Dear UMBC Community,

Thank you for your help closing out our spring semester as we weathered another COVID-19 surge in Maryland. We appreciate all of the teams that have continued to respond to cases on campus and are also busy planning for the fall semester. We are pleased to share some broad updates at this time.

At present, masking remains required in classrooms.  We continue to monitor community risk levels, and if campus or community infection rates change, we will adjust these health and safety measures as necessary.

Moving forward into the fall semester, all residential students will be required to remain up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccination is strongly recommended for all other eligible students, faculty, and staff. Unvaccinated residential students must have an approved medical or religious exemption or a completed waiver on file and will receive more information on this process soon. 

We now know that COVID-19 will continue to affect our operations for some time. It will remain essential that as many community members as possible are up to date with their vaccination  as scientific experts are clear that a high community vaccination rate is the most effective way to reduce significant illness from COVID-19. We will be offering on-campus vaccination clinics in the fall semester for booster shots and initial vaccinations for new students. 

In addition to these clinics, we plan to continue other health and safety protocols in the fall. We will distribute free high-quality masks across campus and will be a place where community members are encouraged to wear masks to protect themselves. We will continue to monitor community risk levels, and if campus or community infection rates rise, we will increase these health and safety measures when needed. While most community members who test positive will isolate off campus, we will continue to provide support for those that need it. We ask that all community members monitor themselves for symptoms and stay home when they are sick. 

We will share additional details and updates before the start of the fall semester. We wish you a summer that is restful and relaxing.

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs

Dear Faculty and Staff,

In past years, we implemented crossover parking during the summer and winter sessions, which enabled faculty and staff to park in additional zones during those times. Due to the increased availability of parking spaces on campus and after consultation with the Parking Advisory Committee,we have made the decision to discontinue crossover parking effective immediately. All faculty and staff are required to park in their assigned areas going forward.

For future parking updates and related information, please follow Parking Services on myUMBC, Facebook, and Twitter. If you have questions regarding this policy change, please contact us at parking@umbc.edu or 410-455-2551.

UMBC Parking Services

Dear UMBC Community,

As we complete our spring semester, we want to share an important safety update for faculty members and students participating in the first Summer Session of 2022.

We will begin the first summer session with masks required in all in-person classes, instructional labs, and performance spaces being used for academic programs, including spaces where in-person examinations are held. 

The decision to implement this mandate  is based on current state and local conditions as reflected in the CDC’s recent elevation of the Community Risk Level for Maryland, and for Baltimore County, from low (green) to medium (yellow). 

We will continue to review state and local conditions weekly. If current prediction models remain accurate, it is expected that Maryland, and Baltimore County, will move back to CDC’s low risk level sometime this summer. At that time we will consider relaxing this masking requirement.

Free KN95 masks will continue to be available at locations across campus. Students, faculty, and staff are and will remain able to pick up free rapid antigen tests at the UMBC Police Station and the Commons information desk. On-campus PCR testing will pause during the summer session.

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

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs

Dear UMBC Community,

Today our community is experiencing both the happy milestone of Commencement celebrations and the pain of lives lost to gun violence in too many communities, from Baltimore to Buffalo and now Uvalde, Texas. We appreciate the strong message sent today by University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman and want to share with all of you his call for increased caring and common sense. We also know our work together in higher education continues to be vital to elevating both compassion and wisdom, and we thank you for all that you do to make a difference every day. It gives us hope to know that our graduates in all disciplines are prepared as citizens to provide leadership addressing the many challenges we face as a society, including mental health and gun violence.

If you are in need of emotional support in light of these recent tragedies, please ask for help. Students in need of support can contact the Counseling Center at (410) 455-2542 on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. -- 5 p.m., or the after-hours support line at (410) 455-3230. Faculty and staff can access support through the Employee Assistance Program. 

President Freeman Hrabowski

Provost Philip Rous

Dear Faculty and Staff,

As we get closer to the end of the academic year, we recognize that everyone needs a break. Join the Professional Staff Senate and Campus Life for Yappy Hour!

All faculty and staff are welcome to bring their pets to the Quad tomorrow, May 24, from 4 p.m. -- 6 p.m. Come to socialize your pet with other pets or for a break to play with your coworkers' pets!

If you have questions, please contact Jen Dress at dress@umbc.edu.