Dear Colleagues,

We would like to share an upcoming IRS rule under the SECURE 2.0 Act that may impact how you make retirement contributions.

What is changing?
Beginning January 1, 2026, employees who are age 50 or older and who make catch-up contributions to the USM Supplemental Retirement Plans will be required to make those contributions on a Roth (after-tax) basis if they earned $150,000 or more in wages from USM during the prior calendar year. Roth contributions grow tax-free, and qualified withdrawals in retirement are tax-free.

Who is impacted?
You will be affected by this change if all the following are true:

• You will be age 50 or older in 2026, and
• You elect to make catch-up contributions, and
• Your 2025 wages from USM are $150,000 or more.

Employees who earned less than $150,000 in the prior year may continue to make catch-up contributions on either a pre-tax or Roth basis, depending on plan options. This change applies only to catch-up contributions. Your regular retirement contributions are not affected and may continue to be made on either a pre-tax or Roth basis, depending on plan options.

Eligibility for the 2026 Roth catch-up requirement is based on wages earned in the 2025 calendar year.

2026 IRS Contribution Limits:

Contribution Type and 2026 Limit

• Standard Employee Contribution (Under 50)-$24,500
• Catch-up Contribution (Age 50+)-$8,000
• Enhanced Super Catch-Up (Age 60-63)-$11,250

What are catch-up contributions?

Catch-up contributions allow employees age 50 or older to save additional money for retirement above the regular annual IRS limits.

What do impacted employees need to do?

If you are affected, beginning in 2026, your catch-up contributions will automatically be treated as Roth (after-tax) contributions.

• No action is required at this time. Your Roth catch-up contributions will be identified separately within your retirement account.
• Because Roth contributions are made after taxes, impacted employees may see a difference in take-home pay.

If you wish to make a change to your deferral because of this update, you can review or change your contribution elections at any time through the Retirement@Work portal.  Your elections can be updated at any time during the year and will apply to future pay periods.

Contribution changes apply only to future pay periods and cannot be applied retroactively.

Participants in the Maryland State Employees Supplemental Retirement Plan (MSRP)
If you also participate in an MSRP plan, you will receive additional information directly from Empower, the plan's recordkeeper, explaining how SECURE 2.0 will apply to your MSRP contributions.

Why is this happening?
This change is required by federal law (SECURE 2.0 Act, Section 603) and applies to all employers that offer 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), and similar retirement plans.

We will keep you informed
Please look for additional information about this change from TIAA, Fidelity or Empower. If you have questions about catch-up contributions or your retirement plan elections, please contact HRBenefits@umbc.edu

This tribute is based entirely on reporting from Disability Scoop.

Alice Wong, the groundbreaking disability rights activist known for her wit, creativity, and willingness to shock systems into accountability, has died at the age of 51. Disability Scoop reports that she passed away following an infection at UCSF Hospital.

Wong was widely recognized for her radical imagination and her fearless approach to justice. She called herself a "cyborg oracle" and used technology, storytelling, and political strategy to confront ableism. Her national profile rose in 2013 when President Obama appointed her to the National Council on Disability. She later attended a White House reception through a telepresence robot, a moment that symbolized both her ingenuity and her insistence on access.

Disability Scoop highlights her influence as an author, podcaster, editor, and founder of the Disability Visibility Project. Her #CripTheVote initiative shifted political conversations, and her advocacy helped thousands of high risk Californians gain earlier vaccine access during the COVID pandemic. She also challenged policies like plastic straw bans that ignored disabled people's needs.

Wong received a MacArthur Foundation genius grant in 2024 for exposing systemic prejudice and expanding public understanding of disabled lives.

After her passing, a prewritten message was released. In it she wrote: "Hi everyone, it looks like I ran out of time. I have so many dreams that I wanted to fulfill and plans to create new stories for you." She reflected on her childhood, internalized ableism, and the power of storytelling. She urged the world to create more space for disabled culture, saying "You all, we all, deserve the everything and more in such a hostile, ableist environment."

Friends, leaders, and organizations described Wong as a visionary. Sandy Ho called her a "disabled oracle" who could see the future. San Francisco's mayor praised her courage. The American Association of People with Disabilities wrote that she made the "complexity of disabled experiences visible to the world."

Born in 1974 to immigrants from Hong Kong, Wong grew up in Indianapolis. She lived with a rare form of muscular atrophy, used a wheelchair from grade school, and relied on a BiPap ventilator. She wrote powerfully about her relationship to technology, calling her devices "bits of hardware" that grounded and liberated her.

Her writing explored how painful labels like "defect" and "abnormal" became sources of power and resistance through creativity. Her memoir, Year of the Tiger, blended vulnerability with cultural critique, imagination, and her belief in collective liberation through art and storytelling.

Disability Scoop notes that Wong was known for her red lipstick, black power chair, and gray ventilator. She wrote for Teen Vogue, The New York Times, and many other outlets. She addressed issues ranging from medical crowdfunding to national health policy. She spoke about the danger that political shifts posed for disabled people and insisted on a world where disabled joy and survival are prioritized.

Her final message, released by her family and shared by Disability Scoop, ended with words from Year of the Tiger: "The real gift any person can give is a web of connective tissue. If we love fiercely, our ancestors live among and speak to us through these incandescent filaments glowing from the warmth of memories."

Rest in power, Alice Wong. You changed the world and expanded what is possible. Visit the Disability Visibility website she created here.

Code Switch (NPR) Podcast (12/6) Honoring Alice Wong

Read her work: 

• Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire
• Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life
• Disability Visibility: First‑Person Stories from the Twenty‑First Century
• Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First‑Person Stories for Today
• Resistance & Hope: Essays by Disabled People
• Visit the Society of Disabled Oracles - a creation of Alice Wong, Aimi Hamraie and Jen White Johnson. 

Permanent Private Room Available for a Female at Westland Gardens

Dear Retrievers and Valued Riders,

This Sunday, November 23, 2025, UMBC will host the Girls on the Run 5K, bringing approximately 2,000 participants to our campus. To prioritize the safety of all runners, specific campus areas will be closed to vehicular traffic between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

To accommodate this event, all UMBC Transit routes between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. will begin and end in the Stadium Lot. Campus residents are encouraged to walk to the Stadium Lot to access our buses.

We understand these temporary changes may impact your travel plans, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation. Our team is committed to minimizing disruptions and ensuring a smooth and reliable transit experience for all riders.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at 410-455-2454 or transit@umbc.edu. We are here to help.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we support the Girls on the Run 5K.

Safe travels,
Your UMBC Transit Team

Choosing a major, exploring career paths, or deciding what's next after graduation can feel overwhelming — but you don't have to figure it out alone. Career assessments are powerful tools that can help you learn more about yourself and how your unique traits align with potential career options.

1. Understand Yourself Before You Decide

Self-assessment is the first step in making confident career choices. By identifying your interests, values, personality, and skills, you can better understand what motivates you and what kind of work environment fits you best. Knowing yourself helps you focus your energy on career paths that feel both exciting and sustainable.

2. Take the FOCUS 2 Career Assessment

The FOCUS 2 assessment is a great starting point for exploring majors and careers that align with your interests and strengths. It provides personalized results and connects them to real-world occupations, giving you a clearer picture of what might be a good fit. After completing it, you can set up a 60-minute Review Assessments: FOCUS 2 Results appointment with a career advisor to discuss next steps.

3. Discover Your Personality with the MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps you better understand your personality preferences — how you process information, make decisions, and interact with others. This insight can be incredibly helpful when choosing a career or navigating work environments. Many students find that the MBTI helps them understand not only what they want to do, but how they want to do it. In order to see your MBTI results, booking a 60-minute Review Assessments: MBTI Results appointment with a career advisor is required.

4. Use Assessments as a Starting Point

While assessments can offer valuable guidance, they're just one part of the process. Use your results as a foundation for further exploration — research career fields, talk to professionals, and consider internships that align with your interests. Pairing insight with action is the key to building a fulfilling path forward.

Start Exploring Today

Ready to learn more about yourself and discover the possibilities ahead? Take the FOCUS 2 or MBTI assessments through the UMBC Career Center. You'll gain a deeper understanding of your strengths, interests, and career options — helping you move forward with clarity and confidence.