Dear Faculty,

Welcome to the spring semester. I know the semester is beginning under unusual circumstances with the recent inclement weather and campus closures. I appreciate everyone's adaptability as we navigate this first week together. Please continue to be flexible with your students as we wait for campus to reopen. We have asked students to communicate their needs for flexibility with you as well.

Earlier this week, you should have received some correspondence from your college leadership with information related to utilizing asynchronous learning as we unexpectedly manage having the physical campus closed for the duration of the first week of the semester. I wanted to highlight a few important details and reminders that I hope will be helpful as you consider how to make up for lost class time now and in the weeks ahead.

• Spring 2026 academic calendar adjustments due to campus closures:

• Schedule adjustment (add/drop) deadline extended from Friday, Feb. 6 to Friday, Feb. 13

• Deactivation of waitlist extended from Monday, Feb. 2 to Monday, Feb. 9

• 5 Steps To Prepare Your Go Online Kit (Instructional Technology)

• Keep On Teaching (Faculty Development Center)

In addition to the above information, I strongly encourage you to communicate regularly with your students and give timely updates as best you can. As faculty, you play an important role in supporting your students in their educational and life journey, which is always critical but even more so in tumultuous times.

Lastly, in the coming weeks, we will be asking departments to share examples and strategies that were utilized to make up missed in-person/synchronous class time such as asynchronous sharing of content, asynchronous activities, and/or administering additional assignments. We look forward to seeing your examples and will also work with the Faculty Development Center to share innovative strategies back with you.

Campus Alerts & the Academic Calendar

Please make sure you are signed up for alerts so you are aware of weather-related campus closures and other emergencies. Familiarize yourself with the campus Inclement Weather and Emergency Guide as well. The guide along with the sign up for alerts can be found here. 

Additional spring academic calendar dates to note:

• Spring break: March 14-22

• Last day of spring classes: May 12

• Study day: May 13

• Graduate commencement: May 20

• Undergraduate commencement: May 21

Upcoming Events

Save the date for the following opportunities as additional details about these events and others will be shared in the weeks ahead:

• Provost Priorities Mid-Year Check In
• Thursday, March 5 from 3:30-5 p.m.
• Opportunity to learn about progress on priorities led by the Office of the Provost

• Middle States Evaluation Team Site Visit
• Sunday, March 8-11 
• Prepare for this visit by reviewing the self-study website and reading the final report

Thank you for all that you do to support the success of our students and our community at UMBC. I look forward to connecting with you more throughout the semester ahead.

Sincerely, 

Manfred H.M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Start the semester with the UMBC Economics Council at Involvement Fest!

Join us on Wednesday, February 4th, from 12-2 PM at the UMBC RAC to learn more about our club, upcoming events, our shadow program, and how you can get involved! Whether you're an economics major or simply interested, we've got a place for you!

We can't wait to meet you!

RIH Open House
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
3-5pm
Center for Well-Being

What you'll find

• Community Acupuncture
• Blood Pressure and Weight Checks
• Mind Spa
• Guided Meditation and Breathing Exercises
• Snacks and Giveaways

Fabio Anza, an assistant professor in UMBC's Department of Physics, Quantum Science Institute and Cybersecurity Institute, has won an Amazon Research Award to develop Physics Co-Pilot—a scientific AI assistant that combines large language model orchestration with reliable computational algorithms to address critical bottlenecks in modern physics research.
Physics Co-Pilot takes a fundamentally different approach from current AI code generation systems. Rather than having language models write code—which can produce unreliable results—the system uses LLMs only for natural language understanding, while delegating all computational work to pre-written, validated algorithms.
Read more about his award and project here.

After a short hiatus, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society has returned to UMBC! On December 3, 2025, 44 students and one circle coordinator were initiated into the national organization, which has been at UMBC since 1981. These 45 initiates join over 350,000 members globally and over 750 UMBC alumni, faculty, and staff within our UMBC Circle. 

Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) is a premier national leadership honor society founded in 1914 that recognizes superior leadership and character across campus life, including academics, athletics, service, and arts. It is highly selective, with members chosen from the top 35% of their class (juniors, seniors, and graduate students). 

The organization looks forward to success in the five leadership pillars of campus life as dedicated by the national organization: Academics and Research, Athletics, Service to Campus and Community, Communications, and Creative/Performing Arts. Led by the student Executive Board, including Spencer Hupe, Samantha Bennett, Ethan Black and Audrey Grutzik, ODK is committed to making an impact through volunteering and collaboration this semester. 

Any UMBC staff or faculty member that is already a member or is interested in becoming a member of ODK can reach out to Circle Coordinator Jen Ewing Fox (jenewingfox@umbc.edu) or advisor Alicia Ryan (aliciar2@umbc.edu) in Student Engagement.