Office of the President

To the UMB Community:

As has become increasingly clear, the challenges to the global economy are reaching crisis proportion. While to date the State of Maryland has been able to weather these challenges better than many of our competitor states, Maryland's fiscal situation has become increasingly grim. As I wrote to you back in December, to help meet revenue shortfalls in the FY 2009 budget, the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland required each of the USM campuses to develop and implement furlough plans to take effect this fiscal year. These plans will help meet this revenue shortfall by temporarily reducing USM employees' salaries and work hours during the remainder of this fiscal year. 

After consulting with UMB constituencies, Chancellor Kirwan and the presidents of the other USM institutions I have approved the UMB Furlough Plan. I take this action reluctantly and with regret for the difficulties this may cause many of you. 

The UMB Furlough Plan is based on 'fairness and equity' as follows: 

• Tiered by Salary Level (fairness): With the exception of police and uniformed security officers all faculty, administrators and staff are required to take unpaid furlough days in accordance with this schedule.  Regular part-time employees are furloughed in accordance with their percentage employment.   

• Independent of Salary Source (equity): All faculty, administrators and staff who are in the same salary range are required to take the same number of furlough days, no matter what the source or sources of that salary. 

The UMB Furlough Plan will be implemented in four-hour increments in each two week pay period beginning February 1, 2009 and will continue until each individual's furlough obligation is satisfied. Furloughs must be scheduled by supervisors to minimize disruption. Paid leave may not be substituted for furlough time and overtime may not be worked to make up for furlough related salary reductions. In particular, classes and clinical obligations must continue to be met. Student employees are not subject to this furlough plan.

As always, thank you in advance for your cooperation. Detailed information on how this plan will be administered can be found at http://www.hr.umaryland.edu/furloughfaq.

My best wishes,

David J. Ramsay, D.M., D.Phil.
President
University of Maryland, Baltimore

President David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil
Dr. David J. Ramsay became the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the state’s academic health, law and social work center of learning, in 1994. The University, which is located in downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor, includes schools of dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and social work and an interdisciplinary graduate school. 

The campus is closely associated with the University of Maryland Medical System, the university’s affiliated hospital system. As president of the University, Dr. Ramsay sits on the board of directors of this hospital system.

Dr. Ramsay was educated at Oxford University in England, where he received his baccalaureate, master's, doctoral, and medical degrees. He later joined the faculty at Oxford, where he was a university lecturer and fellow, and medical tutor at Corpus Christi College. Prior to his appointment at the University of Maryland, Dr. Ramsay served for more than a decade as senior vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of California, San Francisco.

In June 2000, Dr. Ramsay was named one of Baltimore's "Most Influential Leaders" by the Baltimore Business Journal. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a past member of its foundation board, and a past board member of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC). Dr. Ramsay received the GBC's 2004 Regional Visionary Award.

Dr. Ramsay is the past chair of the Association of Academic Health Centers and was recently appointed its first foreign secretary. He also serves on the boards of GBC; the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.; the Hippodrome Foundation, Inc., board of directors; and the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

Dr. Ramsay’s efforts have been instrumental in the redevelopment of the west side of Baltimore, not only through community and business partnerships, but also through the development of the UMB BioPark. The first building of the extensive biotechnology park, which promotes bioscience innovation and collaborative research opportunities, opened in October 2005.

Background on President Ramsay

Born: 1939
Hometown: London
Residence: Severna Park
Titles and Department:

• President
• Professor, School of Medicine

Education:

1982
University of Oxford (DM)
Oxford University

1966
Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, Clinical Medicine (BM, BCh)

1963
University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, Doctorate in Physiology (DPhil, MA)

1960
Worcester College, Oxford, Preclinical Sciences and Physiology (BA)

Professional:

1994-present
University of Maryland, Baltimore
President

1994-present
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Department of Physiology
Professor

1982-1994
University of California, San Francisco
Senior Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs

1980-1981
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Physiology
Acting Chair

1978-1994
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Physiology
Professor

1977-1982
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Physiology
Graduate Adviser for Physiology Program

1976-1982
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Physiology
Vice Chair

1975-1978
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Physiology
Associate Professor

1974
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Physiology
Visiting Associate Professor

1966-1975
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Tutorial Fellow in Physiology and Medicine

1966-1975
Oxford University, Laboratory of Physiology
University Lecturer in Physiology

1965-1966
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Lecturer in Physiology

1963-1966
Oxford University, Laboratory of Physiology
Demonstrator in Physiology

Appointments