Dear colleagues,
I hope the beginning of this new semester finds you well and rejuvenated. The energy on campus has been palpable the past few days as our academic community reunites. While this semester brings familiar excitement, I know many of you have expressed concerns about potential changes to federal policies and their implications for our work.
Rest assured that the university is committed to supporting you through any potential impacts they may bring. While these proposed changes face significant legal challenges, we understand their potential impact on your research and teaching. We continue to evaluate all the information as it develops and are putting together a robust university strategy that will help us navigate and respond to these changes together. We will share specific details as the situation clarifies. Most importantly, we are committed to supporting our faculty, staff, and students and maintaining the integrity of our academic enterprise.
At UMBC, our mission remains the same. We will continue our pursuit of inclusive excellence and the advancement of research, teaching, and learning. I encourage you to maintain your curriculum, research, and pedagogical philosophies and avoid making any preemptive changes. Your dedication to these principles is the bedrock of our academic community and the mission of higher education, and the Office of the Provost stands ready to assist you in maintaining our shared commitments. We will continue to communicate as policy changes arise.
To support your work this semester, I want to highlight several key resources. I shared most of these resources last semester, as well, but want to make sure you have them available as the semester starts. As a faculty member, I always found it useful to have this information in one place as the semester started. If there is other information you think would be helpful please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at provost@umbc.edu.
Supporting Students and Managing Classroom Behavior
I want to make sure you are aware of UMBC’s faculty and staff disruptive student behavior guide, which also pertains to managing your classroom. John Fox is serving as the inaugural Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs, and ensuring all students can thrive without disruption is a key responsibility of the Dean of Students Office. Supporting all students is key in all the work you do as faculty and the university has a number of resources available including the Academic Success Center, the Office of Student Disability Services, Retriever Integrated Health, Retriever CARE, Retriever Essentials and Connections, and the Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Please make sure students are aware of this information. International students in your courses may face unique challenges, particularly during their first semester, and I encourage you to direct them to the dedicated resources and services offered by the Center for Global Engagement. I also encourage you to regularly check in with your students to see how they are doing and ensure you guide them to resources on campus.
International Students and Global Opportunities
The Office of International Students and Scholars reminds faculty that F-1 and J-1 visa holders must follow specific enrollment requirements including full-time status, limited online courses, and work loop authorization restrictions. Please direct international students to the dedicated resources and services offered by the Center for Global Engagement for support with these requirements.
The Global Opportunities Fair will be held on February 5, 2025 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. on The Commons Main Street, showcasing study abroad programs and international opportunities. Summer 2025 faculty-led study abroad program applications are due February 14.
Additionally, students, faculty, and staff can pursue Fulbright opportunities. UMBC has been named a top producer of Fulbright awards for three of the past five years. Faculty interested in the 2026-27 Fulbright Scholar Program can apply starting mid-February 2025, with applications due September 15, 2025. For more information about Fulbright opportunities, contact Dr. Brian Souders, UMBC's Fulbright Program Advisor, at fulbright@umbc.edu.
UMBC Policies and Procedures
A comprehensive list of USM and UMBC policies and guidelines is available at UMBC Policies, and resources for faculty regarding academic integrity are available at Academic Integrity Resources for Faculty.
Campus Closures
Please be sure to sign up for text alerts so you are aware of campus emergencies and weather-related campus closures.
I recognize the challenges and uncertainties we face, but I'm continually inspired by your dedication to our students and your world-class research. Please reach out with any questions or concerns at provost@umbc.edu. I look forward to working together with all of you to not only maintain but innovate on our vital shared mission and commitment to excellence this semester.
Best,
Manfred
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
]]>Dear colleagues,
I hope the beginning of this new semester finds you well and rejuvenated. The energy on campus has been palpable the past few days as our academic community reunites. While this semester brings familiar excitement, I know many of you have expressed concerns about potential changes to federal policies and their implications for our work.
Rest assured that the university is committed to supporting you through any potential impacts they may bring. While these proposed changes face significant legal challenges, we understand their potential impact on your research and teaching. We continue to evaluate all the information as it develops and are putting together a robust university strategy that will help us navigate and respond to these changes together. We will share specific details as the situation clarifies. Most importantly, we are committed to supporting our faculty, staff, and students and maintaining the integrity of our academic enterprise.
At UMBC, our mission remains the same. We will continue our pursuit of inclusive excellence and the advancement of research, teaching, and learning. I encourage you to maintain your curriculum, research, and pedagogical philosophies and avoid making any preemptive changes. Your dedication to these principles is the bedrock of our academic community and the mission of higher education, and the Office of the Provost stands ready to assist you in maintaining our shared commitments. We will continue to communicate as policy changes arise.
To support your work this semester, I want to highlight several key resources. I shared most of these resources last semester, as well, but want to make sure you have them available as the semester starts. As a faculty member, I always found it useful to have this information in one place as the semester started. If there is other information you think would be helpful please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at provost@umbc.edu.
Supporting Students and Managing Classroom Behavior
I want to make sure you are aware of UMBC’s faculty and staff disruptive student behavior guide, which also pertains to managing your classroom. John Fox is serving as the inaugural Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs, and ensuring all students can thrive without disruption is a key responsibility of the Dean of Students Office. Supporting all students is key in all the work you do as faculty and the university has a number of resources available including the Academic Success Center, the Office of Student Disability Services, Retriever Integrated Health, Retriever CARE, Retriever Essentials and Connections, and the Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Please make sure students are aware of this information. International students in your courses may face unique challenges, particularly during their first semester, and I encourage you to direct them to the dedicated resources and services offered by the Center for Global Engagement. I also encourage you to regularly check in with your students to see how they are doing and ensure you guide them to resources on campus.
International Students and Global Opportunities
The Office of International Students and Scholars reminds faculty that F-1 and J-1 visa holders must follow specific enrollment requirements including full-time status, limited online courses, and work loop authorization restrictions. Please direct international students to the dedicated resources and services offered by the Center for Global Engagement for support with these requirements.
The Global Opportunities Fair will be held on February 5, 2025 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. on The Commons Main Street, showcasing study abroad programs and international opportunities. Summer 2025 faculty-led study abroad program applications are due February 14.
Additionally, students, faculty, and staff can pursue Fulbright opportunities. UMBC has been named a top producer of Fulbright awards for three of the past five years. Faculty interested in the 2026-27 Fulbright Scholar Program can apply starting mid-February 2025, with applications due September 15, 2025. For more information about Fulbright opportunities, contact Dr. Brian Souders, UMBC’s Fulbright Program Advisor, at fulbright@umbc.edu.
UMBC Policies and Procedures
A comprehensive list of USM and UMBC policies and guidelines is available at UMBC Policies, and resources for faculty regarding academic integrity are available at Academic Integrity Resources for Faculty.
Campus Closures
Please be sure to sign up for text alerts so you are aware of campus emergencies and weather-related campus closures.
I recognize the challenges and uncertainties we face, but I’m continually inspired by your dedication to our students and your world-class research. Please reach out with any questions or concerns at provost@umbc.edu. I look forward to working together with all of you to not only maintain but innovate on our vital shared mission and commitment to excellence this semester.
Best,
Manfred
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Griselda Flores, director of Retriever Essential Needs and Connections in the Dean of Students office, recently participated in NASPA’s Alice Manicur Symposium. The symposium is an engaging and supportive environment for student affairs professionals who identify as women or outside the gender binary and who are emerging senior- and senior-level professionals. Participants were selected through an application process.
In addition to in-depth discussions and small, faculty-led mentor group sessions, attendees met one-on-one with experienced VPSA faculty members and participated in content sessions on topics such as: strategic thinking, leading change, planning for career advancement, and personal and professional life balance.
"My experience at the Alice Manicur Symposium was genuinely transformative,” said Dr. Flores. “I gained as much insight from my fellow cohort group as I did from the esteemed faculty who presented on the critical aspects of what it takes to ascend to a VP role. The discussions on strategic partnership, change leadership, and other essential topics offered a profound opportunity to explore our unique paths to leadership. I left the symposium equipped with key skills and practical tips for navigating senior leadership roles in higher education. I am excited to apply the knowledge and connections I made at Alice Manicur to support my leadership efforts here at UMBC."
Art Seminar Group (ASG), a Baltimore-based private non-profit membership organization for men and women providing lectures and trips focusing on the arts, is seeking an independent contractor to provide administrative management of the communications and operations of the organization. Founded in 1956, ASG has over 200 members and offers weekly lectures by local and national professors, curators, and historians across various topics including visual arts, film, architecture, music, theater, and dance.
]]>UMBC issued IRS Form 1098-T in January to students with payments in the calendar year 2024 on eligible tuition and fee charges. Printed 1098-T forms will be postmarked by January 31, 2025.
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UMBC Student Business Services
Congrats on finishing the first week of the semester! Time is flying, and key study abroad programs and scholarship deadlines are coming up soon.
Did you know that you can study The Practice of Management: Global Perspectives in London and Paris this summer? The deadline to apply for this program and all other Summer 2025 Faculty-Led programs is February 14.
Looking for a longer-term experience? Act quickly! Study on exchange in Japan at Nanzan University or in over 40 countries with UMBC ISEP Exchange
Deadline: Tomorrow, February 1st
All other UMBC exchange program applications are due March 10
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Dean’s Scholarship for Education Abroad
Awards up to $5,000 for students with at least one major in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences planning to study abroad
Deadline: February 10
Gilman Scholarship
Up to $8,000 for Pell Grant recipients to study abroad. Help us help you - attend a workshop.
Deadline: March 6
South Africa Info Session(In-person)
TODAY - January 31, 2025 | 12 PM–1 PM | Location: PUP 354
Meet Ms. Jessica Cook to learn about Community Engagement and Social Change in Cape Town
Tolkien and Lewis in Oxford Info Session
February 3, 2025 | 12 PM–1 PM | Virtual Join Dr. Deborah Rudacille and explore the birthplace of The Lord of The Rings this summer. Join the meeting here.
Global Opportunities Fair - aka the GO Fair
February 5, 2025 | 11 AM–2 PM | Commons Main Street
Come chat with us about all these opportunities and more!
Mexico Info Session(Hybrid) February 5, 2025 | 2:30PM-3:30 PM Meet Program Directors Yolanda Valencia and Maggies Holland to learn about studying Climate Change in Contect: Experience of Resilience and Migration in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Join the meeting here.France Info Session (Virtual)
February 7, 2025 | 12PM-12:30PM
Join Program Director Kimberly Anderson to learn about her Summer Faculty-Led Program to study French Visual Culture in Aix-en-Provence.
Join the meeting here.
Our Abroad Ambassadors have been busy in the last couple weeks! Our winter students have returned home and are reflecting on their time abroad and our spring students are either preparing to go abroad or have just started their term abroad! Check out all of their blog posts on our website!
Asian Studies majors and minors,
The NBR Bridge to Asia Fellowship provides exceptional undergraduate and community college students with immersive professional experience in Asia policy and international affairs. Fellows gain hands-on research training, mentorship from leading experts, and opportunities to publish their work while building lasting professional networks.
Through paid summer fellowships in Seattle and Washington, D.C., participants join NBR’s research teams to deepen their understanding of critical policy challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
Fellows benefit from: