Dear Faculty and Staff,
UMBC has decided to participate in The Baltimore Sun Top Workplaces program, which identifies and compares top places to work in the Baltimore metropolitan area, based solely on the opinions of employees.
Beginning this week, you will receive an email with a link to the online survey. The survey, conducted by Energage, an independent research company, should take about five minutes to complete. Energage will keep your responses confidential; however, certain members of the UMBC community will have access to the optional written comments on the survey. If you wish to remain completely anonymous, please do not submit any optional written comments that could identify you individually.
Additionally, please note:
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Energage directly at 1-800-749-0187 or by replying to your survey email.
We encourage everyone's participation and hope you will take this opportunity to share your honest feedback.
Dear UMBC Community,
We are pleased to announce an update to our self-service pathway to allow students to indicate their chosen middle and last names in addition to their chosen first names, pronouns, and gender identity in university administrative systems. Beginning this month, students can log into their myUMBC profile and update their chosen middle and last names. This process is optional and voluntary. More detail on how students may update their information is available here.
Students' chosen names are provided to faculty and staff through university administrative systems, such as PeopleSoft and myUMBC. Please note that the display of this information may differ from system to system. For example, not all university administrative systems currently accommodate chosen middle names.
The expanded name options build on prior work enabling students to indicate their chosen first name, pronouns, and gender identity. We invite you to view this brief video for more insight on the expanded chosen name initiative, including reminders on how to verify students' identity when working in campus systems.
Thank you to the diverse group of campus partners who worked together to implement this new process, and thank you for all you do everyday to make UMBC a safe, caring, and inclusive learning community.
The Office of Equity and Inclusion
**********************
The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) is responsible for promoting and coordinating the University's core values of inclusive excellence and equity. OEI has primary responsibility for managing UMBC's efforts related to Title IX, gender identity, and LGBTQ+ identity, as well as other civil rights issues. OEI is leading our campus community through this important culture change with the support and partnership of countless allies across UMBC. If you are experiencing discrimination based on your gender identity or sexual orientation, you can report it using OEI's online reporting form.
The diversity of UMBC's community and our commitment to inclusive excellence are among our greatest strengths. We are committed to continuing to improve and simplify pathways for alerting the university of chosen names and pronouns. While we recognize that achieving inclusion is an ongoing process, we will continue to strive to make our campus a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, including transgender people and other members of the LGBTQ+ community.
We are also committed to providing information and other supportive resources for members of the UMBC community with particular concerns about civil rights related to gender identity. Resources are available at the following sites:
UMBC Non-Discrimination Policy Statement
UMBC Gender Inclusive Housing Options
UMBC LGBTQ Faculty/Staff Association
]]>Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to announce that Dr. Lynne Adams will be joining the UMBC community as our Chief Human Resources Officer on October 1, 2022. Dr. Adams has spent her entire career in human resources, including in a range of leadership positions at both higher education and non-profit institutions. She has also served as a faculty member, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on organizational behavior, strategy, and leadership.
Dr. Adams will join UMBC from Prince George’s Community College, where she serves as Vice President for Equity, Culture & Talent/Chief Human Resources Officer, Affirmative Action Officer, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. She has held progressively responsible roles since her arrival there in 2013. Dr. Adams earned her undergraduate degree in human resources development from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan; her M.Ed. in instructional design and technology from Wayne State University; and her Ph.D. in business administration from Capella University.
When accepting UMBC’s offer, Dr. Adams shared, “I choose higher education because it provides the opportunity to impact lives in a way that no other industry can. I said yes to UMBC because of the incredible reputation it has for producing the best of the best. Also, the energy that the faculty and staff have and genuine care for being the best of the best is absolutely contagious. I am so excited to grab the baton and keep running the race.”
I am pleased to have Dr. Adams join the Administration and Finance team at such an exciting time in UMBC’s history. I thank everyone involved in the search, especially our current Chief Human Resources Officer, Valerie Thomas, who says, “I am thrilled with the selection of Dr. Lynne Adams. Her career speaks for itself and what amazed me was that when we met, it felt right. There was an immediate connection to who we are as a team, a campus, and a community. I am confident that through Dr. Adams' commitment to people-centered leadership and employee engagement, UMBC is well-positioned for the future.”
Please join me in congratulating Valerie on her retirement at the end of September and expressing our sincere appreciation for her many years of service. I would also like to thank all the members of the search committee, led by Kristy Michel, Assistant Vice President and Budget Director, for their hard work selecting an ideal candidate for UMBC.
Welcome Dr. Lynne Adams to the UMBC community!
Kathy L. Dettloff, Vice President for Administration and Finance
As part of our ongoing commitment to security, the Unix Infrastructure group will be conducting its quarterly system patching on Friday, August 19th. While many of the systems will be patched without any service disruption, there are some systems which require the downtime of key services. The schedule below outlines which key services will be offline and for how long.
Friday, 8/19/2022 between 5pm and 10pm (most systems will only be down for a short period during this time):
Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions.
Thanks!
Tim Champ
Asst. Director of Research and Enterprise ComputingDear UMBC Community,
As we plan for the start of the fall semester, the COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee has determined that UMBC will maintain the current policy of requiring masks in classrooms, instructional labs, performance spaces, designated masking areas, and healthcare settings as we begin the semester. We appreciate the input provided by our health and safety experts and shared governance leaders as we considered this decision.
We made this decision based on our region’s case rate, the transmission rate of the current variant, and to accommodate effective planning for faculty and staff. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Baltimore County’s community risk level is currently at a medium level. We will continue to monitor the situation weekly and will provide additional updates and information as conditions warrant.
We continue to provide free high-quality masks on campus and are ordering additional supplies. Distribution locations are available here. Students, faculty, and staff can also pick up free rapid antigen tests at the UMBC Police Station and the The Commons information desk. Please remember not to come to campus if you are sick. You should test at home or seek testing and treatment from a healthcare provider.
If you have questions, please contact covid19@umbc.edu. Thank you for supporting our community.
Provost Philip Rous
Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess '81, M.S. '95
COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs