Dear Colleagues,
We are excited to be planning our Spring 2022 commencement ceremonies. At this time, we anticipate that all of our ceremonies will be held in person, with virtual participation options for graduates and community members. We continue to develop a health and safety plan in partnership with campus experts that is responsive to COVID-19 infection rates in our community and the region. We plan to share more details with graduates and community members in the coming weeks.
We will host three Spring ceremonies including a graduate ceremony on Wednesday, May 25 and two undergraduate ceremonies on Thursday, May 26. More details are below.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to attend the ceremonies in person by completingthis RSVP form as soon as possible. Faculty and staff who need regalia must place their order by April 18 in order to avoid a late fee.The RSVP form includes ordering instructions.
We are also in need of volunteers for commencement! If you are interested, please complete our volunteer form no later than May 11. We will provide training and no prior experience is necessary. The form allows you to select specific ceremonies that accommodate your schedule.
Thank you for your prompt attention to request. We look forward to celebrating with you in May.
The Commencement Executive Committee
COMMENCEMENT DETAILS
Graduate School Ceremony
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
10:00 am
Undergraduate Ceremonies
Thursday, May 26, 2022
10:00 am - College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, The Erickson School, and The School of Social Work
3:00 pm - College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, College of Engineering and Information Technology, and The Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs
RetriEVER Empowered
Student Success + Research + Community
April 27, 2022
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena Plaza and Concourse
Displays and Refreshments 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Program 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Join us for a fun, festival-style event to celebrate our community’s accomplishments in areas including student success, research and creative achievement, community-engaged scholarship, innovative teaching and learning, and global engagement. This event will provide the opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate, learn from each other, and have fun. The event will include:
Interactive displays and sharing stations showcasing efforts from across campus;
Remarks from President Hrabowski and Provost Rous;
Free snacks and ice cream sundae bar from The Charmery; and
Retriever Empowered flag giveaways.
Dear Community,
While COVID-19 rates remain low in Maryland and Baltimore County, there is a slight increase in case rates that likely reflects the emergence of the BA.2 variant in our region. We want to make you aware that at UMBC, we are also seeing and managing a similar increase in cases, primarily among our residential community.
Our health and safety team continuously monitors the situation on campus, makes safety recommendations, and implements prevention measures as needed. However, as we continue to respond to these cases, we want to remind our community of key health and safety precautions you can take.
Minimize your exposure. Evaluate situations where you spend time in more crowded indoor settings and consider adding additional safety measures such as wearing a mask, distancing, or taking advantage of virtual options. Free masks remain available on campus.
Stay up to date. If you have not done so already, get a COVID-19 booster. Booster shots are readily available at pharmacies in the community.
Do not come to campus if you are sick.
Test as necessary. We continue to offer free on-campus testing for asymptomatic community members. Free rapid test kits are available at the Police station and the commons information desk. Please remember to report a positive test result here.
Thank you in advance for your help. If you have questions, please contact covid19@umbc.edu.
Provost Philip Rous
Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess
COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs
Campus phone services will be partially impacted today, Monday, April 11 between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. due to a scheduled repair of the data center electrical infrastructure. During this time phones on the legacy Rolm phone system and some emergency phones will be unable to make or receive calls. Phones on the new VoIP phone system and calls to UMBC Police will be unaffected. Should you experience an emergency during this time please use your cell phone to contact UMBC Police (410-455-5555) or 911.
Last week, on Tuesday April 5th, a component of the emergency power infrastructure experienced a failure resulting in a brief phone outage. We were able to quickly find a temporary solution to restore power and the impaired phone services. Since that time some parts of the campus phone system have been without power resiliency. During this scheduled maintenance window temporary infrastructure will be put in place to restore power resiliency until new permanent equipment can be installed. There will be another maintenance window in the coming weeks to install the permanent equipment.
Thank you for your patience and understanding,
Damian Doyle
Deputy CIO & Senior Associate VP
Division of Information Technology
Dear UMBC Community,
UMBC's commitment to nurture community members' mental and physical health has never been more important than it is now. To expand our conversations, offer resources, and provide space to learn effective wellness practices, theUniversity Steering Committee is working with colleagues and students from across our campus to host the first UMBC Community Mental Health Action Day on Thursday, April 7, 2022.
We invite you to join us for a series of events, workshops, and listening sessions. The day will include opportunities to spend time in nature, in quiet mediation, or experiencing a joyful dance move. Our goal is to offer community members the chance to try something that appeals to them and also fosters a sense of connectedness and well-being in and amongst faculty, students, staff, and administrators. Below is the agenda for the day, with links to register for the events. Please note that some events have an in-person capacity limit, so please be sure to withdraw your registration if you are unable to attend.
Release time will be granted for employees to take part in these events. All campus offices will remain open, and services should continue to be offered. Supervisors and staff are asked to work together to coordinate office coverage.
We hope this day will provide tools and spark meaningful conversations that are useful to you in the moment and for the future.
If you have questions about Community Mental Health Action Day, or suggestions to improve the experience, please contact usc@umbc.edu.
Yours in service,
President Freeman Hrabowski
Provost Philip Rous
Susan McDonough, Chair, University Steering Committee
Joshua Gray, Vice Chair, University Steering Committee
UMBC Community Mental Health Action Day
Thursday, April 7, 2022
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Connecting with Nature at UMBC
Locations: Library Pond and Administration Circle
Audience: Open to all, with a 20 person cap on each saunter
Register here for the Library Pond meet-up
Register here for the Administration Circle meet-up
11 a.m. – Noon Cultivating Resilience with Mindfulness with Jill Wardell
Location: Virtual
Audience: Open to all
More information and virtual event link here
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Restorative Practices at UMBC with Jeff Cullen
Location: Hybrid; Center for Well-Being, Room 118, and Online
Audience: Open to all
Register for the in-person event (18 person limit) or get the virtual event link here
12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. Mental Health Awareness Walk
Location: Breezeway
Audience: Open to all
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Group Fitness Pop-Up
Location: In front of the RAC
Audience: Open to all
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Grief and Healing Circles
Three concurrent in-person sessions capped at 12 attendees each
Staff Circle Led by Jill Wardell
Location: 231 RAC
Register and get more information here
Student Circle Led by Beatriz Gutierrez Malagon
Location: Apartment Community Center MPR
Register and get more information here
Faculty Circle Led by Bambi Chapin
Location: 230 RAC
Register and get more information here
3 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Behaviors of Concern: How and Who to Report To
Location: Virtual
Audience: Staff and Faculty
More information and virtual event link here
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Graduate Student Mental Health Panel and Listening Session
Location: Retriever Room, Undergraduate Admissions Office, Albin O. Kuhn Library, Pondside, Room 012
Audience: Graduate Students; attendance capped at 34
Register and get more information here
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Faculty Mental Well-Being with Susan and Orianne
Location: Virtual
Audience: Faculty
More information and virtual event link here
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Student Government Association: Snacks and Mental Health Chats
Location: SGA Office, Commons 2B20
Audience: Undergraduate Students
Register and get more information here
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. Community Conversations
Location: Library Gallery
Audience: Students
Register and get more information here
It's about us! All are welcome as we honor faculty and staff who have consistently contributed above and beyond to the campus community. This community gathering will also be a special moment for faculty and staff to wish President Hrabowski well. This event will be held in person and virtually.
Dear UMBC Community,
It is with mixed emotions that I share with you that Valerie Thomas has announced her intention to retire effective June 30, 2022. Since joining UMBC in 2002, Valerie has led UMBC’s Human Resources organization with integrity, empathy, and excellence. She has helped build and integrate campus-wide systems and policies, established an open and honest dialogue with shared governance units, and negotiated on behalf of the University and its people with patience, an open mind, and a consensus-building mind-set. Valerie is particularly appreciated for building a strong human resources team that partners with the campus community and celebrates the excellence of our faculty and staff with energy, enthusiasm, and creativity.
Valerie is completing more than 40 years of service with University System of Maryland (USM) institutions. She started her higher education career in 1979 as a temporary employee working for Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, then Dean of Arts and Sciences at Coppin State College. Valerie went on to other opportunities at Coppin State, including as Assistant to the Dean of the Lower Division and Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and 10 years as head of Human Resources. With her 20 years at UMBC, Valerie is the longest-serving head of HR in the University's history.
President Hrabowski, her original supervisor and mentor notes, “Valerie has always emphasized the ‘human’ in human resources. Her ability to navigate the complex relationships of a campus community has earned her a stellar reputation as a fair, caring, understanding, and reliable colleague. Most of all, she has focused on establishing and nurturing relationships, inspiring those who interact with her to accomplish more than they thought possible.”
As our senior HR leader, Valerie is responsible for talent acquisition, benefits, classification and compensation, organization development and workplace learning, employee relations, information management, staff recognition, wellness, and payroll. She has also been a staunch advocate for work/life balance, encouraging the campus to adopt alternative work arrangements to support employees and allow for more accommodations. Today, UMBC is recognized as one of the most family-friendly institutions in work/life balance policies for faculty and staff. UMBC has also been recognized for 12 years running by the Chronicle of Higher Education for being one of the nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For,” in large part due to Valerie's work.
Valerie not only has a heart for UMBC, but also serves many professional and civic organizations. She is a long-standing member of the College and University Professional Association, the Society for Human Resources Management, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Her tireless service to these organizations has earned her awards and accolades from each.
Through her dedication to exceptional service to the campus community, Valerie has transformed the Human Resources department into a model for institutional excellence. We will begin searching for the University’s next Chief Human Resources Officer immediately to continue this important work. The University has retained Koya Partners to assist with this search; more updates will be forthcoming.
I am immensely grateful to Valerie for all that she has accomplished at UMBC. Please join me in wishing her happiness and good health during her much deserved retirement.
Kathy L. Dettloff, Vice President for Administration and Finance
]]>Dear UMBC Community,
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Kimberly R. Moffitt as the permanent Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) effective March 11, 2022.
Dr. Moffitt’s appointment brings to a conclusion a successful national search for the permanent CAHSS Dean that began earlier this academic year. For the past 19 months, Dr. Moffitt has served with distinction as Interim Dean of the College by providing outstanding leadership during one of the most challenging times for our entire campus community. On behalf of our faculty, staff, students, and the UMBC leadership team, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dean Moffitt for her hard work and commitment as Interim Dean and welcome her to her new permanent position.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and thanks to all members of the Search Committee, chaired by Dr. Alan Yeakley. Their commitment to this important endeavor constitutes an outstanding contribution to the future of CAHSS and UMBC. I also wish to acknowledge the advice and counsel the CAHSS and campus communities provided to the Search Committee, as well as the logistical support provided by Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Autumn Reed and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Patrice McDermott.
Dr. Moffitt joined the UMBC community in 2006 as an assistant professor of American Studies, and, prior to her appointment as Interim Dean, served as director of the Language, Literacy & Culture doctoral program. She is a professor of Language, Literacy & Culture and affiliate professor of Africana Studies.
In addition to her service as Interim Dean, Dr. Moffitt brings to her new position an outstanding record of scholarship and leadership in shared governance, including serving as president and vice president of UMBC’s Faculty Senate; as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, as UMBC’s NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative, and as a member of several other University committees.
Dr. Moffitt earned a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, an M.A. in mass communication from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in mass communication/media studies from Howard University. Prior to joining the UMBC faculty, she was the first Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Fellow from Howard University; completed a teaching postdoctoral fellowship at Hope College in Holland, Michigan; and held a faculty position at DePaul University.
As a media scholar and critic, Dr. Moffitt’s work centers on topics that encompass ideas of citizenship, identity, representations, and belonging in society. Specifically, she explores the mediated representations of the black body and its extremities (e.g., hair), often in programming such as Disney and other media forms. Her research seeks to understand how these representations influence communication among different cultures, affect policies within institutional structures, and impact the self-esteem and self-worth of those occupying black bodies. She has an extensive publication record, including five co-edited volumes and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters. In addition to her service at UMBC, Dr. Moffitt also extends her expertise into the greater Baltimore community by facilitating workshops on diversity and inclusion, as well as by appearing as a featured guest on several local and national media outlets. Dr. Moffitt is the founding parent of Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys charter school and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She remains actively involved in her disciplinary association, the National Communication Association, which recently honored her with the Scholar-Activist Award. Dr. Moffitt is also the vice president of the board of the National Association of Media Literacy Education, as well as a board member of Maryland Humanities and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.
Dr. Moffitt’s appointment as Dean will allow her to build upon her accomplishments as Interim Dean, including streamlining College processes, such as implementing a College-wide RT system and enhancing the CAHSS Advising Office to better support departments and students. She has established new initiatives to promote faculty research efforts, including the proposed Center for Public Health Research and the Student Research Assistant program, which provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage with faculty on authentic research projects. Dr. Moffitt exhibited her deep commitment to equity by creating the “Looking in the Mirror” series, a monthly virtual community conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion facilitated by a number of her UMBC colleagues.
Finally, through her comprehensive and innovative efforts to engage with both internal and external stakeholders, donors, and foundations, Dr. Moffitt has already brought significant additional material support into the College and University. This includes a $3.1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation for “Breaking the M.O.L.D.,” a leadership development program for faculty in the arts, humanities, and qualitative social sciences who are interested in higher education leadership. She also contributed to securing the recent $21 million Sherman Family Foundation gift to support the University’s K-12 and early childhood education work.
As CAHSS Dean, Dr. Moffitt will lead the College in advancing excellence in teaching, research, and service. She will work collaboratively with colleagues across campus to promote innovative interdisciplinary teaching and research and with external partners to support the strategic goals of the College and University, including community engagement. Dr. Moffitt will supervise the College’s planning and budget development; oversee teaching, research, outreach, and administration within the College; develop and promote activities that support a diverse faculty; and oversee faculty development, promotion and tenure, and appointments. In addition, she will participate in campus-wide shared governance processes, serve as a member of the University’s leadership team, and provide effective leadership and support to students, faculty, and staff.
I hope you will join me in congratulating Dean Moffitt and offering your support as she assumes this new and important leadership position.
Philip Rous, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Over the next few months, we will be performing maintenance work at the UMBC Aquatics facility. The project will include resurfacing all three pools (outdoor 50-meter pool, indoor 25-yard pool, and diving well), as well as maintenance to the indoor pool pump room.
Outdoor pool replastering will begin on March 9, 2022, and will take approximately six weeks, weather permitting, to complete. We plan to have the outdoor pool up and running by May 1, 2022.
The indoor pool project, including the 25-yard pool and the diving well, will begin on May 8, 2022, and will take six to seven weeks to complete. We plan to have the indoor pools up and running by June 30, 2022.
Weather and other unforeseen issues may delay these projects.
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