Dear Colleagues,

As we are wrapping up the semester, I am excited to share with you how we will keep you updated regarding five senior leadership searches that are in various stages of the search process:

We have created web pages for each of these searches on the Office of the Provost website under the Office of the Provost tab, and I have also included the links above. We will update these web pages as new information is available. Isaacson, Miller is supporting UMBC in each of these searches.

I am sharing this information with you because your input is critical as we search for individuals to serve in these roles. My goal is to bring finalists for each of these searches to campus in the spring semester and have open forums for you to participate in. Once we have identified finalists for each search, we will share with you information about the details of the open forums (time and location). In addition, there will be an opportunity for you to provide feedback on the candidates that visit campus. Your participation and input are critically important as we are building UMBC’s academic future together.

In closing, I want to thank you for all you do and wish you a wonderful holiday break.

My best,

Dear Colleagues, 

As part of our ongoing commitment to faculty success, I am pleased to announce that Walter P. Parrish, III, will join UMBC as the assistant vice provost for faculty affairs on January 13, 2025. In this role, he will work on a variety of campus-wide programmatic initiatives supporting faculty success and will lead institutional processes to recruit, retain, and advance all faculty. 

Walter brings more than 17 years of experience in higher education as a scholar-practitioner. He currently serves as the director of diversity and inclusion at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, where he focuses on advancing the recruitment, retention, and career development of underrepresented students, resident physicians, and faculty, as well as promoting health equity education. 

Prior to his role at NYU, Walter held a similar position at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and spent seven years working in student affairs. He has also served as adjunct faculty at Seton Hall University and Widener University, contributing to the academic community through teaching and research. His scholarly work includes investigating academic bullying among faculty at four-year institutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in higher education from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Please join me in welcoming Walter to UMBC. 

Sincerely, 

Dear Colleagues, 

As we come to the end of the year and celebrate our Annual Service Awardees, one of the messages I hope you are hearing loud and clear is how important it is to "Care and Connect" with each other—know you are valued and that this community appreciates you.

To that end, as announced at our service awards event, UMBC will observe Tuesday, December 24, as an Administrative Leave day. This will extend our holiday break in December, with the campus reopening on Thursday, January 2, 2025. Timesheets for eligible Regular and Contingent II employees will be automatically coded with the administrative leave code (ADM). 

Please check with your supervisor to see if you are required to maintain essential services during this time. All collective bargaining employees required to work on this day will be paid in accordance with their collective bargaining agreements. Other employees who are required for essential services may use this Administrative Leave day on another day prior to March 31, 2025. 

We would like to thank all of you for your commitment to the university and our students. And I hope you enjoy a restful and joyful winter break!

Dear UMBC Community,

 

We are pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2025, we will be changing the titles of “lecturer,” “senior lecturer,” and “principal lecturer” to “assistant teaching professor,” “associate teaching professor,” and “teaching professor,” respectively.

 

These title changes reflect the roles and duties of our full-time teaching faculty and give UMBC the opportunity to model inclusive excellence within faculty ranks. Aligning our titles with those used at many other universities and systems nationwide will also enhance our ability to recruit and retain the most qualified full-time teaching faculty.

 

The decision to update the titles arose from a collaborative process involving shared governance, and UMBC faculty were essential in guiding changes at the system level. I would like to thank all UMBC faculty who participated in this multi-year process. In fall 2021, the UMBC Faculty Senate Executive Committee began exploring the possibility of a title change for lecturer rank faculty that better reflected the roles and duties of non-tenure track faculty. Through surveys and listening sessions, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee learned that including the word “professor” in the title would: align better with job descriptions and responsibilities than the word “lecturer”; improve how lecturers are perceived and valued on campus by students and other faculty and off campus at professional conferences; enhance perceived credibility when signing recommendations letters for their students; and reaffirm UMBC’s commitment to inclusive excellence within faculty ranks by giving our teaching faculty the recognition they deserve.

 

The title name changes were approved by the Faculty Senate on April 12, 2022. The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents approved and added the titles of “assistant teaching professor,” “associate teaching professor,” and “teaching professor” to the II-1.00 USM Policy on Appointment, Rank, and Tenure of Faculty on June 14, 2024. 

 

We believe these changes will positively impact our community and further UMBC’s mission of inclusivity and excellence.

 

Sincerely, 

 

Dear UMBC Community,

We hope that you will join us for the 2024 Service Awards Ceremony as we celebrate UMBC’s staff and their dedicated years of service to the state of Maryland and UMBC. We are excited to celebrate with you and all of our colleagues!

This year’s theme is Care and Connect, emphasizing the importance of community and recognition.

The event will once again feature a catered lunch, exciting prizes, and more.

Retriever Activities Center

Thursday, December 5

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

This event fills to capacity every year, so please RSVP today.

Dear UMBC Community, 

It is with great pleasure that I write to share the news of two key appointments in UMBC’s Academic Affairs leadership team. 

Effective November 4, Richard Darga has been appointed as interim dean for the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. Richard has 30 years of experience in education, health care, and information technology, and possesses demonstrated leadership ability in organizing, directing, and controlling the strategic planning and marketing function. He is also skilled at developing new services and successfully turning around problem operations. Richard was the dean of libraries for 12 years at Chicago State University, and for the last two years, he served as interim dean at Bowie State University and at Vermont State University. He has also served as a hospital administrator and chief information officer at the Northern Michigan Regional Health System. Richard earned a master’s degree in special education from Eastern Michigan University and a Ph.D. in educational foundations policy and administration from the University of Michigan. 

I would also like to take this moment to thank Lynda Aldana and Zandra Campbell, who have served for the past months as interim co-directors for the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery. As I noted in the leadership announcement on September 18, we will conduct a national search for a dean of the university library over the next year. 

Effective November 18, John M. Young has been appointed as provost chief of staff. John is an accomplished higher education administrator with a strong background in strategic advising and planning, operational leadership, team development, and risk management in university settings. Currently serving as chief of staff to the superintendent and professor of practice in management at Virginia Military Institute, John formerly held faculty appointments and academic leadership roles as vice chair for administration in preventive medicine and biostatistics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He also served as section chief and program director of the Healthcare Quality Master’s Program at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. John earned an executive master’s degree in leadership from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and a Ph.D. in professional studies, information management/data science, from Syracuse University, School of Information Studies. 

Please join us in welcoming Richard and John to the UMBC community! 

Sincerely, 

Each year, through the Maryland Charity Campaign, faculty and staff join their colleagues across the state to support local nonprofits that serve those in need in our communities. This year’s 2024 campaign will run now through December 13. 

Last year, the state raised almost $2 million to support local nonprofits. At UMBC, faculty and staff donated over $140,000. Your generosity allowed UMBC to once more be one of the top contributing entities across all state agencies and University System of Maryland campuses—and made a huge difference to organizations across the state. 

We invite you to participate in this year’s campaign by giving online and supporting an organization that is meaningful to you. You can make your donation using Maryland's secure online portal through payroll deduction or credit card. The portal also provides instructions for  how to designate a nonprofit to receive your donation. (Please select "Non-SSO Login" to sign in.) 

Thank you in advance for your generosity and your support of our neighbors and fellow Marylanders. If you have any questions, please contact Stanyell Odom in the Office of Institutional Advancement.