All posts by: UMBC News Staff

UMBC physicist wins Amazon award to build AI-orchestrated scientific assistant

Fabio Anza, an assistant professor in UMBC’s Department of Physics, Quantum Science Institute and Cybersecurity Institute, has won an Amazon Research Award to develop Physics Co-Pilot—a scientific AI assistant that combines large language model (LLM) orchestration with reliable computational algorithms to address critical bottlenecks in modern physics research.

The problem isn’t just coding. Theoretical physics, like many other areas of scientific research, is currently facing two major challenges: knowledge fragmentation and hyperspecialized computational tools. The open-access, online scientific paper repository ArXiv alone publishes over 25,000 new papers monthly across computer science, math, and physics. Meanwhile, using sophisticated computational methods requires mastering ultra-niche software ecosystems—work that diverts researchers from scientific discovery.

“Researchers spend increasingly large amounts of time wrestling with software issues rather than exploring scientific questions,” Anza explains. “Valuable human capital gets diverted from discovery to dealing with technical problems that could be avoided with better infrastructure.”

A hybrid approach to scientific computing

Physics Co-Pilot takes a fundamentally different approach from pure AI code generation systems. Rather than having language models write code—which, at scale, produces unreliable results—the system uses LLMs only for natural language understanding, while delegating all computational work to pre-written, validated algorithms.

Researchers spend increasingly large amounts of time wrestling with software issues rather than exploring scientific questions. Valuable human capital gets diverted from discovery to dealing with technical problems that could be avoided with better infrastructure. — Fabio Anza, assistant physics professor

“The LLM acts as an orchestrator, not a programmer,” Anza says. “It translates natural language into structured commands that call expertly implemented computational routines. This maintains computational rigor while making advanced techniques accessible through conversation.”

The tool features specialized software routines for literature analysis and physics simulations. For the initial release, the system will focus on modeling a a narrow set of physical systems, serving as proof-of-concept for future community-driven expansions.

From concept to open-source release

Anza has recruited computer science senior Samuel Truong to help develop the system over the next year, with plans to expand the team as the project progresses. 

The project follows a short timeline: an initial prototype with literature analysis capabilities will be released in the first six months, enabling researchers to conduct natural language-driven searches and synthesis of ArXiv papers. The complete system, including simulation and visualization capabilities for dynamical systems, will be released (under the MIT open-source license) by the end of 2026.

“Physics Co-Pilot represents a new paradigm in scientific assistants,” Anza notes. “By combining conversational accessibility with computational reliability, we aim to give researchers access to advanced computational techniques without the need to know any programming languages.”

The system aims to enable physicists to discover and synthesize knowledge across disciplines, eliminate programming barriers to sophisticated analysis methods, and accelerate research cycles through rapid hypothesis testing—all without researchers writing a single line of code themselves.

Recent Updates to Immigration and Visa Policies ↗

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you regarding four recent changes to federal immigration and visa policies. Each of these changes is summarized in bold, with details underneath, followed by campus guidance.

Please remember that each individual’s circumstances are different, and this communication is provided for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. If you have specific questions and hold F, H, or J immigration status, please contact the Center for Global Engagement. If you have specific questions and hold another immigration status, please consult with a private immigration attorney.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expands adjudicative hold and intensifies review of applications for certain immigration benefits

On January 1, 2026, USCIS issued an updated policy memorandum, expanding on its December 2, 2025, memorandum, directing USCIS personnel to perform the following actions:

  1. Place a hold on all pending benefit applications for aliens listed in Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10998, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States, pending a comprehensive review, regardless of entry date; 

  2. Conduct a comprehensive review of all policies, procedures, and screening and vetting processes for benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in PP 10998; and 

  3. Conduct a comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests implicated in PP 10998 that were approved on or after January 20, 2021.

Based on the above actions, students and employees who utilized Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents or listed a PP 10998 named country as their country of birth or citizenship on certain immigration benefit applications will be subject to a re-review of benefits eligibility and admissibility, including a potential interview or re-interview. The January memorandum expands, but does not replace, the policy outlined in the December memo. The expanded policy specifically:

  1. Extends adjudicative holds to the additional countries designated under PP 10998.

  2. Clarifies that the hold applies to individuals based on country of birth, nationality, certain citizenship-by-investment scenarios, and Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents.

  3. Communicates that “USCIS will place an adjudicative hold on all pending benefit requests submitted by or for aliens from the high-risk countries identified in PP 10998, allowing for a thorough case-by-case review. This hold will remain in effect until lifted or modified by the USCIS Director through a subsequent memorandum or memorandum attachment. Any requests to lift the hold due to litigation or other extraordinary circumstances must receive approval from the USCIS Director or Deputy Director.”

  4. Establishes very limited exceptions to the adjudicative hold for certain benefit types (e.g., some I-765 categories, I-90, N-600), subject to strict coordination requirements.

  5. Explicitly states that it does not supersede the December 2 memorandum, except where it creates enumerated exceptions.

Exceptions to the adjudication hold include:

  1. Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card);

  2. Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document;

  3. Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship (“Except Yemen and Somalia”);

  4. Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization filed under the (c)(8) [pending asylum], limited (c)(11) (parolees), and limited (c)(14) (deferred action) categories;

  5. Form I-910, Application for Civil Surgeon Designation (only for physicians that are citizens or nationals of the United States);

  6. Benefit requests filed by any alien who is an athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives for the purpose of participating in the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State;

  7. Benefit requests that are a priority for law enforcement and where ICE has requested USCIS take adjudicative action to uphold public safety or national security;

  8. Benefit requests filed by aliens whose entry would serve a United States national interest;

  9. Benefit requests, as well as the associated underlying benefits, for any programs that are terminated or discontinued as a result of an Executive Order, Proclamation, Federal Register Notice, or Directive issued by the President, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the USCIS Director; and

  10. Automatic termination decisions for ancillary or related benefit requests when an alien is granted Legal Permanent Resident status or becomes a naturalized citizen.

Notably, there is no exception for immigration benefits commonly used in higher education, such as a Form I-765 filed for Optional Practical Training, a Form I-539 filed to change to nonimmigrant student status, or a Form I-129 filed by an H-1B petitioner requesting extension of an H-1B employee’s stay. Furthermore, on December 5, 2025, USCIS posted on its “X” account, “…all final decisions for asylum have been shut down, we’ve paused adjudication of immigrant and non-immigrant benefits for any alien from the 19 countries of concern, and we will review all existing green cards that were granted in the last 5 years.”

Campus Guidance:

  • Citizens of the countries listed in PP 10998 should be aware that their immigration benefits approved on or after January 20, 2021, may be subject to renewed scrutiny. As a result, USCIS may require additional documentation, biometrics, interviews or re-interviews. 

  • Affected individuals should expect delayed processing and increased scrutiny of their immigration benefit requests. While petitions may still be submitted, they will be processed by USCIS up to the final adjudication stage, at which point they will stall until the adjudicative hold is lifted. A “final adjudication” refers to the issuance of a final decision on a case, such as an approval, denial, or dismissal.

USCIS announces increased premium processing fees

On January 12, 2026, USCIS published a final rule in the Federal Register announcing increases to premium processing fees effective March 01, 2026. 

Premium processing is a service whereby DHS provides expedited processing of eligible immigration benefit requests in exchange for an additional fee. This service is necessary for certain students and employees who require certain time-sensitive immigration benefit requests to be processed by a specific date in order to study or work at UMBC.

Below is a summary of premium processing fee increases that are most likely to impact our UMBC community. For a full listing of the fee increases, please refer to the published final rule.

  1. Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, LZ, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1, TN-1, and TN-2): The fee will increase from $2,805 to $2,965

  2. Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (E11, E12): Increases from $2,805 to $2,965

  3. Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (requests for change of status to F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2): Increases from $1,965 to $2,075

  4. Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training or STEM Optional Practical Training): Increases from $1,685 to $1,780

Campus Guidance:

  • In order to avoid having to pay the additional fee, students and employees who know they will require premium processing should ensure their time-sensitive immigration benefit petitions are postmarked prior to March 1, 2026. 

  • Please note that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recently implemented operational changes meant to consolidate its processing network under the Delivering for America (DFA) plan. One such change could result in a postmark date being applied to a piece of mail days after USPS first receives the mail from a customer. According to advice issued by USPS, “customers who want a postmark aligning with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of their mailpiece may request, for no additional fee, a manual (local) postmark at any Post Office, station, or branch when tendering their mailpiece.”

  • Students, employees, and hiring departments should budget for the additional expense required for premium processing requests postmarked on or after March 1, 2026. 

U.S. Department of State added 25 more countries to the visa bond list

On January 8, 2026, the Department of State expanded the list of countries whose nationals are subject to visa bonds. As outlined in a temporary final rule published in the Federal Register on August 5, 2025, the Visa Bond Pilot Program requires covered individuals applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance. This pilot program runs from August 20, 2025 through August 5, 2026.

Bonds are only required from individuals applying for a visitor visa (B-1/B-2) with a passport issued by one of the countries listed in the notice. 

Campus Guidance: 

  • Family members and friends of UMBC students and employees wishing to visit them in the United States should confirm whether or not they are subject to the Visa Bond Pilot Program. 

  • Individuals subject to the Visa Bond Pilot Program should contact the U.S. Consulate or Embassy where they plan to apply for a visa to inquire about the actual bond fee.

U.S. Department of State pauses immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries effective January 21, 2026

On January 14, 2026, the Department of State announced that, effective January 21, 2026, it is pausing all visa issuances to immigrant visa applicants who are nationals of the following countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen 

This pause only applies to immigrant visas. It does not apply to non-immigrant visas, such as those issued to H-1B employees, J-1 exchange visitors, and F-1 students.

Campus Guidance:

  • Individuals who have questions or concerns about the pause on immigrant visa processing for individuals from the listed countries should consult with a private immigration attorney.

Resources

  1. UMBC’s Employee Assistance Program provides employees with access to free confidential counseling and connections to attorneys who can help with a variety of issues, including immigration concerns.

  2. The Office of International Students and Scholars is available to consult on immigration-related travel issues for individuals holding F-1, H-1B, and J-1 immigration status.

  3. Individuals in other immigration statuses may contact a private immigration attorney.

UMBC’s Center for Global Engagement is committed to providing comprehensive support to all international students and scholars. If you have further questions about these immigration policy updates, please reach out to our team by visiting our contact page.

Additional information and resources related to immigration and other federal policy updates are available on UMBC’s Federal Orders and Actions Page.

Sincerely

David L. Di Maria
Vice Provost for Global Engagement

Brown named dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UMBC

Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D., has been named dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) effective July 1, 2026. Brown joins UMBC from the University of Kentucky where she currently serves as a professor of developmental psychology and associate dean of student engagement and success in the College of Arts and Sciences.

a white woman with short blond hair and glasses

Brown previously served as the director of the Center for Equality and Social Justice and associate chair in the department of psychology. Her administrative work has focused on building inclusive, student-centered systems that promote engagement, belonging, and academic success across diverse disciplines and communities. She earned her Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and began her career as an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

An accomplished scholar, Brown has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on children’s and adolescents’ understanding of discrimination, stereotypes, and social identity and the implications of these processes for academic and developmental outcomes. She is the author of three books, including Discrimination in Childhood and Adolescence, and her research spans gender, race and ethnicity, immigration status, and economic inequality. Her work has been supported by federal and foundation funding and is widely cited across psychology and education.

A committed educator and public-facing scholar, Brown is known for translating developmental science to broader audiences. She regularly engages with educators, families, and organizations, is frequently featured in national media, and has served as an expert witness on cases involving discrimination in schools. She is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, president of Society for the Study of Human Development and secretary of Society for Research in Child Development, and has served in editorial leadership roles for several scholarly journals.

Good News to Start the New Year: Yvette Mozie-Ross ↗

Dear UMBC Campus Community,

Happy New Year!

I am delighted to share good news about Dr. Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, vice provost for enrollment management and planning.

When I began at UMBC more than three years ago, we intentionally staffed the president’s office with a small, strategic team of three members. As the university continues to grow, and as we look ahead to the next phase of UMBC’s future, the scope and complexity of our work have expanded significantly. This includes deepening existing and new partnerships that benefit the institution; increasing UMBC’s visibility and engagement across Baltimore, the state, and the region; and advancing key initiatives associated with our forthcoming strategic plan. At this moment, we need an exceptional leader to help drive these efforts forward.

I am confident Yvette is that leader who can hit the ground running. Effective August 1, 2026, she will join my office as senior advisor to the president for strategic initiatives. With Yvette in this new role, UMBC is getting the best of both worlds: a deeply trusted and accomplished campus leader who knows our community well and a respected ambassador with a strong record of building meaningful relationships across the region and state. Yvette has also been a consistent champion of UMBC’s students, mission, and values.

While this move takes a highly respected leader out of Provost and Senior Vice President Manfred van Dulmen’s leadership team, he agrees that it is the right opportunity at the right time for the university. Provost van Dulmen will share additional information later this month regarding the search process to fill the vice provost for enrollment management and planning position.

Until August, Yvette will continue to lead enrollment management and planning, ensuring a smooth transition for her team.

Please join me in congratulating Yvette on her new role, and thanking her for her continued leadership and service to UMBC.

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Information Regarding December 2025 Expansion of Federal Travel Ban ↗

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you on recent travel restrictions that affect certain members of our campus community.

The information contained in this communication is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. If you have specific legal questions about your own immigration status, please seek assistance from a private immigration attorney.

On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation that expands upon the June 4, 2025 list of countries subject to a “full” or “partial” suspension of entry to the United States. This proclamation expands entry restrictions to include certain immigrants and nonimmigrants from 39 countries and individuals traveling with Palestinian Authority-issued documents. The new entry restrictions go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 01, 2026.

Full Suspension of Entry
A “full” suspension constitutes a restriction on entry into the United States as immigrants and as nonimmigrants with limited exceptions for:

  1. Any lawful permanent resident of the United States;

  2. Any dual national of a country on the above list when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a country not so designated;

  3. Any foreign national traveling with a valid nonimmigrant visa in the following classifications:  A‑1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO‑2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6;

  4. Any athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State;

  5. Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D); and

  6. Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.

Countries (additions in italics) subject to the “full” suspension include: 

  • Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

  • A full suspension was also announced for individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.

Partial Suspension of Entry

A “partial” suspension constitutes a restriction on entry into the United States as immigrants and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas with the same limited exceptions as are provided for the “full” suspension. Other categories of nonimmigrant visas are not currently subject to the “partial” suspension.

Countries (additions in italics) subject to a “partial” suspension include:

  • Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Entry Restrictions on Nationals of Turkmenistan to be Amended
The current partial ban on nonimmigrants from Turkmenistan will be lifted. The ban will be lifted for nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas. However, the entry into the United States of nationals of Turkmenistan as immigrants remains suspended.

Applicability:
According to a White House Fact Sheet, the new proclamation only applies to foreign nationals of the designated countries who:

  • Do not meet one of the limited exceptions previously mentioned;

  • are outside of the United States on January 01, 2026; and 

  • do not have a valid visa on January 01, 2026.

Impact:
During the fall 2025 semester, 160 UMBC students were citizens of one of the designated countries. An additional 30 students who were admitted and already confirmed their intent to enroll at UMBC for the spring 2026 semester may no longer be able to join our campus community due to the expanded travel restrictions.

Guidance:
Nationals of the designated countries should fully understand how this proclamation applies to their individual circumstances before planning travel outside of the United States.

Support:
The Center for Global Engagement is actively reaching out to international students, employees and visiting scholars (F, H and J nonimmigrants) from the designated countries regarding the expanded travel ban. These individuals will also be invited to attend one of two closed virtual information sessions scheduled for Friday, December 19, 2025.  

The Center for Global Engagement will continue to monitor White House, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services communications for any updates on this proclamation. Please feel free to contact our Office of International Students and Scholars if you have any questions, concerns, or if you simply want to talk with an advisor. We are here to support you.

Please check your email regularly and refer to our Immigration Policy Updates pagefor announcements regarding future updates to immigration and visa policies. Additionally, we recommend reaching out to a private immigration attorney if you have specific legal concerns.

Additional information and resources related to immigration and other federal policy updates are available on UMBC’s Federal Orders and Actions Page.

David L. Di Maria
Vice Provost for Global Engagement

Updates at Semester’s End ↗

Dear UMBC Community, 

As the fall semester draws to a close and we look forward to celebrating graduates at Commencement ceremonies tomorrow and Thursday, I write to share updates on some key areas of focus. This is a long message, and so I hope you will bear with me, because I wanted to be as thorough as possible in sharing information about some of the work we have been doing this semester. 

First, though, I want to acknowledge that this has been a very demanding semester for many individuals personally and for our community broadly. The pressures on higher education are unrelenting, and many contexts and events bring anxiety, fear, and pain for members of our community. We all live in this world, not apart from it, and I know that its dissonance, divisions, and dangers can weigh heavily upon us. 

Whether you are affected directly or indirectly, your well-being matters to me. I see how hard you are working, and I see your dedication, your resilience, and your love for UMBC. I urge you all to continue to care for yourselves and one another and take full advantage of our resources for care and support as needed (for students and for faculty and staff). 

Federal actions and orders

One area of ongoing challenge and focus is our response to impacts related to executive orders and actions by the federal government. Our core team has continued to meet regularly throughout the fall semester, monitoring and responding to multiple ongoing and developing issues, including many affecting international students and scholars, our LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color, and UMBC’s research enterprise. 

I encourage you to regularly visit our website for the latest information on UMBC’s response to federal actions and orders. Of particular interest: the Office of International Students and Scholars posts relevant immigration policy updates; please check back often for the most up-to-date information in this frequently changing environment (for instance, last week, the office posted travel considerations for winter break). 

Given the immigration enforcement actions we are seeing nationwide, I also want to remind you of the guidance, information, and resources we have shared related to the possibility of such enforcement action at UMBC, including this guidance concerning requests from any external law enforcement agencies for information, records, or access to non-public areas of the campus. We remain concerned about and attentive to the impact of these and other federal actions and policy changes on our international students, staff, and faculty, who are a vital part of the UMBC community and the global education we provide. At the heart of that education is our core commitment to inclusive excellence, which remains unyielding.

Strategic planning

Setting the course for the future of inclusive excellence at UMBC is key to the work we are doing now to develop the university’s next strategic plan. I hope you all saw the recent communication from Professor Charissa Cheah, who is leading the strategic planning steering committee. As she noted, the committee has met three times this fall to advance work on five strategic pillars, which were shaped by input from the community in the Bold Conversations and Core Values survey. 

My sincere thanks to Charissa, the members of the steering committee, and all who have and who will yet participate in setting the course for our future. I look forward to continuing progress toward a new strategic plan in fall 2026. 

Budget

As we articulate broad goals for the future and specific initiatives to achieve them, we will ensure that our resources align with our priorities. Doing so requires that we hold ourselves to a high level of accountability and to strategic long-term budgeting. This is especially important as we continue to respond to fiscal pressures, including reductions in state funding. 

As I shared during our Fall Opening Meeting, we reduced expenses by $14.5 million to balance the current (Fiscal Year 2026) budget in response to significant state cuts. While the state continues to be a strong, dedicated supporter of UMBC and higher education (its investment in UMBC has grown significantly over the past several years), given the financial outlook for the state of Maryland, we are planning for additional cuts for the coming fiscal year. 

These are not one-time or one-off cuts; a review of our primary revenue sources can illuminate a clear picture of what we face. UMBC’s main sources of revenue and their outlooks are:

  • State allocation (outlook: declining, especially due to the tax revenue implications of so many Marylanders having lost federal jobs this year)

  • Federal research funding (outlook: declining, due to changes in federal policy and priorities)

  • Student revenue (outlook: increasing modestly; revenues grew $1.8 million in FY25, reflecting an increase in undergraduate revenue and a decrease in graduate revenue)

  • Philanthropy (an area of focus for strategic growth in FY26 – 27)

In light of the outlook for the coming year and our aim to budget strategically to advance our highest priorities, we are working with our colleagues in both academic and administrative areas of the university to determine how best to absorb and minimize the impact of anticipated state funding cuts in FY27. 

Additional updates

I hope you saw the happy news we announced late last week of the appointment of D. Paul Monteiro, Jr., as our new vice president for government relations and community affairs. He succeeds former Vice President Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann ’06, who was named secretary of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management in October. 

Paul joins us this week at a particularly important moment for our work with the state on issues related to the budget and much more, as well as at a time that calls for even stronger coalitions and more effective advocacy with local, state, and federal officials and partners. Welcome to UMBC, Paul! 

The search for our next vice president of administration and finance is ongoing, and we are moving as quickly as we can to fill that leadership role.

Finally, I want to highlight one other important update shared recently by Tanyka Barber, our vice president for institutional equity and chief diversity officer. Tanyka provided a status report on the university’s ongoing response to UMBC’s 2024 agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve and expand upon our work to prevent and respond to reports of sexual misconduct and sex discrimination under Title IX. That agreement followed a lengthy investigation by the DOJ that found systemic failures in the university’s Title IX compliance between 2015 and 2020.  

As Tanyka noted in her message to the community, this work is progressing effectively and efficiently, and it is coordinated collaboratively by Tanyka and a small team of other leaders, including Kacey Hammel, chief of staff to the president; Tiffany Tucker, director of athletics, physical education, and recreation; and me. I am grateful to Tanyka and her entire team, as well as to Kacey and Tiffany for their dedication to this comprehensive, important effort.

 Our commitment is not only to the DOJ, but, more importantly, it is to all of you, and to all who will join this community in the years to come. Nothing is more important than your well-being, and we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards of care, safety, integrity, and accountability. 

My best to you and your families as we look to a well-deserved winter break. In the days ahead, I hope that you find time to rest and recharge and that you encounter joy, love, and grace this holiday season. 

Sincerely, 

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

UMBC Strategic Plan Steering Committee Update to the Campus Community ↗

Dear UMBC Campus Community,

I am writing to share an update on our progress in developing the UMBC Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee has met three times this fall to advance our work on the five strategic plan pillars. These pillars were shaped by the feedback shared by our community in the Bold Conversations and Core Values survey. As a reminder, the five pillars are:

  • Grow Student Opportunity and Success
  • Transform Teaching and Learning
  • Redefine Excellence in Research and Creative Achievement
  • Cultivate Organizational Innovation and Vitality
  • Strengthen Maryland and Its Communities

The strategic plan committee members have been divided into five Pillar Subgroups, each tasked with developing a plan for their particular pillar through the spring semester. Once the pillar plans are drafted, the committee will undertake several steps to ensure that the final UMBC strategic plan is ready to share with the community in the fall of 2026.

We will be seeking assistance from our community in developing these plans. Some of you may receive outreach in early 2026 to engage in planning; this outreach could be through a survey, focus group, or other method chosen by the pillar subgroups. I encourage those of you who receive outreach to engage in this important work on behalf of UMBC. It is essential that we hear voices from across campus and benefit from community expertise, perspectives, and ideas.

There will also be several opportunities for the larger campus community to share feedback. News about these opportunities will be posted in the myUMBC Strategic Planning group. Please follow this group as soon as you can to ensure you are in the know regarding events, activities, and forums led by the strategic plan committee to engage with you, because we want to hear from as many community members as possible to ensure that the strategic plan is our community’s plan for the future.

I also want to note that the current strategic planning website will be updated soon. It is being redesigned to ensure easy access to strategic planning process key information. The new site will include an interactive timeline focusing on major milestones, a page with the steering committee roster, and a form to provide feedback.

Thank you in advance for your engagement and feedback in support of our UMBC strategic planning process. I am excited about what the coming months will bring in developing the plan, and I look forward to seeing you at related events.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Charissa Cheah
Professor of Psychology and Asian Studies Faculty Affiliate
Chair, UMBC Strategic Plan Steering Committee

Leadership Announcement ↗

D. Paul Monteiro, Jr.

Dear UMBC Community,

I am delighted to announce the appointment of D. Paul Monteiro, Jr., as our new vice president for government relations and community affairs. Paul is an experienced administrator and lifelong public servant who has held leadership roles in local, state, and federal government and in higher education. He served most recently as the inaugural secretary of the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation.

Prior to his appointment to Governor Wes Moore’s cabinet in 2023, Paul was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2022 as director of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS). Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, CRS works to mitigate community tensions based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. Paul had served as acting director of CRS from 2015 to 2017, before taking on a role as chief of staff to the president and assistant vice president of external affairs at Howard University.

Paul’s public service goes back many years. He served from 2009 to 2013 in the Obama administration as an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement, and he was appointed by President Barack Obama as national director of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). During his time on the White House staff, Paul coordinated the My Brother’s Keeper mentorship program for young men and served as a liaison to numerous religious, secular, and ethnic communities, including Arab American and Afghan American groups.

A former ex-officio member of the National Counterterrorism Center’s Heritage Council, Paul was awarded a citation from the National Security Council in 2013 for his work on international priorities, including the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, refugee resettlement, and other humanitarian efforts.

Locally, he has served as a member of the Prince George’s County Public Schools Board of Education, the Emerging Leaders Impact Fund in Prince George’s County, the Board of Governors of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and the Board of Advisors of the Madison House Autism Foundation, based in Rockville.

Raised in Hyattsville, Maryland, Paul is the proud son of immigrants and was the first in his family to attend college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Maryland and a law degree from the Howard University School of Law. In law school, he served as a fellow in the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, where he spent a year teaching middle and high school students about the U.S. Constitution.

The depth and breadth of Paul’s service to communities locally and globally speak volumes about his commitment to making a meaningful difference. We are fortunate to have in Paul not only someone whose knowledge and expertise in policy, governance, and advocacy will serve us well, but also someone whose personal values align so beautifully with UMBC’s.

He has expressed to me his admiration for UMBC and its public mission, and I know he looks forward to continuing to strengthen our engagement with government officials and our collaboration with UMBC’s neighbors.

Paul will hit the ground running; I am grateful that he is able to begin in the role next week, in preparation for the start of the Maryland General Assembly’s regular session in January, and at a time when our advocacy with local, state, and federal government is more demanding and more consequential than ever.

Please join me in welcoming Paul to UMBC!

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Monteiro to serve as VP of government relations and community affairs

In an email to the campus community, UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby has announced that D. Paul Monteiro, Jr., will join the university as vice president for government relations and community affairs. The letter follows in full:

Dear UMBC Community,

I am delighted to announce the appointment of D. Paul Monteiro, Jr., as our new vice president for government relations and community affairs. Paul is an experienced administrator and lifelong public servant who has held leadership roles in local, state, and federal government and in higher education. He served most recently as the inaugural secretary of the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation.

smiling black man in gray suit and blue tie posing in front of a united states flag

Prior to his appointment to Governor Wes Moore’s cabinet in 2023, Paul was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2022 as director of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS). Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, CRS works to mitigate community tensions based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. Paul had served as acting director of CRS from 2015 to 2017, before taking on a role as chief of staff to the president and assistant vice president of external affairs at Howard University.

Paul’s public service goes back many years. He served from 2009 to 2013 in the Obama administration as an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement, and he was appointed by President Barack Obama as national director of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). During his time on the White House staff, Paul coordinated the My Brother’s Keeper mentorship program for young men and served as a liaison to numerous religious, secular, and ethnic communities, including Arab American and Afghan American groups.

A former ex-officio member of the National Counterterrorism Center’s Heritage Council, Paul was awarded a citation from the National Security Council in 2013 for his work on international priorities, including the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, refugee resettlement, and other humanitarian efforts.

Locally, he has served as a member of the Prince George’s County Public Schools Board of Education, the Emerging Leaders Impact Fund in Prince George’s County, the Board of Governors of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and the Board of Advisors of the Madison House Autism Foundation, based in Rockville.

Raised in Hyattsville, Maryland, Paul is the proud son of immigrants and was the first in his family to attend college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Maryland and a law degree from the Howard University School of Law. In law school, he served as a fellow in the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, where he spent a year teaching middle and high school students about the U.S. Constitution.

The depth and breadth of Paul’s service to communities locally and globally speak volumes about his commitment to making a meaningful difference. We are fortunate to have in Paul not only someone whose knowledge and expertise in policy, governance, and advocacy will serve us well, but also someone whose personal values align so beautifully with UMBC’s.

He has expressed to me his admiration for UMBC and its public mission, and I know he looks forward to continuing to strengthen our engagement with government officials and our collaboration with UMBC’s neighbors.

Paul will hit the ground running; I am grateful that he is able to begin in the role next week, in preparation for the start of the Maryland General Assembly’s regular session in January, and at a time when our advocacy with local, state, and federal government is more demanding and more consequential than ever.

Please join me in welcoming Paul to UMBC!

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Submersive Subversive Art

While many know that Charm City is home to the wizard of weird himself, John Waters, along with the quirky American Visionary Art Museum, poodle skirts, and flamingos galore, most probably don’t associate UMBC with the same offbeat reputation. But take a splash in the wacky waters and you’ll find Retrievers all the way down.

By Janelle Erlichman Diamond

It’s a few minutes into her Fluid Movement water ballet scene, and while most of the swimmers have dropped the red cloaks that hid their bathing suits—a nod to The Handmaid’s Tale—and slipped into the pool as Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” plays on the speaker, Delana Gregg stands alone. As the song reaches its crescendo—“let the choir sing”—Gregg, still in her red cape, falls dramatically backward into the water as the audience gasps and cheers.

Gregg, M.S. ’04, Ph.D. ’19, has worked at UMBC for more than 20 years and is currently the assistant vice provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, working with the Academic Success Center and with data and analytics supporting student success. But her summers are filled with swimsuits, glitter, and choreography sheets. 

Fluid Movement is a Baltimore-based nonprofit performance art organization that creates joyful, inclusive, quirky, and accessible performances in public spaces, most notably their annual synchronized swimming shows in city pools. “Our art is a love letter to the city of Baltimore and its residents,” says Ashley Ball, Fluid Movement artistic director. “We focus on inclusivity and the empowerment that comes from movement.” 

Baltimore City’s commitment to the quirk is well documented, but you might be more surprised to learn that UMBC may be one of the best breeding grounds for pursuing and creating non-traditional art. (John Waters, the kinky, eccentric, famous Baltimore-based filmmaker, writer, and artist known as the “Pope of Trash,” borrowed UMBC film equipment to make some of his early films.) UMBC, a school with an R1 classification for its high level of research and known by a national audience perhaps for the immensely successful STEM-focused Meyerhoff Scholars Program or the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball upset, has a long history of stirring the artistic pot—and current Retrievers play an active role in the weird and inclusive art world of Charm City. 

Water ballet get STEAM-y

groups of women holding up workers rights signs and an Enoch Splash Library sign
Photos by Erik Whipple

Gregg swam in her very first water ballet in 2014—Star Spangled Swimmer—and has starred in, stage managed, or produced almost every ballet since including her role as a fatberg in Sinkholes, Sewers, & Streams: A Water Infrastructure Ballet. This past summer she added directing to her repertoire with The Handmaid’s Tale scene in the Dive Into Banned Books: A Water Ballet of Resistance and Joy performance. 

That her love for theatrics and performance might be nurtured at a school that has earned a national reputation for excellence in STEM education is not a surprise to Gregg. “Art and design are in everything, and you can’t have theatre without science and technology,” she says. Anyone who has ever built a set or mixed music can attest to that. “Performance is the ultimate interdisciplinary project, and community performance allows for all the different talents to find expression. You know how to sculpt, sew, run cable, create a program, design a logo, write a script, plan a budget, figure out how to create a waterproof, lightweight, affordable set design that can fit in a storage pod—so much geometry and engineering—we need all of those talents, along with sparkle.”

Ball, the artistic director, comes from a STEM background and has her master’s degree in environmental engineering. “People in STEM need art just as much as anyone else, and a Fluid Movement show is nothing short of an engineering marvel,” she says. 

And it’s clear that this is a draw for Retrievers. “I’ve met so many UMBC people via Fluid Movement: former board members like visual arts professor Timothy Nohe and Kelly Quinn—people who are committed to creating art in Baltimore with people in our communities. UMBC alumni who live in the area, like Amelia Meman ’15; Maria Blanca, M.A. ’15; and Charlotte Keniston, M.F.A. ’14, Ph.D. ’24—it was so great to work with them at UMBC and to create art with them in Baltimore City. Other amazing artists, like Ann Tabor ’03 of the Mercury Theater, I met through Fluid Movement and realized the UMBC connection later,” says Gregg. 

“People are validated by seeing people of all shapes and sizes and ages and ethnicities performing. My performing at age 60-plus as a full-figured, African American woman is affirming to many people in our audiences.”

— Judith “Judi” Reynolds-Stokes ’87, M.A. ’02

“I think there is something about working at a university committed to excellence that makes space for people to be excellent in many aspects of their lives,” says Quinn, managing director of The Choice Program at UMBC and a longtime Fluid Movement participant. “I’m really grateful that I have a boss who’s challenged me as part of my performance plan for this year to incorporate more of my artistic work with Fluid Movement into my leadership of our organization,” says Quinn. This next year she’s going to add “whimsy and creativity” to her storytelling. “I think that’s a testament both to Fluid Movement and my boss’s understanding of the value of arts in everyday life. People at UMBC—including our leadership—really take seriously our artistic and civic lives beyond our position descriptions.”

There’s a place in the pool for everyone

These artistic endeavors may hit the UMBC sweet spot because of the recognition that STEM and art go hand in hand, but the accessibility and inclusiveness of the programming also aligns with the Retriever spirit. “I first became acquainted with Fluid Movement while lifeguarding for Baltimore City Aquatics,” says Judith “Judi” Reynolds-Stokes ’87, M.A. ’02, who works as an instructor, advisor, and career counselor at the Caroline Center, a workforce development program for adult women. “I guarded many of their water ballet shows and loved their creativity and inclusivity. I decided that I wanted to be a swimmer in one of their shows.” Her Fluid Movement debut was in the 2019 show Fluid Movement: The Water Ballet in honor of the nonprofit’s 20th anniversary. 

“I think the pull of Fluid Movement for UMBC folks is that you can be a big kid having fun dancing, swimming, and acting. You get to wear pretty costumes and outrageous makeup, and the best part is you get to bring others joy and laughter,” says Reynolds-Stokes.

Like Gregg, she loves that the quirky—in the best way possible—group brings her so much joy and affirmation. “People are validated by seeing people of all shapes and sizes and ages and ethnicities performing. My performing at age 60-plus as a full-figured, African American woman is affirming to many people in our audiences. It lets others know that they too can be in a Fluid Movement show and will be accepted just as they are,” says Reynolds-Stokes, who swims with Stephanie Johnson ’86, her aunt and a fellow UMBC alum. “I love to swim and dance and put on pretty things, so Fluid Movement is a perfect fit for me.”  

Release the Kraken

The American Visionary Art Museum, adjacent to the Inner Harbor, is another incubator of Baltimore quirk. The distinctive landmark and home to Fifi, a 15-foot pink poodle on wheels, is dedicated to the preservation and display of outside art and features the work of self-taught artists. (Retriever Jess Owens-Young ’08, political science, recently showed her sports-inspired work in the museum’s galleries.) That includes the Kinetic Sculpture Race, for which teams build and pedal works of art for eight hours on Baltimore City streets, including a foray into the Baltimore Harbor.

In 2011, Steven McAlpine, assistant teaching professor in the Individualized Study Program (INDS), was at the race, as a casual observer with his son. “Dad, can we build one of these?” he asked in awe. McAlpine had also been blown away by both the artistry of the floats and the physical effort of the 15-mile human-powered, all-terrain race for custom-built amphibious sculptures. McAlpine was trying to figure out how he could construct a 12-foot high and 30-foot-long creature at his house when he had a lightbulb moment—the answer was UMBC. 

In 2014, McAlpine started the Kinetic Sculpture Project, an interdisciplinary applied learning experience funded by the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and UMBC community engagement organization BreakingGround. Students from INDS, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, visual art, psychology, geography and environmental systems, and mathematics all came together to design, build, and race the Kraken Upcycle in the 2015 race. “You need all those perspectives and disciplines to be that innovative,” says McAlpine.

In the 400-level class, students studied sustainable design methods and use of recycled materials (including plastic bottles and barrels as well as reclaimed metal and wood) that would often involve McAlpine dumpster diving—especially after the theatre department broke down a set.

“I wanted to explore something less traditional, where I could express new, wacky ideas and merge creativity with engineering.” 

—Michael Webb, computer engineering student

a parade featuring inflatable sculptures of a cityscape and caped man sitting on a wheelchair
Top and bottom photos courtesy of Steve McAlpine; 
 Middle photo by Poulomi Banerjee ’16, M.P.P. ’21

That very first year UMBC’s team was awarded the “Grand Mediocre East Coast Champion,” and in the 10 years since, more than 100 students have passed through the class. Last year UMBC teamed up with a disability advocacy organization and took home the “Best Art Award” for IMAGE Man—in which a larger-than-life teal superhero sits in a wheelchair with a football in hand, flying over some of Baltimore’s iconic buildings, such as the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower and the Baltimore World Trade Center. 

Of all the years UMBC has participated, McAlpine was especially proud of this one since it showed “the beauty of an infusion of a new partnership,” that, like the water ballet, also underscored UMBC’s commitment to accessibility for all. 

“It’s a lot of work—but unconventional art that leans a little offbeat and weird is never all work because it’s playful too,” says McAlpine. “I think it’s absolutely essential for education to feel thrilling and full of discovery and adventure.”

An Out-of-the-Ordinary Spectacle

Dulcey Comeau, a sophomore computer engineering student, participated in the 2025 race with IMAGE Man. “The race day was super cool; we woke up early to get our capes and our helmets, and we spent some of the morning talking to people who wanted to know more about the float,” says Comeau. “It was a cool experience to have people cheering you along all throughout Baltimore,” she says. The race started a bit rocky—they were having some issues with the brakes—but once they were fixed, it was smooth sailing. 

“Part of the race is to ride through the mud and I remember getting stuck, and it was so fun to be pushed up the hill through the rest of it,” she says. “Usually as engineers, we create something for a very specific reason with specific standards for the customer, so it was cool to create something for ourselves and really see the full engineering cycle. The opportunity to have creative freedom with such little specifications made the project that much more enjoyable, and I was able to find the fun in being an engineer again.”

Michael Webb had a similar experience. “As a computer engineering student, I was initially drawn to STEM-related clubs and activities like Baja SAE and UMBC’s chapter of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Those organizations are incredible for hands-on experience, but they tend to be more formulaic, focused on refining and improving designs from past generations,” the sophomore says. He wanted something a little more left-field and subversive. “I wanted to explore something less traditional, where I could express new, wacky ideas and merge creativity with engineering.”

The Kinetic Sculpture Race, like Fluid Movement, is a perfect blend of the new iteration of STEM—one that includes art with an emphasis on off-the-wall—and it’s in that combination that UMBC excels. The UMBC team and faculty Webb ended up working alongside helped challenge some of his established systems and beliefs and consider alternative perspectives. 

“The Kinetic Sculpture Race is unlike anything I had ever seen before,” says Webb. “It was fun, quirky, and completely different from the structured world of engineering I’m used to. The whole event is just for fun, and the sculptures people bring in are absolutely wild: a giant poodle, giant alligators, even a platypus with a differential axle. The rules are just as wacky—you can even bribe the judges.”

It was the wake-up he needed. “In engineering, the goal is usually performance and efficiency,” he says. But in the Kinetic Sculpture Race, the goal is simply to make something imaginative and have fun trying to race it. “It’s messy, unpredictable, and just laughs; a reminder that engineering and art can come together and be creative, ridiculous, and fun at once.” 

UMBC hosts 2025 IEEE Baltimore Technical Colloquium

On November 15, more than 120 engineering and computer science professionals and students convened on the UMBC campus for the 2025 IEEE Baltimore Technical Colloquium, co-sponsored this year by the Department of Information Systems. It was the second IEEE Baltimore Technical Colloquium, and saw approximately 20 percent growth in attendance compared to the inaugural event.

The colloquium focused on innovation and leadership in cutting edge areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, quantum computing, computational medicine, trustworthy computing, and more. The event, held in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, was a chance for academic experts, industry leaders, and students from around Baltimore to share their research, network, and find new inspiration.

Chinonso Ezeobi, M.S. ’22, electrical engineering, and a current Ph.D. student, served as conference vice chair. “Curating programs for our IEEE professional community has been incredibly rewarding,” he said. “Serving as chair has provided invaluable opportunities to expand my network and develop my leadership capabilities.”

The event attracted major area universities, companies, and organizations including the Army Research Lab, Northrop Grumman, JP Morgan Chase, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Ezeobi delivered opening remarks and, along with several other UMBC students and faculty, presented research. Student and alumni volunteers helped keep the program running smoothly. 

Jeanne van Briesen, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, delivered keynote remarks on how engineers and scientists can tackle complex, modern problems, such as reverse engineering the human brain and preventing nuclear terror. In these so-called “wicked problems,” engineered, natural, and data systems interact with human and social systems, creating situations where there is no clear, single solution and oftentimes attempts to fix the original issue create new problems. 

Van Briesen described how “convergence research,” which integrates knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines to form novel frameworks that catalyze new discoveries and innovations, can help humanity tackle its most intractable problems. She gave examples of convergence research at UMBC addressing challenges such as improving mental health, increasing the safety of first responders and soldiers, and making medicine cheaply and on-demand. 

“A wicked problem is sometimes described as a problem that cannot be fixed—but never tell an engineer something can’t be done,” she said.

Reminder – Guidance Regarding Potential for Federal Immigration Enforcement at UMBC ↗

Dear UMBC Community,

In recent weeks, concerns and questions about the potential for federal immigration enforcement at UMBC have risen to a new level. The ever-increasing online visibility of enforcement actions and shifts in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s strategy nationwide have understandably caused anxiety across our country and at UMBC. 

Today, I want to remind you of guidance, information, and resources that may be of assistance to you and provide clarity during these uncertain times. 

Key resources and information

First, our federal orders and actions website contains detailed information and communications about federal actions and their impacts on our UMBC community. You will find a web page that covers guidance related to federal immigration law enforcement, and links to the Office of International Students and Scholars immigration policy updates, which features recent clarifications regarding the entry ban on certain H1-B employees.  

Role of the UMBC Police Department

I also want to address the important role of the UMBC Police Department in responding to federal immigration enforcement notifications and actions. Should you receive a request from external law enforcement for information, records, or access to non-public space on campus, immediately notify the Police Department at (410) 455-5555. They will coordinate with relevant university officials and respond to the request. The Police Department and my office—the Office of General Counsel—will work together to ensure that any contact with outside law enforcement agencies, including federal agencies, is handled lawfully, carefully, and with the safety and privacy of our community in mind.

Will federal immigration enforcement notify UMBC of plans to come to campus?

Several of you have asked if federal immigration enforcement will notify our Police Department of any plans to come to UMBC. Federal law enforcement personnel are not required to notify campus or local law enforcement before entering public spaces. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have previously indicated that, as a matter of professional courtesy, they would contact our Police Department if they plan to visit or operate on our campus. While that notification would be greatly appreciated, there is no legal requirement for advance notice, and federal agencies may conduct lawful activity in public areas without prior coordination. 

If the Police Department becomes aware of the presence of federal law enforcement personnel on campus, they will immediately work with university leadership and my office to confirm legal authority and purpose, ensure compliance with Maryland law and university policy, determine the appropriate response, and take all lawful steps to protect the safety and well-being of our community. 

Campus communications

Many of you have inquired about communications to the campus community. Consistent with regular university procedures, if a situation presents a safety concern or results in a significant disruption to normal campus operations, the Police Department will promptly use its established emergency and safety communication systems, such as UMBC Alerts, to keep the UMBC community informed. If you have not yet signed up for UMBC Alerts, please consider doing so.

The department will partner with university leadership, including my office, to ensure consistent, timely, and lawful communication. If the activity is lawful, limited in scope, and there is no direct safety impact, the Police Department, my office, and university leadership will monitor and manage the situation appropriately, and communicate updates as necessary through official university channels, which include UMBC Alerts, and emails through myUMBC.

Please be assured that the shared goal of the Police Department, my office, and university leadership is to protect and support our university community and maintain open communication and mutual trust. We are committed to reinforcing safety, care, and belonging at UMBC. Should you have any further questions, please contact my office at ogc@umbc.edu or call the UMBC Police Department at (410) 455-5555.

Thank you.

Regards,

Paul Meggett
Vice President and General Counsel

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