Thanks for all who attended this morning.  The slides are attached. 

We had a packed agenda; If you have any questions for the presenters, please reach out to them directly or email me at cfu2@umbc.edu. 

See you in November!

Dear UMBC Community,

Today, I am very pleased to share the Strategic Plan Steering Committee's significant progress this semester towards completion of the UMBC strategic plan.

As a reminder, the strategic plan will be built on five pillars: cultivating organizational innovation and vitality; redefining excellence in research and creative achievement; strengthening Maryland and its communities; advancing student opportunity and success; and transforming teaching and learning. 

Earlier this academic year, the Strategic Plan Steering Committee formed five subgroups, each dedicated to creating a plan for a pillar. The subgroups included committee members and additional campus community members who have experience and expertise in the areas that each pillar is designed to address. Each of the five subgroups has now drafted a plan for its respective pillar. These drafts incorporate your valuable and insightful feedback gathered through:

• engagements with stakeholder groups this semester;

• the spring campus-wide Strategic Plan survey;

• the 2025 Campus Climate survey;

• website feedback forms;

• the 2024 Core Values survey;

• the fall 2023 Shared Governance survey; and

• the Bold Conversations held in early 2023.

President Sheares Ashby and I, and the steering committee, thank every community member who generously contributed their ideas in group sessions and conversations, and through the extended pillar subgroups. We also are grateful to those who took time to complete the surveys and shared feedback via the website form. This is the UMBC community's strategic plan. Your participation in the engagements and surveys supports all of our community members seeing themselves in the final strategic plan.

President Sheares Ashby and I also extend our gratitude to the dedicated, hard-working members of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. Their time and talent over the past year have been vital in reaching this pivotal moment. Please join us in thanking this committee, who so beautifully represented our UMBC campus community.

With the pillar plans finished, we are now drafting the full strategic plan for a September 2026 launch around the same time that we celebrate the 60th anniversary of UMBC opening its doors. Details on plan rollout activities and resources will follow early next academic year.

Thank you, everyone, for your commitment to UMBC’s future.

Sincerely,

Charissa S. L. Cheah
Professor, Psychology and Asian Studies Affiliate Faculty
Chair, Strategic Plan Steering Committee

Support the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center and the George and Betsy Sherman Center to collect needed items for the people we serve! We are looking for products to support young low-income families in South Baltimore City and students on the UMBC campus.

We welcome donations of 

• diapers and pull-ups of various sizes, 
• pregnancy tests,
• emergency contraception,
• period products (particularly pads with wings),
• laundry detergent, and
• other hygiene items!

Here is a link to our Amazon Wishlist. Donations can also be dropped off or sent to the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center on campus. 

Find more information about the work of the George and Betsy Sherman Center here and the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center here!

We hope you will join us in spreading the word about this donation drive across campus and among your communities outside of campus as well!

If you have question splease reach out to Zoe Brown (zoebrown@umbc.edu) or Juliana Venegas (juliana6@umbc.edu)

Women's, Gender, & Equity Center and the George and Betsy Sherman Center is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Please note: The Women's, Gender, & Equity Center and the George and Betsy Sherman Center are committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, faculty, and visitors. If you have difficulties accessing any of the materials on our site or any of our events or discussions, please contact us so that we can provide an alternative format and/or remedy any accessibility challenges.

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to share the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) salary guidelines received from the University System of Maryland for regular faculty and staff, graduate assistants, Contingent I and II staff, and adjunct faculty.

The FY27 state budget includes a 1.5 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA), effective July 1, 2026. A COLA will be provided to regular faculty and staff, Contingent I and II staff, adjunct faculty, and graduate assistants in accordance with university policy and practice. Eligible employees must have been on the university payroll on or before June 30, 2026, to be eligible for the COLA.

The FY27 state budget does not include funding for merit increases.

If you have questions or need additional guidance, please consult your supervisor. Thank you for your continued contributions to the UMBC community.

Sincerely,

Lynne Adams
Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

B.S.: Resilient Design of Structure

Degree Mentors: 

• Dr. Jorge Almodovar| Associate Professor| UMBC Department of Chemical, Biochemical, & Environmental Engineering
• Stacy Brian| Project Manager, UMBC Facilities Management
• Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, UMBC INDS
  

Why did you choose to major in INDS?

I chose to major in INDS because it gave me the flexibility to be creative within engineering. After transferring, I struggled to find a program that truly aligned with what I wanted to get out of college. I knew I was passionate about design and sustainability, especially in the context of the built environment. Everywhere we look, we’re surrounded by buildings, and I wanted to understand how we can design structures that are not only long-lasting, but also beneficial to both communities and the environment. INDS gave me the opportunity to focus on what I genuinely love, and it shifted my perspective on college from just getting through it to actually building a path that reflects my goals and interests.

What are your plans for after graduation, and how do you see using your INDS degree?

I been fortunate enough to have a lot of opportunities for post graduation. Either get my masters in Architecture, do an internship, or work full time but after long consideration, I plan on doing an internship in construction management over the summer and then move into a full-time role as a field engineer starting in the fall. Eventually, I want to go back to school and earn my master’s degree, since I’ve always had a goal of continuing my education.

My INDS degree has helped me stand out and played a big role in getting my opportunities. It shows that I took a unique path and am passionate about combining engineering, design, and sustainability. I’m proud to say I created my own major because it reflects who I am, and it’s also been a great conversation starter that’s opened doors for me.

Were you involved in any clubs or organizations?

• Member| National society of black engineers (NSBE)
• Intern| UMBC Facilities Management Design and Construction

Awards, Certifications, Scholarships, etc. that you have received in your time at UMBC: 

• Presdient's Award 
• Deans List 
• UMBC Heritage Award, MD Delegate Schol 10-DQ

Any thing you would like to share about your time at UMBC or in the INDS program:

My time at UMBC, especially in the INDS program, has truly been transformative for me. It may sound like an exaggeration, but INDS changed my entire college experience. As a transfer student and former track and field athlete, I came in still trying to find my direction, but this program helped me fully commit to my career goals.

Some people might see my path as unconventional, but it’s the path that got me to where I am today. The support I’ve received from UMBC and the INDS program has meant everything they’ve helped me through challenges and celebrated my accomplishments along the way. I’m truly grateful!

For More information on Aissatou 's INDS journey please Click Here!

Visit the INDS Website

There will be an event at the CEI Arena Wednesday, May 20th.  Expect heavier than usual traffic around the Arena between 8am and 1:30pm.

Please join the Mechanical Engineering Department in congratulating the following students who have completed their degrees and will be celebrated at Commencement Ceremonies this week!!

Doctoral Degree

• Jhon Portella Delgado; Dissertation title: "Adaptive and Safe Nonlinear Control: Fundamental Theory and Applications"

Master's Degree - Thesis Option

• Aneisa Jangbahadur; "Electrochemical Behavior of PVA-PAA-CMC Electrolyte in Alkaline and Acidic Mediums For Zn-MnO2 Rechargeable Battery"
• Mohammad Mirtaba; "Control Barrier Functions: Theory and Application for Safe Flight Control"
• Michael Mullaney; "Development of a Bidirectional Digital Twin System for Robot Control, Synchronization, and Trajectory Execution"
• Nahidul Shadin; "Reversible Symmetry Breaking of Tunable Directional Thermal Emission in VO2-SRO Gratings"
• Jacob Thomas; "A Viable Alternative to Manual J: Residential Load Calculations for Sizing an HVAC System in Residential Buildings"

Master's Degree - Non-Thesis Option

• Siddhesh Sunil Dumbre
• Isaac Poole

Bachelor's Degree

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am writing to share additional information on the university’s budget outlook for the coming fiscal year, as well as our long-term work to enhance our budget-planning capabilities. 

As we shared with you last month, the State of Maryland has set an operating budget of $70.8 billion for Fiscal Year 2027. Following significant reductions in the state’s allocation to the University System of Maryland in FY26, the new budget does not contain any direct cuts to our institution and provides a modest increase of $7 million, or 0.3 percent, to the system overall. The state’s allocation to UMBC for FY27 will be approximately $210 million. 

I invite you to learn more about the higher education-related outcomes from this year’s legislative session by reading the USM’s 2026 Legislative Session Report, which provides detailed information on budget and policy actions taken this year. We are grateful for the state’s continued support of higher education, keeping the USM’s operating budget whole even as the state grappled with a $1.5 billion shortfall. 

Meanwhile, we are engaged at UMBC in important work to better understand how resources are allocated and managed across the university and to develop a clear, straightforward, and more sustainable budget-planning model for the years ahead. That work involves thorough analysis of expenditures, operations, staffing, and long-term financial projections across academic and administrative units. 

In light of the state’s allocation and this ongoing long-term work, we will maintain a flat operating budget for FY27. We believe this is the most thoughtful and responsible approach as we gather more complete information, strengthen our financial planning processes, and develop the tools and projections necessary to support future decisions.

The state’s budget provides $35.7 million toward a 1.5 percent cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for state-funded employees across all USM institutions, effective July 1. That allocation will not cover the full cost of the increase for UMBC employees; we will absorb the remaining cost centrally to be able to provide the 1.5 percent COLA to all employees. We recognize that such support for faculty and staff is critical in the current challenging economic environment. 

Indeed, these continue to be challenging times for many individuals, families, and for the sector of higher education. Many colleges and universities, including UMBC, are navigating significant financial pressures, including challenges related to evolving federal priorities and research funding; rising operational costs, including utilities and benefits; enrollment pressures; and broader economic uncertainty.

All of this underscores the need to improve our budget planning and to ensure that our resources align with our strategic priorities. Over the past year, we have taken a number of strategic steps to help manage financial pressures, including carefully evaluating vacant positions and choosing not to refill some positions when doing so would not negatively affect core operations or student support. These decisions, while not always easy, have helped reduce immediate financial strain and position us more thoughtfully for the future.

As you know, we also are making great strides in our strategic planning process. In a time of financial pressure, it is essential that we think carefully and create strategies to remain focused on our highest priorities. Strategic planning helps us clarify our priorities, identify where we can have the greatest impact, and inform where to focus our resources to advance UMBC’s mission and future. Our strategic plan will help guide decision-making about what we sustain and strengthen and provide clarity about what we cannot or should not do. 

I look forward to setting this course with all of you with a new strategic plan in the fall. As we proceed on that path and in our budget-planning work, we will keep you informed. We are committed to collaboration, transparency, and thoughtful decision-making as we build a stronger long-term financial model and a bright future for UMBC.

With appreciation,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

We have run out of cords for students who did not RSVP to the BLX Celebration.