The Women's Center lounge and office will be closed during Fall Break. Those dates are Monday, November 21st through Friday, November 25th. 

We will resume our normal hours starting Monday, November 28th.

 For any parents who need the lactation room during this time, please contact the Women's Center at womenscenter@umbc.edu or call us at 410-455-2714 to make arrangements prior to Fall break beginning.

Have a great Fall Break, UMBC!

Dear Colleagues,

Please join me in congratulating Lisa Akchin, Associate Vice President of Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement, who has informed me of her decision to retire from UMBC and explore other opportunities at the end of this calendar year. Lisa joined UMBC 28 years ago, and throughout that time has contributed to the remarkable trajectory of this university in myriad ways. She has married her deep subject matter expertise in communications and marketing with institutional knowledge, a keen and analytical mind, and unimpeachable integrity to help us find the words, images, and ideas that help people understand the excellence that is UMBC.

Lisa joined UMBC in 1994, and got to work helping to rebuild the university's Office of Institutional Advancement. Initially focused on marketing and communications, her portfolio has expanded dramatically throughout her tenure at UMBC, and she has played a critical role in many of the university's milestone accomplishments. She has led the way in developing marketing and messaging that have positioned UMBC as both a selective and diverse public campus of choice. She facilitated the campus adoption of the Welcome to Our Community of Inquiring Minds brand update, and has been a co-leader in optimizing enrollment marketing communications through a common CRM and branded digital advertising campaigns.

Lisa helped build the case for support for UMBC's three comprehensive fundraising campaigns, and strategically designed milestone anniversaries that enabled us to achieve new levels of recognition, campus pride, and alumni engagement. She also guided development of the award-winning UMBC Magazine. She partnered with the President's Office and the Provost's Office to deftly develop and execute campus retreats and built an engaging campus participation platform for the 2015 strategic plan, Our UMBC: A Strategic Plan for Advancing Excellence. Finally, she has advocated for increased State investment in UMBC's distinctive contributions to State workforce and economic development, and worked to strengthen ties to UMBC's surrounding communities. 

At UMBC, Lisa has served as a member of the President's Council and the Strategic Enrollment Plan Implementation Committee and as the President's Liaison to the University Steering Committee. She also chairs the university's Brand and Enrollment Marketing Executive Team and the Crisis Communications Team and co-chairs the Campus Climate Coordinating Group and UMBC Neighbor Relations Group. She is well known for her deep commitment to social justice in Baltimore, having served two terms on the Baltimore City Public Schools Board of School Commissioners, as well as board service with the Baltimore Collegetown Network and the Citizens Planning and Housing Association. 

Details will be forthcoming about an event that Institutional Advancement will host to celebrate and thank Lisa for her contributions to UMBC. We will also share information about how we will transition Lisa's many responsibilities. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Lisa for all that she has done for UMBC.

Greg Simmons, M.P.P. '04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We hope you will join us in celebrating the Class of 2022 by participating in UMBC's Winter Commencement ceremonies at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.

• Graduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 21, 2022
• Undergraduate Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 22, 2022

There are a number of ways you can come together with the UMBC community to congratulate our graduates. Please take a moment to RSVP today so we can make appropriate arrangements.

March in the Commencement procession. Academic regalia is required to march. You may use your own regalia or order it through the UMBC Bookstore through November 22, 2022. Specific instructions are included on the RSVP form. Please note: UMBC will subsidize the rental of academic regalia for faculty and staff; however, to ensure timely delivery, you will be responsible for an expedited shipping fee if you place your order after November 22, 2022.

RSVP Here

Serve as event staff. We still need help! It takes more than 50 staff from across campus to make this event possible and to support graduates and their families on their special day. We will provide detailed instructions and also host a training session on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 3 p.m. on the arena floor.

Sign Up Here

In addition, if you or your immediate family member is graduating this winter, we can reserve up to six seats for you and your guests. Please email commencement@umbc.edu to reserve your seats by December 9, 2022. Please note: this amenity is only for current UMBC faculty and staff members and is not for the general student body.

For questions pertaining to the Graduate School ceremony, please contact Lisa Morgan at limorgan@umbc.edu. For questions pertaining to the Undergraduate ceremony, please contact Becky Bosstick at bbosstic@umbc.edu.

We look forward to seeing you at the Commencement ceremonies!

UMBC Events Team

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Join our team in Event & Conference Services!

Workshop Wednesdays w/ i3b are monthly opportunities for faculty, staff, graduate students and adult learners to engage around social justice topics that can support their personal growth and professional development. All sessions are interactive, and designed for skill-building and practice.

Session Focus: Inclusive Hiring in DoSA - This session is specifically designed for search committee members and search committee chairs. We will talk through the Inclusive Hiring toolkit and expectations for Divisional searches. We will also explore the impact of bias on hiring processes and how to mitigate bias impact. 

Please RSVP below.