Dear UMBC Community,

We write to you today to share the following updates and reminders.

We distributed federal immigration enforcement cards across campus. The card and related FAQs are available on our Federal Orders and Actions website. The cards have been printed in English and Spanish and have been distributed to locations such as the Center for Global Engagement and the Mosaic Center.

The Office of General Counsel created a guide for supervisors and employees whose departments may be visited by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The purpose of these visits is to verify information in certain employment-based visa petitions, such as those supporting H-1B employees. The USCIS immigration officers may take photographs of the workspace, review documents, speak with the sponsored employee, and interview other personnel to confirm the employee's work location, hours, duties, etc. It is important to note that these are fact-finding visits, not ICE enforcement operations. Please refer to the guide for instructions on what to do if your department is visited by a USCIS immigration officer.

David Di Maria, vice provost for global engagement, shared an email, "Responding to International Incidents," on Friday, March 6. The email details how UMBC monitors and responds to international incidents and the resources provided to our community. We encourage you to review this email to be aware of how UMBC supports our community during these times.

Finally, here is an update on our Division of Research and Creative Achievement grants and budget for this year: 

• As of February 12, 2026, nine previously canceled federal awards have been reinstated. 

• Our total impact following the reinstatements remains a loss of approximately $14 million, which represents about 4 percent of UMBC's annual federally funded research portfolio. 

• Research expenditures totaled $151 million in FY24 and $185.8 million in FY25. We anticipate that FY26 (closing September 30, 2026) will not exceed FY25's total but will remain consistent with FY24, the year with the second-highest level of research expenditures in UMBC's history.

If you have any questions about this information, please reach out to a member of the Federal Orders and Actions Team.

Thank you.

Regards,

The UMBC Federal Orders and Actions Core Team

Valerie Sheares Ashby, President
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
Tanyka M. Barber, Vice President, Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer
Kacey Hammel, Chief of Staff to the President
Renique T. Kersh, Vice President, Student Affairs
Paul A. Meggett, Vice President and General Counsel
D. Paul Monteiro, Vice President, Government Relations and Community Affairs
Karl V. Steiner, Vice President, Research and Creative Achievement
Lisa K. Van Riper, Vice President, University Communications and Marketing
David L. Di Maria, Vice Provost, Global Engagement
Yvette Mozie-Ross '88, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Planning
Ana Oskoz, Vice Provost, Faculty Affairs