President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) - Position Profile

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY PRESIDENT Baltimore, Maryland THE SEARCH The University of Maryland, Baltimore County UMBC or the University seeks an inspirational, collaborat

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY

PRESIDENT Baltimore, Maryland THE SEARCH

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC or the University) seeks an inspirational, collaborative, and strategic leader to serve as its next president Committed to inclusivity and innovation, UMBC is proud to be one of the fastest-growing and most diverse public research universities in the nation, with just over fifty percent of its nearly 14,000 students self-identifying

as students of color The University’s vibrant campus is regarded as a new model for American higher education – a place where talented students, faculty, and staff thrive in a culture that embraces new ideas and strong shared governance The next president will work closely with the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM), its 12 partner institutions in the System, and major public and private partners in the region to sustain and expand its critical educational, scholarly, and equity-oriented work

This is a pivotal moment for a community connected by a shared sense of mission and vision, and

a shared commitment and dedication to “Inclusive Excellence.” After more than three decades

of service, UMBC’s current president, Dr Freeman Hrabowski, has announced plans to retire at the end of the 2021-22 academic year Under President Hrabowski’s leadership, the national profile of UMBC has risen dramatically, evolving from a small school into a university with deep social impact, and one of the nation’s top producers of engineers and scientists of color His greatest legacy, perhaps, is the idea that “success is never final” – and the next president will continue to take UMBC to new heights as a regional, national, and international model for success

Young and dynamic, UMBC is small enough to provide personal attention to its students, yet large enough to offer state-of-the-art facilities and the finest faculty It is home to 10,835 undergraduate students; 2,803 graduate students; 919 faculty; and 1,582 staff employees, who study and serve in its various colleges and schools: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS); the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT); the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS); the Erickson School of Aging Studies; the Graduate School; the School of Public Policy; and the Social Work program in partnership with the

University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work U.S News and World Report 2022 ranks

UMBC the #6 most innovative university and #6 top university for undergraduate teaching in the nation, and it has consistently ranked as one of the “Most Innovative” national universities and one of the nation’s leading institutions for social and economic impact UMBC also ranks among the country’s top 100 public universities in federal research support, #15 in NASA funding, and

#30 in federal funding for social sciences In 2020, UMBC was honored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching with its distinguished Carnegie Community Engagement classification

Located in one of the greatest concentrations of commercial, cultural, and scientific activity in the country, the University prides itself on both its national prominence and its service to the local community UMBC’s annual operating budget stands at $540.5 million, with annual research expenditures of $80 million The University is actively expanding its research footprint and visibility, building on exciting momentum At the heart of its mission, UMBC seeks to connect innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement This is a tremendous opportunity to have meaningful impact at an institution of critical importance to society

In particular, UMBC seeks a leader who will: provide bold, strategic, and courageous leadership

in envisioning UMBC’s future; sustain and prioritize UMBC’s culture of shared governance, transparency, and trust; advance the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice; build on UMBC’s success to achieve national recognition as an outstanding research university; continue to generate financial resources, accelerate philanthropic success, and ensure

a sustainable financial future; and promote a clear strategy and vision around undergraduate and graduate enrollment efforts that stay ahead of nationwide demographic trends

The Board of Regents and the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland have engaged the services of Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, in this recruitment effort All applications, inquiries, and nominations should be directed in confidence, as indicated at the end

of this document

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY

Founded in 1966, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County is a mid-sized public research university in the Baltimore-Washington corridor It was the first public university in Maryland to include students of all races, and is federally designated as a minority-serving institution UMBC was established upon the land of the Piscataway and Susquehannock peoples and, over time, citizens of many more Indigenous nations came to reside in the region UMBC humbly offers its respects to all past, present, and future Indigenous people connected to this place

UMBC is a member of the University System of Maryland (USM) Under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, UMBC is termed a doctoral university with higher research activity The University delivers a distinctive undergraduate educational experience characterized by a strong liberal arts and sciences core, and offers graduate programs

emphasizing selected areas of engineering, information technology, science, public policy, and human services Most of the University’s academic programs are offered on its 500-acre main campus near Baltimore, with some programs offered at the Universities at Shady Grove campus – a distinctive partnership of nine USM institutions – in Rockville, Maryland, and select research and teaching facilities in downtown Baltimore

UMBC’s education offerings span disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields in the visual and performing arts, engineering and information technology, humanities, life and physical sciences, pre-professional studies, and social sciences UMBC’s Graduate School offers 41 master’s degree programs, 24 doctoral degree programs, and 24 graduate certificate programs The Division of Professional Studies offers an array of professionally focused master’s degrees, graduate certificates, individual courses, and non-degree training programs Thirty-five new academic programs have been added since 2006, including three new departments: gender, women’s and sexuality studies; media and communication studies; and marine biotechnology

When President Hrabowski arrived in 1987 as vice provost, the campus enrolled 10,000 students, fewer than half of freshmen lived on campus, and the University had less than $10 million in research funding Now, the campus is largely residential, the University enrolls almost 14,000 students, and it enjoys more than $80 million in externally funded research annually UMBC has increased its international student population, more than doubled the proportion of students from low-income households, and more than doubled its number of annual graduates – from 1,700 to nearly 3,500

UMBC is a young university with a national and international reputation for innovation and

student success, particularly in STEM Times Higher Education has five times recognized UMBC

as one of the world’s top 100 young universities for strong research, innovation, and an

international outlook The Princeton Review, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and Fiske Guide to

Colleges have repeatedly named UMBC a “best value” university For over a decade, The Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized UMBC as a “great college to work for.” Significantly,

UMBC is the nation’s #1 producer of Black undergraduates who go on to complete a Ph.D in the natural sciences or engineering, and #1 for Black undergraduates who complete an M.D./Ph.D For more information about the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, please see the Appendix, as well as www.umbc.edu

KEY PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMS

UMBC is no ivory tower, and community engagement plays a significant role in its values and mission Its model for a great public research university is to partner with community members, neighborhoods, and industries, and the University explicitly and strategically serves the state of Maryland UMBC’s government and industry partnerships advance entrepreneurship, workforce training, pre-K–16 education, and technology commercialization, contributing to the state’s economic development At the same time, UMBC supports pioneering, fundamental,

curiosity-driven research that pushes forward the boundaries of human knowledge across domains and disciplines and maintains deep connections to federal funding agencies such as the NIH, NSF, NASA, and others

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has honored UMBC with its distinguished Carnegie Community Engagement Classification This classification acknowledges UMBC faculty, staff, students, and community partners for their deep commitment to strengthening the bonds between campus and community It recognizes UMBC’s unwavering support for increasing equity in the Baltimore region and in communities nationally and internationally through work that honors existing sources of community strength, fosters investments in communities, and actively works to address disparities in health outcomes, education, and other core issues

More than 130 companies and organizations (primarily in the technology, bioscience, computing, and environmental sectors) are located at the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park, home to Maryland’s first cyber-business incubator The Park’s companies typically employ more than 100 UMBC student interns per semester and regularly partner with faculty on challenging research problems, while creating thousands of jobs and generating significant tax revenue for Baltimore County and the state

UMBC recently joined the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a national consortium dedicated

to radically improving student success The pioneering consortium of public research universities boosts student success through sharing and scaling approaches that work In its first iteration, the UIA’s eleven founding institutions set a target of graduating 68,000 additional students over ten years, including half from low-income backgrounds In just six years, they have already exceeded that goal In the next phase of its work, with UMBC on board, the UIA will focus on eliminating disparities in educational outcomes based on race and ethnicity, in addition to disparities by income, first-generation college student status, gender, and geography

SCHOLARSHIP, PEDAGOGY, AND IMPACT

At its core, UMBC is dually dedicated to excellent pedagogy together with research impact In its latest strategic plan, UMBC has focused on innovations in teaching, learning, and student support

by adding departments, courses, and more than 30 programs; improving transfer-student support; providing assistance for near-completers; and offering opportunities for real-world connections in an increased number of internships, volunteer placements, and programs in the Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship

Pedagogical innovations have included redesigned courses, “flipped” classrooms, and team-based learning The Hrabowski Innovation Fund (HIF) continues to support innovations in teaching and learning that are proposed and developed by faculty and staff Since its inception, the fund has supported almost 40 instances of course redesign, novel approaches to teaching and learning, and assessment The University also recently opened the Performing Arts and

Humanities Building, which provides cutting-edge facilities for music, dance, and theater; renovated the Fine Arts Building, which addressed critical space shortages in both the academic and research programs; and added a new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, UMBC’s newest building and a center for integrating life sciences research, teaching, and learning across departments and colleges

On the research front, UMBC is committed to providing and increasing the infrastructure – physical, technological, financial, organizational, and cultural – that will advance research, scholarship, and creative achievement by faculty and students In FY 2020, UMBC’s external funding for research totaled more than $80 million, up from $58.5 million in FY 2005 The University’s growing research efforts are well aligned with regional and national priorities regarding environment, health, and national security In recent years, UMBC has focused on research infrastructure expansion, including the creation of a patent office, new internal seed funding and core research facilities, and institutionalization of its collaborations with the University of Maryland, Baltimore The University also launched a comprehensive research-positioning initiative to ensure that both internal and external stakeholders are fully aware of UMBC as a research institution Under this next president, UMBC will focus on continuing to grow its research footprint, as well as increasing its national and international research visibility and recognition among peers, partners, the public, prospective graduate students, and potential new faculty hires

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND ACADEMICS

UMBC serves 13,638 total students: 10,835 undergraduates and 2,803 graduates Of the graduate student population, 1,818 are pursuing master’s degrees, 787 are pursuing doctorates,

136 are pursing graduate certificates, and 62 are non-degree seeking students The majority of students (94 percent of undergraduates and 59 percent of graduates) come from the state of Maryland, with many from the counties immediately surrounding UMBC As of Fall 2021, 2 percent of undergraduates and 30 percent of graduates are international students, and over 100 countries are represented in the student body

The University is firmly committed to access and is a diverse and welcoming community, with over fifty percent of students self-identifying as students of color The University currently serves,

as of Fall 2021 at the undergraduate level, 34.7 percent White students, 21.1 percent Black/African American, 23.3 percent Asian American, 8.9 percent Hispanic/Latinx, and 4.3 percent international Graduate students, as of Fall 2021, comprise 34 percent White, 13 percent Black/African American, 8.5 percent Asian American, 4.7 percent Hispanic/Latinx, and 34.1 percent international About 25 percent of first-year students are the first in their families to attend college Fifty-six percent of students self-identify as men and 44 percent as women, a trend that has held relatively stable over the past twenty years

The liberal arts mission is core to UMBC’s identity and is infused throughout its three colleges The University offers 51 majors in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS);

10 majors in the College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT); and 11 majors in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) About 42 percent of undergraduates study in CAHSS, closely followed by 34 percent in COEIT and 20 percent in CNMS The University also offers an innovative social work program, an individualized study program, and 13 pre-professional programs designed to launch students in allied health and other pre-professional fields, along with innovative coursework in aging services through the Erickson School

UMBC has built a unique set of programs in its Honors College and prestigious scholars programs, and nurtures tight-knit communities based around specific areas of interest Programs include the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT), the Cyber Scholars program, the Humanities Scholars program, the Linehan Artist Scholars program, the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars program, and the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars program The Meyerhoff Scholars program, launched just over 30 years ago, has received particular acclaim, and leads national efforts to increase diversity among future leaders in science, engineering, technology, and related fields UMBC has made student success a campus-wide focus, particularly as it relates to retention and graduation rates UMBC’s six-year graduation rate stands at 70.2 percent, a marked increase from 55.7 percent just three decades ago The first-year undergraduate retention rate is 87 percent For the entering class of 2021, the average composite SAT score was 1316 and the average ACT score was 27.5, with an average GPA of 3.97 All of this is undergirded by a 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio, which allows for a personalized experience and close relationships with faculty

In July 2020, UMBC launched a new, innovative program dedicated to student success: Finish Line This initiative reengages former students who have left UMBC prior to completing their degrees Leveraging remote/online instruction fueled by the pandemic, Finish Line encourages them to return to resume their studies Roughly 189 students enrolled during the 2020-21 academic year, with under-represented minorities, women, and transfer students overrepresented in the Finish Line population, suggesting that the initiative is serving some of UMBC’s most vulnerable students In spring 2021, UMBC conferred 65 bachelor’s degrees to Finish Line students and, entering the second year of the program, 92 new students have enrolled

STRATEGIC PLANNING

UMBC receives national attention for effectiveness in linking teaching, learning, research, and technology development to advance student outcomes and the economic, social, and cultural vitality of the state and the nation This attention is in recognition of the University’s ability to deploy limited resources efficiently through an intentional strategic planning process and a clear statement of mission, vision, and goals that are widely known and shared by a broad array of campus constituencies

UMBC’s current strategic plan, adopted in January 2016, was developed through a

comprehensive three-year planning process The plan, Our UMBC: A Strategic Plan for Advancing

Excellence, occurred in parallel with the University’s most recent self-study, helping UMBC set

goals for the future This plan called for inclusive excellence, which draws from diversity both as

a matter of strategy and of moral commitment It also, characteristically, emphasizes innovation

as a means to such excellence The primary focuses of the latest strategic plan include: collective impact in research, scholarship, and creative achievement; creation of a vibrant student experience; innovative curriculum and pedagogy; and nurturing internal and external community and connections

In the last few years, much of UMBC’s focus has shifted toward crisis pandemic planning and implementation of a strategic enrollment plan The next president will be primed to reinvigorate UMBC’s strategic planning process, whether through a new strategic plan or modifications to the existing iteration

FINANCES, BUDGET, AND FUNDRAISING

UMBC is funded by a combination of public and private support The state of Maryland is among the most generous in the nation for higher education, and UMBC’s largest source of revenue is derived from the state appropriation, closely followed by tuition and fees Of the $540.5 million annual operating budget, 28 percent is derived from the state appropriation, 27 percent from tuition and fees, 25 percent from contracts and grants, 13 percent from auxiliary services, and 7 percent from other sources Seventy-four percent of undergraduate students receive financial aid In recent years, the University has introduced a budgeting process that closely ties expenditures to strategic goals, while retaining the broad-based inclusiveness of the University’s shared-governance structures and processes

As the University looks ahead to ensure its longevity and financial health, it must maintain affordability and access, sustain positive enrollment trends, build its research infrastructure, attract new revenue and partnerships, and increase philanthropy to build the endowment To date, UMBC has raised more than $148 million towards the $150 million goal for its Grit and Greatness campaign, launched in 2017 on the heels of the University’s 50th anniversary Much of the funds raised will go toward scholarships and fellowships, program support, and research development; 37 percent of campaign commitments and gifts have been for the endowment During this time, the endowment has doubled to more than $140 million as of August 2021, and donations from alumni have increased threefold as compared to the previous campaign

The 21-member University System of Maryland Board of Regents is responsible for the governance and management of the USM and all constituent institutions, centers, and institutes The UMBC Alumni Association is a growing and global network, rooted in Maryland, and provides strategic direction and programming for the University’s 85,000 alumni More than 70 percent of alumni live in Maryland, presenting a tremendous opportunity for engagement by an empowered Advancement team

THE ROLE

The search for the next president comes as Dr Freeman Hrabowski plans to retire in the summer

of 2022 after 30 successful years as president of UMBC President Hrabowski’s impact has been transformational and positions the next leader to build upon an incredibly strong foundation The next president will join an exceptional institutional culture – one emblematic of an “empowered university” – that is ambitious, willing to take risks, and community-centric

The president oversees a high-performing team that includes: the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; the vice president for administration and finance; the vice president for institutional advancement; the vice president for student affairs; the vice president for information technology; the special assistant for government relations and organizational communication; the general counsel; the chief of staff and executive director of the office of equity, inclusion, and justice; and a dotted line report of the vice president for research, who dual reports to the provost

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE PRESIDENT

Provide bold, strategic, and courageous leadership in envisioning UMBC’s future

UMBC has a clear sense of identity as an institution committed to educating students from all backgrounds The University seeks to redefine excellence in higher education by drawing on the power of difference to create an inclusive culture It is also a university powered by remarkable optimism and a sense of shared purpose, bound together by this “50-year-long American experiment”—one that has demonstrated that people from all backgrounds can excel in higher education UMBC is a critical partner for Baltimore and the region and will continue to connect with local business and industry for research collaborations, talent development, and community-building Over its relatively short 55-year history, UMBC has garnered extensive regional, national, and international recognitions The president will harness this energy to reinvigorate the University’s strategic plan, either by adding, revising, and adapting the existing plan or formulating a new one, to realize UMBC’s broad-based ambitions

Sustain and prioritize UMBC’s culture of shared governance, transparency, and trust

Shared governance is a core UMBC value UMBC’s strong culture is based on trust, and that trust

is based on shared governance The president will continue to promote clear expectations for shared governance by sustaining, concretizing, and advancing that commitment This leader will foster meaningful, collaborative, and respectful relationships that span the University’s diverse constituencies, and will work toward a shared vision for the future UMBC seeks a president who will be a visible and active presence on campus, ensuring that students, staff, and faculty needs are prioritized, that all voices are heard and valued, and that the whole of the University is greater than the sum of its parts The University seeks an open, engaging, and highly communicative

leader who will join a deeply passionate community, and understands that everyone deserves a seat at the table

Advance UMBC’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice

Much of UMBC’s success and national acclaim derives from its foundational commitment to equity and inclusion The next president will understand that mission and continue to invest attention, resources, and thought leadership in issues of inclusive excellence Already home to

an incredibly diverse student population, the University will continue to support a diverse student body and create a strong sense of belonging The president will also prioritize expanding the diversity of the faculty, staff, and administrative leadership to better reflect the diversity of students UMBC places a high priority on continuing to raise the proportion of underrepresented minority faculty – particularly those of Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic background – across all disciplines, and on advancing the success of women faculty in STEM areas

Build on UMBC’s success to achieve national recognition as an outstanding research university

While UMBC has been successful in developing a national leadership position in undergraduate education and inclusive excellence, many of its potential research partners, possible future faculty members and students, and even alumni are less aware of the existing strength of UMBC’s sizable research portfolio As UMBC evolves, the president will ensure that UMBC’s research profile, plans, and highest aspirations to elevate its research status are known UMBC has made targeted investments in and commitments to its research infrastructure, with significant efforts supported by federal, state, and private sources and a heavy emphasis on cross-cutting, interdisciplinary, multi-investigator research thrusts The president will continue to augment the research infrastructure, providing ever-more-comprehensive support to research and scholarship The University will grow its scholarly profile and funded, sponsored research to achieve national prominence in selected multidisciplinary areas spanning the natural sciences and mathematics, engineering, information technology, social sciences, arts, and humanities

Continue to generate financial resources for UMBC, accelerate philanthropic success, and ensure a sustainable financial future

UMBC has managed its finances prudently At the same time, the UMBC community recognizes that state resources have been unable to keep pace with the University’s growth, and that a STEM education – in which over 50 percent of UMBC students take part – is costly The community has banded together to find ways to advance the University’s mission through an exceptionally strong shared governance process It is also now clear that the shortage of state resources is a long-term condition related to larger economic forces While the president will continue to be a strong voice

in Annapolis, they must also dedicate significant time to fundraising and advancement efforts With ambitious plans to grow the research portfolio, while supporting continued growth and new programs that advance student success, this next chapter will require substantial resources to make bold moves

Promote a clear strategy and vision around undergraduate and graduate enrollment efforts that keep pace with nationwide demographic trends

UMBC has experienced much success in its enrollment efforts The University just enrolled its largest-ever freshman class, and has seen a significant increase in graduate enrollment due to a rebound of international students and new programs in data science and computer science At the same time, the University must be cognizant of and responsive to national trends, including declining national demographics and fewer continuing students returning in a post-pandemic world UMBC developed a strategic enrollment plan in 2019, began to implement key initiatives

in the beginning of 2020, and sustained this “all-hands-on-deck” effort throughout and beyond the pandemic Under this next president, the University will continue to seek an outstanding and highly diverse student body, prioritize an affordable and accessible education, and expand UMBC’s geographic reach

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate will possess most, if not all, of the following qualifications and experience:

● A Proven Leader: A record of imaginative, forward-looking, and tangible success that will inspire the UMBC community

● A Commitment to UMBC’s Mission and Values: A powerful appreciation for the institution’s positioning as a vehicle for change and new model for American higher education, and a willingness to take risks and be bold and entrepreneurial in pursuit of this charge

● A Collaborative Leadership Style: An inclusive, empathetic, transparent, visible, and accessible leadership style that will thrive in an environment of uniquely strong shared governance

● A Catalyst for the Scholarly Enterprise: A deep understanding of the research endeavor

in a top tier academic environment, and an ability to build upon UMBC’s current

strengths to elevate its research excellence;

● An Excellent Communicator: The ability to both listen to and inspire students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, trustees, and external stakeholders and to energize audiences locally, nationally, and internationally about UMBC’s impact and potential

● An Experienced Manager: The ability to build strong management teams; execute large, ambitious, and fiscally responsible plans; and make difficult decisions