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The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are among the many challenges facing higher education. We are fortunate to be working closely with our colleagues at the University System of Maryland (USM) and across the system campuses to manage these challenges. In a statement released today, Chancellor Jay Perman notes, “The University System of Maryland is among virtually every organization, public and private, undertaking difficult decisions in the face of this financial crisis.”
The Chancellor’s message describes both the lost revenues and increased costs that will affect the finances of all USM campuses, including state and federal funding reductions, and continued uncertainty about enrollment, philanthropic support, and investment income. At the same time, large investments are necessary to protect the health and well-being of our campus community, including testing and monitoring, personal protective equipment, and increased sanitation services. While the full financial picture will not be known for some time, the Chancellor states that significant budget reductions will be necessary for all campuses.
As we respond to these financial challenges, UMBC remains committed to our guiding principles: supporting the people who make up our campus community and protecting the quality of our academic program. Because of sound fiscal discipline in recent years, we have some ability within our own budget to address the financial pressures we are experiencing. In addition, we are working with USM leaders to use a variety of tools, such as suspending annual fund balance goals, to help address shortfalls. We are also converting the hiring pause, in effect since March 29, into a hiring freeze.
We are modeling a number of budget scenarios that take into account uncertainty regarding state appropriations reductions, enrollment, the nature of our fall semester, and more. As we determine the extent of required budget reductions across all sources of funding, we will continue to consult with shared governance leaders, and will keep the campus informed. We know that the Chancellor’s language about personnel actions may raise questions and concerns for people about their own personal situation. As we shared earlier, we are committed to doing all we can to support people. We will provide additional information as soon as possible.
We are in unprecedented times and face challenges on many fronts, and yet we are heartened by the commitment of our faculty, staff, and students as you continue to teach and learn, discover and create, and connect with each other and the world. You inspire us. Thank you for all that you do for UMBC and for Maryland.
President Freeman Hrabowski and Provost Philip Rous
During the COVID-19, unemployment numbers have been rising and more people are looking for work. Some people have unknowingly gotten involved in breaking the law. According to the article from Idaho News 6 linked below, police found thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise in a garage belonging to a homeowner who thought he was renting space to people working on a reshipping job.
The article warns that malicious actors post legitimate looking “work from home” help wanted or job openings on places like social media, message boards and even job posting sites. These ads will claim the work will be easy, pays big, and can be done from home. The malicious actor uses stolen credit cards to purchase goods and has the victim reship the items. In fact, the malicious actor is using the victim as part of a money laundering operation.
The article encourages readers to stay safe while job searching, to make sure that the employer has a readily available phone number for human resources, and has a company website. Scammers on the other hand usually will communicate through email or messenger only and are very secretive about the work, their business, and what the employee will be doing. The article also warns against paying upfront fees since malicious actors will often ask for fees for background checks or other pre-employment checks.
For more information, please check out:
https://www.kivitv.com/news/bbb-watch-for-work-from-home-scams
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