All posts by: UMBC News Staff

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 strength, accountability, and independence of the university’s Title IX office; provide specific support for student-athletes and the Athletics Department staff who serve them; expand training for students and employees to improve UMBC’s prevention and response to sex discrimination; and provide financial relief to certain current and former members of the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving team, as determined by the DOJ. The agreement requires regular reporting by UMBC to the DOJ and will remain in effect through the 2028-2029 academic year. You can read the full agreement here.

Many of the agreement’s provisions are already under way. In the agreement, the DOJ acknowledges the significant steps the university has taken recently to help prevent and strengthen our response to sex discrimination and sexual misconduct. Those efforts have enhanced our Title IX reporting structures and procedures, expanded training and prevention initiatives, and provided additional support and resources to students and employees. The work is ongoing, and it has included the following improvements since my tenure began in 2022:

Created the role of and hired a Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer to oversee the work of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, which is well on its way to being staffed with five full-time, permanent positions, including a Director and Title IX Coordinator, Training and Prevention Manager, Case Manager, and two investigatorsRestructured the Office of Equity and Civil Rights to provide greater access and privacy for students and employeesAppointed an external specialist to provide interim Title IX expertiseUpdated the Title IX website and developed targeted educational resourcesUndertook the process of strengthening the university’s Title IX and anti-discrimination policies and proceduresLaunched an annual mandatory online Title IX training module for all studentsImplemented mandatory reporter training for employeesExpanded Title IX training for all athletics staff, coaches, and student-athletes

Those efforts, combined with the additional measures to which we have committed in the agreement, will help us better serve our students and all members of the UMBC community. You can access our resources here. If you need immediate help, please contact the Retriever Support Line at 410-455-3167 or retrieversupport@umbc.edu.

As I have shared with many of you in recent days, the DOJ investigation has caused us to reckon with the past. We cannot take away the suffering and trauma that many of our students endured in those years, nor can we undo the actions or inactions of the past.

We can control how we respond to that painful past and how we ensure that this never happens again. Our resolve and resilience are our strengths, and my confidence in the UMBC community has never been greater. Today’s agreement with the DOJ is an important step forward toward healing and accountability. Our commitment and our work to ensure a safe and vibrant environment where all students may thrive will continue well beyond today.

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

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 continued support. As a search gets under way, I have asked two members of the administrative team to take on temporary co-leadership of the department. Whitney Ames, associate athletic director for compliance, and Rich Franchak, senior associate athletic director for business and finance, will be serving in this capacity. Thank you, Whitney and Rich, for your dedication and leadership.

Vice President for Government Relations and Community Affairs

Candace Dodson-Reed has resigned from her role leading government relations and community affairs. Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann ’06, who has been serving as associate vice president for government and community affairs, is stepping in to lead the office. A veteran of Maryland state politics, Jake served as chief of staff for two state senate presidents and as assistant chief administrative officer for Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich before joining UMBC last year. He has already proven to be an outstanding and expert colleague and advisor, and I am grateful for his service to UMBC. 

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Greg Simmons is departing from his role leading advancement for UMBC. We will move quickly to conduct a national search, and we will update you on that process soon. In the near term, we are grateful to Stanyell Odom, director of alumni engagement, and Kim Robinson, director of major gifts, who have agreed to provide temporary management and leadership of the division and its operations. We know this is a busy time of year for our advancement colleagues, so we felt it was critical to designate key leaders who could serve as point people for their colleagues in the division and who would have a direct line of communication to me and others in senior leadership. Thank you, Stanyell and Kim, for serving in these roles. 

Office of the General Counsel  

Our search for a general counsel, following last year’s retirement of David Gleason, is under way, and I expect to name a new chief legal advisor for the university in the near future. Bobbie Hoye, who had been serving as the point of contact for the Office of the General Counsel, has left her role as senior associate general counsel.

These transitions are significant, and they follow other changes in our senior leadership personnel and structure since I arrived at UMBC in August 2022. I understand some may worry that such transitions will be destabilizing for UMBC, and I know the impact of these transitions is in many cases felt personally, not just operationally or institutionally. I assure you that we will work to move UMBC as swiftly as possible through this period while attending thoughtfully to stability, continuity, and care for the community. 

Universities, many of them centuries old, have a remarkable capacity to endure and evolve through all manner of demands, challenges, and opportunities. UMBC may be younger than many of its peers, but it is no less remarkable in its ability to grow, adapt, renew, and rise to any challenge. In the weeks and months ahead, we will celebrate our graduates who make us so proud, and we will welcome the newest members of Retriever Nation from around the state and around the world. They have placed their trust, and their futures, in UMBC because they recognize that we are a dynamic public research university that is dedicated to inclusive excellence in everything we do. I have every confidence we are worthy of their trust and will exceed their ambitious expectations.

The mission and values of this institution are strong and sure. I believe in UMBC and in all of you, and I am as dedicated as ever to the work of creating UMBC’s future. 

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

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 based on sex in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding. The DOJ determined that in the years 2015-2020, the university failed to comply with Title IX by not properly responding to allegations that the former head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams engaged in sexual misconduct and discrimination against student-athletes. I know it will be difficult to read the full findings of the investigation, but it is important to do so if you are able, because understanding and acknowledging the findings will allow our community to begin the work of moving forward. The DOJ’s complete findings are available here. 

To the students who were harmed: I am profoundly sorry. I am grateful for the courage and strength of those who spoke up and took action, and I am committed to ensuring that such failures never happen again. UMBC let you down, and we let our community down. We did not live up to our values, and that is inexcusable. 

Let me say also that we did not want to share this information during spring break, while so much of our community is not with us here on campus. The timing of this news is regrettable, because we know that our ability to provide care and support is hampered when we are apart, and that it will be difficult for some to receive this information while separated from their UMBC networks and support systems. The DOJ chose to release the information this week, in accordance with its practice of releasing findings as soon as possible upon finalizing them. 

Throughout this investigation, UMBC fully cooperated with the DOJ. We provided documents, made witnesses available for interviews, and responded to every request for information and access. An agreement with the DOJ will be signed and shared publicly in the coming days. It will specify critical changes in the way the university responds to reports of sexual misconduct and discrimination.

But please know that we are not waiting for the agreement to be signed to act. Soon after I arrived at UMBC in August 2022, I created the role of Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer to oversee  the work of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Tanyka M. Barber was hired into this role, and she has initiated mandatory Title IX training for all students, as well as training for faculty and staff; conducted a thorough review of the university’s Title IX policies and procedures; and reached out to students and staff to provide them with the resources that they need. She is working quickly yet thoughtfully to build an experienced and expert team and transform our Title IX processes to make them more comprehensive and accessible to ensure that the university responds appropriately to complaints. 

We have also reset the Athletic Department’s structure, governance, and reporting mechanisms, starting with making the athletic director a direct report to me. Together, these actions represent an important and necessary set of first steps; there is much more work to do.  

The failures between 2015 and 2020 identified by the DOJ were the collective responsibility of many individuals. Those who were identified as failing to comply with their Title IX obligations—whether through action or inaction—will be held accountable. 

This is a painful moment for UMBC, but I am inspired by all of you and privileged to be in service to this beloved community. Every day, I am awed by students, faculty, and staff who show up every day to work together, learn, and support one another to do more and to achieve great things. You have remained true to our mission, and you live our core values of inclusive excellence, collaboration, innovation, and impact. I am grateful to each one of you for continuing to make UMBC exceptional. We are all better for it. 

Now, it is our turn to show up for you.

Going forward, we will – and we MUST – hold ourselves to the highest standards of care, safety, integrity, and compliance. I encourage anyone who experiences discrimination or sexual misconduct of any kind to report it online to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, or by emailing ecr@umbc.edu or calling 410-455-1717. All reports will be investigated confidentially, impartially, and thoroughly, and we will take appropriate action according to our own university policies and the law. Discrimination or abuse of any kind will not be tolerated. 

In the coming days, we will continue to have conversations about these issues and provide our community with the support and resources you need. To anyone in need of support during this difficult time—whether students, staff, or faculty—please reach out for help. A variety of resources are available both in person and remotely.

More information on our Title IX policies and procedures can be found on the Office of Equity and Civil Rights website.

Nothing matters more than the safety and well-being of our students. I hope the measures that we are taking demonstrate our commitment to make sure that we never again waver from that highest priority. We will create and sustain a culture of accountability and care so that all members of the UMBC community feel safe. You have my word. 

Sincerely, 

President Valerie Sheares Ashby