Provost’s Perspective: March 27, 2026

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:47:17 -0400
provost

Welcome to the final March edition of the Provost's Perspective. We've officially passed the halfway mark and are heading down the homestretch of the semester. It's hard to believe, but as of today there are only 54 more days until Commencement.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to meet with two separate affinity groups for faculty and staff members. A theme that stood out in both meetings was the desire for our community members to be seen and supported holistically at UMBC. When we show up at work, we show up as our whole self and bring all our developmental history and identities to the table. What we experienced last night or over the weekend shapes how we show up at work. Likewise, who we are shapes how we serve and lead.

To be fully seen and supported holistically, we need to know who we are and who the people around us are (and no, we don't need to be close friends, I am talking about being supportive co-workers).

In the coming weeks, I encourage you to join your co-workers and colleagues in a non-work activity. Whether it's a casual coffee run, a volunteer afternoon, or a competitive round of office trivia, it is an act of dismantling the professional scaffolding. It's the transition from people who happen to work together to being colleagues. It forges a foundation that allows us to see and understand each other as much more than just coworkers. It helps each of us to be the best version of ourselves at work (and for UMBC to continue to be a great place to work!).

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NEWS & NOTES

Survey on Missed Class Time

In our welcome to the spring semester email, we mentioned that we would be reaching out to departments to ask them to share examples and strategies that were utilized to make up missed in-person/synchronous class time due to closures for inclement weather (e.g. asynchronous sharing of content, asynchronous activities, and/or administering additional assignments).

Please submit the following survey to share with us the strategies you have utilized to make up time for your courses as needed this semester.

Deadline: Friday, April 10

Survey link.

Four Calls for Nominations/Proposals

Wilson H. Elkins Professorships

I am pleased to announce that the University System of Maryland (USM) is able to make available to its institutions the Wilson H. Elkins Professorship for use in Academic Year 2025-2026 (FY 2026). The Professorship, which began in 1978 at the University of Maryland, College Park, was established to perpetuate the name and contributions of Wilson H. Elkins, a former Rhodes Scholar who led the University of Maryland to new levels of distinction as its president from 1954 to 1978. When the University System of Maryland began in 1988, Dr. Elkins agreed that the professorship bearing his name should extend to the entire USM family. Information about the Professorship and a listing of recent Elkins Professors are available on the University System of Maryland website at https://www.usmd.edu/usm/academicaffairs/elkins.html.

Elkins Professors must exhibit, at a minimum, all of the following qualifications:

A solid record of achievement in a recognized academic or professional discipline;

Evidence of significant achievement outside traditional disciplines but linked in scholarly and professional ways to the work of the USM;

Demonstrated ability and continuing desire to lead and inspire undergraduate and graduate students in a range of learning situations.

Demonstrated ability and intent to participate in programs and activities outside the USM.

Income from the endowment for the Elkins Professorship is intended to support compelling projects with focus on research, scholarship, or community engagement that will allow the Elkins Professor to make an important contribution to the teaching, research, or public service mission of the institution and the entire USM. Direct involvement with undergraduate and/or graduate students and outreach to other institutions within the System are hallmarks of the Elkins Professors.

Nominations

Faculty members interested in applying must work with their Chair and Dean to compile their nomination packet. The deans will be submitting the final nomination packets by Friday, May 10 to the Office of the Provost who will submit to the Office of the President.

Elkins Professorships for Academic Transformation

AY26-27 focuses on three awards of up to $10,000 each to faculty, supporting the integration of Generative AI into educational practices

The Elkins Professorship for Academic Transformation is a prestigious fellowship awarded to faculty within the University System of Maryland. For AY26-27, the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation seeks nominations for faculty in support of innovative projects focused on the use of Generative AI to advance academic transformation. Specifically, three awards of up to $10,000 each will be granted under this professorship to faculty focused on the use of Generative AI to Nominations enhance teaching and learning.

Nominations

Faculty members interested in applying must work with their Chair and Dean to compile their nomination packet. The deans will be submitting the final nomination packets by Friday, May 10 to the Office of the Provost who will submit to the Office of the President.

Call for Proposals: 2026-27 Elkins SoTL Fellows Program

The call for proposals for the 2026-2027 Elkins SoTL Fellows program is now open.

Up to 10 Elkins SoTL Fellowships of $1,000 each will be awarded for 2026-27 (May 22, 2026 – June 30, 2027). The Elkins SoTL Fellowships are open to USM faculty of any rank or appointment interested in undertaking a research project focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning.

A faculty member should serve as principal investigator (PI) on the project; a staff person may serve as co-PI provided the project originates with the faculty member. At present, graduate students are not being considered for this fellowship.

Information Session

Join Kirwan Center staff on Monday, April 13, 2026, from 1 - 2 p.m. for a virtual Information session to learn more about the fellowship requirements and expectations. We will also answer questions about the program at that time. Registering will ensure you receive a link to the session recording, even if you can't attend live.

Register here.

Proposals are due to Dr. Nancy O'Neill by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026, for work to take place over the subsequent academic year.

Call for proposals.

Call for Applications for Faculty Senior Fellows

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is pleased to announce a call for applications for Faculty Senior Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year. These leadership roles will advance the Kirwan Center's mission to support innovation in teaching, learning, and scholarship across the University System of Maryland. Each senior fellow will receive a $3,500 stipend for their work across AY 2026-27.

The three senior fellow positions are:

Senior fellow in generative AI pedagogy

Senior fellow for the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

Senior fellow for assessment and evaluation

USM faculty of any rank whose primary role on their campus is faculty are eligible to apply. Applicants may apply for multiple positions but can only be selected for one senior fellow role. Each position requires approximately 1-2 hours of work per week throughout the academic year term. More details can be found in the Call for Applications for Faculty Senior Fellows.

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

RESCHEDULED

2026 Office of the Provost Strategic Initiatives Meeting

Thursday, April 2, 3:30 – 5 p.m., Fine Arts 118 and online

This event has been moved to Thursday, April 2. Please update your calendars and plan to join the provost leadership team and myself either in person or online to learn about the 2026 strategic initiatives under way that are (co)supported by the Office of the Provost. As a reminder, the initiatives include re-envisioning general education, student success strategy, graduate student recruitment and enrollment strategy, fostering curricular innovation, strengthening global education, AI strategy, infrastructure needs, refining and enhancing budget models, and expanding and strengthening K-12 partnerships.

During this meeting you will learn about (a) goals, (b) leads, (c) who is involved, (d) timeline, and (e) how you can get involved/provide feedback. After the session there also will be an opportunity for informal conversation with leads of initiatives and the Office of the Provost team.

Register here.

Coffee with the Provost

Friday, April 3, 10 – 11 a.m.

Fireside Lounge, The Commons (third floor)

Have you ever wondered what a provost does? Do you have an idea that will transform higher education?

Drop in and join me for a warm beverage and community as we head into the homestretch of the academic year.

This is a great opportunity to connect, share ideas, ask questions, or simply enjoy some conversation over coffee and tea.

No RSVP required and all are welcome.

Stop by, grab a cup, and say hello!

More information.

Piano Performance by Yang Gao

Sunday, March 29, 3 p.m.

Linehan Concert Hall

Pianist Yang Gao presents a program featuring Fryderyk Chopin's Preludes, Op. 28, a selection from Isaac Albéniz's Iberia, and the Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 by Leoš Janáček.

More information

Low Lecture:

Warren Milteer, Jr. — Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for Equal Rights in the Civil War Era

Tuesday, March 31, 4 p.m.

Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery

The Social Sciences Forum presents the annual Low Lecture, featuring Warren Milteer, Jr., associate professor of history at The George Washington University, who will speak on Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for Equal Rights in the Civil War Era.

More information

despite // bất chấp: The 2026 Intermedia and Digital Arts (IMDA) MFA Thesis Exhibition

April 1–18

Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture

The Intermedia and Digital Arts Master's Program presents despite // bất chấp: The 2026 Intermedia and Digital Arts (IMDA) MFA Thesis Exhibition. On view from April 1 through 18 at the Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture, the exhibition features work by graduating students Taylor Goad, Nia Hampton, Bao Nguyen, and Lynn Nguyen.

More information

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

April 2–12

Proscenium Theatre

UMBC Theatre presents The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, adapted by Jacqueline E. Lawton and directed by Joseph W. Ritsch. Life in modern day Baltimore has been a bit boring for Dorothy and her little dog Toto. Until one day, when a cyclone swoops in and takes them "over the rainbow" to the wonderful and magical land of Oz. With the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy sets off on the adventure of a lifetime down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. These new friends brave witches, flying monkeys, and a Haunted Forest all to meet the Wizard of Oz, who promises to make their dreams come true.

More information.

Help Make this Newsletter Better

The goal each week of this message is to deepen our connection to UMBC, whether that is learning about an upcoming event, a divisional accomplishment, an innovative program, or an update from the Office of the Provost. If you know of a program or event that should be highlighted, please share it here.

Until next week,

Manfred van Dulmen