Provost’s Perspective: April 10, 2026

Earlier this week President Sheares Ashby and I met with the faculty and staff in the Department of Theatre. Meeting the UMBC community is one of my favorite things to do as I am always reminded how much talent and incredible work is happening at this university! 

While faculty and staff will raise challenges they are facing, it is important for me to be educated and learn about the great things a department is working on. I have been to theatre performances and, like those performances of our students, the faculty and staff also showed their innovation, creativity, and dedication to the university and improving people’s lives. 

The conversation led to faculty talking about what they are teaching students (skills/competencies) and how they are preparing students for careers. I was so impressed with the conversation and thoughtful insights from the faculty, which also demonstrated the power of the durable skills we teach in many of our disciplines.

While we may not know what many of the jobs of the future are, durable skills like conflict resolution, the ability to work in teams, the ability to work with others who are different from you, and dealing with failure (an often underestimated skill) will surely still be relevant in 2040 and beyond.

Next Chair and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work

I am excited to announce the appointment of Nancy Kusmaul as the next chair and associate dean of the School of Social Work starting July 1. Nancy’s appointment comes with overwhelming support from the School of Social Work Faculty and the recommendation of Dean Postmus. 

I would like to thank Kerri Evans who assisted with this process and extend my gratitude to Shelly Wiechelt for her service as chair and associate dean. 

Please join me in congratulating Nancy on her administrative appointment. I look forward to working with her and continuing to work with the School of Social Work in the coming years. 

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NEWS & NOTES

Final Day: Survey on Missed Class Time

Today is the final day to share examples and strategies that were utilized this spring to make up missed in-person/synchronous class time due to closures for inclement weather (e.g. asynchronous sharing of content, asynchronous activities, and/or administering additional assignments). 

Please submit the following survey to share with us the strategies you have utilized to make up time for your courses as needed this semester. Don’t miss your opportunity to let us know what worked or did not work.

Deadline: Friday, April 10

Survey link.

University Strategic Planning Survey Deadline Extended

The University Strategic Planning survey deadline has been extended to Friday, April 17. Share your perspectives on UMBC’s strategic plan via this survey. The survey includes five sections, each aligned with one of the university’s strategic pillars. As a reminder, the pillars are:

• Cultivate organizational innovation and vitality
• Redefine excellence in research and creative achievement
• Strengthen Maryland and its communities
• Advance student opportunity and success
• Transform teaching and learning

You can choose which sections you would like to complete based on your interests and experiences. The survey is also designed to capture additional ideas you may have for strengthening these five focus areas. Please note that each section of the survey will take approximately 10 - 15 minutes to complete and all responses are anonymous and confidential.

Money Smart Week

UMBC’s Money Smart Week (April 13-17, 2026), hosted by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, brings together campus and community partners to offer engaging programs focused on student financial well-being. Through in-person and virtual workshops, panels, and interactive sessions, participants can build practical skills in budgeting, credit, investing, and long-term financial planning. Money Smart Week, along with dozens of other activities offered each year through UMBC's FinancialSmarts program, reflects UMBC’s commitment to student success by supporting financial literacy as a cornerstone of academic persistence and lifelong stability.

Help Shape UMBC’s Inclusive Excellence Framework

The Division of Institutional Equity team has developed a draft framework for inclusive excellence, building on ideas shared by our campus community through the series UMBC Talks in 2024 and 2025. The framework is intended to articulate our shared commitments, communicate our values, guide action, inspire collaboration, and support the development and implementation of UMBC’s next strategic plan.

The campus community is invited to participate in dialogue sessions to help continue to shape the framework. The conversations are an opportunity to share your experiences, reflect on your values, and provide feedback to strengthen this work.

Upcoming sessions are scheduled for April 15, 24, and 28. 

Learn more here.

Responding to Difficult, Disruptive, and Dangerous Behavior in Classrooms

In the post-COVID era, instructional faculty are seeing an increased frequency of challenging behaviors in classroom settings. Behavior can range from difficult, to disruptive, to dangerous and each type or level calls for a differentiated response.

You can find guidance from Student Conduct and Community Standards here.

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR 

Art Rysing

April 18, 1 p.m.

IMET

701 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore 

Art Rysing 2026 is more than an event — it is a citywide movement for truth, racial healing, and transformation through the power of art.

Join the UMBC Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center on Saturday, April 18 at 1 p.m. for an inspiring in-person event focused on truth, racial healing, and transformation. It’s a great chance to connect, learn, and grow together in a welcoming space. Don’t miss out on this meaningful experience!

Learn more and register here.

URCAD 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, April 22

Join URCAD on Wednesday, April 22 as we celebrate 30 years of grit, grunge, and groundbreaking research and creative work of UMBC undergraduate students.

URCAD not only provides an opportunity for students to hone their research and writing skills, practice public speaking and networking in a professional conference-style environment, and strengthen relationships with their peers and mentors, but it showcases the work of UMBC’s talented undergraduate students with the campus community and beyond. Over one third of students who graduate from UMBC engage in mentored research, making UMBC a leader in national undergraduate research.

In a time when there has been so much discouraging news surrounding research support on the national and local levels, URCAD continues to be a joyous and inspirational event, proving that critical thinking and creativity through research and the arts are a vital part of our democracy.

Come see all of the oral and poster presentations, films, artwork, live performances, video games, and keynote speaker at URCAD 30, and stop by the graffiti and selfie booth as we throw back to 1997, where it all began!  For the full schedule, visit URCAD.umbc.edu.

Learn about Study, Internships, and Funding Opportunities in Germany

Monday, April 27,  12 – 1 p.m.

Fine Arts Building, Room 459

The German Program at UMBC is hosting an informational event on Monday, April 27 to learn about studying, internships, and funding opportunities in Germany. Presenters include:

• Amelia Wallace: Information Officer, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• Danielle Bolden, J.D.: UMBC Center for Global Engagement; Fulbright Fellow, Germany 2010
• S. Maila Raphael, DAAD RISE Intern ‘22, UMBC ‘21 B.S. Chem. Eng., B.A. German

This is a follow-up to the fall event focused on research, collaboration, and funding opportunities in Germany with representatives from the German Academic Exchange Service, the American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the German Research Foundation.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Through April 12

Proscenium Theatre

UMBC Theatre presents The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, adapted by Jacqueline E. Lawton and directed by Joseph W. Ritsch. Life in modern day Baltimore has been a bit boring for Dorothy and her little dog Toto. Until one day, when a cyclone swoops in and takes them “over the rainbow” to the wonderful and magical land of Oz. With the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy sets off on the adventure of a lifetime down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. These new friends brave witches, flying monkeys, and a Haunted Forest all to meet the Wizard of Oz, who promises to make their dreams come true.

More information.

despite // bất chấp: The 2026 Intermedia and Digital Arts (IMDA) MFA Thesis Exhibition

Through April 18

Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture

The Intermedia and Digital Arts Master’s Program presents despite // bất chấp: The 2026 Intermedia and Digital Arts (IMDA) MFA Thesis Exhibition. On view from April 1 through 18 at the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture, the exhibition features work by graduating students Taylor Goad, Nia Hampton, Bao Nguyen, and Lynn Nguyen.

More information

Mary Ellen Mark: Ward 81

Through May 22

Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents the photography exhibition Mary Ellen Mark: Ward 81. In 1976, American photographer Mary Ellen Mark and sociologist Karen Folger Jacobs spent thirty-six days living in the Oregon State Hospital, where they photographed the residents of Ward 81, the hospital’s all-female, high-security psychiatric unit. Their unprecedented access allowed them to create a deeply nuanced portrayal of women navigating psychiatric care in the mid-1970s. Mary Ellen Mark: Ward 81 brings together Mark’s photographs, Jacobs’s newly uncovered audio recordings, and rare archival materials, offering an intimate and expanded view of this landmark documentary project.

More information.

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Help Make this Newsletter Better

The goal each week of this message is to deepen our connection to UMBC, whether that is learning about an upcoming event, a divisional accomplishment, an innovative program, or an  update from the Office of the Provost. If you know of a program or event that should be highlighted, please share it here.

Until next week,
Manfred van Dulmen