Read Dr. Jarrell’s column on the value of higher education 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
MAKING OUR IMPACT KNOWN: THE VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Last month, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Office of Communications and Public Affairs launched UMB Celebrates America at 250. The public information campaign features a series of stories highlighting how, for nearly 220 of the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, UMB has helped shape U.S. history.
The series also offers a timely reminder: Universities don’t just impart knowledge. They also help communities — and our nation — meet some of their greatest challenges. Universities like ours prepare the workforce, drive discoveries that improve human health and well-being, and strengthen society in lasting ways. This enduring impact deserves renewed attention, especially at a time when higher education faces growing political scrutiny and public skepticism.
On July 14, Gallup released the results of its latest poll measuring public confidence in U.S. higher education. At first glance, some of the numbers are sobering. According to the report, 38 percent of Americans say they have a “great deal” of confidence in higher education, down from 42 percent last year. The leading reasons cited for this decline are concerns about the return on investment and whether higher education institutions are adequately preparing students for tomorrow’s job market.
It’s important to first recognize that these findings represent broad public attitudes rather than opinions about any one type of institution or academic program. Nevertheless, the poll results serve as a stark reminder that colleges and universities everywhere face significant challenges in communicating the value of higher education to the broader public.
Lucky for us at UMB, making the case for the value of our University is easy. Our graduation rates, job placement and workforce development data, and economic impact figures make it very clear that UMB’s reach extends far beyond our campus. A UMB education creates lasting value — not only for our graduates, but also for the families, communities, and fields they serve. Now, perhaps more than ever, it’s important that we communicate UMB’s impact to those outside our immediate community.
Providing Pathways to In-Demand Professions
Let’s first address one of the most frequently cited concerns about the value of higher education: the return on investment.
Every student’s academic journey is unique. For many, the decision to pursue a degree or postbaccalaureate certificate follows a careful weighing of the costs against the long-term financial and professional benefits. That calculation is especially important for students who rely on loans, scholarships, and other forms of financial assistance to achieve their goals.
As a public university, UMB is committed to expanding opportunity and ensuring that pathways to essential professions are accessible to all. By providing a high-quality professional education at a lower cost than most private institutions, we help make careers in health care, law, and human services attainable for students across Maryland. As the state’s only public health, law, and human services university, UMB does not simply educate tomorrow's workforce, we also serve as the primary pipeline for many of the professionals who administer health care, strengthen our justice system, and serve our communities. Our graduates serve in roles that sustain the core systems upon which Marylanders rely every day. And we know that these roles are in increasingly high demand — and will remain so in the years to come.
Last month, The Washington Post published an article produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization that focuses on inequality and innovation in education. The story depicted a grim reality in which college graduates, overall, face a tremendously tough job market.
But the piece also made it clear that this isn’t the case for graduates of all fields. In fact, the authors noted that workforce demand for nurses, dentists, physicians, and mental health counselors is growing at such a rate that virtually every state faces worsening gaps in care. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, employment demand for physician assistants, physical therapists, pharmacists, social workers, and lawyers also is growing faster than the national average workforce demand. Although the broader job market remains uncertain, UMB graduates enter professions that offer meaningful work and sustained demand for their expertise.
Supporting and Sustaining Our State
Because of this, we know UMB yields a high return on investment for our graduates as well as for our state. Along with the more than 55,000 UMB alumni who live in Maryland, our faculty, students, and staff provide vital care and services to the state’s residents every day. From hospitals, dentist offices, and pharmacies, to schools, courts, and community organizations, UMB alumni are embedded across the state. Further, the UMB community contributes hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in service to the public — in clinics, schools, neighborhoods, legal aid offices, health departments, and community organizations.
UMB has a substantial impact on Maryland’s economy, generating roughly $3.5 billion for the Maryland economy while supporting nearly 17,000 jobs, based on Fiscal Year 2024 data. Those figures represent far more than financial returns: They reflect businesses that grow because of University activity, jobs that support families, tax revenues that strengthen public services, and investments that ripple through communities across the state. Put simply, for every $1 invested by the state, UMB returns $10 to Maryland.
The University’s value, however, cannot be measured by workforce outcomes and economic impact alone. For more than two centuries, UMB researchers have advanced discoveries that have improved countless lives and helped shape the future of health care, law, and social work in Maryland and beyond. We proudly celebrate our tradition of transforming ideas into treatments, cures, policies, and programs that create lasting impact. That more-than-200-year tradition continues today as our faculty, students, staff, and alumni work across disciplines to confront emerging health threats, advance justice, and improve quality of life for people everywhere.
As we celebrate UMB’s remarkable history, we have a unique opportunity to ensure that the wider world learns the story of our impact.
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) Naeemah Staggs, School of Social Work, who facilitated two workshops at the Maryland Department of Human Services Affiliates Retreat; Sol Roberts-Lieb, School of Graduate Studies, who received an Early Career Award for Excellence in Teaching and Innovation from the International Association of Medical Science Educators; and Kathryn Pawlak, Dean’s Faculty member, School of Dentistry, who received an Early Career Pediatric Dentist Award from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
New Hires
See a LIST OF NEW HIRES at UMB central administration and our seven schools for June.
News and Notes
HISTORY LESSONS: UMB CELEBRATES AMERICA AT 250 CAMPAIGN
UMB Celebrates America at 250 is a months-long storytelling initiative tied to the United States’ commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that occurred July 4, 2026. The campaign will continue for the rest of 2026, exploring the remarkable history of the University through the people whose vision, perseverance, and leadership have left an enduring mark on our country. The stories will cover groundbreaking discoveries that changed the course of medicine, courageous individuals who challenged barriers and opened doors for future generations, innovations that reshaped professions, and partnerships that transformed communities. You also can hear about the history of UMB in the latest episode of “The UMB Pulse” podcast, featuring a discussion with Tara Wink, historical collections librarian and archivist at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library.
CELEBRATING FREEDOM AND COMMUNITY TIES AT THE JUNETEENTH JUBILEE
UMB brought together neighbors, students, faculty, and staff for an afternoon of history, community, and celebration during its fifth annual Juneteenth Jubilee on June 18. Held for the first time inside the 4MLK building, the free event featured line dancing, free food, giveaways, a photo booth, and hands-on activities. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that all enslaved people were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. “Juneteenth gives us an opportunity to celebrate freedom while strengthening the relationships that make our community so special,” said Danielle Harris of UMB’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement. “We want this event to be a welcoming space where neighbors, students, faculty, and staff can come together, learn from one another, and celebrate together.” 
The marketing material for “What They Don’t See: Youth Incarceration: Resilience, Resistance, and Restoration” includes these stylized photos of the Baltimore youth who helped create the performance.
UMB PARTNERSHIP ALLOWS CITY YOUTH TO PRODUCE A WORK OF ART
This summer, the halls of UMB’s Community Engagement Center (CEC) have been filled with the sounds of drumming, poetry, storytelling, laughter, and sometimes difficult conversations. Since June 29, about 30 Baltimore City young people have reported to work each day through the YouthWorks summer employment program, participating in an intensive, arts-based leadership experience hosted through a partnership between UMB’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement and Baltimore-based WombWork Productions. Their work product is an original performance titled “What They Don’t See: Youth Incarceration: Resilience, Resistance, and Restoration,” which will be presented July 30 and July 31 at the CEC. Combining theater, poetry, music, storytelling, and spoken word, the production examines the realities of youth incarceration while elevating stories of healing, resilience, and hope. 
UMB’S 2027-2031 STRATEGIC PLAN IS COMPLETE
After months of hard work by the co-chairs and logistics and steering committees — augmented by valuable feedback from the UMB community — the University’s 2027-2031 Strategic Plan has been completed. This Strategic Plan, which will guide UMB's collective priorities over the next five years, features six themes, each with a Strategic Objective and four to five Strategic Outcomes. The themes are: 1. United for Impact; 2. Student, Faculty, and Staff Success; 3. Future-Ready Graduate and Professional Education; 4. Research and Scholarship Excellence; 5. Community and Global Engagement; 6. Innovation and Digital Transformation. You can read the Strategic Plan or download a PDF at the Strategic Plan website and learn more about the process from stories about the March town halls and the May town halls.
UNIVERSITY LAUNCHING GOALS GROUP COACHING PROGRAM
The GOALS Group Coaching Program offers UMB staff and faculty at all levels a structured, engaging experience to help you make meaningful progress toward your personal and professional goals. Through monthly coaching group meetings led by a dedicated coach and interactive program events, you’ll get to connect with colleagues across campus, explore real workplace challenges, and turn reflection into practical action while gaining tools and strengthening skills that support your continued development. Applications for Cohort 1 will be through Aug. 10.
UMB EMPLOYEES GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL DURING JUBILANT CEREMONY
On a warm day at the end of June, the SMC Campus Center’s Elm Ballrooms were packed with students in caps and gowns. But these graduates weren’t your average high school students. The group cloaked in green or blue, caps decorated with phrases like “It’s Never Too Late,” were a cohort of adult students — all at least 21 years old — who balanced a rigorous academic curriculum while continuing to work, care for their families, and navigate the demands of everyday life to receive their high school diploma from the Goodwill Excel Center. UMB’s collaboration with the center has allowed five employees to turn their tassels, as the University allowed them to work half of their hours while still receiving full pay, to complete the program. (Watch a video about the ceremony on YouTube or in the Video of the Month feature below.)
Kionda Early, a UMB Environmental Services technician, received her high school diploma at the Goodwill Excel Center graduation June 26 at the SMC Campus Center. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
Upcoming Events
AUG. 4: NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
Join UMB Police and Public Safety and the Community Engagement Center for National Night Out, an annual community-building event that serves to promote positive relationships between police and the communities they serve. Held at the 873 West Baltimore Lot in the BioPark (corner of West Baltimore and Poppleton streets), National Night Out features free food, a video game truck, an appearance by McGruff the Crime Dog, giveaways, and much more.
SEPT. 2: UMB GLOBAL KICKOFF
Join the Center of Global Engagement for this annual event. Start your academic year gaining information about global opportunities and connecting with fellow students, scholars, faculty, and staff who have a global interest. Learn about global courses and opportunities at a resource fair from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by dinner, trivia, and networking from 5 to 6 p.m.
SEPT. 10: ACCESSIBILITY TRAINING TOWN HALL
Join colleagues from across UMB for a special town hall featuring nationally recognized accessibility and higher education expert Thomas J. Tobin. In his presentation, “Taking Work Off Our Plates with Universal Design for Learning [UDL],” Tobin will explore how UDL can help faculty and staff create more accessible, inclusive, and effective learning experiences while reducing barriers, stress, and workload.
SEPT. 17: FIFTH ANNUAL FACULTY CONVOCATION
The convocation to celebrate the new academic year will feature remarks by UMB President Bruce Jarrell, faculty speakers, and recognition of the 2026 Distinguished University Professors. This year’s speakers are from the School of Nursing (UMSON): Susan Bindon, professor, associate dean for faculty development, and director, Institute for Educators; and Angelica Fernandez-Dizon, assistant professor, UMSON at the Universities at Shady Grove.
Save the Date
OCT. 19-22: FOUNDERS WEEK
The annual celebration of the University’s founding will feature the Student Cookout, Staff Luncheon, UMB Historical Treasures Tour, and Awards Recognition and Reception event, where our Founders Week award winners — David J. Ramsay Entrepreneur of the Year, Researcher of the Year, Public Servant of the Year, Educator of the Year, and Student of the Year — will be recognized.
OCT. 23: ‘HEALTH CARE ACCESS AT A CROSSROADS’
Join UMB’s PA Leadership and Learning Academy for an afternoon exploring the evolving health care landscape and strategies to expand access to care across Maryland. Expert speakers will examine current health care challenges and opportunities, including recent legislative changes that are helping expand access to care, particularly in underserved regions such as the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland.
Video of the Month
UMB has collaborated with the Goodwill Excel Center on a program that gives employees a pathway to earn their high school diploma (see story, above).