Dear UMBC Community,
Following our recent announcement of the members of two key leadership search committees, I am pleased to share additional information about those search processes and opportunities for the UMBC community to engage in them. For your reference, here are the committees for the searches for the roles of Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA).
Both of these will be national searches conducted at the highest level of industry standards, in partnership with Isaacson, Miller, a global leader in executive search across the civic sector, particularly in higher education, and the firm that served UMBC in its presidential search.
We will provide multiple opportunities for the UMBC community to share their thoughts and input on these roles. We will host two open sessions for each of the searches, which will be held virtually via WebEx at the following times:
Provost search:
VPSA search:
Additionally, we invite you to share your thoughts through surveys for each of the searches:
In keeping with current industry standards for such searches–and heeding the recommendations from our search consultant for building robust and diverse talent pools–we will hold confidential the identities of candidates for these roles. This is in service of our endeavor to attract the very best candidates, and it is in service of those candidates themselves, whose ability and willingness to pursue career opportunities often depend significantly upon their sense of security in doing so.
I want to extend my thanks again to all who have agreed to serve on the search committees and invite the community to take part in these important search processes. I look forward to keeping you informed as the searches progress, and I thank you for your continued dedication to UMBC.
Sincerely,
President Valerie Sheares Ashby
Dear UMBC Community,
The power outage we experienced on Tuesday was disruptive in myriad ways and to the entirety of our campus. As Vice President for Administration and Finance Kathy Dettloff and I expressed in our message to the community that day, we share your frustration with another power outage. We are committed to doing all we can to minimize the number and mitigate the impact of any service interruptions, both by working to improve resiliency of our own systems and working with BGE to take immediate action and continue to implement long-term strategies for reliability.
I have spoken with BGE President and CEO Carim Khouzami, and he has responded with the letter I share with you here, which includes information about work BGE is undertaking now–this week–to address the issue. He also has committed to bringing BGE officials to campus to hear directly from members of our community about the impact of these disruptions and to share more about the planned response. We are in the process of scheduling that meeting with some key stakeholders.
I understand that this is an issue that goes back several years and affects not only our entire campus community, but our neighboring communities as well. Please know that I take this issue seriously. I will continue to be in contact with BGE leadership and see that we move forward in meaningful ways toward our shared goal of improved reliability of our electric service.
Sincerely,
President Valerie Sheares Ashby
Dear Community,
In April, the UMBC community will celebrate the inauguration of President Valerie Sheares Ashby. A presidential inauguration is a singular occasion in the history of a university and an opportunity for the entire community to unite in affirming its mission and values as it celebrates the formal installation of a new president. Our inauguration celebration will include several community events, the centerpiece of which is the Installation Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 27. A full schedule of events will be available soon. In the meantime, we invite you to prepare for this celebration in the following ways:
Reserve your free ticket for the Installation Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, in the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. Community members who wish to march in the procession should RSVP and order their regalia using this form.
Review our Frequently Asked Questions to understand how you can participate in the festivities.
Spread the word! We hope to see as many of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, partners, and neighbors as possible at the ceremony and other events.
We will share more updates in the weeks ahead. If you have questions, please contact us at inauguration@umbc.edu.
Greg Simmons, M.P.P. '04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Dear UMBC Community,
We share in your frustration that UMBC's main campus is experiencing another power outage today. We are working closely with BGE to establish power redundancy on campus, and BGE has assured us that this work will be completed in this calendar year. Until then, there is little we can do other than make sure our community and campus are safe and secure. We wish to share the following campus updates:
UMBC's main campus has closed for the day and will reopen at 6 a.m. tomorrow, March 15.
We are monitoring temperatures in buildings. If this outage or any future events impact residential students' access to housing, Residential Life will communicate directly with affected students.
For residential students and others on campus, dining facilities in The Commons have closed for the day, but True Grits remains open for dinner until 7 p.m. If power is restored by 9 p.m. True Grits will be open for late night dining.
We know that power outages are disruptive. As announced last summer, BGE is installing a third electrical feeder to support the campus. As the work proceeds, BGE continues to inspect our entire distribution system and trim trees along the distribution route to minimize future outages during high winds.
We appreciate all who are responding to this outage to ensure the safety of our campus.
Sincerely,
Valerie Sheares Ashby, President
Kathy L. Dettloff, Vice President for Administration and Finance
Dear Community,
We continue to see great turnout from our faculty, staff, and students at our UMBC Bold campus conversations. Last week’s sessions delved into specific aspects of the UMBC experience, including our work to engage with our local community, our campus governance structures, faculty advancement, research, and staff advancement. We are grateful for the work of our co-chairs and everyone who has dedicated time to attending these sessions and sharing their experiences.
It is clear that the community is engaged and ready to share opinions about our achievements, our challenges, and our future. We look forward to reviewing the notes and themes compiled by the co-chairs and preparing a final report for President Sheares Ashby. She plans to incorporate this work into the university’s strategic planning process.
We hope that we can continue this amazing momentum. This week’s sessions include the Graduate Academic Experience, our Alumni Community, Faculty Advancement, Economic Development and Partnerships, and Inclusive Excellence. You can sign up for sessions and view the full schedule of conversations on our website.
Remember that any community member is welcome to attend any session. You can also share your feedback using this form. Thank you for participating in this process.
Vandana Janeja, Chair and Professor of Information Systems
Michelle Scott, Professor of History
Greg Simmons, M.P.P. ’04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
UMBC Bold Committee Chairs
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| I wanted to share this personal message of thanks and invitation to all in the UMBC community to participate in one or more of our remaining UMBC Bold Campus Conversations, running now through March 31. Your voices matter, and I hope to see you at a session soon! Sincerely, President Valerie Sheares Ashby |
Dear Community,
Thank you to our co-hosts and to everyone who participated in our first sessions of UMBC Bold: Campus Conversations. We held our first three sessions last week and were delighted by the robust turnout and active engagement by the UMBC community. You can see this week's sessions and the full schedule of conversations on our website.
We hope you will plan to join at least one session on a topic that you are interested in. There are several sessions this week, both in person and online, including conversations about university governance and engagement, a community-engaged university, the research enterprise, staff as empowered stakeholders, and faculty advancement. Any community member is welcome to attend any session. We also continue to invite you to share your feedback using this form.
Thank you for coming together with us to share what inspires you about our community and how we can continue to grow and improve.
Vandana Janeja, Chair and Professor of Information Systems
Michelle Scott, Professor of History
Greg Simmons, M.P.P. '04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
UMBC Bold Committee Chairs
Remembering E. Michael Richards
It is with sorrow that we share the passing of E. Michael Richards, professor emeritus of music.
One of the world's leading interpreters of contemporary music for the clarinet, Michael was an exemplary performer, researcher, and educator. He joined the UMBC faculty in 2001, was promoted to full professor in 2009, and twice served as chair of the music department before retiring with emeritus status in 2021.
Michael's superb leadership skills were evident soon after his arrival on campus. Linda Dusman, professor of music and former chair, shares, "When we hired Michael in 2001, I did not know at the time that he would become my right hand in revitalizing the music department, recruiting students and new faculty growing from a department of 4 full-time faculty and 60 students to 15 faculty and 150 students in a very short time. Michael brought vision, administrative skills, and extraordinary artistry to UMBC."
Michael's contributions to that remarkable departmental growth were myriad. Working in partnership with Kazuko Tanosaki, he founded the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in American Contemporary Music, an international program that brought several cohorts of students from Japan to UMBC. He established an exchange program with the Conservatorio "G. Nicolini" in Piacenza, Italy, which enabled a steady flow of faculty and students between institutions. He helped manage the completion of the music portion of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, outfitting spaces and hiring staff to manage its complex operations. As director of the UMBC Symphony, he transformed the ensemble from one that was essentially a community orchestra, with little student involvement, to one comprising 80% UMBC students, and from virtually every major. At UMBC's 50th Anniversary in 2016, the Symphony capped a weekend of festivities, performing outside with fireworks overhead.
An internationally recognized performer and researcher
An internationally recognized performer, Michael was a respected force on concert stages around the world, both as a soloist and with the Tanosaki-Richards Duo, formed with his wife and longtime collaborator Kazuko Tanosaki. He and the duo often premiered works written for them -- more than 150 in all -- building a substantial new repertoire for the clarinet and the clarinet-piano ensemble.
"As a composer, creating music for him as a soloist and for the Tanosaki-Richards Duo constituted high points of my career," says Dusman. "His ability to understand the deep meanings in a musical score, to shape the color and time-space of music for clarinet for me was not only a personal gift, but also a legacy to the entire global community of contemporary music making."
Michael was also a founding member of the UMBC new music ensemble RUCKUS. During his years with the group, the ensemble performed numerous times at UMBC, enjoyed residencies at Stanford University and the New England Conservatory of Music, and performed at venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Michael (center) performing in a 2017 RUCKUS concert with colleagues Patrick Crossland, Tom Goldstein, Lisa Cella, and Airi Yoshioka. Photo by Marlayna Demond '11 for UMBC.
A particular research focus for Michael centered around extended techniques for the clarinet, especially the use of microtones (tones that are "between" the traditional notes in the Western musical scale) and multiphonics (the ability to play two or more notes simultaneously). His book The Clarinet of the Twenty-First Century, which investigates these techniques, quickly became a de facto standard reference for students and professionals alike.
A dedicated teacher and mentor
At both UMBC and Hamilton College, where he taught before coming to Baltimore, Michael touched the lives of hundreds of students. At UMBC, he directed a symphony that included not only music majors, but also students majoring in biology, electrical engineering, English, psychology, and many other fields.
"I will never forget the hours that Dr. Richards would stay after symphony rehearsal to just hang out with us and chat or the time that he entrusted me with doing a design for an upcoming concert," remembered Megan Clelan '19, visual arts, a Linehan Artist Scholar who minored in music. "He believed in each and every one of his students to excel -- both in their careers and as people. His empathy and kindness, no matter how frustrating the situation, will be something that I will always remember and carry with me."
Christian Hartman '20, music, and also a Linehan Artist Scholar, recalled, "Dr. Richards was more than a teacher and mentor -- he was a great friend as well. He awakened and kindled my passion for contemporary music, and supported my openness to different musical styles. I wouldn't be where I am today without Dr. Richards' mentorship, encouragement, and guidance, and I am so grateful that I got to know and learn from him."
While Michael inspired students to be their best and to challenge themselves, he was also an inspiration to his colleagues in the music department. "Michael was a consummate pedagogue and truly loved teaching," adds professor and violinist Airi Yoshioka, a close colleague. "He saw each student as having innate abilities to blossom and knew how to bring brilliance out of them. I learned so much from talking to him about how to support, encourage and patiently watch their development. He shared so many astute observations about my own students and put me on track when facing challenges. I am so grateful for all the wisdom he shared with me because he helped me grow as a teacher."
A generous personality
Known for his quote, "I'm not mad, I'm just excited!" Michael never hesitated to share his positive energy with those around him. Possessed with a razor sharp wit and quick smile, his often quirky sense of humor put people at ease. Faculty, staff, students and alumni alike valued his warm and affable personality.
"When Michael joined the UMBC Music Department over 20 years ago, he and I became great friends immediately," shared Tom Goldstein, recently retired from the music department. "It would be almost impossible to overstate Michael's contributions to UMBC as a phenomenal musician, conductor, teacher, Department Chair, and perhaps most of all, mentor and inspiration to many, many students. I will miss him incredibly."
Michael leading the UMBC Symphony in performance during the university's 50th Anniversary celebration.
Celebrating Michael's life
Michael is survived by his wife, Dr. Kazuko Tanosaki, a concert pianist well known to many in the campus community, and sister, Dr. Melinda Richards Banks.
A celebration of life event hosted by the family on Saturday, March 4 will be viewable by Zoom. Friends are encouraged to visit the site of the Sterling-Ashton-Schwab-Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville, Inc., to share memories and photographs.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in honor of Michael can be made to the UMMC Heart Center Nursing Fund (under designation please choose Heart Center Nursing Fund), the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's OrchKids program, or to the UMBC Department of Music (designate Music as your recipient).
The Department of Music will honor Michael with a named seat in Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall and provide an annual award to a member of the UMBC Symphony.
On Tuesday, March 7 from 6 to 7 p.m. in Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, the campus community is invited to gather together to share memories. This event will be livestreamed on Vimeo. A space for written memories has been created outside the Music Box.
Read more about Michael's work with the UMBC Symphony in UMBC Magazine.
Kimberly R. Moffitt, Dean College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Top photo of E. Michael Richards by Richard Anderson.
