We Intend To:

• Celebrate the talent of arts faculty, staff and students at UMBC by enhancing the ways we engage our surrounding communities. 
• Fortify our reputation in the region and beyond as a comprehensive research university, in which the arts are integral for the entire campus.
• Develop engaged regional audiences of all ages who visit UMBC as active participants in the arts.
• Establish a foundation for ongoing and thriving interdisciplinary connections between academic departments and centers.

A key component of the initiative will be a coordinated effort to bring K-12 students, and lifelong learners, to our campus to engage with the arts as a gateway to higher education.

The development of the Arts+ initiative has involved dozens of faculty, staff, and students during the 2024–25 academic year. A leadership group has included:

• Linda Dusman, Special Assistant to the Dean for Arts for Education and Arts Partnerships, and Professor of Music
• Thomas Moore, Director of Arts and Culture
• Jenny O’Grady, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Content
• Kim Robinson, Director of Major Gifts
• Manfred van Dulmen, Provost

Members of the university community who have provided time and expertise to the Arts+ initiative include:

• Bryan Barnes, Director of Digital Strategy
• Sarah Beyers, Alumni Engagement Coordinator, Institutional Advancement
• Becky Bosstick, Director, Special Events, Institutional Advancement
• Stanyell Gevena Bruce, Director of Alumni Engagement, Institutional Advancement
• Lynn Cazabon*†, Director, Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts
• Lisa Cella*, Chair, Department of Music
• Ann Sofie Clemmensen†, Director, Linehan Artist Scholars Program
• Tori Ciorra, Assistant Director, Student Organizations, Student Affairs
• Erica Knab Davis, Executive Administrative Assistant II, Institutional Advancement
• Jen Dress†, Acting Assistant Vice President for Engagement and Belonging, Student Affairs
• Jennifer Ewing, Assistant Director, Leadership and Governance, Student Affairs
• Carl Fowlkes, Director of Annual Giving, Institutional Advancement
• Lesa Goodhue, Acting Associate Director, Student Engagement, Student Affairs
• Emma Hagan, Assistant Director, Student Affairs Comms & Marketing
• Emily Hauver*, Curator of Exhibitions, Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
• Carol Hess*, Chair, Department of Dance
• Courtney Hobson, Program Manager, Dresher Center for the Humanities
• Sara DeAnn Lerma Jones, Director, Donor Relations, Institutional Advancement
• Renique Kersh†, Vice President, Student Affairs
• Jim Lord ’99, visual and performing arts, Assistant Vice President, Brand & Creative Strategy
• Philip Mann†, Assistant Professor, Music
• Cael Mulcahy†, Director of Operations, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• Eve Muson*, Chair, Department of Theatre
• Corrie Parks*†, Associate Professor, Visual Arts
• Cheryll Bankert Ratzsch, Development Officer, Institutional Advancement
• Susan Ren, Web Manager & UX Specialist 
• Mary Ann Richmond† ’93, Director, Community Affairs
• Gary Rozanc*, Chair, Department of Visual Arts
• Beth Saunders*, Curator and Head of Special Collections and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
• Katharine Scrivener, Assistant Director, Institutional Advancement
• Nigel Semaj†, Assistant Professor, Theatre
• Rebecca Uchill†, Director, Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture
• Yaakov (Jake) Weissman ’06, Vice President for Government Relations and Community Affairs
• Fan Yang†, Professor, Media & Communication Studies
• Brigid Zuknick ’09, dance

* Arts chairs and directors, UMBC arts programmers

† Arts+ program working group, chaired by Ann Sofie Clemmensen and Rebecca Uchill