Dear Colleagues,
We are writing to share important updates regarding the start of the 2026-2027 academic year and its impact on key university events, including Convocation and Winter Commencement.
As the academic calendar shifts to a Monday start and introduces a Fall Recess, corresponding changes are necessary in how we welcome our newest Retrievers and support their transition into the UMBC community.
Convocation will now take place on Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 3 p.m., the day before fall classes begin.
We recognize that a Sunday event requires personal and professional adjustments for many of you, and we truly appreciate your flexibility in supporting our students and our community. Holding Convocation immediately before the first day of classes preserves its longstanding role as the formal opening of the academic year while also providing students and families additional time to settle in through move-in and Welcome Retrievers activities.
Convocation is one of UMBC’s most meaningful academic traditions. For our newest Retrievers, it marks the beginning of their academic journey and offers an important first experience of the faculty, staff, and community that will support them throughout their time at UMBC. It is the formal academic ceremony that marks the passage from prospective student to full member of the UMBC academic community.
We encourage all faculty to attend and participate in Convocation on Sunday, August 23. Your presence is essential to the ceremony, to the institution, and most importantly, to the students you will be welcoming.
Looking ahead, the updated academic calendar also results in changes to Winter Commencement. Both the Undergraduate and Graduate ceremonies will be held on Friday, December 18, 2026 following the conclusion of finals. The Undergraduate ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m, and the Graduate Ceremony will be held at 3:00 p.m.
Additional details about Convocation and Welcome Retrievers activities will be shared in the coming weeks. More information about Winter Commencement will be provided closer to the event.
Thank you for your partnership, flexibility, and ongoing commitment to UMBC and the students we serve together.
Sincerely,
President Valerie Sheares Ashby
Manfred H.M. van Dulmen
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs