To the UMBC Community:

I’m pleased to share that the USM Board of Regents today approved the members of the UMBC President Search and Screening Committee, whose membership includes students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other university stakeholders. Below is the press release that will be distributed later this afternoon.

The search committee will continue to engage with the UMBC community and will ultimately develop a short list of outstanding candidates for the UMBC presidency. That list will be forwarded to the Board of Regents and to me, and the board will make the final selection.

I thank all the committee members for taking on this work to find a leader who will build upon the university’s considerable success. The work of the search committee is beginning now, and I look forward to its progress.

Sincerely,
Jay A. Perman
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USM Chancellor Perman Appoints Presidential Search Committee for University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Baltimore, MD (Oct. 14, 2021) – Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM), has appointed—and the USM Board of Regents has approved—the search and screening committee for the new president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).   Current UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski will continue to lead the university through his retirement date of June 30, 2022.

In beginning the search for Hrabowski’s replacement, the Board of Regents has committed itself to finding a successor who will continue UMBC’s impressive strength in education and research, its commitment to access and affordability, its embrace of community service, and its leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

USM Regent Michelle Gourdine will chair the UMBC Presidential Search and Screening Committee, which has been chosen to reflect the UMBC community with representation among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other institutional stakeholders. The committee’s work will result in the submission of a short list of the most-qualified presidential candidates for the Board of Regents to consider.

“I’m grateful to Dr. Gourdine and all the search committee members who’ve signed on to this work, understanding what lies in the balance,” said Chancellor Perman. “Hiring exceptional presidents for our exceptional universities is one of the most important things our regents do. We know UMBC was transformed under Dr. Hrabowski, establishing itself as a leader in teaching, research, and equity—in student achievement and community engagement. So we know we need a president who can harness the scholarly firepower of UMBC’s people, who can harness untapped potential, to keep that national—and international—prominence rising.”

The members of the committee are:

Michelle Gourdine, Search Committee Chair—Regent, University System of Maryland

Brian Barrio—Director of Athletics

Lee Blaney—Associate Professor, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Belay Demoz—Director, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology

Kathy Dettloff—Associate Vice President, Administration and Finance

Mehrshad Fahim Devin ’21—President, Student Government Association

Ellen Fish—Regent, University System of Maryland

Patricia Florestano—Former USM regent and Former Secretary, Maryland Higher Education Commission

Brian Frazee ’11, ’12—President, Alumni Association Board, Vice President, Government Affairs for the Maryland Hospital Association

Beatriz Gutierrez-Malagon— Co-Secretary, Professional Staff Senate, Coordinator for Leadership, Campus Life

Preminda Jacob—Associate Dean, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

William LaCourse—Dean, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Carole McCann—Professor and Chair, Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies

Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88—Vice Provost, Office of Enrollment Management and Planning

Sarah Shin—Associate Provost, Office of Academic Affairs

Orianne Smith—President, Faculty Senate, Associate Professor, English

Joel Tyson ’18—President, Graduate Student Association

Shelly Wiechelt—Associate Dean and Chair, Department of Social Work

Melody Wright, ’21—President, Nonexempt Staff Senate, Academic Business Services Specialist, Biological Sciences

The committee will work with the national leadership recruiting firm Isaacson, Miller.

The committee's work will conclude with its recommendation of finalists for consideration by the chancellor and the Board of Regents. The board will make the final selection. Historically, the search process for a president at most USM institutions has taken four to six months.

In the meantime, community members may use this link to nominate an outstanding individual to be considered as UMBC’s next leader, as well as take a short survey to provide input on what they believe should be the leadership qualities and priorities of the incoming president.

Stan Jackson, Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) will be retiring from UMBC after 32 years of USM service, including nearly 12 at UMBC. Please join us in wishing Stan well as he transitions into retirement life:

• WebEx Celebration on Thursday, October 21, 2021, from 10-11 a.m. Please block the time on your calendar and join us using this link. Please sign this e-card before October 21.
• An in-person buffet luncheon on Thursday, October 21, 2021, from 1-4 p.m. in Catonsville. Please reach out to Dean Drake at ddrake@umbc.edu if you are interested in attending. We will have something at the event for you to sign. 

When Stan first joined USM, he started as an Accounting Associate with the Maryland 4-H Foundation, then worked as an accounting associate for UMCP’s contract and grant accounting office, before moving to the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI). He then became a Contract and Grant Administrator for the central research office and Business Manager for the Center of Marine Biotechnology at UMBI. Continuing his support at the departmental level, he moved to UMCP’s Department of Psychology before coming to UMBC’s OSP as a Grants and Contracts Manager in 2009. In 2015, Stan was promoted to Assistant Director of OSP, and then to Director of OSP in 2017. While serving as the OSP Director Stan was integral in the implementation of Kuali, a key platform necessary to support the continued growth of UMBC’s research and creative achievement activities. Stan also developed and implemented a telework plan for OSP-- the first in OVPR--and worked with the AVP on a long-term reorganization of OSP position descriptions that improved efficiencies, created transparent career paths, and decreased staff turn-over.

Stan is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). He has presented at numerous National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) national and regional meetings over the years and has served on the Regional NCURA Program Committee. He was also a NCURA Mentor in its “Mentor Me” program. Last, but certainly not least, Stan successfully proposed and was awarded a NCURA Global Fellowship Travel Award in 2019, which improved UMBC research administrative collaborations with our Japanese partners at Kyushu University. 

In his personal life, Stan  is an active member of the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, serving as Chair of the Board of Director and Chair of Global Missions, as well as participating in international service to collaborating schools in Namibia and Guatemala. He has also provided mentorship and religious education to the people in his congregation and has used his cooking and BBQ expertise in preparing and making food for select church events. Stan is married with one daughter and one granddaughter, whose pictures he is quick to share. He loves to cook and was once part of a competitive BBQ team, even creating his own “Bubba” BBQ sauce. His smoked salmon and Canadian bacon were always the most sought after gift at the annual OSP holiday gift exchange. 

Stan has always brought laughter, fun and, of course, food to his endeavors at UMBC. While we will all miss Stan, please join us in wishing him nothing but happiness as he embarks on his next journey.

Stan’s last day on campus is Friday, October 29, 2021.

Please see the latest updates on UMBC’s Retriever Ready website. Questions? Email covid19@umbc.edu.

Enjoying Homecoming Safely

• We hope you will attend Homecoming 2021 this weekend. Please practice safe on-campus behavior, including wearing a mask outdoors if you are not able to physically distance. 

Feeling Sick? 

• If you have cold or flu symptoms, getting tested for COVID-19 is not enough. Reach out to your healthcare provider to seek treatment (they will also arrange for testing). Students may also make an appointment with Retriever Integrated Health. Please do not come to campus to test as you may expose others to COVID-19 or other illnesses. 

COVID-19 Related Absences

• If you are feeling unwell, please do not come to campus or attend class. However, students should keep in mind that they will still need to make up missed work. Please let your professor know ASAP if you cannot attend class. More information is here.

COVID-19 Health and Safety

• Traveling domestically? Check out this guidance from the CDC.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We are pleased to announce this year’s Open Enrollment for State of Maryland benefits will be online in SPS Workday from Monday, October 18 through 5 p.m. on Friday, November 12, 2021. During this time, employees can enroll, cancel, or make changes to their health benefits, with updates becoming effective January 1, 2022. Employees will receive alerts regarding Open Enrollment from the State of Maryland via the SPS Workday system (stateofmaryland@myworkday.com).

This year, we will share virtual Open Enrollment resources on the HR Website as they become available from the State of Maryland. Resources will include Open Enrollment videos, virtual information session dates, state wellness information, and links to the 2022 benefits guide and rates.

Prior to the start of Open Enrollment, it is important that employees gain access to SPS Workday using the OneLogin Process.Instructions can be found here.

Finally, to ensure timely receipt of vendor communications, including membership cards, we encourage employees to login to their myUMBC Profile (under About, and select View More) to ensure your home address is current. Address changes can be made in the Payroll Online Service Center (POSC).

If you have questions, please contact the Human Resources Benefits Team at hrbenefits@umbc.edu Thank you!

Human Resources Benefits Team