Dear UMBC Community,

Today, UMBC voluntarily entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that will bring meaningful improvements to the university’s work to prevent and respond to reports of sexual misconduct and sex discrimination under Title IX. This agreement concludes the DOJ investigation of UMBC’s Title IX compliance, the findings of which were announced on March 18. If you have not already viewed my letter and video message about the DOJ’s findings, which focused on the period 2015-2020, I encourage you to do so.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Dear UMBC Community,

I write to you today to communicate about some significant changes at the leadership level of the university. I felt it was important to share this information with you, as well as our plans for navigating the changes, both in the short term and the long term. 

Director of Athletics

Very soon, we will launch a national search for a new director of athletics, as Brian Barrio is no longer serving in the role. I have met with the Athletics Department staff—both administrative staff and coaches—and many student-athletes to discuss this transition and assure them of my continued support. As a search gets under way, I have asked two members of the administrative team to take on temporary co-leadership of the department. Whitney Ames, associate athletic director for compliance, and Rich Franchak, senior associate athletic director for business and finance, will be serving in this capacity. Thank you, Whitney and Rich, for your dedication and leadership.

Vice President for Government Relations and Community Affairs

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

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

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

Office of the General Counsel  

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby