Dear Faculty and Staff,

We hope that you will join us in celebrating the Class of 2022 by participating in UMBC's Winter Commencement ceremonies at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.

• Graduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 21, 2022
• Undergraduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 22, 2022

There are a number of ways you can come together with the UMBC community to congratulate our graduates.

March in the Commencement procession

Academic regalia is required to march. You may use your own regalia or order it through the UMBC Bookstore through November 22, 2022. Specific instructions are included on the RSVP form. Please note: UMBC will subsidize the rental of academic regalia for faculty and staff; however, to ensure timely delivery, you will be responsible for an expedited shipping fee if you place your order after November 22, 2022.

RSVP Here

Serve as event staff

We need help! It takes more than 50 staff from across campus to make this event possible and to support graduates and their families on their special day. We will provide detailed instructions and also host a training session on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 3 p.m. on the arena floor.

Sign Up Here

In addition, if you or your immediate family member is graduating this winter, we can reserve up to six seats for you and your guests. Please email commencement@umbc.edu to reserve your seats by December 9, 2022. Please note: this amenity is only for current UMBC faculty and staff members and is not for the general student body.

For questions pertaining to the Graduate School ceremony, please contact Lisa Morgan at limorgan@umbc.edu. For questions pertaining to the Undergraduate ceremony, please contact Becky Bosstick at bbosstic@umbc.edu.

We look forward to seeing you at the Commencement ceremonies!

UMBC Events Team

Dear Faculty and Staff,

There's still time to recognize and honor the exemplary work of UMBC's talented and dedicated Exempt and Non-Exempt staff by nominating them for a staff award. We encourage administrators, faculty, and staff who are familiar with the outstanding contributions of our staff to nominate them for one of these prestigious awards:

• UMBC Presidential Distinguished Staff Awards
• University System of Maryland Board of Regents Staff Awards
• Jakubik Family Endowment Staff Award
• Karen L. Wensch Endowment Award for Outstanding Non-Exempt Staff
• Teresa Lupinek Endowment Award for Exempt or Non-Exempt Staff

Descriptions of the individual awards and the eligibility requirements for each, as well as the nomination form, can be found at 2022-23 Staff Awards. Each nomination should include the nomination form, a single letter of recommendation, and the nominee's resume or job history form. Please send nominations to Colleen Rebeiro in the Office of the Provost at colleenr@umbc.edu by October 31, 2022. 

Please contact Martina Buckley, Associate Provost for Financial Management and Chief of Staff, at mbuckley@umbc.edu, with questions.

Dear UMBC Community,

It has been such a pleasure to witness firsthand the strength of this community and to get to know many of you in my first few months. You have accomplished great things together and are poised to take bold steps forward as a national leader that redefines excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture. I know that my next step must be to engage in deep and comprehensive listening.

To that end, I am pleased to announce the launch of UMBC Bold: Campus Conversations. This initiative will allow for all in our community to share their perspective on the state of the university and to reflect on its future potential.

Vandana Janeja, Chair and Professor of Information Systems, Michelle Scott, Professor of History, and Greg Simmons, M.P.P. '04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, have graciously agreed to chair a committee charged with leading the campus conversations. Two of our distinguished community members will also serve as honorary committee chairs: Adrienne Jones '76, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, and Alan Wilson, Chair of the UMBC Board of Visitors.

We hope that you will engage with us at sessions focused on a breadth of topics including: the academic experience, our research enterprise, partnerships, governance, and other areas that impact students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Our conversations will be guided by three questions:  

1. What achievements and core values should we celebrate and nurture?
2. What challenges might hinder our ability to advance our mission and vision?
3. What are your bold aspirations for the future of UMBC?

I am eager to spend this time listening and learning with you. I know that as we go forward, we must go together.

Thank you,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby

Dear UMBC Community,

Thank you for your cooperation as the Facilities Management team makes complex repairs to the campus hot water system. We expect this work to continue through the weekend and want to provide you with a status update for the affected campus buildings.

The following buildings will continue to have reduced temperatures and will not have hot water: Administration Building, Retriever Activity Center, University Center, Engineering Building, Information Technology/Engineering Building, Math/Psychology Building, Sondheim Hall, Sherman Hall, Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, Public Policy Building, Physics Building, Biological Sciences/Schwartz Building, and the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building.

Erickson Hall and The Commons will have reduced temperatures but will have hot water provided by auxiliary systems.

All buildings will remain open as usual and classes will continue as scheduled. Bathrooms will remain functional with cold water available.

Dining updates include:

• Dining locations in The Commons, The Admin Coffee Shop, and Starbucks will be open as usual.
• Chick-Fil-A will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday.
• Einstein's Bagels will remain closed until hot water is restored.

We continue to monitor the temperature in buildings and are working closely with building managers and Residential Life staff to make sure operations continue effectively and safely and our residential students remain comfortable.

We appreciate your support and will update the campus as soon as hot water is restored.

Kathy L. Dettloff, Vice President for Administration and Finance
Lenn Caron, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management

Dear UMBC Community,

Please save the date for the 2022 Annual Service Awards Ceremony and join us in recognizing UMBC's staff for their years of service with the State of Maryland and UMBC. This year's ceremony will return to its in-person format and include delicious refreshments, fabulous prizes, and Kahoot trivia!

2022 Annual Service Awards Ceremony
Retriever Activity Center
Thursday, December 8, 2022
11:30 a.m. -- 1:30 p.m.

A formal invitation with additional registration and event details will be coming soon! Visit the HR Service Awards website for more information or register early here.

Department of Human Resources

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

Many thanks to all who have participated in our 2022 survey. If you have not yet had a chance to do so, please complete our 2022 survey by Friday, October 21, 2022. We really want to know what you think! The survey should take about five minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous.

Kathy L. Dettloff, Vice President, Administration and Finance

Take the Survey

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We still need your help to recognize and honor the exemplary work of the talented and dedicated Exempt and Non-Exempt staff working to support our mission. Our staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students, faculty, and staff had the tools they needed to be successful in a challenging time and were working or learning in a safe environment, and to lay the necessary groundwork to return to our physical campus.

We encourage administrators, faculty, and staff who are familiar with the outstanding contributions of our staff to nominate them for one of these prestigious awards:

• UMBC Presidential Distinguished Staff Awards
• University System of Maryland Board of Regents Staff Awards
• Jakubik Family Endowment Staff Award
• Karen L. Wensch Endowment Award for Outstanding Non-Exempt Staff
• Teresa Lupinek Endowment Award for Exempt or Non-Exempt Staff

Descriptions of the individual awards and the eligibility requirements for each, as well as the nomination form, can be found at 2022-23 Staff Awards. Each nomination should include the nomination form, a single letter of recommendation, and the nominee's resume or job history form. Please send nominations to Colleen Rebeiro in the Office of the Provost at colleenr@umbc.edu by October 31, 2022.

We hope the entire UMBC community will engage in this process. If you have questions about the staff awards, please contact Martina Buckley, Associate Provost for Financial Management and Chief of Staff, at mbuckley@umbc.edu.

President Valerie Sheares Ashby
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Rous

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Are you ready to invest in your career in higher education? Whether you're new and looking to forge your path, mid-career and looking to inject some energy, or staring down retirement and considering your legacy, there's something for you at the USM Learning and Talent Development Committee's 2022 Professional Development Week: Empower Your Journey and Unleash Your Potential.

There's still time to sign up for this virtual week-long conference, taking place from October 17 -- 21, 2022. The event will include inspiring panels, engaging workshops, and networking sessions with your colleagues across the system.

UMBC Human Resources

Learn More Here 

Register for Keynote Panel

Register for Workshops