Dear UMBC Community, I am pleased to announce that David Dauwalder has accepted my invitation to serve as interim provost at UMBC beginning August 15. David was selected from a highly qualified pool of interim candidates from The Registry, a firm specializing in placing interim higher education leaders. As I shared earlier this summer, the national search for our next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs is ongoing. Retaining an interim provost will allow us to continue to advance our strategic interests — including moving forward with strategic planning — as we recruit and select the… Continue Reading Announcing an Interim Provost for UMBC
Dear UMBC Community, It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Renique T. Kersh as the next vice president for Student Affairs at UMBC. Renique will join us from Simmons University in Boston, where she currently serves as vice president for student engagement, success, and diversity and a professor of practice in public health. Renique will bring to UMBC deep and broad expertise in student affairs and student development, as well as exceptional leadership capacities and a richness of experience in higher education that spans student engagement and academic affairs. This will be a homecoming for Renique, who… Continue Reading UMBC’s Next Vice President for Student Affairs
Dear UMBC Community, While not surprising, today’s long-anticipated ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions is deeply troubling. Throughout higher education, diversity is widely understood to be of critical importance to the education we deliver. At UMBC, we have long championed and served as a national model of inclusive excellence. We know that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not merely moral imperatives; they are imperative to the excellence of our teaching and research, and they are foundational values for our university. In striking down race-conscious admissions as a violation of… Continue Reading Today’s Ruling on Race-Conscious Admissions
Dear UMBC Community, I write today to provide an update on the search for our next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Over the past several weeks, the search committee, our external partner Isaacson, Miller, and I have considered compelling candidates from a variety of excellent institutions across the country. It is a testament to UMBC’s outstanding academic reputation, its institutional values, and its extraordinary community that so many talented individuals have expressed deep interest in this role. To date, however, none has emerged as the right candidate for us, and so the search will continue. While we… Continue Reading Provost Search Update
Dear UMBC Community, I write today to share with you the news that Dean Keith J. Bowman, who has led the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) since 2017, will be on leave during the upcoming academic year to pursue key academic and professional projects. Oros Family Professor Anupam Joshi, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (CSEE) and director of UMBC’s Center for Cybersecurity, will serve as acting dean of COEIT, effective July 1. During his leave, Keith will be working to stay updated on fast-moving advancements in his field, serving on review teams for… Continue Reading Announcement Regarding COEIT Leadership
Dear Colleagues, We have reached an important milestone in our three-year response to COVID-19. With the end of the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 on May 11 and the resulting change from emergency response to our routine protocols for infectious disease education, prevention, and response, we have now ended our online reporting. The COVID-19 subgroup Health Team that has led our response holds its last regular meeting this week. We know that COVID-19 will remain a part of our community, and we will be ready to implement safety measures as needed in the future. But this is, indeed, a… Continue Reading Thank you to the COVID-19 Health Team!
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… Continue Reading Remembering E. Michael Richards
Dear Colleagues, We are saddened to learn of the recent transition of Dr. Alan Sorkin who served as chair of the Department of Economics for 31 years. Dr. Sorkin passed away on Friday, August 19, 2022 at home surrounded by his family after a long battle with an illness. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones and we know that many UMBC community members will mourn his loss. Dr. Sorkin joined the UMBC Economics Department in 1974 upon completing his undergraduate and doctorate in Economics at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to UMBC, he also spent two years with the… Continue Reading UMBC Remembers Dr. Alan Sorkin
The success of politicians in the U.S. largely depends on the amount of funding they receive from various sources. Traditionally, volunteers went door to door to solicit donations from individuals. Today, politicians use social media to encourage their supporters to donate and eventually vote for them. Many politicians have turned to this sort of political crowdfunding. Continue Reading Political crowdfunding does more than raise money – it can also rile up opponents
Courtney Coppersmith, ‘22, biochemistry and molecular biology, experienced UMBC as a welcoming community on her first visit, and she has devoted her time on campus to paying that spirit forward. She is one of the top softball pitchers in the nation. And she has supported fellow UMBC student-athletes and the broader UMBC community through mental health and food security initiatives. Continue Reading Scholar-athlete shines a light on mental health
