Dear colleagues,

As chair of the search committee for the Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, I wanted to let you know that starting next week, we are bringing finalists to campus for interviews. The candidates will meet with representative groups from across the university, our search committee, and with the community at a forum, the first of which will be held in ITE 104 on Tuesday, February 18th from 1:15 to 2:00 p.m. We will provide more information and invitations to register separately.

We welcome your feedback on candidates and look forward to sharing more with you as the process continues and we name the next dean of the college.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions related to the search.

Bill

William R. LaCourse

Dean, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Chair, Dean of COEIT Search Committee

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 Faculty: 

Greetings and welcome to the new academic year and this Fall semester! I hope you are as excited as I am for the Fall semester and this coming year. I know we are going to do great things together and I cannot wait to meet you! As we get started I wanted to share with you some reminders and resources that hopefully will be helpful as you start the semester.

Syllabus

As you put your syllabus together, please remember there are a number of resources available including theCreating a Syllabus page from the Faculty Development Center. Please be sure to also consult the website of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights forsyllabus language.

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing education and the Faculty Senate and the Graduate School are reviewing theGraduate Student Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedures and theUndergraduate Student Academic Conduct Policy. While these policies are being reviewed and revised to include language relevant to the use of generative AI tools, I ask you to state clearly in your syllabus what use (if any) of generative AI tools you allow in your classroom. Example statements are available from a number of universities (e.g.Texas Tech,MSU Denver).

Supporting Students and Managing Classroom Behavior

I want to make sure you are aware of UMBC’s faculty and staffdisruptive 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 theAcademic Success Center, the Office ofStudent Disability Services,Retriever Integrated Health, Retriever CARE,Retriever Essentials and Connections and theOffice 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 bythe 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. 

UMBC Policies and Procedures

A comprehensive list of USM and UMBC policies and guidelines is available atUMBC Policies, and resources for faculty regarding academic integrity are available atAcademic 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.

Upcoming Events

I hope to see you this coming week at one of several campus wide events including Convocation (8/27) and Meet and Greet with the Provost (8/28).

Finally, thank you for all you do for UMBC. You are at the heart of student success and helping UMBC students become the best version of themselves.

Sincerely,

Manfred van Dulmen
Provost