Key Points

• UMBC is preparing for a gradual shift over the summer from primarily remote work to a return to on-campus work.

• Faculty and staff currently working remotely can return to campus starting July 6, with the expectation that all departments will be staffed by August 9.

• Supervisors will work with staff to determine both in office and individual schedules. 

• Acknowledging that one size does not fit all, flexible work arrangements may be considered, based on circumstances in individual offices.

Dear Colleagues,

We look forward to a fall 2021 return to the vibrant campus community we have all missed, and we want to share the guiding principles and organizational steps in place to support the transition of most faculty, staff, graduate assistants, and student workers from primarily remote work to a return to our physical campuses. We also want to express our deep gratitude to those who have continued their work on campus to support mission-critical operations, specific student-facing services, and research and creative achievement. 

This plan was developed in partnership with the Return-to-Campus Staff Workgroup that was convened in April and included representatives nominated by the Professional Staff Senate (PSS), Non-Exempt Staff Senate (NESS), each division, and the colleges. It has been led by our guiding principles that include an appreciation of our community, a commitment to health and safety, and an understanding that fairness, compassion, and flexibility will guide decisions.

Timeline

Currently, all faculty, staff, and students who wish to access campus will continue to use existing processes. As we shift to a new approach, the pace of our process will depend on the State of Maryland and Baltimore County allowing full reopening of facilities and the ability of day care participants and K-12 students to attend in-person five days per week. We will revisit our timeline if these conditions are not met. Access to research labs and spaces will continue to be managed by the Office of the Vice President for Research throughout the summer, guidelines are available here.

• July 6, 2021: Employees will begin a gradual return to work on campus. All faculty and staff will be approved for campus access; supervisors will no longer need to use the approval process for employees to be on campus. Supervisors and department heads will work with staff to determine appropriate schedules. We are asking that faculty and staff make every effort to be fully vaccinated by this date. 

• August 9, 2021:Staff should have established schedules with their supervisors. Offices and departments should be prepared to deliver services between the core hours of 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., with extended hours for some offices when appropriate. 

Health and Safety

Our community is well on its way to our vaccination goals. Data indicates that almost 60 percent of students and 75 percent of faculty and staff have received at least one vaccine dose. Faculty and staff should make plans to be fully vaccinated before they return to the campus. If you have been vaccinated, please report your vaccination. We are still developing our process for medical and religious exemptions and will share with the community in the coming weeks. 

Until new guidelines are announced, all community members returning to campus must follow the appropriate testing and symptom tracking requirements. Currently all employees approved to be on campus can access these requirements through their COVID Compliance Card in their myUMBC profile. More information for those returning after July 6 will be shared soon. Masking and symptom tracking will be required for all community members.

Scheduling

Department heads/supervisors are responsible for determining the scheduling for staff and student workers during summer and fall 2021. This process should be a collaborative one, taking into account both the needs of the department and the situations and needs of employees.

We know that a single approach will not work for all employees or departments. As supervisors/department heads think through the best methods to offer services for the fall, face-to-face or alternative work arrangements may be considered. Available alternative work arrangements are explained here and include telework and flexible schedule options. More information on the process for filing telework requests will be provided soon.

Supervisors are responsible for informing staff of the unit’s plans for phasing in on-campus work and should notify employees of their return-to-campus date no less than two weeks prior to the return date. If you need help creating your schedule or plan, you can reach out to the Human Resources Department at covid19hrresponseteam@umbc.edu.

Additional Resources

We understand there may be some employees who have concerns about returning to on-campus work. We encourage employees to discuss these concerns with their supervisor. If concerns persist or employees wish to share concerns confidentially, they may contact Human Resources at covid19hrresponseteam@umbc.edu. The Retriever Ready website has been updated with additional resources for staff including information on ADA accommodations, leave resources, childcare and eldercare concerns, and a connection to support through our Employee Assistance Program. We look forward to adding to these resources in the coming months.

In the fall, eligible employees will also have access to a Premium Membership with Care@Work, a platform that provides families tools to help them make more informed hiring decisions whenever care needs arise. Care@Work connects families and caregivers and is available as a mobile or desktop application. We are pleased to offer this resource to our community during this time of transition. In addition to the monthly membership, the University is also subsidizing up to ten days of backup care. More information will be available soon.

Thank you for all that you do to support our community. We look forward to seeing you soon. 

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President for Administration and Finance Lynne Schaefer

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs

Key Points

• The FY 2021 year-end operating results are better than previously projected. 

• The FY 2022 budget will continue to be challenging as we manage ongoing impacts of the pandemic, including base budget cuts spanning both FY 2021 and FY 2022.

• Recognizing the financial strain some of our students and their families are facing, the Board of Regents has approved minimal increases in tuition rates for FY 2022.

• The campus is on track to enroll the largest class of new freshmen in UMBC history. Students and families continue to believe in UMBC.

Dear UMBC Community,

A year ago, the campus faced a budget reduction of $65 million primarily as a result of a major State budget cut, loss of auxiliary revenues, and the extraordinary costs of safety measures required by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are very pleased to let you know that the year-end outlook for fiscal year (FY) 2021 is better than previously projected. This is thanks to the resilience of our faculty, staff, and students, who have worked to be as financially conservative as possible while continuing to focus on academic progress and support for people. Our fiscal position has also been helped tremendously by $10.6 million in federal stimulus funds. We now expect to close the financial year with a $19 million shortfall, primarily the result of reduced fee revenue in auxiliary operations such as residence halls and dining services. 

The FY 2022 State budget recently approved by the Maryland General Assembly maintains the $12 million reduction to UMBC’s state appropriation that was adopted in FY 2021. The State budget also includes an additional $1.6 million reduction to UMBC’s base state appropriation, bringing the total base reduction in the past two fiscal years to $13.6 million.  

While it will take several years to recover from these reductions and the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are grateful to the State for providing some helpful additional resources in the FY 2022 budget. The FY 2022 State budget includes additional and targeted funding for the following:

• Base funding to cover the cost of the two percent cost of living increase that was effective January 1, 2021. 

• An additional $400,000 to enhance our economic development and research activity. 

• Funding to support multiple healthcare, public health, and health services programs on campus. 

The FY 2022 State capital budget also includes funding for a number of essential infrastructure projects on campus:

• $6.9 million for utility upgrades;

• $7.0 million for the planning and design of Sherman Hall renovation; and

• $2.0 million for critical roof replacement projects.

Recognizing the financial strain that some of our students and their families are facing, the Board of Regents has approved a minimal increase in the FY 2022 tuition rates of two percent for in-state undergraduate students. Out-of-state undergraduate tuition and graduate student tuition will increase by three percent. These modest increases follow a year in which tuition was held flat.

Most exciting for the future of UMBC, the campus is on track to enroll the largest class of new freshmen in UMBC history. We are also seeing strong interest from prospective transfer and graduate students and are working closely to support and retain current students. It is wonderful to know that even in this time of unprecedented disruption, students and families continue to believe in the value of higher education and have confidence in UMBC. 

We thank you for all you have done this year to assure that UMBC remains a welcoming community for inquiring minds, and we look forward to continuing to partner with our students, faculty, and staff as we prepare to return to robust learning and life on campus this fall. We wish our students success on their final projects and exams and urge all to take time for rest and reflection this summer.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “grief”?  

Far too often, we think of grief in terms of dealing with the loss of a loved one or illness. But we can also grieve the end of something –  a relationship or a major life change –  or even having to come to terms with something being different than we expected, like graduating during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

The pandemic has changed so much of our lives, and shifted the college experience in a major way.  

• Maybe you were in the middle of your first year in March 2020 and have yet to return to campus. 

• Perhaps you are graduating this spring and have to celebrate virtually.  

• Maybe you didn’t get to have the college roommate experience 

If you have had a tough time being able to celebrate your accomplishments, you are not alone. For years you have dreamed about what your college experience or graduation day would look like, and now it is completely different. 

It is ok to have complicated feelings about ending one chapter and beginning another.

While some students may have dealt with grief related to the virtual learning transition, including moving off campus, there may be students who are grieving the loss of a loved one or having to take care of an ill family member. The grieving process typically happens in five stages: 

1. Denial 

2. Anger 

3. Bargaining

4. Sadness

5. Acceptance

Unfortunately, grief is not a linear process and sometimes you go back and forth between stages. But don’t fret. While grieving is not an easy thing to deal with, over time the intensity will decrease. 

As you process major life changes during these unprecedented times, here are some tips to help with the transition:

• Two things can be true: You can be excited to graduate and be disappointed that you will not have the traditional graduation.

• Any milestone that you have been able to accomplish this year is a MAJOR feat.  Your resilience and tenacity are remarkable and should be celebrated.

• Find safe ways to reconnect with your support system so that you don’t feel alone.

• Practice self-care to help you cope with the tough days.

• Contact the UMBC counseling center to schedule an appointment and learn about the available resources to help process your grief.

Remember, grief is not reserved for loss. Major life transitions can result in a mix of emotions that may be hard to explain and that is normal. Grief can hit in waves, with you having good days reflecting on the good times followed by a series of bad days filled with confusion, sadness, and anger about what has transpired. During tough times, recognize that you are not alone, lean into your support system, and trust that it will get better.

Name:Andre Lemard

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Paradigm Testing, LLC

Position Title:IT Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s):Information Systems

Current Class Level:Senior

Work Term:Spring 2021

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

I work as an Information technology intern at Paradigm testing, where we provide high-stake examinations to a wide range of law and medical organizations and boards. My day-to-day responsibilities include creating and scheduling exams for many clients, providing live troubling for proctors during exams. I also assist in other functional business/technology processes as needed. 

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

My internship position was listed on the UMBCworks page, and I decided to apply because the job description matched my skill set. I used the Career Center's handbook resume tips and examples to format my resume according to my field of study. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization? 

I enjoy that this internship position is entirely remote, so I get to work in the comfort of my home. I also enjoy the daily meeting with team members and the different tasks and projects we get to work on each day. The organization is pretty small, so everyone is kept in the loop. 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe I make an impact through my work by creating exam formats that will yield the best exam-taking experience for candidates. I also believe that working closely with stakeholders and developing methods to streamline their exams significantly impacts their business processes.  

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

I would say keep applying to as many internships as you can. Invest in resources that will keep your skill set current. Also, make an appointment at the Career Center if you need help.  

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