Read Dr. Jarrell’s column on maintaining hope amid funding challenges and learn about student, faculty, and staff achievements; news from around the University; and upcoming events.
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
NEW YEAR BRINGS HOPE AMID FUNDING CHALLENGES
It’s hard to believe we’re at the start of a new calendar year already! We have so much to look forward to — and so much to celebrate — as we gear up for the new semester.
I’m delighted to share that we are ringing in 2026 with great news: The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) — linked as a single research enterprise — achieved one of our highest rankings in the National Science Foundation’s latest Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, the most widely recognized national benchmark for sponsored research activity.
With more than $1.5 billion in combined research expenditures across Baltimore and College Park, the University of Maryland ranked 14th among all U.S. institutions and ninth among public institutions for research and development spending in Fiscal Year 2024. These rankings offer further evidence of what we have long known to be true: Together, our two universities have built a research enterprise with a unique capacity to address society’s most complex challenges.
For many of us, the new year symbolizes a fresh start, renewing our eagerness to learn, serve others, and push the boundaries of discovery. Along with this spirit of excitement and optimism, we carry with us a clear-eyed understanding of the challenges that remain before us. Last year, the higher education and scientific research communities faced direct hits from steep reductions in federal research funding, cuts to student financial aid programs, and policy changes that had immediate effects on international students, faculty, and researchers. We know that we’ll continue to feel the impact of these and forthcoming presidential executive orders and legislative actions.
In light of this, universities everywhere are working to secure new funding to backfill canceled and non-renewed research grants and offset potential declines in student enrollment, particularly international student enrollment. Many faculty and lab heads have pivoted the focus of their work to rely less heavily on federal funding and instead draw more significant support from alternative funding sources.
In many ways, industry and philanthropic partners will play an even greater role in shaping the future of universities like ours. But they alone cannot offset the impacts to research and student support that continue to ripple across higher education.
“Throughout our University’s nearly 220-year history — and the history of public higher education in Maryland — state support has served as a critical throughline. This will always be the case, but it is especially significant in challenging times such as these.”
That is why, a few weeks ago, I joined University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD; UMCP President Darryll J. Pines, PhD, MS; and several other Maryland higher education leaders in briefing the Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on the impact of recent federal actions on public higher education in our state.
Throughout our University’s nearly 220-year history — and the history of public higher education in Maryland — state support has served as a critical throughline. This will always be the case, but it is especially significant in challenging times such as these.
As many of you know, Jan. 14 marks the beginning of the 2026 Maryland legislative session — the 90-day period in which the state legislature will act on more than 2,500 pieces of legislation as well as the state’s capital and operating budgets. That is why it is especially critical that we, as members of the UMB community, engage with state leaders in the weeks ahead on the growing risks facing higher education and research in our state. To ensure that our University maintains a coordinated and unified position on issues relating to the public and higher education sectors, all members of the UMB community who wish to take part in any legislative engagement should connect with our Office of Government Affairs beforehand.
Last year presented one of the most uniquely challenging periods higher education has faced in decades. The two largest federal funders of university research — the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation — are issuing fewer grants in virtually every area of science and medicine. At UMB, we see this most acutely in areas such as vaccine development, infectious diseases, genomics, mental health, addiction, neurological diseases, and even cancer.
In these areas, reductions in federal support translate directly into fewer clinical trials, longer wait times for new therapies, and a potential loss of competitive advantage for Maryland’s globally recognized bioscience sector. These cuts threaten progress we’ve made in research priorities outlined by the state, including the war on cancer, which the Maryland General Assembly has long and proudly supported. As we celebrate the latest HERD survey findings, we also recognize that these rankings could look very different in the coming years if we continue to face significant reductions in federal funding.
Cuts to research also present many ramifications beyond the work itself. At stake is the ability to continue to draw top talent and expertise to Maryland. We risk losing a generation of research faculty and graduate students who are positioned to one day lead the fields of public health, medicine, law, and human services. Fortunately, countless members of our community are working to ensure that doesn’t happen.
I want to express my gratitude to the many leaders across our University who play a critical role in this effort. Thanks to the work of many faculty, students, and staff — including UMB’s Office of Government Affairs — our state, federal, and local government officials know the impact of UMB on Marylanders everywhere. Further, the members of UMB’s Issues Management Advisory Group (IMAG) and several IMAG task forces continue to work tirelessly to assess challenges, develop strategies, and provide recommendations for our community in the wake of evolving federal policies.
I also want to take this time to emphasize how proud I am of the UMB community. Our students, faculty, and staff are passionate about our commitment to improve the human condition and serve the public good. Driven by a personal sense of civic duty, many of you devote your own time to communicate to government and community leaders why the work we do here matters to Maryland and the wider world. Each and every one of you has the ability to make a difference — in fact, that’s one of the reasons why this year’s President’s Symposium and White Paper Project fellows chose civic engagement and civic leadership as their topic of focus.
It’s also why the dawn of the new year still fills me with hope — and why hope must be met with action. The upcoming legislative session presents a critical opportunity for each of us to do our part in addressing the challenges facing higher education and human health research together. It’s also a time when we must share a key message: By investing in UMB and higher education statewide, our leaders can protect Maryland’s research enterprise, strengthen our state’s workforce, and continue to build a brighter future for all.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
Laurels is a roundup of student, faculty, and staff achievements that is published 11 times a year in The President’s Message newsletter. This month’s edition includes kudos for (in photo, from left) Karen Gordes, School of Graduate Studies, who was accepted as a Distinguished Fellow of the Physical Therapy Academy in the National Academies of Practice; Markus Rauschecker, Francis King Carey School of Law, who was elected chair of the Maryland Cybersecurity Council; and Stacey Stephens, School of Social Work, who received the Family League of Baltimore’s Innovation Award.
New Hires
See a LIST OF NEW HIRES at UMB central administration and our seven schools for December.
News and Notes
Children and families enjoyed the Polar Express Experience at the B&O Railroad Museum in December. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
POLAR EXPRESS EXPERIENCE IS A JOY RIDE FOR WEST BALTIMORE FAMILIES
Children and families from West Baltimore received tickets to ride a train for the B&O Railroad Museum’s cherished Polar Express Experience through an effort organized by UMB’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement (OCCE). Inside the train, chefs in white hats bopped and danced up and down the aisle as they passed out sugar cookies and cups of hot chocolate. Other highlights included a recitation of “The Polar Express” book and, after the ride, a visit with Santa for photos and other fun activities inside the museum’s Roundhouse. “It’s really a good way to conclude the year,” said Dionne McConkey, program specialist, OCCE. “It’s been a long year, so we go out with a nice, festive event, and we’re continuing to build relationships with our neighbors.” (See video below.)
CHRISTMAS STORE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
UMB’s Community Engagement Center was filled with holiday energy Dec. 12-13 as families, volunteers, and community partners gathered for the annual Christmas Store — a decade-long tradition that has become a trusted part of the holiday season in West Baltimore. The Christmas Store featured tables filled with name-brand toys, dress-up costumes, science kits, books, and games, all available to families at deeply discounted prices. UMB’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement, the Foundry Church, and other partners raised funds for the store’s inventory. Along with monetary donations from the University community, those efforts allowed organizers to purchase toys and gifts that families could affordably select for their holiday celebrations.
READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF UMB’S ‘CATALYST’ MAGAZINE
CATALYST is a showcase of our collective achievements, bold innovations, and the unwavering spirit that defines UMB. This issue highlights many of the ways in which our commitment to improve the human condition and serve the public good reaches far beyond our campus. You’ll read about countless examples of the impact of the University’s global initiatives reaching places as far away as The Gambia, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, and Guam. But you’ll also learn why UMB’s commitment to global engagement does not always equate to work abroad; it also is a commitment to drawing global talent and international partners to Baltimore. UMB thrives because of the diversity of scholars, innovators, and leaders who make up our community here on campus and in areas all around the world. UMB’s global work not only facilitates the exchange of resources and knowledge across borders, it also exposes our community members to new perspectives and approaches for addressing some of the biggest challenges of our time.
NEW SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK BUILDING TAKES SHAPE
The new University of Maryland School of Social Work building is becoming more recognizable by the day with considerable construction that spanned 2025. Columns and walls have been poured, existing utilities relocated and new pathways for utilities to serve the building in place, and 42 geo-exchange wells drilled and pressure tested through the entire 10 miles of piping. Due to open in the second half of 2027, the building is nearing its halfway point, rising on the corner of Greene and West Lexington streets. A topping-off ceremony is set for next month, when the final steel beam is placed atop the structure that will ready the building for enclosure in 2026.
CEC CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY
A decade after opening in a one-room storefront on West Baltimore Street, UMB’s Community Engagement Center marked its 10th anniversary with a community-wide celebration that felt equal parts birthday party, homecoming, and reunion. The event, which was held at the newer, larger CEC building on South Poppleton Street, drew over 100 neighbors, partners, faculty, and staff. UMB President Bruce Jarrell praised the partnership that has shaped the CEC over the past decade. He underscored that its success lies not in the building itself but in the collaborative work that makes it a place where residents feel welcome and supported. “This all came together because of the community that we hope to deserve to be a part of,” he said. “I can’t begin to tell you how inspired I am to stand on this stage and look out at you and see what’s happened.”
Bill Joyner, UMB’s assistant vice president of community engagement and partnerships, talks at the Community Engagement Center celebration as University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman (right) looks on. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
Upcoming Events
JAN. 20: HYBRID ‘FACE TO FACE’: FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN CAPS
Roger Ward, UMB’s provost and executive vice president, and Patricia Scott, university registrar and assistant vice president of enrollment administration, will discuss the new federal student loan caps that are set to take effect in July 2026. This hybrid event will be held in person at the SMC Campus Center and virtually on Zoom.
FEB. 5: MLK AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION
UMB’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Celebration will feature keynote speaker Chris T. Pernell (in photo, left), a dynamic physician leader and public health expert who is the director of the NAACP’s Center for Health Equity. Her talk is titled “The Clarion Call for Health Justice: No Retreat, No Surrender.” The event will include recognition of MLK Leadership Award winners among UMB students, staff, and faculty as well as Community Champion of Equity and Justice Award recipients.
Save the Date
MARCH 4: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH SYMPOSIUM
Registration will open this month for UMB’s seventh annual Women’s History Month Symposium, an all-day event at the SMC Campus Center that will feature a morning keynote speech, an afternoon fireside chat, two sets of breakout sessions, breakfast, lunch, and more.
STRATEGIC PLAN TOWN HALLS IN MARCH AND MAY
The 2027-2031 Strategic Plan co-chairs will host four town halls to discuss the overall process for UMB’s next strategic plan and gain feedback from the University community on the plan’s themes, goals, objectives, and more. The in-person town halls will be held March 23 and May 7; the virtual town halls will be held March 25 and May 8.
Video of the Month
Thanks to UMB, children and families from West Baltimore enjoyed a ride on the Polar Express Experience at the B&O Railroad Museum in December: