All posts by: UMBC News Staff


Students walk between brick academic buildings. Trees with leaves line walkway.

UMBC welcomes Manfred H. M. van Dulmen as new provost and senior vice president

UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby has announced that Manfred H. M. van Dulmen will join the university in July as provost and senior vice president. He will succeed interim provost David Dauwalder.  “From the first time I met him, Manfred’s commitment to students, his care for people with whom he worked, his humility, and his drive for mission-driven excellence were clear, as was his desire to be at UMBC,” says President Sheares Ashby. “I could not be more thrilled about this appointment.” Van Dulmen says UMBC’s values of inclusive excellence and history of innovation attracted him to the role, and he… Continue Reading UMBC welcomes Manfred H. M. van Dulmen as new provost and senior vice president

Caring for Our Community

Dear UMBC Community,   We cannot know how long the war between Israel and Hamas will last, but we know that with each passing day, our own community feels deeply the pain and anguish of what is happening and sympathy and compassion for the people of that region and all that they have lost and will yet lose. And we know that many within our community are increasingly concerned about antisemitism and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred everywhere, including here at home. That concern, most especially the need to ensure the safety of our community, is why I write to you… Continue Reading Caring for Our Community

Care and Support for a Fellow USM Institution

Dear UMBC Community,   For the second time in less than a week, a local university community has seen its celebrations marred by gun violence. This time the incident occurred at Bowie State University, one of our fellow University System of Maryland institutions. While the two people injured in the shooting Saturday are not Bowie State students, the campus community is nevertheless feeling the impact of this incident. I have extended a message of care to Bowie State President Aminta H. Breaux, and I know that the entire Bowie State family is in our thoughts.    As we advised last… Continue Reading Care and Support for a Fellow USM Institution

Leadership Searches Update

Dear UMBC Community,    I write to share updates on two searches for key university leadership roles: vice president for communications and marketing and provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.  First, I am pleased to announce that we are beginning the search for the vice president for communications and marketing. University Communications and Marketing, formerly part of the Office of Institutional Advancement, comprises a team of talented individuals dedicated to advancing our mission by telling the UMBC story and engaging diverse audiences and stakeholders here on campus, among our alumni, families, and friends, and externally in our local… Continue Reading Leadership Searches Update

Expressing Support for the Morgan State University Community

Dear UMBC Community,   Our care and support go out to the Morgan State University community after last night’s shooting on campus that left five people injured. Through colleagues, friends, family members, and neighbors, we are closely connected to Morgan State, and I know our colleagues throughout Baltimore and across Maryland are likewise extending their support to Morgan State President David Wilson and everyone in the Morgan State family.   For any members of our community who may need support, I encourage you to please find help through the counseling resources and other forms of support available to you, including… Continue Reading Expressing Support for the Morgan State University Community

Strategic Planning: A Beginning

Dear UMBC Community,   As I said at my inauguration in the spring, there is much to celebrate in reflecting on UMBC’s journey and the institution it has become since its founding in 1966. Over the decades, UMBC has become a national model for inclusive excellence, a comprehensive Research 1 public university, and a welcoming learning community that engages actively in advancing our surrounding neighborhoods, the state of Maryland, and the wider world. We are inspired and propelled by our shared values and a shared vision for UMBC.    We have the vision. The time is now to take up… Continue Reading Strategic Planning: A Beginning

From the President: Nominations for Staff Awards

Dear Colleagues,  UMBC is fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated staff working to support our mission and our students every day. The annual staff awards provide the opportunity to recognize and honor the exceptional contributions of our staff.    I encourage you to reflect on the work happening within your units and across the campus, and take a moment to nominate a staff colleague for one of the following prestigious awards: UMBC Presidential Distinguished Staff Awards University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ Staff Awards Jakubik Family Endowment Staff Award for Exempt or Non-Exempt Staff Karen L. Wensch… Continue Reading From the President: Nominations for Staff Awards

UMBC Again Named a “Great College to Work For”

Dear UMBC Community, It is my great privilege to share the news that UMBC has again–for the 14th consecutive year–been recognized in the Great Colleges to Work For program, and that we were among just 11 institutions nationwide (and one of only two universities with the Research 1 Carnegie Classification) to excel in all 10 recognition categories. Of course, it comes as no surprise to me that UMBC would be recognized nationally time and again for its workplace community and culture. We are fortunate, indeed, to come to work each day propelled by the worthy and noble mission to serve… Continue Reading UMBC Again Named a “Great College to Work For”

Happy First Day of Classes!

Dear UMBC Community, We have arrived: It is the first day of classes! Whether you are a long-serving faculty or staff member, a returning student, or one of the many members of our community for whom today is the beginning of your first academic year at UMBC, welcome to the start of the fall semester.  The first day of school has been a favorite day of mine since I was a young child, and the excitement never diminishes for me. Today, I am inspired to see our new students beginning their journeys, and I am filled with joy to see our… Continue Reading Happy First Day of Classes!

Announcing an Interim Provost for UMBC

Dear UMBC Community,    I am pleased to announce that David Dauwalder has accepted my invitation to serve as interim provost at UMBC beginning August 15. David was selected from a highly qualified pool of interim candidates from The Registry, a firm specializing in placing interim higher education leaders.    As I shared earlier this summer, the national search for our next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs is ongoing. Retaining an interim provost will allow us to continue to advance our strategic interests — including moving forward with strategic planning — as we recruit and select the… Continue Reading Announcing an Interim Provost for UMBC

UMBC’s Next Vice President for Student Affairs

Dear UMBC Community, It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Renique T. Kersh as the next vice president for Student Affairs at UMBC. Renique will join us from Simmons University in Boston, where she currently serves as vice president for student engagement, success, and diversity and a professor of practice in public health. Renique will bring to UMBC deep and broad expertise in student affairs and student development, as well as exceptional leadership capacities and a richness of experience in higher education that spans student engagement and academic affairs. This will be a homecoming for Renique, who… Continue Reading UMBC’s Next Vice President for Student Affairs

Today’s Ruling on Race-Conscious Admissions

Dear UMBC Community, While not surprising, today’s long-anticipated ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions is deeply troubling. Throughout higher education, diversity is widely understood to be of critical importance to the education we deliver. At UMBC, we have long championed and served as a national model of inclusive excellence. We know that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not merely moral imperatives; they are imperative to the excellence of our teaching and research, and they are foundational values for our university. In striking down race-conscious admissions as a violation of… Continue Reading Today’s Ruling on Race-Conscious Admissions

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