Provost’s Perspective: May 1, 2026

The importance of self-care

Office of the Provost May 1, 2026 at 12:04 PM

As the calendar flips to May and we approach the end of the academic year, the energy on campus is beginning to ratchet up. It is easy to let our own well-being slip. However, if your caffeine-to-blood ratio is currently nearing a critical tipping point, this is your gentle reminder: Self-care is not a luxury; it is a professional imperative.

Refilling the Tank

We often view self-care as a reward for finishing the work, but research suggests it is actually the fuel that allows the work to happen. Burnout isn't just a result of hard work; it is often a result of a lack of intentional recovery. To operate effectively, we must first ensure we are functioning from a place of sustainable health rather than depletion.

Evidence-based Best Practices

To help you cross the finish line with your sanity intact, consider integrating these habits into your daily routine:

Set small boundaries: Protect your focus hours. Even a 20-minute block without email can significantly reduce the cognitive load of task-switching and decision fatigue.
Practice “soft fascination”: Attention Restoration Theory suggests that even brief periods of looking at nature such as a walk through the campus or simply looking out a window can restore your ability to focus after hours of screen time.
Embrace self-compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a struggling student. Acknowledging that this is a difficult, high-pressure season can actually lower cortisol levels and improve your emotional regulation.
Accept the power of no: During this season, it is okay to decline non-essential meetings or postpone new projects until the summer. Protecting your bandwidth is a form of respect for the commitments you already have.

A Final Word

Every day, I see the commitment you bring to this wonderful community, and I am grateful for all you have contributed this year. As we wrap up the academic year, I encourage you to take time for yourself. I hope the summer offers not just a chance to recover, but time to truly rest and enjoy.

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NEWS & NOTES

New Academic Affairs Shared Inbox and Request Form

On Wednesday, Vice Provost Anupam announced the launch of a new shared inbox and centralized request system for the Office of the Provost-Academic Affairs to better serve the campus.

The initiative is designed to streamline communication and ensure that your inquiries and requests are directed to the appropriate functions with Academic Affairs as efficiently as possible, and tracked internally for timely completion and response.

Learn more about the new shared inbox and centralized request system.

Updates on Impact of Executive Orders and Federal Actions on Promotion and Tenure Reviews

Since the beginning of 2025, faculty members across the university may have experienced disruption to their research, teaching, and service activities due to White House executive orders and federal actions. In light of these ongoing impacts, we are continuing modification of protocols surrounding promotion and tenure reviews for the AY 2026 – 2027 cycle.

Learn more about the continued modification of promotion and tenure reviews.

Order Your Regalia For Commencement

If you intend to participate in commencement and need to order regalia, the final day to do so is Saturday, May 2. Click here for more information.

Faculty and Staff: Send Me Your Highlights

As we near the end of the semester, I want to encourage faculty and staff members to send me your highlights and accomplishments from the academic year. Our goal is to call out outstanding work and programs that positively impact UMBC and the community. . If you or your team has done something cool, innovative, exciting, or just downright effective, let me know. Pictures of team members and activities are highly encouraged. The deadline to be included is Wednesday, May 6, so do not delay. Please email highlights and images to Aaron Burnett.

CNMS Dean Search Candidate Open Forums

Tuesday, May 12, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 14, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

Monday, May 18, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

Location to be announced.

We invite you to join us at an open forum with each of the three finalists for the dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Science. During the forums, the candidates will share their academic journey, present a vision for the college, and participate in an open Q&A session with attendees. Forums will be moderated by the search committee chair. For additional information on the position, please visit the Provost Leadership Search listing.

Your participation is vital to the selection process, and we encourage you to join us for these important events.

Provide Open Access (free access) to Your Works in ScholarWorks@UMBC

Providing open access (free access) to your publications makes them available to more people and increases citations. You can provide open access to your works in ScholarWorks@UMBC without paying article processing charges.

The Albin O. Kuhn Library will add works to ScholarWorks@UMBC for you. Simply send a link to your Google Scholar page or your publications website, your CV, or a list of your works to Claire Johnson. The library staff can also add unpublished works such as presentation slides if you send them.

If you've previously sent a list of publications, or a link to a list of publications, you don't need to do anything. Each year, the library staff automatically adds your new works, contacting you if anything is needed.

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Generative AI Workshops

Join colleagues for two practical sessions that examine where generative AI can support teaching, course design, and student learning—and where faculty judgment remains essential. The final sessions are:

Generative AI in Teaching II: Applied Skills and Use Cases

Part II of Introduction to Generative AI in Teaching Series

Monday, May 4, 12 - 1 p.m., Virtual

Building on Gen AI & Teaching I, this interactive session highlights applied skills and practical use cases. Faculty will practice effective prompting, explore discipline-specific scenarios, and consider assignment design strategies. Examples will touch on advanced features (custom GPTs/GEMs, Canvas Mode, Deep Research Mode, agent mode) related to teaching.

Part II of an Introduction to Generative AI in Teaching Series. The FDC is co-sponsoring a series of three workshops facilitated by John Schumacher, Professor of Sociology, Anthropology and Public Health and a USM Generative AI Pedagogy Fellow for 2025-26. Whether you have already begun exploring AI for your teaching and for student learning, are an AI-skeptic, or are somewhere in between, joining Dr. Schumacher and your UMBC colleagues for these hands-on workshops will help you to deepen your understanding of how AI works, some of the ethical concerns of AI-usage, and when and how to use which Gen AI tools. This workshop is a repeat of one that was initially offered twice in Fall 2025.

Using Generative AI to Support Your Course Design: A Faculty Workshop

Use AI iteratively to align course objectives & activities.

Monday, June 1, 9 - 10:30 a.m., Virtual

This session practically demonstrates how generative AI can support course design when embedded within a backwards‑design workflow. Rather than isolated prompting, faculty will learn to use AI iteratively to align objectives, assessments, and course activities. Participants will gain repeatable, model‑agnostic workflows for using Gen AI to augment design while preserving faculty voice and pedagogical intent.

The FDC is co-sponsoring this workshop, facilitated by John Schumacher, Professor of Sociology, Anthropology and Public Health and a USM Generative AI Pedagogy Fellow for 2025-26. This workshop is a condensed version of The AI-Assisted Educator: A Course Design Sprint that was initially offered in January 2026.

Global Asias Symposium and Celebration

Monday, May 4

This daylong event will showcase and celebrate the work of the Global Asias Initiative, a three-year initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation that has created a forum for engaging in conversations in the fields of Asian American Studies, Asian diaspora studies, and Asian Studies. The initiative has created connections across disciplines, departments, institutions, organizations, and communities here on campus and beyond. With our grant from Mellon Foundation coming to a close this year, we are showcasing the many achievements of the initiative.

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Welcome & Belonging and Community Luncheon: Conversations on Asian experiences at UMBC

1:00 – 2:15 p.m. – Keynote Address with Dr. Anna Guevarra

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Global Asias in Dialogue

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Global Asias Student Showcase & Reception

Learn more and register for the Global Asias Symposium and Celebration.

Flyer for ML Models for Casual Inference Analysis + HPC speaker series

Computational Social Science Series: ML Models for Causal Inference Analysis + HPC

Please join us for the last workshop of the semester in the Computational Social Science Series.

Led by:

Dr. Eric Stokan, CS3 Director and Associate Professor of Political Science, UMBC
Roy Prouty, Assistant Director for Research Computing, DoIT; UMBC Ph.D. Candidate, Computer Science, CSEE
Sai Vikas Amaraneni, iHARP Research Assistant and UMBC Ph.D. Student

Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

University Center Ballroom

3-5 p.m. Awards Ceremony and Reception

Please join us in celebrating this year’s Presidential Faculty and Staff awardees, University System of Maryland awardees, and additional distinguished university honorees.

Learn more and register for the Presidential Faculty Awards Ceremony.