Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a lovely and relaxing spring break!

Given the popularity of our last round of virtual meet-ups, the University Steering Committee is pleased to sponsor a second series of virtual opportunities in April to foster a sense of togetherness and wellbeing in and amongst all students, faculty, staff and administrators. Some of the events will be carryovers from the first round, and others will be brand new.

Do you have a hobby or an interest in an activity that you would like to share with others in our community? Do you have an area of expertise that could appeal to a broader audience? Please email me (osmith@umbc.edu) and let me know by Monday, March 29 if you would like to facilitate one of these fun community-building events. I will need a short blurb about your topic/session, a photo (hopefully of you enjoying this activity) and your preferred day/time for the meet-up. The meet-ups will be scheduled from April 1 – April 15(ish). 

We’re at our best when we are UMBC Together!

All best,

Orianne Smith

Chair, University Steering Committee

President, Faculty Senate

Dear Colleagues,

This is a reminder that the faculty caregiving listening sessions are starting soon. If you have not done so already, please RSVP. The Tuesday, March 23 session is almost full, but the Wednesday, March 24, and Monday, March 29 sessions still have spaces available. If you do not wish to participate in one of the listening sessions, please do consider filling out the online survey. That survey will be available until Friday, April 2.

Here is the original invitation:

The Caregiving Advisory Committee would like to invite you to a listening session or complete a brief survey to help us find ways to support faculty caregivers in the short-term and to recommend policies and procedures that strengthen a caregiving supportive community at UMBC. Specifically, we want to check in with you to see how you are doing and understand what you will need to be supported now and in the future.

Our committee is aware of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on working parents of young children and faculty who are caring for their elderly parents. We know that many of us are doing both. As members of our committee know firsthand, and as recent research has indicated, COVID-19 related disruptions are particularly hard on women and under-represented minorities. 

This spring we would like to gather narrative data regarding the scope of the challenges that faculty caregivers are experiencing to help inform the goals and work of our committee. Please consider participating in one of our online listening sessions below to share your experiences and offer suggestions. These listening sessions are scheduled for:

Tuesday, March 23rd from 1-2pm

Facilitators: Matt Fagan (GES), Erin Lavik (COEIT/CBEE), and Brandy Wallace (SAPH)

Wednesday, March 24th from 12-1pm 

Facilitators: Joanna Gadsby (Library), Lindsay Johnson (Music), and Orianne Smith (English)

Monday, March 29th from 11am-12pm

Facilitators: Jennifer Mata-McMahon (Education), Jess Myers (Women’s Center), and Phyllis Robinson (Biology)

RSVP is required to access the listening session link. Please sign-up for your preferred listening time via this google form. 

We acknowledge that the very people we want to hear from most may have difficulties in attending the listening sessions. Others may wish to share their concerns in more private ways. With that in mind, we also created a feedback survey to share your experiences and concerns.

Thank you for your invested interest in sharing your experiences and concerns with the Caregiver Advisory Committee. 

If you have questions, contact Orianne Smith (osmith@umbc.edu) or Jess Myers (jessm@umbc.edu).

Apologies for cross-listing!

Dear colleagues,

I hope you had a relaxing holiday with plenty of time to recharge.

The University Steering Committee is focusing on ways in which we can foster a sense of community and wellbeing in and amongst all students, faculty, and staff in the upcoming spring semester. To this end we are interested in sponsoring a series of virtual opportunities around their shared passions and enthusiasms. 

Do you know someone at UMBC who is an opera buff or an expert knitter or loves to bake or has the best cat ever? Do you think they would enjoy meeting virtually with others who share their interest?  The University Steering Committee welcomes any and all recommendations of interested hobbyists, including self-recommendations!

Please send me (osmith@umbc.edu) the names of individuals who might want to be involved in this fun community-building exercise by Friday, January 22. The steering committee will make its selections and provide information to the community about how to join these groups in the first few weeks of the semester.

Thank you!

Orianne Smith

Chair, University Steering Committee

President, Faculty Senate

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to you to urge you once again to consider donating if you can to UMBC’s Faculty and Staff fundraising campaign, ear-marking your donation for emergency funds for faculty and staff at UMBC who are struggling as a result of the pandemic.

Many of us are doing our best to balance working from home and taking care of family members. Very few of us are confident that we are succeeding. 

Over these past few months UMBC has been very responsive in supporting faculty and staff who are suffering during this caregiving crisis. All non-essential service has been discontinued within academic departments. A website with resources for caregivers has been published. The President and the Provost, along with shared governance leaders, publicly acknowledged the strain that caretakers are under and promised institutional support. A Faculty Caregiving Advisory Group has been formed and will begin working with the Provost’s office in the spring.

As President Hrabowski reminds us, however, “success is never final.” Donating to UMBC’s Faculty and Staff fundraising campaign is a wonderful way to support the caregivers in our community. You can make a a one-time gift, or donate via payroll deduction, which allows you to spread your contribution throughout the year. For instance, a contribution of $5.00 per pay period through payroll deduction would add up to an annual gift of $130. When you fill out the giving form simply click on "Other Designation" and write in "Emergency Funds for Faculty and Staff Caregivers and others in need."

Thank you and I hope that you have a restful Thanksgiving break.

Orianne

Dear colleagues,

Please read the note below from Linda Hodges asking for your feedback on the development of our new Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT).

Thank you!

Orianne Smith

Faculty Senate President

***

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you may have seen, the Provost recently announced the establishment of the Center for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT) originally proposed in the 2015 Strategic Plan. He has charged a task force to make recommendations on moving forward with its development as resources allow. The new center will encompass and expand upon the work of the current Faculty Development Center but will also act as a communicative and collaborative bridge with other units on campus.  

The task force invites your input about the development of CALT as described in the charge by responding to this short survey. We ask that you submit your responses to the survey no later than Wednesday, November 25th. We recognize that this is an incredibly busy time for everyone, but the task force will benefit greatly from your input. They are expected to finish their work by the end of the fall semester.

Thank you so much!

Best,

Linda Hodges

Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to you to urge you to consider donating to UMBC’s Faculty and Staff fundraising campaign, ear-marking your donation for emergency funds for caregivers.

Work/life balance is always challenging, but as we all know the pandemic has plunged many members of our community into crisis mode, particularly those who are engaged in caregiving. While working from home many of us are taking care of our children who are learning remotely or taking care of elderly family members. Some of us are doing both. This is not always but is often a gendered issue. Faculty members at all ranks have had to put aside their research agendas while caring for children and other family members. This is particularly worrisome for colleagues looking ahead to tenure and promotion. Some wonder how long they can do this and see no light at the end of the tunnel.

I know this because the Faculty Senate collected stories from across the colleges detailing the experiences of faculty caregivers in August 2020. Those stories were appended to a memo that we shared with the administration listing a series of recommendations to alleviate the pressures on caregivers. These recommendations included forming a Caregiving Taskforce, asking the Deans to tell departments to cancel all non-essential service, and setting up a website with resources for caregivers. We also asked the President and the Provost to send a message to the UMBC community that acknowledged the strain that caretakers are under and that promised institutional support.

All of these recommendations have been implemented. There was one other recommendation that we were unable to accomplish: the creation of an emergency fund for faculty and staff caregivers. Until now.

I am delighted to share with you that UMBC has created an opportunity for us to donate to a faculty and staff fundraising campaign, earmarking our contributions for an emergency fund to help caregivers within our community.

Student caregivers have access to the Stay Black and Gold Emergency Fund and are also eligible to apply for federal funds for caregiving through the CARES act. Caregivers who work at UMBC do not currently have access to emergency funds but we can change this. 

Please donate if you can. You can make a one-time gift, or donate via payroll deduction, which allows you to spread your contribution throughout the year. For instance, a contribution of $5.00 per pay period through payroll deduction would add up to an annual gift of $130. When you fill out the giving form simply click on "Other Designation" and write in "Emergency Funds for Faculty and Staff Caregivers."

Thank you for considering supporting the caregivers within our UMBC community.

Orianne Smith

Faculty Senate President