Read Dr. Jarrell’s column on supporting student initiatives and learn about student, faculty, and staff achievements; upcoming events; and news and notes from around the University.
To see previous editions of The President’s Message newsletter, go to the archives page on the Office of the President website.
President’s Column: Impactful Initiatives Support Our Students
As the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) reaches the halfway point of the academic year, it's an ideal time to reflect on the many initiatives and activities that support our students in their academic, personal, and professional journeys. Life at UMB is not only about academics, it's also about building community grounded in our core values, developing new skills, and fostering personal growth. Here are snapshots of some of the exciting and impactful activities taking place this year for our students.
Making Wellness Accessible: Menstruation Product Pilot
In September, the University Student Government Association, in collaboration with UMB Student Affairs, launched the menstruation product pilot. This initiative provides free period products by installing five dispensers in restrooms across the SMC Campus Center, including locker rooms in URecFit and Wellness. This effort ensures that students have access to essential hygiene products, helping to remove barriers to student engagement and participation on campus.
Mental Health First Aid Training: Reducing Stigma and Building Support
As part of a broader initiative to reduce mental health stigma on campus, the Student Counseling Center launched Mental Health First Aid training in March 2024. Funded by a generous gift from Patricia Attman, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, the program will equip faculty, staff, and students with the tools to recognize concerning behaviors in peers, intervene effectively, and connect them to the support they need.
Expanding Support Through the UMB Student Pantry
To better meet the growing needs of our student body, the UMB Student Pantry (in photo, left) is leveraging a portion of its grant funding to expand its physical space at the SMC Campus Center. This expansion will provide additional storage and enable the pantry to offer a new, in-store shopping experience for students that’s scheduled to open in 2025. This initiative is crucial to ensure that all students have access to essential food and supplies, especially in times of need, and further supports UMB’s commitment to student well-being and success.
President's Fellows: Exploring the Impact of Generative AI
This year, seven students from across the University were selected to participate in the President’s Symposium and White Paper Project. As President’s Fellows, these students will spend the spring 2025 semester researching, developing, and writing recommendations on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on the educational environment at UMB. The fellows will be guided by Isabell May, PhD, associate professor and director of the science communication program, School of Graduate Studies. This interdisciplinary project aims to explore the evolving role of AI in education and its implications for students, faculty, and the broader UMB community.
Expanding Disability Services with the New Testing Center
The Educational Support and Disability Services Testing Center is undergoing a major expansion to further enhance the support UMB offers students with disabilities. The expansion will increase the center’s seating capacity, accommodate UMB schools and program needs, and introduce new accessibility features such as privacy partitions, private testing rooms, and a screen enlarger option. These improvements are part of UMB’s commitment to providing an inclusive and accessible academic environment for all students. The expanded center is expected to open in 2025.
Faith and Religious Practice Space
UMB’s new Faith and Religious Practice Space is located at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library. Located in Room 302 near The Graduate Research Innovation District, the space is a dedicated, quiet space for all members of the UMB community to engage in personal reflection, prayer, and meditation. The space can be used by individuals or a group of up to 12 people. (Read the usage guidelines.) This initiative supports UMB’s goal of creating a university that is inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs of our student population.
URecFit and Wellness: ‘Better Together’ Well-Being Initiative
URecFit and Wellness has launched a student-led initiative called “Better Together,” designed to support students in building healthy relationships and creating social networks. Through workshops and community-building events, students employed by URecFit are helping their peers develop skills for maintaining social and emotional well-being. Rebecca Romano, a School of Nursing student and URecFit staff member, shared her experience: “I enjoy seeing how [‘Better Together’] builds community support. Students really appreciate the free quality meals, the wellness content, and the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. Overall, it’s gratifying to know that I’m positively impacting the social well-being of my peers at UMB.” This initiative not only promotes physical health but also strengthens the sense of community and belonging among students.
Looking Ahead
As we move into the second half of the academic year, UMB students continue to demonstrate resilience, creativity, and a commitment to making a positive impact. As always, the collective efforts of our students, faculty, and staff make UMB a place where students can not only excel academically but also grow personally, develop meaningful connections, and become leaders in their fields. We look forward to their continued success in the new year.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
See President Jarrell's 2024 holiday message in the Video of the Month below.
Laurels
See our monthly roundup of the achievements of STUDENT, FACULTY, AND STAFF.
New Hires
See a LIST OF NEW HIRES at UMB central administration and our seven schools for November.
News and Notes
School of Dentistry Dean Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, speaks during the State of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion convening Oct. 31 at the SMC Campus Center. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
THE STATE OF EDI: UMB held its second State of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) convening Oct. 31 with presentations from the deans of the schools of nursing, dentistry, social work, and pharmacy. The event focused on strategic plans, successes, challenges, and initiatives aimed at cultivating a culture that prioritizes EDI across all faculty, staff, and student communities. Diane Forbes Berthoud, UMB’s chief EDI officer and vice president, said, “The purpose of these convenings is to ensure greater accountability and to increase communication across the schools and across the University.” The third convening will be held Jan. 13 with a summary from the School of Medicine.
SHOWING HIS METAL: UMB President Bruce Jarrell, who is an accomplished blacksmith, exhibited his metalworks for the first time at a craft show when he was selected to be featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show in mid-November. All told, 195 artists representing 13 categories of art and design were chosen by a jury and invited to present their work. “I have always wanted to compete in a juried art show because the competition from the professional artist world is strong,” said Jarrell, whose exhibition included 42 items. “It was great to be selected, and the experience was exceptional.”
THE SEASON OF GIVING: This holiday season, there are several ways to share the spirit of gratitude with UMB’s West Baltimore neighbors and friends, as the Staff Senate and the Office of Community and Civic Engagement (with support from WJZ-TV) are excited to launch the first annual Season of Giving Campaign to help fund meaningful programming that benefits our West Baltimore neighbors during the holidays. There are two fundraising drives, one for the Polar Express Experience and one for the UMB Christmas Store.
‘MISSION’ ACCOMPLISHED: UMB students and faculty provided dental services to 82 patients during a Mission of Mercy event in a state-of-the-art dental clinic at the Universities at Shady Grove in Montgomery County, Md. Halima Karim, director of Clinical Services at Shady Grove and a 2012 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, said, “There are pockets of communities around here that need these services. By doing an event like this, we're able to spread the word about the care we have here.”
SLAM-DUNK SUCCESS: In this “UMB Pulse” episode, podcast hosts Charles Schelle and Dana Rampolla dive into an enlightening conversation with Tamika Tremaglio, an alumna of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Tremaglio shares her journey from managing risk and compliance at Deloitte to leading the National Basketball Players Association and steering her new enterprise, TA Sports Ventures.
DONATE TO THE MARYLAND CHARITY CAMPAIGN: Thank you to the 65 donors who have already made their Maryland Charity Campaign gift or pledge. The 2024 campaign ends Dec. 13, so there is still time to participate. The University’s goal is to increase the number of UMB faculty and staff participating in the campaign through payroll deduction or a one-time gift. You can search this year’s Giving Guide for the nearly 900 charitable organizations taking part this year.
TAKE A FLYER AND SPREAD THE WORD: My Healthy Maryland Precision Medicine Research needs help from UMB- and University of Maryland Medical System-affiliated health care providers to spread the word about its statewide research program. The initiative, which aims to enroll up to 250,000 Marylanders and has the potential to have a great impact on research about health and disease in the state, has provided a flyer that can be downloaded and posted in waiting or exam rooms to attract study participants.
ANOTHER ‘1807’ GEM: A beaded mermaid, images from the Super Blood Wolf total lunar eclipse, and a kaleidoscope of color presented in a glass sculpture are just a few of the works included in Pearl Gallery North, the latest contemporary art space on the north end of UMB’s campus. The exterior artscape features a selection of images fabricated from vinyl, highlighting two dozen pieces from Issue 4 of 1807, UMB's art and literary journal. UMB President Bruce Jarrell says Issue 4 “features a set of striking images and profound words. The art in this issue continues to be broad in type and variety, color and texture, mood and feel.”
The Pearl North Gallery features select artwork for the fourth issue of “1807: An Art & Literary Journal.”
Upcoming Events
DEC. 10: ‘DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS AS A RESEARCH INVESTIGATOR’: Dr. Taofeek K. Owonikoko (in photo, right), executive director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, will be the speaker.
DEC. 10: CIVIC UNIVERSITY: In this University program, held at the SMC Campus Center, UMB faculty, staff, students, and community members will receive training in the lead-up to the Maryland legislative session regarding how to engage in the legislative process.
DEC. 11: INNOVATION @ UMB: TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CELEBRATION: Join UMB prototype development experts and representatives from the Fischell Foundry in the UM Ventures, Baltimore prototyping lab for answers and insights on kick-starting innovation.
DEC. 11: CLIMATE CHANGE, HEALTH, AND SOCIETY SPEAKER SERIES: Lois Wessel, associate professor at the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine at Georgetown University, will discuss “Climate Change: What’s Next for Maryland?”
Save the Date
FEB. 6: MLK AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION: UMB will hold its celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and diversity from noon to 1:30 p.m. at MSTF Leadership Hall. Diversity Recognition Award winners will be honored, community leaders recognized, Darrick Hamilton (in photo, left) of the New School in New York will be the keynote speaker, and spoken-word artist Lady Brion, the poet laureate of Maryland, will perform.
MARCH 13: UMBRELLA WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH SYMPOSIUM: Each year, UMB and the UMBrella Group celebrate Women’s History Month to commemorate the pioneering, courageous women of our past and to honor the equally heroic women of today who propel this University, our state, nation, and world toward true equality, inclusion, and opportunity.
Video of the Month
Take a moment to enjoy this holiday message from President Jarrell and his family: