Dear UMBC Community,
As I shared with you at the Fall Opening Meeting, this semester we will re-engage with the work to develop the next strategic plan for UMBC. Strategic planning is an important process in any organization and provides an opportunity to focus the work we do together to best serve our students and community. Strategic planning is also an opportunity to be visionary, to envision UMBC’s future together and determine how we can be a catalyst in advancing higher education. Having led several strategic planning efforts, I have seen how this process can bring out the best in an organization and its people, and I so much look forward to working with you on the strategic plan.
Your input is essential, and we will be including the broad UMBC community in a variety of ways throughout this year-long process. Such opportunities build on the work that so many of you shared throughout the past year, including the 22 Bold Conversations that saw more than 1,000 participants engage in discussions about UMBC’s distinctive strengths, its challenges, and our aspirations for the future. In addition, there are many other initiatives currently going on—for example, the Middle States Self-Study and the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Self-Study—that will help inform the great opportunities we have as a UMBC community to set a course for the future. As we move forward with the strategic planning process, we will also ensure that our goals and priorities align with the University System of Maryland's Vision 2030 plan and the Maryland Higher Education Commission goals.
Throughout my first four months at UMBC, it has been clear to me that one of UMBC’s key strengths is its people—their dedication, commitment, and innovative mindset. I have worked over these months to develop an approach to strategic planning, and to help lead this work, I have engaged a strategic plan steering committee, which I will chair, comprising these members:
- Renique T. Kersh, Vice President, Student Affairs (vice chair)
- Aminah Amjad, Vice President, Graduate Student Association
- Tanyka M. Barber, Vice President, Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
- Meghna Chandrasekaran, President, Student Government Association
- Nancy Kusmaul, Associate Professor, Social Work and President, Faculty Senate
- Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, Vice Provost, Enrollment Management and Planning
- Christopher P. Steele, Vice Provost, Professional Studies
- Karl V. Steiner, Vice President, Research and Creative Achievement
- Shannon Tinney Lichtinger, Director, Institutional Research (strategic planning project manager)
- Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann ’06, Vice President, Government Relations and Community Affairs
In the coming weeks, we will share additional information about our timeline for this process, including opportunities for the campus community to be involved in shaping UMBC’s next strategic plan.
Until then, thank you for your continued commitment and investment of time and energy into ensuring that UMBC is ready for its bright future ahead.
Sincerely,
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
