Dear Colleagues,

 

What a fantastic start to the fall semester we had last week! If you know me, you know that the first day of classes is an especially joyful day for me, as I am sure it is for many of you. This year, as we launched the academic year, I saw joy in a great many students, faculty, and staff. There was palpable enthusiasm for the privilege we all enjoy of being in community here on campus and creating a future for UMBC together.

 

I am grateful to every one of you for your passion and commitment to UMBC and its bright future. I am grateful, as well, for the graciousness with which you have welcomed our new provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Manfred van Dulmen (as you welcomed me two years ago). He and I could feel the energy and positivity as we walked around campus on the first day of classes, speaking with students, faculty, and staff, and visiting a class together. At the meet and greet he hosted that same day, I was delighted to see so many of you and inspired by the beautiful remarks Provost van Dulmen delivered, sharing his perspective on UMBC.

 

The year ahead is going to be one in which we set our sights high in supporting our students, our community, and our mission and vision for UMBC. Those of you who were able to attend the Fall Opening Meeting know this—and I have heard from so many of you since then about how energizing that event was! For those who could not attend, I am happy to share some highlights here, and I invite you to watch the recorded event.

 

In addition to officially welcoming our new provost, we introduced and welcomed two other new senior leaders: Tracey Reeves, vice president for university communications and marketing; and Tiffany Tucker, director of athletics, physical education, and recreation. As you will recall, we recently announced two other senior leadership appointments in Paul Meggett as general counsel and Jake Weissmann ’06 as vice president for government relations and community affairs. I could not be more excited about these appointments or more confident in the strength and wisdom of the team leading UMBC.

 

As you are likely aware, the state is facing significant budget challenges. Rest assured: We planned for and are prepared to absorb budget reduction requests that come our way this year. Neither the educational experience we provide, the research we advance, nor our commitment to community engagement will be affected, and that is owed in great part to your collective, careful stewarding of resources. Thank you!

 

Central to our ability to carry out UMBC’s academic mission is our accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. As we are being evaluated for our next period of accreditation, we hosted a peer evaluator team for a terrific campus visit in the spring, and our self-study has been very well received. My thanks to the provost’s office for leading the effort and to the scores of individuals who are participating in this enormous undertaking.

 

Last year at this time, we endeavored to advance toward strategic planning, knowing that a full process would need to include our new provost. The time for strategic planning is now upon us. Provost van Dulmen will soon launch a process and invite all of you to participate. We will be led by our vision and values as we build upon our history and imagine what is possible for UMBC’s future.

 

We are so very excited to have launched the UMBC Institute of Politics and to have appointed Mileah Kromer to lead it! This is a critical time in our world and a distinctive opportunity for UMBC to advance our work to strengthen democracy and civic engagement.

 

You will hear more soon about the exciting new partnership we have entered with College Track on a program with M&T Bank and the Baltimore Ravens to support Baltimore City Public School students on their journeys through high school and to and through college. We are honored to join this effort—part of College Track’s national mission to “democratize potential” and part of our deepening connection and commitment to Baltimore City.

 

This year, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Linehan Artist Scholars Program, is an apt occasion to launch a celebration of the arts! We envision a multi-semester interdisciplinary initiative across the arts that engages every part of our community and amplifies the arts at UMBC. A steering committee is in the early stages of planning this initiative; stay tuned for more.

 

In case you missed it, NASA has selected UMBC to develop one of the first three lunar instruments that will be deployed as part of the Artemis III mission to the moon! We could not be prouder that UMBC was the only U.S. higher education institution selected for this program. Mehdi Benna, a planetary scientist with the Center for Space Sciences Technology, is leading the effort to develop the instrument, which will continuously monitor seismic activity in the moon’s south polar region.

 

With so many exciting initiatives and events, there is no question that this is going to be a big year for UMBC! Thank you for all you do to support and advance this extraordinary community. My best wishes to you for a wonderful semester and academic year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Please plan to join us to kick off the new semester at this year’s Fall Opening Meeting, on Thursday, August 22, in the Retriever Activities Center. This is a wonderful chance for faculty and staff to reunite, learn about upcoming campus initiatives, and hear from new students about their journeys to UMBC. 

Please reserve your free ticket here. You will need to log in using your UMBC credentials to access the event. Doors for the event open at 11:15 a.m. for snacks and networking. A community lunch will be served after the program.

You may also stream the event here.

We look forward to your participation in this community tradition! 

Dear Faculty and Staff, 

Annual virtual parking permits for faculty and staff expire at the end of August each year. We ask that all faculty and staff who park on campus visit the UMBC Parking Services Portal to verify your vehicle information is correct and to update it if needed. 

Existing Payroll-Eligible Faculty/Staff: If you already have the cost of your permit deducted from your paycheck, your permit will automatically be renewed. (Please Note: Faculty/Staff with outstanding balances will not be renewed. You must pay your outstanding fees by August 16 to auto-renew.) 

New Payroll Eligible Faculty/Staff: New employees (those hired between February 13, 2024 – August 9, 2024) must purchase their parking permits by completing and submitting a Payroll Deduction Initiation Form by Friday, August 16, at 11 a.m. You will see payroll deductions for the 2024 – 2025 academic year from September 2024 through the end of May 2025. 

Payroll-Ineligible Faculty/Staff: If you are not eligible for a payroll deduction for the cost of your permit, you must come to the Parking Services office to renew your permit. Annual Faculty/Staff permits are not available online. Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cost for an annual D Permit is $280; the annual E Permit (Gated) is $380. You may purchase with cash, check, or credit card. 

For additional questions or if you experience any issues, please contact us directly at parking@umbc.edu or at 410-455-2551. 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

This is just a reminder to please register now for this year’s Fall Opening Meeting, on Thursday, August 22 in the Retriever Activities Center. This is a wonderful chance for faculty and staff to reunite, learn about upcoming campus initiatives, and hear from new students about their journeys to UMBC. Please RSVP today.

We also hope to see you at the 2024 Convocation ceremony, which will be held Tuesday, August 27 at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena at 3:30 p.m. We look forward to welcoming our incoming students and introducing them to UMBC’s traditions. We hope you will march in the procession, where some of our new students will see academic regalia for the first time. Although the deadline for ordering regalia has passed, you may wear your own. 

Those registered for Convocation may also join us for a Welcome Reception for Provost Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, hosted by President Sheares Ashby at 2:30 p.m. in the arena just before the ceremony. Those planning to march in the procession should arrive no later than 3 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. 

We look forward to your participation in these community traditions! 

Thursday, October 10, 2024

6 p.m. doors open

6:30 p.m. awards ceremony and seated dinner

8 p.m. dessert reception

University Center Ballroom

• Dr. Jiyoon Lee, Associate Professor and International Partnership Coordinator, TESOL MA Program

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In-person attendance this year is by invitation only. However, the ceremony will be livestreamed for those who wish to attend virtually. The Alumni Awards landing page will be updated in the coming weeks with awardee bios, registration information, and the livestream link. So, please continue to check back for more information closer to the event.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

 

I hope you are looking forward to the start of the fall semester as much as I am. As we get closer to the first day of classes, I invite you to participate in two special community events: Fall Opening Meeting and Convocation.

 

The Fall Opening Meeting, which will be held on August 22 in the Retriever Activities Center, is a chance for faculty and staff to reunite, learn about upcoming campus initiatives, and hear from new students about their journeys to UMBC. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet our new senior university leaders.

 

Convocation, which will take place on August 27 at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, is our community’s way of welcoming incoming students to a new academic year and introducing them to UMBC traditions. It is an exciting and special way of kicking off the school year.

 

I look forward to seeing you at these two community events. Thank you for all your hard work preparing to make this a fantastic year for our students.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

 

Just a reminder, please RSVP for the 2024 Convocation ceremony, which will be held Tuesday, August 27 at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. We look forward to welcoming our incoming students and introducing them to UMBC’s traditions. We hope you will march in the procession, where some of our new students will see academic regalia for the first time.

Please join us for a Welcome Reception for Provost Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, hosted by President Sheares Ashby at 2:30 p.m. Those planning to march in the procession should arrive no later than 3 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. 

Faculty and staff who wish to march in the procession (or simply attend Convocation) should register here and order their regalia by this Friday, August 2 to avoid additional shipping fees. Those who wish to volunteer as event staff can register here.

We hope you're able to join us for this community tradition! 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We are pleased to invite you to participate in our 2024 Convocation ceremony on Tuesday, August 27, at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. We look forward to welcoming our incoming students to a new academic year and introducing them to UMBC’s traditions. We hope you will march in the procession, where some of our new students will see academic regalia for the first time.

Please join us for a Welcome Reception for Provost Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, hosted by President Sheares Ashby at 2:30 p.m. Those planning to march in the procession should arrive no later than 3 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. 

Faculty and staff who wish to march in the procession should register here and order their regalia by August 2 to avoid additional shipping fees. Those who wish to volunteer as event staff can register here.

Additionally, please save the date for UMBC’s Fall Opening Meeting on August 22 in the RAC. Doors open at 11:00 a.m. The program and lunch begin at 11:30 a.m. More information to come. 

Thank you, and we look forward to an exciting fall together.

Dear Colleagues,

As the semester concludes, I am delighted to share Inquiring Minds: 2024 Research and Creative Achievement. In this annual report, we are presenting a cross section of some of the key areas of achievement across our UMBC community. 

Inquiring Minds showcases how we continue to build our research culture, highlighting just a small selection of our community’s recent research and creative achievement initiatives. 

The annual report is now available to view in an interactive digital format. A limited number of print copies of the annual report will be available through the Office of Research and Creative Achievement. To receive a print copy, or to share information about research you are working on, please contact Adriana Fraser, assistant director of research and creative achievement communications, at afraser@umbc.edu.

We hope you enjoy this year’s celebration of UMBC’s research and creative achievement community. 

Sincerely,