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,