In the Great Colleges to Work For rankings announced today, UMBC is not just featured on the Honor Roll, it has been recognized in every single award category. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes this list each fall. This is UMBC’s 12th consecutive year on the list, and 10th year on the Honor Roll.

The 70 U.S. colleges and universities selected for recognition this year are those most highly rated by employees through a survey by ModernThink. The ten categories of achievement include: 

• job satisfaction and support
• compensation and benefits
• professional development
• mission and pride
• supervisor/department chair effectiveness
• confidence in senior leadership
• faculty and staff well-being
• shared governance
• faculty experience
• diversity, inclusion and belonging

President Freeman Hrabowski, who recently announced his spring 2022 retirement, often speaks about UMBC’s strong sense of community and commitment to shared governance. “I have been so fortunate to be at a university that values people,” he recently shared with Inside Higher Ed. 

Speaking to the importance of mutual respect, clear communications, and transparency, he said, “We need leaders who believe in their institutions and we need institutions who will believe in their leaders. That doesn’t mean that we always agree, but it means that we believe in authenticity and integrity and speaking the truth.”

“It is gratifying to witness UMBC’s continued recognition by Great College to Work For,” says Valerie Thomas, UMBC’s chief human resources officer. “It’s my belief that because we are intentional about our focus on respect for everyone, employees can do their best in their roles. One major strength is shared governance. Listening to every voice helps us retain talent. And, our continued recognition as a great employer helps us attract new talent.”

Reconnecting with each other

Over the past year and a half, UMBC has worked to maintain strong connections while many employees were working remotely. Now, as many faculty and staff have returned to campus, there is an emphasis on reestablishing partnerships, growing relationships, and better getting to know new team members hired during the remote work period.

“As we enter into an exciting transition year at UMBC, it’s no surprise that we continue to be featured as a ‘Great College to Work For,’” says Jessica Wyatt, president of UMBC’s Professional Staff Senate and assistant director of alumni relations. “There are opportunities to vision new futures based on the traditions and successes of our past.”

During the pandemic, many faculty and staff connected with each other accessed essential resources and information through the UMBC Together group. Employees also actively worked through shared governance groups to contribute their voices to planning around COVID and to discuss other important and challenging issues.

“As Faculty Senate President during the pandemic and the repeated instances of political and racial violence that took place in 2020 and 2021, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how the leadership came together to ensure that our community felt safe and to model a zero-tolerance approach to social and racial injustice,” says Orianne Smith, president of UMBC’s Faculty Senate and associate professor of English. 

“I’ve always thought that UMBC is a great college to work for but this past year convinced me that UMBC goes above and beyond in prioritizing our people over and above all other considerations,” Smith says. “I feel lucky to work here.”

Sustaining the campus

Throughout the pandemic, a small but dedicated number of faculty and staff continued coming to campus. They helped sustain campus systems and services both for those students who did need to remain on campus during COVID and to be ready for the larger community’s return this fall.

These include employees from areas as diverse as dining services, residential life, UMBC Police, athletics, facilities management and UMBC Preschool. Also on campus were several researchers, carrying forward work related to COVID and beyond.

“It is not surprising to me that UMBC continues to be included in the Great College to Work For list,” says Melody Wright, president of UMBC’s Nonexempt Staff Senate and academic business services specialist in biological sciences. “I have worked for UMBC for 10 of those 12 years on the list. It is times like the ones we are experiencing right now—seeing people pull together for the common good of our campus, our work environment, our community—that remind me why I chose to work for UMBC in the first place.” 

“It is not just a place to work, it is a community in which shared governance thrives,” says Wright, “and I am honored to be a part of it.”

Banner image: UMBC staff welcome students to campus during move-in weekend. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

As UMBC welcomes the largest incoming class in its history, the 2022 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges rankings affirm UMBC’s position as one of the top universities in the nation. UMBC is among the best of the best in both undergraduate teaching and innovation, and distinguished in several other key areas. 

U.S. News ranks UMBC #6 among all U.S. universities for undergraduate teaching this year. This recognition honors the unwavering commitment of UMBC’s faculty and staff in helping students navigate a largely virtual and hybrid curriculum during the COVID pandemic. UMBC is the only Maryland public university to appear on the list.

UMBC has advanced to number #6 on the Most Innovative Universities list, just ahead of Stanford. Joining UMBC in the top 10 are institutions like MIT and Carnegie Mellon. UMBC is the only Maryland university on the list this year. 

“What has always set UMBC apart is the people,” says President Freeman Hrabowski. “Year after year, these rankings illustrate the many ways in which our faculty and staff work to support the success and well-being of our students.”

These honors reflect UMBC’s emphasis on constantly evolving to more effectively support student success. The University Innovation Alliance (UIA) announced UMBC as its newest member earlier this year. The pioneering consortium of 13 select public research universities boosts student success through sharing and scaling approaches that work. 

“It’s our responsibility to understand the challenges students face at the most granular level possible, and to provide resources to help them reach their goals,” says Katharine H. Cole, UMBC’s vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Top honors 

In addition to these rankings and recognition as a top national university, UMBC is also a top-100 Best Public University and Best Value University. And U.S. News spotlights UMBC on its lists of top universities for ethnic diversity and for veterans.

“UMBC’s continued leadership in the rankings is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence,” says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, UMBC’s vice provost for Enrollment Management and Planning. “We provide opportunities and support for all students to succeed.”

The Best Value designation is especially meaningful for many in the UMBC community, which is known for welcoming talented first-generation college students, transfer students, and others with financial considerations in mind. Recently quoted in The Washington Post, President Hrabowski hassaid, “The significance of our success is that we are saying to the country and to young people that you don’t have to be rich to be the very best. Middle class institutions can produce some of the best thinkers in the world.”

Excellence in engineering and computer science 

U.S. News also recognizes UMBC as a top-100 institution for both undergraduate engineering and computer science programs. This comes as no surprise to campus leaders, given the success of graduates in these areas. 

In addition to UMBC producing alumni like Clemson University President James P. Clements ’85, computer science, M.S. ’91, Ph.D. ’93, operations analysis, and Rhodes Scholar Naomi Mburu M26, ‘18, chemical engineering, new National Science Foundation (NSF) data on UMBC graduates reveal exciting findings. 

“According to NSF data, UMBC is the number one baccalaureate institution for African American undergraduates who go on to earn Ph.D.s in the natural sciences and engineering, as well as doctorates in the life sciences, mathematics, and computer science,” report Hrabowski and Peter Henderson, senior advisor to the president. 

Also exemplifying this excellence are UMBC’s Goldwater Scholars. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program supports talented undergraduates in strategic STEM areas. UMBC set a university record by producing four Goldwater Scholars in 2021-22—in computer engineering, physics, mathematics, and bioinformatics. Today, UMBC is one of the highest-producing universities for Goldwater Scholars in the nation.

UMBC has also become synonymous for excellence in cybersecurity. Governor Larry Hogan announced the launch of the Maryland Institute for Innovative Computing (MIIC) at UMBC during a cybersecurity summit in Annapolis over the summer. And the UMBC Cyber Dawgs again took home first place in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC) in May. The virtual competition held this past spring marks the fourth time in seven years that the Cyber Dawgs have won the MACCDC. 

“The faculty, staff, and graduate assistants in our college have given their all to supporting our undergraduate students through the pandemic,” says Keith Bowman, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT). “That the success of our programs and students is so highly considered by colleagues is truly gratifying.” 

High-impact research

UMBC’s strength across a range of rankings reflects how the university emphasizes both teaching and research as complementary priorities. Faculty bring their research into the classroom and also engage students at all levels in moving research forward. At UMBC, one of the top 100 public universities in federal research funding, this particularly includes public impact research that connects with communities and has a tangible effect on people’s lives. 

For example, faculty have closely involved students in recent research to improve accessible COVID-19 testing technologies, help low-income Baltimore families access the internet during COVID, strengthen teacher preparation programs, and develop algorithms for drones surveying sites of natural disasters. And they are creating new research opportunities for students every day, like fieldwork studying arachnids.

Faculty and staff also help students build on their UMBC research experiences by pursuing hands-on opportunities to apply what they are learning beyond UMBC.

Speaking to Inside Higher Edrecently, Pres. Hrabowski echoed the importance of faculty who are deeply invested in the experiences and success of students. He shared, “Educators must focus on creating an environment in which it is great to be loving learning.” 

Through this approach, the publication notes, Pres. Hrabowski and UMBC have “built a legacy challenging the assumption that only prestigious, wealthy colleges foster educational excellence.”

Header image: Amanda Knapp, associate vice provost of UAA, meets with a student in the Academic Success Center in 2019. All images by Marlayna Demond ’11 unless otherwise noted.

Princeton Review features UMBC in the 2022 issue of its popular college guide, The Best 387 Colleges. UMBC’s profile in the guide highlights the university’s academic strengths and supportive community spirit.

This university is a place “where teaching comes first” and where faculty “have a knack for inspiring the students,” share students quoted in the piece. Another notes, “UMBC wants to see every student succeed—they provide you with the tools, people, and resources to make sure you get where you want to go in life.”

Princeton Review highlights UMBC’s range of academic strengths, from the sciences to the performing arts. The publication also spotlights UMBC’s active campus life, student diversity, and very strong career services. It shares an overall sense that the “school is well run” and “students are happy.”

The feature notes that most undergrads agree that “the typical student at UMBC is interested in doing well academically.” At the same time, students are highly engaged in extracurriculars, and one emphasizes, “There are a lot of activities held by student organizations.”

For its 30th edition, Princeton Review surveyed 154,000 students from across the U.S. They also reviewed previous material to assess the consistency of universities’ strengths over time.

A top college for student voting

Washington Monthly has also kicked off the school year by releasing a college guide: America’s Best Colleges for Voting. The list highlights UMBC as one of the nation’s top universities when it comes to the percentage of students registered to vote.

“This recognition is a testament to a UMBC culture that values active engagement in every setting, including on campus, in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, and in local, state, and national politics,” say David Hoffman, Ph.D. ’13, language, literacy, and culture, and Romy Hübler ’09, modern languages and linguistics, M.A. ’11, intercultural communication, Ph.D. ’15, LLC. They serve as director and assistant director, respectively, of UMBC’s Center for Democracy and Civic Life, launched in 2018.

Hoffman and Hübler note, “At UMBC we ‘cast our whole vote.’ This means we vote, engage in conversations about the issues affecting us, and take responsibility for working collectively to build strong, inclusive, and just communities in which everyone can thrive.”

The Washington Monthly list reflects 2016 and 2018 data, as student voter turnout from election 2020 won’t be available for a few months. However, UMBC’s early indicators for 2020 student voter turnout are strong.

In November 2020, UMBC placed ninth in the nationwide 2020 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The competition encourages college students to pledge to vote based on evidence that public pledges increase follow-through. Hearing the news that UMBC was in the top 10 nationwide, President Freeman Hrabowski reflected, “UMBC is a national model for community engagement.”

World University Rankings

Times Higher Education just announced its 2022 World University Rankings as well, again including UMBC in this year’s list. UMBC is among the top 800 universities on the global list and #122 of U.S. universities included. The university performed particularly well in the area of research. UMBC’s research enterprise continues to expand in funding (now surpassing $84 million in annual research expenditures) as well as national and global reputation.

The publication is announcing its subject-area rankings gradually throughout the fall. So far, UMBC appears on three subject-area lists: among the world’s top 400 universities in the life sciences, and among the top 500 in psychology and the physical sciences. Times Higher Education will announce additional STEM, arts, and humanities rankings in the coming weeks.

In the Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education U.S. College Rankings 2022, UMBC ranks among the top 200 U.S. universities for educational outcomes, with strong graduation rates and graduate salaries and low levels of debt after graduation. UMBC ranks among the top 125 in educational environment, with particularly high marks for student and faculty diversity.

Featured image: First day of classes at UMBC, fall 2021. Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

This article was updated on Sept. 21, 2021, to include new Times Higher Education rankings.

“I feel like I’ve waited a very long time to say this, but…welcome home.” 

Speaking at UMBC’s annual Fall Opening Meeting, Provost Philip Rous acknowledged the gravity of the moment—the first time faculty, staff, students, and friends gathered in person in over a year. Marking the official opening of the 2021-2022 academic year, campus leaders shared meaningful milestones with the community, joining from the renovated Retriever Activity Center and online. 

UMBC is on pace to welcome nearly 2,100 new first-year students, making this the largest incoming fall class in UMBC’s history. 

First-year student Ashley Gomez chose UMBC because, she says, it “allows me to be a full-time student, still work, be with my family, be a dancer, and accomplish all that I’ve dreamed of doing. UMBC allows me to make my family proud.” 

With nearly 1,000 transfer students and additional international undergraduates and graduate students enrolled, almost 4,000 total new students will join Retriever Nation this fall. Plus, more than 100 students will return to UMBC as part of the Finish Line program to complete their degrees, some more than 10 years after their academic journey began. 

Like most universities, UMBC elected to make standardized tests optional for applicants in 2021. With this in mind, the average SAT for the incoming first-year class is an impressive 1297 for those who submitted scores. 

A welcoming atmosphere for all

This year’s international student population is also looking at a record year for enrollment. 

“In spite of the unprecedented challenges posed by a global pandemic, students from around the world continue to persevere in order to begin their studies at UMBC,” says David Di Maria, senior international officer and associate vice provost for international education. “This not only speaks to the high value placed on a UMBC education, but it is also a notable demonstration of true grit.”

University rankings reflect UMBC’s success in building an international reputation for excellence and impact. The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) included UMBC among the top 3.7% of universities on its global 2021-22 list. U.S. News and World Report also considers UMBC a leader on the global stage, included in their 2021 Best Global Universities list. 

“We are excited to welcome such a remarkable cohort of the world’s best and brightest to our UMBC community this semester,” says Adam Julian, director of international student and scholar services. “These students have demonstrated many incredible skills and qualities as they overcame the challenges and obstacles of the global pandemic.”

UMBC’s commitment to fostering a collaborative classroom environment is what drew many international students to the campus. Nigerian student Praise Lasekan ’25, biological sciences, can’t wait to study in an environment where students are encouraged to actively dialogue with faculty and each other.

“I was excited to learn that I can ask my professors questions at UMBC,” says Lasekan. “I’m here to learn as much as possible and want to work with professors, students, and anyone I can learn something from.”

Recognizing leadership

UMBC’s growing national and international stature is also visible among higher ed professionals. Dale Bittinger ’16, M.P.P., assistant vice provost of undergraduate admissions, orientation, and school partnerships, has for years worked closely with Common App, a national non-profit focused on college admissions. He recently became Chair-Elect of the Common App Board of Directors, and his leadership marks an important first.

“This is the first time in the Common App’s history that the position is held by someone from a public university,” says Bittinger. “I think this selection speaks to UMBC being a leader on the national stage and I look forward to representing us, as well as all other public institutions, in this capacity.”

Welcome home, Retrievers

One of the traditions new students enjoy the most is the host of UMBC Welcome Week activities. With limited students living on campus last fall, most events were held virtually. This year, UMBC is offering a hybrid schedule of Welcome Week events for both first-year students and sophomores (most of whom are now on campus for the first time) to ensure everyone gets the full experience.

This past weekend, both cohorts had dedicated move-in days, complete with their own activities. 

“The world has changed and we know COVID is part of that world. Planning student events now means taking into account more detailed health and safety requirements, as well as knowing what will make for a fun student experience,” says Jen Dress, associate director of campus life. “We’ve been looking forward to renewed energy and presence on campus and being able to continue many of our traditions.”

After unpacking their boxes and hanging their Retriever gear in their closets, new students had a chance to enjoy Retriever Fest. They made their way to Erickson Field to learn more about campus offerings, meet friends, and snag some UMBC swag. They also had the opportunity to check out the newly upgraded Retriever Activity Center (RAC). 

Exploring campus

While the doors were closed to the public last year, there was a dedicated team working inside to completely overhaul the RAC. With a budget of $28 million, approximately 77% of the building was renovated. Updates include doubling the weight training space, with seven tons of free weights and plates; quadrupling the cardio space, with 95 pieces of cardio equipment; adding a new cycle studio; and locker room renovations. 

“The newly-renovated RAC will help transform the UMBC campus. The RAC will engage students, faculty, and staff while providing far more programs and activities with a focus on fitness and wellness,” says Gary Wohlstetter, senior associate athletic director. “It will have an immediate positive impact on our current users and will be a great asset to attract new Retrievers who will be able to see the priority we place on health, wellness, and community-building.”

New Retrievers also had the opportunity to spend time in UMBC’s Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena during Convocation, the official start to the new semester. Mehrshad Fahim Devin ‘22, physics, president of UMBC’s Student Government Association, shared in personal remarks to the crowd that he had difficulty adjusting to UMBC when he first arrived, but felt compelled to see it through.

“I stayed because of a phenomenon which I like to call the ‘UMBC butterfly effect,’” he said. “I’m sure you’re all familiar with the theory that a small change could lead to a larger and more significant difference. That theory is very prevalent at UMBC and you will all experience it before the end of this year.”

For Devin, that moment was attending a meeting, a few months into his freshman year, where he realized that at UMBC, students are encouraged to co-create the campus community, in partnership with faculty and staff.

An historic year

The start of this academic year is also unique in that it marks an important transition in university history. After 30 years as president, Freeman Hrabowski announced he will retire at the close of the 2021-2022 academic year. The University System of Maryland will conduct a national search to find UMBC’s next president. Until then, Hrabowski is making the most of every campus event this year. 

Onlookers noticed Hrabowski with phone in hand during the Fall Opening Meeting, as he filmed the audience for what would be his last State of the University address. Looking at the crowd of colleagues, Hrabowski reflected on his tenure at UMBC saying, “This is the house that love has built. We show the world that we can transform lives through education.”

Featured Image: “Welcome home, Retriever Nation” signs lining a walkway with students in the background. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC has seen its share of academic and athletic success across a wide range of fields and sports, but the University recently earned national acclaim in something new: figure skating.

Maya Jones ‘22, psychology, took home the bronze medal for UMBC at the 2021 U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships in Pennsylvania on July 29 (Junior Ladies category). She earned a total of 103.18 points, including 66.55 points in her free skate to “The Dying Swan” by Camille Saint-Saëns. U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone reports that the program opened with a double Lutz-double toe loop combination and also featured two Level 4 spins.

Maya Jones. Photo courtesy of the Jones Family.

We caught up with Maya to ask her about her performance, how she got into figure skating, and how her passion for athleticism and artistry on the ice connects with her UMBC experience.

Congrats on winning bronze at the 2021 U.S. Collegiate Figure Skating Championships. What was the experience like?

Thank you so much. I’m just extremely happy and grateful to be able to be back on the ice and compete again after pausing on competitions for over one and a half years due to COVID. Being able to put out two clean, well-skated programs, I felt euphoric. Figure skating is a sport that has a huge ratio between practice time and competition time, so to be able to skate well when it matters most, especially after not competing for so long, was an incredible experience.

How did you get into figure skating?

My mom is actually my coach, so she put me on the ice as soon as I could walk. After that I just completely fell in love with the sport. Skating combines artistry with athleticism, and I think that’s what draws me to it the most. It’s a sport that is not only physically challenging, but mentally as well. The sense of achievement that comes from overcoming those physical and mental barriers is unlike anything else I have experienced. Every day of practice is a challenge in one way or the other, and every time I face something new. Sometimes you are able to overcome those challenges and other times you are not, but that’s what keeps it exciting, and the challenges I am able to overcome are what makes me love the sport the most.

What is your practice schedule like?

My practice schedule is all over the place. The specific days and amount of times I skate per week are completely dependent on the amount of schoolwork I have that particular week, so no two weeks are ever the same. 

How hard has it been to balance college life with figure skating?

I always plan ahead. I try to set certain times for schoolwork and certain times for practice. Obviously, school comes first, so I haven’t been able to skate as much as I did in high school. Some weeks I’m able to skate four or five times a week, and other times none, but I’m just happy to be able to skate at a competitive level in college.

Maya Jones, second from right, and her fellow competitors at the competition. Photo courtesy of the Jones Family.

How did the pandemic affect your training?

When everything shut down due to COVID, I was completely unable to skate for three months which is the longest I’ve ever gone without skating. For the first couple of months back, there wasn’t a lot of ice time available, so I was only able to skate once every week or two. Thankfully, I’ve now been able to resume practicing at my usual amount.

How supportive are the friends you have made at UMBC of your figure skating?

They’re very supportive. I’ve taken a few people to skate on public sessions, which is always very fun.

Why did you choose UMBC?

I chose UMBC because I wanted a top-quality academic experience and I also knew UMBC had strong STEM programs. I’m combining my psychology major with a biology minor, and I have found that UMBC offers strong classes in both fields. I also really liked the atmosphere of the campus. It’s allowed me to form relationships that have had a strong impact on me as a person.

What’s in the future for you?

I’m actually going to audition for Disney on Ice. I’ll be graduating in the fall, so I’m hoping that once I graduate I can have skating as my career for a year or two. After that, I plan to start training to become an airline pilot, which I started exploring as a career after talking with a UMBC friend who is training to become a pilot. I’m confident that UMBC has put me into the right mindset to be able to tackle the challenges that come with the training.

Article by Zach Seidel ’12, M.S. ’15, director of digital media for UMBC Athletics.

Banner image: Ice skates. Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash.com.

A high-potential green space on the edge of UMBC’s main campus will see big changes in the coming months. A new $1 million grant from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, combined with about $1.4 million of university investment, will fund a major stream restoration on campus. The stream is a small tributary of the West Branch Herbert Run, and it flows through campus by the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena and bwtech@UMBC. The stream is part of the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.

“This project will not only create and enhance wetland and stream habitats and functions, it will also provide recreational enhancements such as walking trails with stream access and connection to other existing trails,” says Lenn Caron, associate vice president of facilities management. 

Additionally, he notes, “the restored stream will elevate UMBC’s aesthetic appeal and provide a pleasant natural environment for members of the campus and local community for recreation, exercise and watershed education.”

Restoring Herbert Run is part of UMBC’s Institutional Management Plan, a stormwater master plan put in place in 2014. The plan empowers UMBC to “make decisions that serve the campus’s interests on a broader scale—on a watershed basis,” rather than addressing stormwater requirements for new construction projects in isolation, explains Larry Hennessey, associate director of design and construction services and the lead on the restoration work. “This is the outcome of many years of stormwater planning.”

Larry Hennessey at UMBC’s community garden. Photo courtesy Larry Hennessey.

Recreating a healthy stream

The need for the restoration is a result of decades of growth at UMBC and in the surrounding community. In a forest, soil absorbs and filters a large percentage of precipitation exactly where it falls, leaving only a small portion to flow into nearby streams. However, development leads to an increase in surfaces that water can’t penetrate, like concrete and building roofs. This generates more runoff that enters streams. Because the natural stream channel didn’t form to handle that much water, the increased runoff quickly erodes the stream banks.

As the bank erodes, “the stream channel becomes so deep that it’s no longer connected to the floodplain,” Hennessey says. The water can’t spread out and seep into adjacent land, so it flows with greater speed and force through the stream, worsening erosion. “It becomes a self-perpetuating problem,” Hennessey says.

The restoration project will “reconnect the stream with the floodplain by raising the streambed and adding natural features in the stream to slow down the flow,” Hennessey explains. “By spreading the water out, when you do get a big storm event, the impacts won’t be concentrated in a small area. The stream will function the way it was intended to function.”

The West Branch Herbert Run on campus prior to the restoration. The height of the bank indicates extensive erosion that separates the stream from the natural floodplain. Photo courtesy Larry Hennessey.

Welcoming visitors—wild and human

Additional benefits of the project abound. Eroded, fast-flowing streams don’t support nearly as much wildlife as healthy streams connected to the floodplain. While it may alarm some observers that the stream restoration involves removing trees, “Lower portions of the trees are left in the stream to create deeper pools and riffles,” Hennessey says. These microhabitats attract animals like frogs, dragonflies, crayfish, and even herons. “This is going to significantly improve our ecosystem,” he explains.

The restoration will also enhance the experience of Herbert Run for humans. The Herbert Run Greenway walking path traverses the Conservation and Environmental Research Area (CERA) and follows the stream as it meanders across the southeast quadrant of campus. 

Along the portion of the stream to be restored, concrete stairs lead down to a frequently submerged concrete walkway, and the land beside the stream is clogged with invasive plants. Once the project is finished, however, a healthier streamside and new nature trail dotted with informational signage will greet visitors in this section of the greenway.

Larry Hennessey (rear, blue shirt) with students from the Environmental Task Force, a UMBC student organization that he advises, after one of their stream clean-ups. Photo courtesy Larry Hennessey.

New tech, new strategies

The campus implemented its first stormwater management facilities decades ago by installing ponds near some buildings to collect stormwater runoff. The ponds prevented a rush of fast-flowing water into streams during storms, slowing erosion. These projects focused on stormwater quantity, but did little to address the quality of the runoff. The runoff would deposit sediment in streams, causing more problems.

This challenge is far from unique to UMBC. “The entire Chesapeake Bay is filled with plumes of sediment after a rain event, because this is happening everywhere,” Hennessey says. “The ponds were a good first step, but they didn’t really solve the problem. We still had detrimental effects of the stormwater runoff coming out of the ponds.”

Over time, as technology and understanding of the damage caused by runoff increased, the strategies changed. New projects, like UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, include bioretention facilities that both slow the flow of water to streams and use a special medium underground to effectively filter out sediment and other harmful compounds.

Plantings in the Commons Plaza, adjacent to the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, are the aboveground element of a bioretention facility to remediate runoff generated by the building. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

A commitment to sustainability

Hennessey has been with UMBC since 2007 and has a deep personal commitment to landscape stewardship. Previous projects he’s been involved with included landscape conversions, such as from a lawn to a no-mow pollinator meadow, and improving the functionality of older stormwater management installations, like the ponds.

He is excited to see this new project launch after almost a decade of planning. There was some question as to whether the project as originally designed would come to fruition due to funding constraints, but the grant from Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund removed that barrier.

The project “highlights our goal of continuous improvement, both visually and functionally,” Caron notes. Simpler options, like street-sweeping, might have met environmental requirements, but would not have yielded the same long-term benefits. The decision to pursue a stream restoration on campus, Caron says, “demonstrates our commitment to environmental sustainability.”

Banner image: The UMBC Library Pond and adjacent vegetation, upgraded in 2014, serve as a stormwater management facility on campus. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Today, the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) announced UMBC as its newest member. The pioneering consortium of public research universities boosts student success through sharing and scaling approaches that work. UMBC and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) are the first two universities selected to join the network since its founding in 2014.

Increasing graduation rates

During President Barack Obama’s College Opportunity Summit in 2014, the UIA’s eleven founding institutions set a target of graduating 68,000 additional students over ten years, including half from low-income backgrounds. In just six years, they have already exceeded that goal. Together, they have graduated more than 73,000 additional students, increasing graduates from low-income backgrounds by 36 percent and graduates of color by 73 percent. 

Now, the UIA is on track to reach double its original goal by 2023. Supporting this increase will be fresh, data-driven ideas from UMBC and N.C. A&T. 

Both institutions have a long history of supporting students from underrepresented groups, including low-income and first-generation students and students of color. In ten years, UMBC increased its six-year graduation rate for full-time freshmen from 55.7% for the fall 2005 cohort to 69.2% for the fall 2014 cohort.

“We have seen very positive trends in UMBC’s student retention and graduation rates, but this is an important opportunity to dive deeper into our data, and to look at how we can better support students who are struggling,” says Katharine H. Cole, UMBC’s vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. “It’s our responsibility to understand the challenges students face at the most granular level possible, and to provide resources to help them reach their goals.”

Leaders in student support and achievement

In the next phase of its work, the UIA will focus on eliminating disparities in educational outcomes based on race and ethnicity, in addition to disparities by income, first-generation college student status, gender, and geography. The UIA has described the addition of “like-minded institutions” UMBC and N.C. A&T as core to this expanded focus.

UMBC opened in 1966 as the first public university in Maryland to include students of all races, and is federally designated as a minority-serving institution. The university prioritizes experiential learning opportunities, including internships, service-learning, and research. Eighty-seven percent of UMBC graduates head directly into a job, advanced degree, or both. A majority of those employed interned or worked for their employer as UMBC students. 

Yvette Mozie-Ross. Photo courtesy of Mozie-Ross.

“As a historically diverse institution that has had success in supporting and promoting underrepresented student achievement, we look forward to bringing our experiences and insight to this critical work as part of the UIA collaborative,” says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, UMBC’s vice provost for Enrollment Management and Planning.

N.C. A&T is the nation’s largest public Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The university graduates large numbers of Black students in mathematics, statistics, engineering, and agriculture. 

U.S. News & World Report has named both UMBC and N.C A&T leaders in innovation and in undergraduate teaching. According to the National Science Foundation, UMBC and N.C. A&T are also the #1 and #2 universities in the nation, respectively, in producing Black graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D. in the natural sciences and engineering.

Sharing insights and tools

“When thinking about the next chapter of the UIA, we reviewed the outcomes and mission of every R1 and R2 institution in the country,” says UIA Executive Director Bridget Burns, referring to U.S. universities with top Carnegie Classifications for research activity. “A&T and UMBC immediately stood out for their leadership and demonstrated commitment to student success,” she notes.

Living out this commitment through the UIA will include sharing data on the efficacy of different approaches to supporting students. It will also include sustained focus to implement, test, and refine strategies to remove impediments to student success.

“I have long admired the ambitious work of the University Innovation Alliance,” says UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski. “Over the last two decades we have worked tirelessly to create a culture that is committed to innovative teaching, relevant research, and creating a supportive community to help inspire students, and we are excited to share our insights and tools with the UIA community.” 

Featured image: Amanda Knapp and Katharine Cole speak with students in UMBC’s Academic Success Center, 2019. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 unless otherwise noted.

This week, UMBC announced plans to reopen the campus for the Fall 2021 semester, providing most courses and campus services face-to-face or in a hybrid format.

“I cannot wait to walk across campus and to again see it busy with students, faculty, and staff,” said President Freeman Hrabowski. “It will be very special to reclaim the vibrant campus community life that we have all missed.”

He and Provost Philip Rous have cited ongoing progress in COVID-19 vaccine access and updated public health guidance as key factors in the university’s planning.

This news comes just over a year after UMBC temporarily moved most teaching and learning, community building, research, and other operations online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know that our students really miss seeing their friends on campus. And they miss being able to go to in-person events and connect with their professors face-to-face,” says Nancy Young, vice president for Student Affairs. 

“We’ve discovered innovative ways to help Retrievers find community and stay connected online during the pandemic,” she shares. “At the same time, we know how meaningful it will be for returning students to connect in person once again, and for incoming students to have opportunities for in-person experiences.”

The COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee has been working with faculty, staff, and student leaders across the university to plan for a fall that offers opportunities to live, learn, and work on campus, with appropriate safety measures in place. Plans also take into account the diverse needs and individual health concerns of UMBC community members.

Classes, housing, and events

Course registration is now open for both undergraduate and graduate students. Most courses will be offered in-person or in a hybrid format. The university will continue to make additions to the Schedule of Classes over the coming months.

UMBC is preparing to reopen residence halls at up to 95 percent occupancy. More information about housing spaces, rates, and adjustments to meet public health guidance will be available soon.

The university is planning a full Fall 2021 calendar of on-campus events open to both residential and off-campus students.

Yvette Mozie-Ross. Image courtesy of Mozie-Ross.

“We are excited to be able to return to offering a fully immersive on-campus experience this fall,” says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, health science and policy. She serves as vice provost for enrollment management and planning.

“These experiences help to enrich the academic and social life at UMBC for many of our students,” says Mozie-Ross. “We are also excited to carry forward all that we learned during the pandemic about ways that online learning, support, and community-building resources can complement on-campus courses and services.”

Facilities for recreation, well-being, and learning

Brian Barrio, 2019

Over the past year, UMBC fully renovated the Retriever Activities Center (RAC). The updated space will offer expanded recreation facilities. These include a track, cardio-training, weight-training, spinning, group exercise space, and basketball courts.

The building really has been transformed,” says Brian Barrio, UMBC’s director of Athletics. “There will be something for everyone’s recreational or fitness needs. It is really exciting.”

A brand new student well-being facility is under construction next to Erickson Field. It will soon house UMBC’s health, counseling, restorative services, and spiritual resources.

The university continues to thoughtfully plan for the reopening of additional facilities and community spaces, including the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery, The Commons, performance spaces, and other gathering spaces.

Ongoing focus on safety, flexibility

“We look forward to a much more active on-campus community this fall,” says President Hrabowski. “At the same time, we know the pandemic is not over. We must continue to be as flexible as possible.”

UMBC will continue to rigorously follow local, state, and federal public health guidance. This includes safety measures regarding testing, symptom tracking, mandatory mask wearing, hygiene, ventilation, physical distancing, and space occupancy, as required. 

The university strongly encourages all students, faculty, and staff to seek vaccination for COVID-19 once they are eligible. Campus leaders note that current public health guidance indicates increased vaccination will enable more expansion of in-person activities.

“We are constantly following the science and public health guidance,” says Young, “and the science says that the more vaccinated our community becomes, the more open we can be.”

“We have been thrilled to hear about expanding access to highly effective COVID-19 vaccines,” she shares. “It’s really been a game-changer for us, to be able to look ahead with optimism for seeing each other again soon, on campus.”

Knowing that individual community members have different situations and concerns, UMBC will continue to emphasize flexibility and responsiveness in meeting diverse student, faculty, and staff needs. 

Community members with questions about COVID-19 and the Fall 2021 semester can contact covid19@umbc.edu.

Featured image: UMBC Orientation Peer Advisors in 2018. Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC unless otherwise noted.

The fourth annual National Day of Racial Healing is on Tuesday, January 19. The goal of the day is to promote racial healing and equity across the United States through collective action. UMBC will observe the day in spirit and action.

As a unified front, UMBC leadership—including President Freeman Hrabowski, Provost Philip Rous, and shared governance leaders—are signing a letter to Maryland’s Congressional delegation in support of a Congressional Resolution, which calls for the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT). 

“Having university leadership sign on in support of this resolution is a big step,” says Eric Ford, director of The Choice Program at UMBC. “It sets the example for other institutions of higher education to do the same. For so long, higher ed has perpetuated inequities and now we have the responsibility to address it. By taking this step, UMBC is sending a message to the campus community that inclusive excellence is not just a slogan but a virtue we live by.”

Melody Wright, president, Non-Exempt Staff Senate, is one of the campus leaders signing the joint letter. “The voices of those seeking justice have been muffled for far too long,” says Wright, “and those voices must be amplified and heard for true racial healing to begin. You cannot truly understand someone’s story unless you have lived it with them, but carefully listening to someone’s lived experiences is a great place to start.” 

In addition to the letter signed by campus leaders, UMBC community members have an opportunity to write to their own senators and representatives about the TRHT resolution. An online event on January 19 will provide additional information about the goal of the TRHT resolution and the work of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation at UMBC. 

Read Senator Ben Cardin’s response to UMBC’s letter here.

Transformation is ongoing work

In 2017, UMBC partnered with the Association of American Colleges and Universities to become one of the first Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Centers in the country. UMBC’s THRT Campus Center work involves breaking down racial hierarchies with a focus on the university’s service-learning and community engagement partnerships in Baltimore City. Ford shares that truth, racial healing, and transformation are all essential to effective and responsible service-learning and community engagement.

To begin the process of truth telling, The Choice Program underwent a yearlong antiracism audit of the organization. As a result, according to Ford and Frank Anderson, a doctoral student in language, literacy, and culture and the associate director of programs at Choice, the organization’s entire service model was rewritten. Their focus is to ensure that the voices and experiences of the young people being served are at the forefront of the work.

The Choice Program—the Shriver’s Center’s oldest and largest service-learning initiative—has become an opportunity to envision the TRHT model at scale, identifying what it means to engage 36 AmeriCorps members as they serve more than 600 young people each year.

Accountability is crucial

Briscoe Turner ’21, psychology, was drawn to Choice after hearing about the program-wide audit. Now an intern at the TRHT Campus Center, Turner is helping to spearhead the letter-writing initiative. 

“Members of Congress need to hear the thoughts and experiences of students and staff to make sure that the TRHT Commission actually serves its purpose by actively challenging the racist practices and policies embedded in this country’s major institutions that impact the surrounding community,” says Turner. “Accountability is crucial.”

By following the TRHT model, The Shriver Center has also been able to work with undergraduate researchers to reevaluate media narratives about Baltimore. The Center has also used lessons from TRHT to reflect on already successful programs like College Night.

With College Night, young people from the Baltimore area connect with UMBC every Monday night, through on-campus visits pre-COVID-19 and virtual events today. Through the THRT model, organizers revised College Night training materials and reflections to ensure volunteers understood the broader context within which they were working. 

Supporting nationwide change 

In September 2020, UMBC hosted the first Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Town Hall during which community members learned more about the THRT Campus Center and UMBC’s connection to a national framework addressing race equity. Community partners and alumni spoke about how structural racism has impacted youth development in Maryland and how campus members can become agents of change.

UMBC supports the Congressional resolution, proposed by Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Barbara Lee, says Ford, because it amplifies the broader goals of the TRHT center and the important work being done by Retriever students and staff.

“It speaks truth to power by encouraging the acknowledgement of centuries of oppression of people of color,” says Ford. “It stresses the importance of telling the ‘story’ of people of color and their experiences in this country, which will restore our humanity that was stripped away by structural racism. And it is a step toward system change which is needed to achieve equity.”

A multiprong approach 

UMBC’s TRHT Campus Center is only one facet of a larger institutional acknowledgement that the university, like others across the country, needs to confront racism within its own structures and community.

In 2019, UMBC founded the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI), which is responsible for promoting and coordinating the university’s core values of inclusive excellence and equity. The center has primary responsibility for managing UMBC’s work related to Title IX as well as other civil rights issues. 

In June 2020, UMBC formed an Inclusion Council to bring together faculty, staff, students, and alumni to help address issues of equity and inclusion at UMBC. The council’s co-chair, Ariana Arnold, director of OEI, shares her hopes for the group and campus as a whole.

“What I’d like to be able to say a year from now,” Arnold shares, “is that we are doing the work and not just talking about the work. And that five years from now we’ve had a measurable impact on campus in terms of both engaging people from all political, racial, ethnic, religious, cultural backgrounds, abilities, and nationalities and improving the sense of inclusion and belonging on campus.”

The Inclusion Council, OEI, and TRHT Campus Center are working together to make that vision of UMBC come to fruition. UMBC’s letter to Maryland’s representatives supporting the effort to bring the TRHT model to a national scale is the next step in the university’s ongoing work for truth, racial healing, and transformation.

Featured photo: In a 2017 gathering, Choice staff and AmeriCorps members take part in reflecting on how service transformed their lives. Photo courtesy of Eric Ford.

The UMBC community was the top contributor to the 2020 Maryland Charity Campaign (MCC), supporting non-profit organizations across the state in a particularly challenging year.

UMBC’s faculty and staff contributed nearly $250,000 overall for the 2020 campaign, the highest among all state agencies and in the University System of Maryland (USM). For the past six years, UMBC has been awarded the MCC Participation Award for our commitment to giving. Contributions from UMBC community members in 2020 represent 42 percent of the USM total and 13 percent of the total from all state agencies.

“Our success this year truly demonstrates that hope is alive at UMBC,” says UMBC co-chair Dana Bradley, dean of the Erickson School of Aging Studies. “In a year of so many challenges, co-chair Chris Steele and I are so proud of our fellow Retrievers.”  

Supporting causes with personal meaning

Many contributors give to organizations with personal meaning to them—from food banks to animal shelters, and even to UMBC itself.

Seth Nagle, athletics, shares, “I am always excited to support the Maryland Charity Campaign each year. I made my pledge to support The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Inc. because I am passionate about the work that they do.”

“I give to the Board of Child Care,” says Catherine M. Bielawski, assistant dean in COEIT, “because it helps youth who have experienced trauma, and their families, achieve success in their communities, helping to ensure that their communities remain a place to live, work, and play.”

For more information about the Maryland Charity Campaign, visit mcc.umbc.edu.

Featured photo: View of UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.