UMBC Strategic Plan Steering Committee Update to the Campus Community

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:43:29 -0500
strategic-planning

Dear UMBC Campus Community,

I am writing to share an update on our progress in developing the UMBC Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee has met three times this fall to advance our work on the five strategic plan pillars. These pillars were shaped by the feedback shared by our community in the Bold Conversations and Core Values survey. As a reminder, the five pillars are:

Grow Student Opportunity and Success

Transform Teaching and Learning

Redefine Excellence in Research and Creative Achievement

Cultivate Organizational Innovation and Vitality

Strengthen Maryland and Its Communities

The strategic plan committee members have been divided into five Pillar Subgroups, each tasked with developing a plan for their particular pillar through the spring semester. Once the pillar plans are drafted, the committee will undertake several steps to ensure that the final UMBC strategic plan is ready to share with the community in the fall of 2026.

We will be seeking assistance from our community in developing these plans. Some of you may receive outreach in early 2026 to engage in planning; this outreach could be through a survey, focus group, or other method chosen by the pillar subgroups. I encourage those of you who receive outreach to engage in this important work on behalf of UMBC. It is essential that we hear voices from across campus and benefit from community expertise, perspectives, and ideas.

There will also be several opportunities for the larger campus community to share feedback. News about these opportunities will be posted in the myUMBC Strategic Planning group. Please follow this group as soon as you can to ensure you are in the know regarding events, activities, and forums led by the strategic plan committee to engage with you, because we want to hear from as many community members as possible to ensure that the strategic plan is our community's plan for the future.

I also want to note that the current strategic planning website will be updated soon. It is being redesigned to ensure easy access to strategic planning process key information. The new site will include an interactive timeline focusing on major milestones, a page with the steering committee roster, and a form to provide feedback.

Thank you in advance for your engagement and feedback in support of our UMBC strategic planning process. I am excited about what the coming months will bring in developing the plan, and I look forward to seeing you at related events.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Charissa Cheah
Professor of Psychology and Asian Studies Faculty Affiliate
Chair, UMBC Strategic Plan Steering Committee