Monday, August 9, 2021 · 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

The Commons : Breezeway

The Professional Staff Senate (PSS) is excited to welcome back our staff as we return to campus! To kick off the new semester, swing by the Commons Breezeway on August 9th for free coffee (regular and decaf) and breakfast items (pastries, bagels, and granola bars). If you have questions about PSS, our meetings, or are interested in getting involved, we will have several senators there answering questions! 

USM Professional Development (PD) week is the first virtual conference hosted by the USM Training Committee, a group of talent development professionals representing each of the USM schools. PD week is a knowledge-building week for USM faculty and staff. The conference workshops are designed to broaden and advance the employee’s professional and personal well-being. Throughout the week, you will have the opportunity to network with other USM employees. PD is a one-of-its-kind event—register to reserve your seat next to other higher education professionals.

USM training and development professionals and leaders will facilitate sessions to:

• Broaden perspectives to leverage knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Acquire competencies to advance work performance and productivity
• Engage in diverse conversations to handle the transitioning workplace

Registration instructions:

• June 7th and 11th events require separate registration via Zoom to participate. Please note that there is very limited registration as noted under each event. If you do not already have access to Zoom at your institution, please download it prior to your session here.
• June 8th through 10th event registration is being handled via Hopin a virtual conference platform that will require the creation of a user account. Once you register via Hopin, during those three-dates of the conference, you will be able to attend as many or as few of the breakout sessions without any additional registration (and can add them to your calendar by clicking on the calendar icon next to each breakout session). Similar to attending an in-person conference where you can attend breakout sessions based on your schedule and interest.
  • To create your Hopin account, select your university under "Tickets" and scroll down to "Checkout".
• For technical questions or concerns, please email profdev-usm@umd.edu.

UMBC Retriever Talks

“In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we’re made of.” ~ Howard Schultz

When an individual shares their story with the larger community, we can all experience what it means to make an impact. When we outwardly share our lived experiences of our values, we realize a sense of collective identity and belonging that is powerful, palpable, and vital in promoting a thriving workplace culture.

In 2020, we recruited a second cohort of eight faculty and staff, this time focusing on the four values themes: Reach Together, Claim Your Future, Extend Beyond, Explore Every Angle. The program adapted to remote work and moved the 13-week leadership and speaker development program successfully online. We look forward to seeing you on June 2nd from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. for the Youtube live event! UMBC community members register here. Speaker friends and family, stay tuned for a link here the week of the event.

Want more information? Contact Jill Wardell at jwardell@umbc.edu.

Elections Close Friday, April 30th

Elections for the Professional Staff Senate and Council of University System Staff are being held now! Vote on your representatives today!

Senators were nominated by their peers, or through self-nomination, are professional staff, and serve a period of two years (2021-2023). *Please note there are separate posts for PSS and CUSS.

If you are an exempt staff member and are having trouble accessing the voting group, please contact Jess Wyatt at jwy@umbc.edu

Vote here!

Link to Survey