Read the UMB community’s responses to the Core Values Conversation questions over the past three months.
At the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), our core values are more than words, they are our way of life — the demonstration of what we stand for and the guide for our behaviors. Our core values of Respect and Integrity, Well-Being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery are at the heart of our mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good of Maryland and society at-large.
Since August 2024, UMB staff, faculty, students, and community members have had the opportunity to respond to thought-provoking questions designed to explore UMB’s core value of Respect and Integrity — We value each other and hold ourselves accountable for acting ethically and transparently using compassion and empathy.
Several people have taken this opportunity to engage with this core value in an intentional way and share their insights with the UMB community:
- Karen Park from Administration and Finance shared: “To me, respect is a behavior that indicates to others that you give space to their being, thoughts, values, feelings, or traditions, even when these each may be different from your own. Respect is displayed through active listening and a sincere quest to understand another — to hold another at the same level of esteem as you do for yourself.”
- An anonymous member of the School of Medicine shared: “In a professional environment like UMB, respect between peers, between colleagues, with clients, and with service providers means treating everyone in the same manner as you would want to be treated by others irrespective of rank, position, color, or stature. Interactions should follow simple principles of mutual respect, clear communications, and ethical behavior. Communications should involve active listening, clarity, feedback (without raising one's voice), conflict resolution (without bullying), accountability (without bias), mentorship, and respect for boundaries.”
- Shoshanna Allaire from the School of Graduate Studies shared: “A person of integrity is an individual who does the right thing, even when no one is there to witness it.”
- An anonymous UMB staff member shared: “One action you can take this week that would demonstrate consideration and compassion for people and inspire others to do the same is to invite someone to meet for a walk, coffee, lunch, etc. About half of U.S. adults report loneliness. We should not assume that people don't want and need to be included. You never know who is experiencing loneliness.”
Thank you to everyone who engaged in the Core Values Conversation focused on Respect and Integrity. All of the posted responses can be seen here.
Beginning on Monday, Nov. 4, the Core Values Conversation will shift to highlight UMB's core value of Well-Being and Sustainability. Throughout November and December a new question will be posted every other Monday (https://www.umaryland.edu/core-values/cv-conversation/) aimed at exploring our understanding of this core value, followed by new questions each week throughout January 2025 focused on putting this core value into action.