The Office of Institutional Advancement is saddened to share the news that Sheldon Caplis, former vice president for Institutional Advancement and UMBC emeritus staff member, passed away on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. A member of the President’s Council from 1993 to 2008, Sheldon was a treasured colleague and mentor who was instrumental in moving our alumni relations, fundraising, and marketing and communications to new levels of success. Sheldon believed deeply in education and was passionate about philanthropy. The team he built at UMBC met challenging goals and helped establish many initiatives that are part of the campus fabric today. He… Continue Reading Remembering Sheldon Caplis
Dear UMBC Community, Please join us in congratulating Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Janet Rutledge, who has informed us of her intention to retire, effective June 30. Janet retires after 15 years in the role and 25 years with the University System of Maryland (23 of those at UMBC). Under Janet’s leadership, the Graduate School has developed tremendously, and its enrollment has grown from 2,596 to 3,657. The Graduate School manages the full life cycle of a graduate student—from recruitment and admission through completion and graduation—and among Janet’s accomplishments was the creation of a graduate student development… Continue Reading Announcing Janet Rutledge’s Retirement
Dear UMBC Community,  I write to you today with the sad news that Antonio Moreira, UMBC’s long-serving vice provost for academic affairs, has died. Tony passed away May 21 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.  Tony has been a trusted colleague and an academic leader at UMBC for decades, having served in the provost’s office since 1995. He has been a valued colleague and partner to me personally, as well as to all in the provost’s office and across campus. His devotion to UMBC and to academic excellence, his integrity, and his deep caring for students, faculty,… Continue Reading The Passing of Antonio Moreira
Dear UMBC Community,  The end of the spring semester is upon us, and we are speeding toward Commencement! As our students complete final projects and exams, and as our graduating students prepare to head out beyond UMBC to begin their next chapters, I want to extend my congratulations for everything you have accomplished during this semester and year.  It has been a challenging set of circumstances in which to have achieved so much, and that makes me especially grateful—to you and to UMBC. So, with this end-of-semester message, I want most of all to express that gratitude directly.… Continue Reading In Gratitude
Charles “Chuck” Peake was hired as the university’s very first professor in economics and entrusted with a daunting task—building the economics department from the ground up. As a professor and mentor, Peake built a tight-knit but inclusive community of economics students and, half a century later, those social bonds still hold strong. Continue Reading Chuck Peake—Pioneer of UMBC’s economics program
Dear UMBC Community, Today, UMBC voluntarily entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that will bring meaningful improvements to the university’s work to prevent and respond to reports of sexual misconduct and sex discrimination under Title IX. This agreement concludes the DOJ investigation of UMBC’s Title IX compliance, the findings of which were announced on March 18. If you have not already viewed my letter and video message about the DOJ’s findings, which focused on the period 2015-2020, I encourage you to do so. The agreement we signed today commits UMBC to implement measures to enhance the… Continue Reading Department of Justice-UMBC Agreement
Dear UMBC Community, I write to you today to communicate about some significant changes at the leadership level of the university. I felt it was important to share this information with you, as well as our plans for navigating the changes, both in the short term and the long term. Director of Athletics Very soon, we will launch a national search for a new director of athletics, as Brian Barrio is no longer serving in the role. I have met with the Athletics Department staff—both administrative staff and coaches—and many student-athletes to discuss this transition and assure them of my… Continue Reading Leadership Transitions
Dear UMBC Community, As we welcome students and faculty back to classes and look ahead to the remainder of the semester, I hope that everyone found some time to rest and recharge over Spring Break. I know that for many in our community, last week brought difficult news, as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released the findings of its three-year Title IX investigation into the university. If you have not yet read the letter or watched the video I shared with the UMBC community when the DOJ made its findings public last Monday, I ask you to do so.… Continue Reading The Work Ahead
Dear UMBC Community, I am writing to you with some difficult but important news. Today, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) released the findings of its Title IX investigation into the university. The DOJ investigation spanned more than three years, beginning in November 2020, and focused on the period 2015-2020. The findings are deeply troubling. The DOJ found failures in the university’s response to allegations of sex discrimination during that period. We take full responsibility for what happened, and we commit ourselves not only to addressing the failures, but also to rebuilding our community’s trust. Title IX prohibits discrimination… Continue Reading Important News Concerning Title IX Compliance
Dear UMBC Community,  I write to share the news that Kathy Dettloff, vice president for administration and finance at UMBC, will be leaving her role, effective June 15. We are grateful to Kathy for her dedicated service to UMBC, which began in 2019 as associate vice president for financial services and continued when she assumed the role of vice president in January 2022.  As the financial management and planning lead for the university, Kathy has been responsible for the development of our budget, as well as for a wide portfolio of university operations, including facilities management, emergency management,… Continue Reading News about Administration and Finance
Dear UMBC Community, Welcome to the first day of the spring semester! As classes get under way, I wanted to share a brief video message with the campus community. I am excited and inspired to partner with you this semester on both near-term action and long-term strategic planning. Sincerely, President Valerie Sheares Ashby
“How do you ground the American experience in something you can get your hands around?” asks Orser. “I always thought it was helpful to bring things down to a certain scale. Maybe because that’s as much as I could try to get my mind around, but also it is because in some ways, that’s where we live our lives.” – W. Ed Orser, quoted in Locale Hero, UMBC Review, by Richard Byrne It is with great sadness that we share the news that W. Edward (Ed) Orser passed away on Monday, January 8, 2024. Ed was a beloved professor and researcher in… Continue Reading Remembering Ed Orser (1941 – 2024)
