Read Dr. Jarrell’s column on UMB’s Class of 2026 graduates 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
UMB’S 2026 GRADUATES ARE PREPARED AND READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
In many ways, May marks the most wonderful time of the year at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). This month, each of our seven schools will celebrate not only our graduating students, but also those individuals who have helped them reach this milestone: their families and friends, their past teachers and mentors, and all UMB faculty and staff.
While thousands of universities around the world will applaud their graduates, ours stand out in meaningful ways.
For one, UMB’s graduates immediately step into roles that are essential to the well-being of our communities. They work to advance health care, they champion social justice initiatives, they drive scientific discoveries, they shape public policy, and they strengthen our social systems. They move forward not merely with an intention to serve others, but also with the experience and perspective that come from having already done the work.
Consider just a few examples:
• Every year, Francis King Carey School of Law students provide about 75,000 hours of free legal services to Maryland residents and organizations.
• Through the Mission of Mercy program, School of Dentistry (UMSOD) dental students and dental hygiene students provide oral health care to uninsured and underserved adults, doing it most recently at UMSOD’s clinic at the Universities at Shady Grove. (Photo: Dr. Halima Karim, center, supervises two School of Dentistry students at the Mission of Mercy clinic in April.)
• Across multiple branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore and the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System in Maryland, the School of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing students have provided free blood pressure checks, health screenings, physical activity programs, and educational presentations to support community needs.
• Our School of Social Work students provide nearly 400,000 hours of clinical, management, policy, and community development through internships with 700 agency partners across Maryland and the surrounding states.
• Within our School of Medicine, students enrolled in the Rural-MD Scholars Program take part in immersive experiences with rural patients and practitioners and commit to serving these same populations after graduation.
• Physician assistant students in our School of Graduate Studies recently raised funds to support a free urgent care clinic in Baltimore that works to break down financial barriers to care.
• Within our School of Pharmacy, students in the “A Bridge to Academic Excellence” program provide tutoring services for high school students in Baltimore.
These and countless other acts of service illustrate a distinctive characteristic of UMB: Our students are ready and eager to make a difference in the world.
See the schedule of graduation ceremonies, honorary degree recipients, and more on UMB's Graduation 2006 website.
Everywhere they go, UMB alumni carry forward our mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good. Here in Maryland, across the United States, and all around the world, they fill critical roles and help address workforce shortages that would otherwise threaten access to care, justice, and essential services.
In this way, graduation represents both a culmination and a beginning. For the Class of 2026, it marks the completion of one chapter and the start of another filled with promise and purpose. Our soon-to-be alumni are prepared not only to succeed, but also to lead, guided by our core values of Respect and Integrity, Well-Being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery. As they enter the professional world, we look forward to celebrating their many successes to come.
Congratulations to all of our graduates!
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
Make a Gift to the Class of 2026
As we prepare to celebrate the achievements of the UMB Class of 2026, the Office of Philanthropy invites faculty and staff to join in recognizing this milestone in a meaningful way — by making a gift in their honor.
Our graduates have been shaped by the dedication, mentorship, and care of UMB faculty and staff. A gift — of any size — is a powerful way to celebrate their accomplishments and demonstrate the collective pride we feel in their success.
Consider directing your gift to an area that reflects your connection to our students — scholarships, academic programs, student support initiatives, or your department’s priorities. Every contribution makes a difference.
Let’s come together to celebrate the Class of 2026 with generosity and gratitude. Your participation at any level helps create opportunities and honors the legacy of those who are graduating this year.
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) Nancy Kusmaul, School of Social Work, who received the National Association of Social Workers Foundation’s 2026 Knee/Wittman Outstanding Achievement Award; Vanessa Harrington, UMB Police and Public Safety, who was honored as the University’s Employee of the Month of March; and Andrew Coop, School of Pharmacy, who was named chair of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s Research and Graduate Affairs Committee.
Laurels for May 2026
New Hires
See a LIST OF NEW HIRES at UMB central administration and our seven schools for April.
News and Notes
Stephen Kaiser (center) was honored as the School of Social Work’s 2026 Catalyst for Excellence awardee at the Celebrating Excellence event on April 28. He is flanked here by UMB President Bruce Jarrell and School of Social Work Dean Judy Postmus. (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
CELEBRATING SERVICE, PHILANTHROPY, AND VOLUNTEERISM
From funding foundations to boosting STEM pipeline programs to providing scholarship support to attract medical students to practice on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the power of philanthropy was recognized April 28 at the M&T Bank Exchange in the third annual “Celebrating Excellence: Honoring Service, Philanthropy, and Volunteerism” event. Eight Catalyst for Excellence awardees and a group of three Distinguished Service Award recipients were feted in a 50-minute ceremony that was hosted by UMB and the UMB Foundation. “What a group of award winners we celebrated tonight,” UMB President Bruce Jarrell said. “Of course, all of you are UMB supporters, and I want to thank you for making our University all that it can be.”
Photo: School of Medicine Dean Mark Gladwin (left) speaks with Global Health Alliance coordinator Cathy Mwangi at the April 7 event.
UMSOM FORMALLY LAUNCHES GLOBAL HEALTH ALLIANCE
On World Health Day (April 7), the School of Medicine (UMSOM) formally launched the Global Health Alliance (UMGHA), a new platform designed to strengthen and connect the school’s decades of global health work. The launch, held at the SMC Campus Center, brought together faculty, trainees, international partners, and government leaders from Kenya, Nigeria, and the United States, reflecting the collaborative spirit that has defined UMSOM’s global engagement for more than 50 years. Cathy Mwangi, director of International Operations at UMSOM’s Institute of Human Virology and coordinator of UMGHA, said the alliance is a recognition of the partnerships that already shape UMSOM’s global impact: “This is not just a launch. It is a celebration of partnerships, of impact, and of shared vision to strengthen global health through research, training, and collaborations.”
‘AI AT UMB’: YOUR HUB FOR RESPONSIBLE, PRACTICAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we teach, learn, research, and work, and UMB is taking an intentional approach to help our community use AI safely, ethically, and effectively. The AI at UMB webpage, maintained by the Center for Information Technology Services, serves as a central starting point for UMB faculty, staff, and students who want to explore approved tools, learn the basics, and understand the University’s expectations for responsible AI use. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to adopt AI in a new project, the webpage helps you move forward with confidence — using tools and practices that support innovation while protecting our community and institutional data.
Photo: The School of Dentistry’s Erica Caffrey (center, in blue mask) performs a dental exam on a patient at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.
DENTAL PARTNERSHIP FILLS GAP FOR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS
The School of Dentistry (UMSOD) has partnered with the Kennedy Krieger Institute to provide dental care for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities, the first such program at Kennedy Krieger in over 20 years. UMSOD clinical assistant professor Erica Caffrey has traveled to Kennedy Krieger accompanied by a pediatric dental resident to conduct monthly oral health exams for children in the Baltimore-based institute’s Neurobehavioral Unit. According to Caffrey, the visits address a persistent gap in dental care for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. “Often, these kids get referred immediately for dental exams under sedation or general anesthesia, which increases health care burden, cost of care, and medical risks,” she said. “If an exam can be accomplished without that, then we may avoid those increased burdens and risks.”
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM HELPS BALTIMORE GIRLS ‘BLOOM’
Positive vibes radiated in Baltimore Unity Hall with the bass cranked to 10, where for one afternoon in late March 200 middle and high school girls gathered to support one another and, more importantly, themselves. Students danced and sang together — even teachers got in on the act — and snapped selfies in a room decorated with bright colors to celebrate their full selves during a time in their lives when these teens face questions about their identity. “This is Bloom: Beautifully Living Out Our Me” — an event in its second year led by the School of Social Work’s Positive Schools Center — is designed to give power to themselves. More than 20 schools from Baltimore City Public Schools were represented.
Attendees of the “This is Bloom: Beautifully Living Out Our Me” event take a photo with Positive Schools Center director Shantay McKinily (front row, right, wearing red glasses). (Photo by Matthew D’Agostino)
Upcoming Events
MAY 11: VALUES IN ACTION SPEAKER SERIES
The next Values in Action Speaker Series installment will be focused on UMB’s core values set of Innovation and Discovery. Sol Roberts-Lieb (in photo, right), director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning and assistant professor of Health Professions Education at the School of Graduate Studies, will lead a conversation allowing for the exchange of ideas and critical reflection with colleagues across the University focused on how UMB can innovate and make discoveries within the higher education community. The hybrid program will be offered in person at the 4MLK building from noon to 1 p.m.
MAY 20: MICROSOFT TEAMS CALLING VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
The Center for Information Technology Services is launching a yearlong initiative to modernize UMB’s telecommunications system by moving to Microsoft Teams Calling. This will bring chat, video, and phone into a single app your teams already use, while reducing technology costs across the University. UMB will hold a town hall on Zoom to provide more information on the transition and gain feedback from the University community.
MAY 28: COMMUNITY COOKOUT
Learn about community and civic engagement initiatives at UMB, the BioPark, and within our surrounding community at a Community Cookout from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 860 W. Baltimore St. Discover ways to get involved, find available resources, build relationships, and deepen your understanding of community and civic engaged work. Community members, students, and employees are all encouraged to attend. Free dinner, drinks, and ice cream will be served until supplies last.
Save the Date
JUNE 18: ANNUAL JUNETEENTH JUBILEE
UMB invites the University community to commemorate Juneteenth, which celebrates the ending of slavery in the United Sates as well as African American freedom, culture, and achievements. This year, the event will be held at the 4MLK building and feature free food, giveaways, and music.
SEPT. 17: FIFTH ANNUAL FACULTY CONVOCATION
The convocation to celebrate the new academic year will feature faculty speakers and recognition of the 2026 Distinguished University Professors. The event will be held on Koester’s Lot, in front of the Saratoga Building, starting at 9:30 a.m.
OCT. 19-23: FOUNDERS WEEK
The annual celebration of the University’s founding will feature the Awards Recognition and Reception, Student Cookout, and Staff Luncheon.
Video of the Month
The Governor’s Wellmobile, operated by the School of Nursing, visited the state capitol in Annapolis to provide free blood pressure and glucose screenings to highlight to the Maryland delegation a small sample of the free services it offers to Marylanders who need it most.