It’s time for Winter Commencement, and we need your help! We are looking for volunteers, both experienced and new, to help make this year’s ceremonies a great success for UMBC, our graduates, and their family and friends

If you would like to volunteer to support one or both of these ceremonies, please fill out our commencement volunteer sign-up form. We will send you a confirmation email with further instructions. There will be a training/information session for all volunteers on Tuesday, December 17, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. on the Event Center arena floor. This session is not mandatory, but is strongly recommended for new volunteers and those who are chosen as Team Leads.

For questions pertaining to the Graduate School ceremony, please contact Lisa Morgan, (410) 455-8142 or limorgan@umbc.edu.

For questions pertaining to the undergraduate ceremony, please contact Erin Johnson, (410) 455-5897 or ejohnso@umbc.edu.

We thank you for all of your help!

Gloria Holt, Associate Director of Audit and Compliance, in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships will be retiring from UMBC after 16 years of service. Please join us in wishing Gloria well as she transitions into retirement life:

When Gloria first joined UMBC, she served as Associate Director of Client Services; in 2014 she moved into the role of Associate Director for Audit and Compliance. As Associate Director for Audit and Compliance, Gloria developed a quality assurance program for UMBC’s financial aid programs that insures the office awards and manages financial aid in compliance with all federal, state and institutional rules and regulations. As a result, OFAS has seen a decrease in its findings in its most recent audits.

Gloria has been active in Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA) and the Delaware, District of Columbia and Maryland Association of Financial Aid Administrators (DEDCMD), most recently working with a committee to develop high school guidance counselor training programs on financial aid as well as serving on the Federal Relations Committee which advocates for legislation to support students and institutions.  Gloria also served on the Compliance Engine Task Force for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

Closer to home, Gloria has been an active member of the Enrollment Management Community Cares Committee and has served as Enrollment Management’s Maryland Charities Campaign Co-Chair numerous times throughout the years.  

Gloria has always brought a spirit of fun, cooperation and a keen eye for detail to the many demands of working in student financial assistance.  While we will miss Gloria, we wish her nothing but happiness as she embarks on this next journey.

If you have any questions or would like to contribute toward a gift, please contact Jane Hickey at jchickey@umbc.edu or at 410-455-1517.

Back by popular demand! As part of UMBC's Maryland Charity Campaign prize giveaway, we are offering one lucky winner a Visitor Parking Permit, valid for one year! Be sure to make your gift or pledge before the end of the day, Wednesday, November 13, to be eligible for the prize drawing. Everyone who has already contributed to the campaign this fall is automatically entered into the drawing.

Browse all the participating charities and donate online today! Need help donating online? Check out our step-by-step guide. If you have any questions about the campaign, or need assistance with making a pledge or donation, please contact your department's or division's MCC Coordinator.

The supplemental permit will be good for parking in any visitor hourly spot in the following parking garages and lots: Admin Garage, upper level; Walker Garage, upper level; Commons Garage, lower level; Lot 7 near Residential Life; and Lot 9 behind the Performing Arts & Humanities Building.

Special thanks to UMBC Parking Services for donating the visitor parking permit in support of this year's Maryland Charity Campaign.

We are writing to provide you with an update on our strategic enrollment planning effort that was formally launched at the university retreat earlier this year.

The first phase of our planning focused primarily on research related to UMBC’s undergraduate students and included a review and assessment of enrollment and student success outcomes. The next phase will  focus primarily on graduate student enrollment and progression.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the many members of the UMBC community who have engaged in the planning process to date and have provided important perspectives and input to the planning process through the university retreat, faculty, department chair, staff, student and program director focus groups, interviews and the hundreds of people who responded to faculty/staff survey. As the planning process proceeds, it will entail similar assessments and engagements.

We invite you to visit our Strategic Enrollment Planning website to learn more about our efforts (including preliminary results of the faculty and staff survey) and invite your further participation in this important endeavor.