All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Dear UMBC Community,

 

As we look ahead to the remainder of the semester, we know that the usual busyness of this season and the last few weeks of classes and final exams may feel especially challenging in the context of world events, most especially the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Many among our UMBC community continue to feel direct and indirect impacts of the conflict, as well as of the resulting rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia toward Israelis and Palestinians that we are seeing throughout society. 

 

Here on our campus, the month of December brings not only end-of-semester deadlines and exams, but also celebrations and special occasions, including many student-organized religious observations. 

 

All of this is on our minds. We are thinking carefully about how to continue to best support and attend to the well-being of all members of our community–students, faculty, and staff–and foster a healthy campus climate that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive. We have reached out with support and care for individuals who are being directly affected by events abroad and here at home. We are attending to safety and security needs and responding to any reports of harassment, discrimination, or threats. We also have met and are continuing to meet with relevant student organizations, as well as with members of UMBC’s Religious Council, to hear and understand their perspectives and work toward the ongoing co-creation of the inclusive community we strive to be. 

 

Some additional updates: 

As we continue to work closely with student organizations to ensure the safety of their events and activities, we have increased the level of security in the Commons broadly. If you have an immediate concern about safety on campus, please contact the UMBC Police Department at 410-455-5555.For students in particular, we will offer resources and events to help you manage stress through the end of the semester. Please watch for details in the coming days. Faculty and staff can continue to access such support through our Employee Assistance Program.We know that UMBC’s academic calendar is especially demanding in the fall semester. We are undertaking a review of the calendar for potential adjustments in future years. 

 

Heading into the final weeks of the semester, remember that it is our collective responsibility to help ensure that every member of our community feels safe, welcomed, and valued. Please continue to report any incidents of harassment or bias through the Office of Equity and Civil Rights’ online reporting form, or by emailing ecr@umbc.edu or calling 410-455-1717. We must show respect for differing viewpoints, beliefs, practices, and needs, and we ask you to continue to extend kindness, compassion, and flexibility to one another, knowing that individuals may be struggling. Grant yourself some grace, as well. These are challenging days. 

 

Finally, we share with you the attached message from University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, which he sent to system colleagues just before Thanksgiving. In it, he reminds us of the promise of higher education to help us bridge what divides us, and he expresses his hope that in time we will go beyond words denouncing hate to achieve “a shared commitment to using our work for light and peace.” We join Chancellor Perman in this hope, and we believe in the power of this extraordinary community to realize it. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Dear UMBC Community,

As the crisis in Israel and Gaza deepens, reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the rise, including on college campuses in the U.S. These incidents are deeply troubling, and we know that they add to the anxiety and concern that our own community members are feeling. 

College campuses have long been epicenters of activism, including protest against military action and government policy here and abroad. In recent years, campuses also have become targets in American culture wars, in part because of the very values we espouse as institutions of higher learning. Among those core values are the free exchange of ideas and information and a respect for diverse perspectives. These, along with academic freedom, are key to our mission to advance knowledge and understanding. 

We write to you today to reaffirm our commitment to these values and to provide practical guidance on what it means to live these values, especially in times of conflict. We know that recent events on campus and posts on social media have raised concerns. Individuals have reported feeling unsafe in response to language they have seen or heard, and some have expressed fear of speaking out for fear of reprisals of various kinds, including doxxing. We want to be clear: We are hearing these concerns from students, faculty, and staff who represent all sides of the issues. We hear calls simultaneously to curtail speech and calls to protect it. 

Ensuring freedom of expression, especially at a public institution, means protecting speech with which we may disagree or even find offensive or objectionable. The right to free speech comes with responsibility, as our collective belonging in this extraordinary UMBC community comes with the responsibility to respect and care for one another, even when–perhaps especially when–we disagree. Free speech does not extend to harassment or true threats. Learn more about speech that is protected under the First Amendment, as well as types of speech that are unprotected.  

We urge all recognized campus groups and members of our community to provide constructive outlets for dissenting views when addressing controversial or divisive issues. We encourage you to avail yourselves of information and resources for knowing how to express your voice effectively and in ways that are consistent with legal guidelines, university policies and practices, and our institutional values. Guidance on how to have challenging discourse productively, how to organize peaceful protest, how to distribute information on campus, and more can be found on the Using Your Voice page provided by the Center for Democracy and Civil Life. More resources are listed below for your reference. 

We ask that you continue to show kindness, grace, and flexibility to one another, knowing that students, faculty, and staff may be struggling. Let us work together, every day, to support UMBC as a community that embraces vibrant dialogue and mutual respect.

Sincerely,

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 now.

 

So, with a heavy heart but deep faith in this community’s caring, I want to extend my support to you all, share information about resources and spaces for reflection, and urge us all to show kindness, grace, and flexibility to one another, knowing that students, faculty, and staff may be struggling.

 

UMBC community members are already doing this in so many ways, providing support and space for caring for one another. The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being has offered hours for prayer, silence, and reflection. I attended and was so grateful for yesterday’s gathering, and I encourage students, faculty, and staff to attend to help support one another. Another such opportunity will be offered tomorrow from noon to 5 p.m. in The Commons Fireside Lounge.

 

If you are struggling or know someone who is, please also avail yourselves of the support resources at UMBC, including Retriever Integrated Health’s mental health services and resources for helping others, as well as our Employee Assistance Program. 

 

As we see increasing activism around the world and locally, I urge care and caution here, too. We value freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. We do not tolerate hate or harassment. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every member of our community feels safe, welcome, and valued. To that end, please report any incidents of hate or bias. You may do so through the Office of Equity and Civil Rights’ online reporting form, or by emailing ecr@umbc.edu or calling 410-455-1717. If you have an immediate concern about safety on campus, please contact the UMBC Police Department at 410-455-5555; the department’s safety escort service is another available resource. 

 

Our UMBC community is a treasure, and our educational mission matters for the world. Even amid such troubling times, my belief in you and our shared mission is stronger than ever. 

 

Sincerely,

 

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 week after the incident at Morgan State, please avail yourselves of the support resources at UMBC as needed, including Retriever Integrated Health’s mental health services and resources for helping others, as well as our Employee Assistance Program. Please also review our information and resources related to emergency management and make sure you are signed up to receive emergency alerts. 

 

Sincerely,

 

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 and statewide communities and the wider world. As this new division continues to evolve, we aim for it to provide comprehensive strategic leadership for the university in all areas of communications and marketing–to ensure that the world knows UMBC and the difference it makes in the lives of individuals, in the creation of knowledge, and in the advancement of an informed, equitable global community. The vice president will report to me and serve as a member of UMBC’s senior leadership team. 

I am delighted that UMBC will partner in this search with Isaacson, Miller. My thanks to the following individuals who have agreed to serve on the search committee for this role: 

 

Vice President for Communications and Marketing Search Committee:

 

Chair: Kacey Hammel, Chief of Staff to the PresidentDale Bittinger, M.P.P. ’16, Assistant Vice Provost, Strategic Undergraduate Engagement, Partnerships, and PathwaysHelena Dahlen, Executive Administrative Assistant, Division of Information Technology, and Vice President of Nonexempt Staff SenateCandace Dodson-Reed ’96, Vice President, Government Relations and Community AffairsEleanor Lewis, Communications Manager, Division of Student AffairsCael Mulcahy, Director of Operations, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and Vice President of Professional Staff SenateStanyell Odom, Director of Alumni Engagement, Office of Institutional AdvancementChristopher Steele, Vice Provost, Division of Professional Studies 

We will develop a position profile and begin recruiting very soon. We anticipate moving expeditiously to fill the role. Angela Paik (formerly Angela Paik Schaeffer) continues to serve in the role on an interim basis, helping to advise me and support the work of our communications and marketing team. 

 

Regarding the search for a permanent provost: As you will recall, we are extending that search in partnership with Isaacson, Miller. The search committee, whose members are listed here, continues to serve, chaired now by Linda Dusman, professor of music. Anupam Joshi stepped down as committee chair when he took on his new role as acting dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology. I would like to thank Anupam for his leadership and service on the search committee.

We expect to have a permanent provost by next summer. Interim Provost David Dauwalder will serve at UMBC through this academic year. My thanks to our interim leaders, Angela and David, and to all who will take part in these important search processes. 

Sincerely,

 

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 Retriever Integrated Health’s mental health services and resources for helping others. The UMBC Employee Assistance Program provides counseling services to staff and faculty. Please do not hesitate to reach out for help. 

 

This also is a moment to review our information and resources related to emergency management and make sure you are signed up to receive emergency alerts. 

 

Please take care of yourselves and hold the Morgan State community in your hearts today.

 

Sincerely,

 

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 the challenge of setting a course to realize that vision. Over the coming year, it will be our collective endeavor to articulate a set of strategic aims for the university. We launch that effort officially today, and you will hear more in the coming days and weeks about the process by which we will invite your broad engagement–first in helping to determine how we will go about the work of strategic planning, and then in developing the plan and its aims. I have met this month with shared governance leaders and asked for their partnership in this effort. 

 

Our strategic planning will be informed by the UMBC Bold Campus Conversations we convened last spring–listening sessions facilitated by students, faculty, staff, and alumni and attended by more than 1,000 members of our community. I am pleased to share with you the final report from those listening sessions prepared by our Bold co-chairs, Professors Vandana Janeja and Michelle Scott, and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Greg Simmons. It is a terrific summary of the sessions, which explored our aspirations for the undergraduate and graduate student experience, the research enterprise, economic development, community engagement, and more. I am deeply grateful to our co-chairs and to all who facilitated or participated in those sessions. 

 

If you did not participate, do not worry: You will have many opportunities to engage in strategic planning. The Bold conversations were critical for our collective listening and learning, but they were just a beginning. As we move forward with strategic planning, we will look to continue to engage every part of UMBC and to hear diverse perspectives and voices from throughout our community. 

 

Why bother with strategic planning, you may ask? The process of developing strategic priorities can unite a community, and a strategic plan that is grounded in our specific purpose and values can serve as a consistent reminder of who we are and what truly matters. It can engage all our audiences–our stakeholders, our neighbors, and our prospective students, families, and employees–in understanding and joining us in service of our purpose. 

 

And articulating our purpose is both important and urgent in today’s world, when the value of higher education is questioned daily; when the public mission of our institutions can easily be forgotten; when diversity, equity, and inclusion are positioned aggressively as barriers to excellence, rather than integral to it; and when a liberal arts approach to education is essential to solving the complex challenges of today and tomorrow. We have not only the opportunity, but also the responsibility to continue the pursuit of our vision to redefine excellence in higher education, and, as we do so, we will communicate to our community and to the world the extraordinary, distinctive value of our beloved UMBC.

 

Sincerely,

 

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 our students, our state, and the wider world through the transformative education we provide and the knowledge we create. I am grateful every single day for this extraordinary community, and I thank all of you who took the time to participate in this year’s Great Colleges to Work For survey.

The program, run by ModernThink, recognizes colleges that create great workplaces and is based on employee ratings and participation rates in ModernThink’s faculty/staff survey. Nearly 200 institutions participated in this year’s program, and UMBC received recognition in all 10 categories, including job satisfaction; professional development; compensation and benefits; well-being; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and more.

You can see all the details about UMBC’s recognition on the Great Colleges to Work For website. Thank you for all you do for UMBC, and congratulations on this high honor!

Sincerely,