Join Alea on June 4, 2026, at noon in Studio 144 for a Core and Cardio class. This will be a 30-minute HIIT-style workout.

Dear UMBC Community,

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Gamze Zeytinci as UMBC’s vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer. Gamze brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education finance and administration, as well as a deep commitment to the public-serving mission of higher education. She will begin in the role at UMBC on July 1.

Gamze will join us from George Washington University, where she currently serves as associate vice president for budget and financial analysis. In that role, she has provided executive leadership of financial planning and budgeting for the university and supported capital planning and long-term financial strategy. Her experience is both broad and deep, spanning all aspects of financial strategy and operational excellence. She is particularly adept at navigating change and leading through uncertainty with a commitment to collaboration, transparency, and trust.

She served previously as senior associate dean for finance and operations at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where her responsibilities spanned finance, human resources, information technology, campus operations, and student administrative services across campuses in Washington, D.C.; Bologna, Italy; and Nanjing, China. She was instrumental in the transformation of the school’s financial and operational model and the development of long-term financial plans that strengthened institutional resilience and sustainability. She also played a central role in expanding the school’s academic portfolio through the development of new degree programs and participated in the design and planning for the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.

Deeply committed to advancing equity and access to higher education, Gamze partnered with SAIS enrollment leaders to reimagine the school’s financial aid strategy and expand its aid program, helping to make excellence accessible.

Gamze began her career in higher education at American University, where she held a series of progressively senior roles over more than a decade, most recently as associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and earlier in the School of Public Affairs. She holds an MBA and a master’s degree in computer science and information systems from American University. Gamze trained as a pharmacist in her native Istanbul and ran her own pharmacy before transitioning to a career in higher education in the United States.

Gamze possesses deeply relevant experience, an appreciation for the breadth of disciplines that comprise our academic mission, and a shared belief in our core value of inclusive excellence. I am excited to partner with her in advancing UMBC’s vision.

My sincerest thanks to the search committee and the entire Division of Administration and Finance for their continued dedication and support, and to the broad UMBC community for its patience as we have carried out the search for this critical leadership role. I know you all join me in welcoming Gamze to UMBC and looking forward to our work together.

Sincerely, 

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Saint Joseph's University is hosting a graduate Open House featuring an array of programs including

Occupational Therapy.

Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 5:30 PM until 7:30 PM

Click on the link to register 

UMBC faculty Rebecca Williams (PI) and Edward Dillon (CO-PI) have been awarded a four-year NSF grant to build industry and academic partnerships and establish a set of recommendations, resources, and upskilling material for undergraduate computing faculty and students focused on cultivating AI-related competencies. By working with hiring managers, employees, faculty, and students, their research team will develop new curricula that align industry and university needs to deliver high-quality educational experiences that enhance students’ competitiveness in the workforce. Read more about this award on the NSF site.

All,

Mersive Solstice is currently the software / hardware used to connect to wall mounted monitors wirelessly.

Information Technology has informed me that Mersive is no longer providing security updates for their systems and will be switching wireless connectivity providers. I am waiting on the replacement specs and pricing in order to upgrade the conference rooms. 

Please plan to use wired connection over the next few weeks at least until a solution is identified and implemented as I cannot predict if mersive will be available for use for the next few weeks.  

SABSC has you covered! We have storage solutions to help keep your documents neat and easy to find. 

📍 Visit us in Erickson Hall 042 and get organized today!

The Language, Literacy, and Culture Program is pleased to announce that Dontae Phillips of LLC Cohort 25 successfully and skillfully presented his dissertation research proposal on May 29, 2026.

Dontae's project is titled, Analyzing the Characteristics of Students Spirituality and Restorative Justice Practices: An Exploratory Case Study for Understanding Spatial Construction of the UMBC Center for Well-Being.  After presenting his work, Dontae met with the committee to explore key questions and considerations for the research ahead.  The committee agreed that the study merits doctoral-level investigation and offered valuable feedback to help guide the next phases of research and writing.

Many thanks to Dontae's committee members:

Co-Chairs:   

            Loren Henderson, Public Policy

            Ramon Goings, Language, Literacy, and Culture

Members:   

            Nicole King, American Studies

            Nicole Morse, Language, Literacy, and Culture

            Rodney Parker, Loyola University of Maryland

Please join us in congratulating Dontae on reaching this significant milestone!

Hello, we're looking to borrow a USB to USB cable for a few weeks.  (Or we can take it off your hands for good!)  Please contact me at cfu2@umbc.edu if you have one.  Thanks!

Update: 

June 3, 2026

3:48 PM

Issue: The majority of the Webex features have been restored. For more information on the status, please click here to visit the Webex status dashboard.

Questions: If you have any questions or experience further issues, please contact the TSC at UMBC’s Help Service. 

Original Message: 

June 3, 2026

10:00 AM

DoIT has received numerous reports regarding issues with Webex functionality. These service interruptions stem from a large-scale event affecting the Webex service across North America, primarily affecting users' ability to sign in or start and join meetings.

We are actively monitoring the situation and will provide further updates as soon as service is restored.

For more information on the status, please click here to visit the Webex status dashboard.

If you have any questions or experience further issues, please contact the TSC at UMBC’s Help Service. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to engaging the campus community, Human Resources & Strategic Talent Management (HRSTM) created The Insider newsletter to provide important updates, insights, and highlights from our HRSTM units.

In this issue: 

• Recap of HRSTM Week
• Alternate Work Arragements (AWA)
• Paid Family & Medical Leave Program
• Find out what the HRSTM staff members have planned for the summer! 

Thank you for a wonderful academic year! We look forward to being back and bringing you all the latest from HRSTM in the fall. Until then, have a relaxing and safe summer! 

Click here to read the newsletter