A&F, the largest of UMB’s departments, recently hosted its semiannual town hall in which senior leadership engages with the A&F community on various topics.
Unlike previous Department of Administration and Finance (A&F) Town Hall functions where a single topic was featured, the recent town hall was more of a potpourri of topics and information. The subjects for this town hall were chosen based on emerging budgetary trends, events at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), and employee feedback.
The 90-minute discussion kicked off with brief remarks from Dawn M. Rhodes, DBA, chief business and finance officer and senior vice president. The topics included budget issues at the state level and their impact on salaries, progress on meeting the department’s goals in the UMB Strategic Plan, employee recognition awards, accessing employee resources, and an update regarding the Quantum Human Capital Management (HCM) software rollout coming in 2025. The event concluded with an open question-and-answer session.
Scott Bitner, MBA, CPA, deputy chief financial officer and vice president for finance and auxiliary services, was first up and spoke about the University’s current and upcoming budgeting process. Bittner noted that the University System of Maryland will need to reduce its collective budget by approximately $55 million, with UMB’s share of that coming to $10.8 million in Fiscal Year 2025. While the exact numbers are not yet known, Bitner expects an even tighter budget for FY26.
Karen Park, MA, MBA, chief of staff and director, Strategic Projects, addressed the crowd next with an update on where A&F stands in meeting the University’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Of the 301 collective goals spelled out for the University, 56 of those come from A&F.
According to Park, the division has completed 21.4 percent of its goals including implementing the SAP Concur travel system, recruiting new positions into International Operations, establishing a UMB International Risk Management program, installing a new Parking Automated Control System, and establishing a more equitable search process.
Ongoing or active goals in A&F include the Eutaw Street Initiative; A&F Vibrancy Planning and Implementation; streamlining recycling programs; re-evaluating the Live Near Your Work incentive; developing the A&F Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan; implementing a division-wide customer service initiative; improving communications across the division; and implementing the Oracle HCM System.
Malika S. Monger, MPA, PHR, chief human resources officer and associate vice president, spoke next, reminding attendees about the many employee recognition programs that exist. These include the Employee of the Month, Cecil S. Kelly Memorial Employee of the Year Award, myriad long-term service awards, the James T. Hill Scholarship, and the Community Service Award. Monger recognized numerous employees for their service, including Bruce Steffe, project manager, Design and Construction, who has been at UMB for 50 years.
Nicole Palmore, MSW, executive director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, A&F, spoke next. She focused the majority of her time on her office’s new employee resource groups. Based on input from the A&F community, the groups will provide a safe space for community, resources, and support. Group representation will include LGBTQ, grief support, women, women of color, neurodivergent and mental health, and caregivers of all kinds. Anyone interested in any of these groups, or anyone interested in suggesting a support group, is encouraged to reach out to Palmore at nicole.palmore@umaryland.edu.
The final speaker of the day was Stacy Long, MBA, executive director, Enterprise Applications, who spoke about the Quantum HCM Implementation Project. The new system will serve as a replacement for the current PeopleSoft Human Resources Management System. She confirmed that the new cloud-based system is progressing on schedule and on target to go live in spring 2025.
After the final speaker, the floor was opened to questions. Passing the mic around the room, attendees had questions on cost-of-living adjustments, the impact on the Kirwan Commission on state budgets, artificial intelligence and UMB, development of the northern part of the campus, and how cryptocurrencies might be beneficial in addressing future budgets.
The event was organized by Latoya Ludd, MBA, along with Park and Lisa Crawley, all of the Office of the Senior Vice President. A date has not yet been selected for the next town hall.