson M.A. ’68

Peggy S. Ratcheson M.A. ’68 died on May 6, 2023, at her Hamilton, Mont., home after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 80. She was born in St. Louis and attended Miami University in Ohio, the University of California Berkeley and Washington…

Passings

Alicia Dyanne Dacey ’01, M.S. ’04

Alicia Dyanne Dacey ’01, M.S. ’04 of Frederick, Md., died on May 24, 2023. She was 44. Dacey graduated from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md., and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy…

90s

Laura Woods Ellsworth ’93

Laura Woods Ellsworth ’93 was promoted to assistant vice president for curriculum, programs, and regulation at Prince George's Community College. Ellsworth previously served as associate dean for its Professional Studies and Community Education Division,…
Shana Cochrane Smith headshot

90s

Shana Cochrane Smith ’95

Shana Cochrane Smith ’95 was appointed senior executive vice president and chief legal officer of ScanSource, a leading hybrid distributor connecting devices to the cloud. Smith most recently served as vice president, general counsel and corporate…

00s

Nikkee Porcaro ’07

Nikkee Porcaro ’07, founder of the educational consulting firm No Anxiety Prep, wrote the new book "Appliquirktion: How to Make Your College Application Step Up, Stand Out, and Shine." Drawing upon her experience in college admissions counseling, she…

Passings

Thomas Edge Jacobs M.S. ’82

Thomas Edge Jacobs M.S. ’82 of West Lebanon, N.H., died on May 20, 2023, a day and time of his choice after living with metastatic colon cancer for five years. He was 76. Jacobs grew up in the Baltimore neighborhood of Govans and graduated at the top of…

10s

Jamie Rosen ’10

Jamie Rosen ’10 joined the New York City law firm Meister Seelig & Fein as a partner. Her practice includes mental health law, guardianship, and trusts and estates, particularly estate litigation.

Passings

James A. Dickerson ’70, Ph.D. ’75

James A. Dickerson ’70, Ph.D. ’75 died on Aug. 9, 2023, at Hutchinson (Kansas) Regional Medical Center. He was 77. Dickerson majored in history and psychology at UMD, then earned a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Iowa…