Letter to the Community
Nov. 4, 2025
Dear UMB Community:
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has a proud history of strategic planning that animates our vision and mission and embodies our values. Our last three five-year plans, developed in 2011, 2017, and 2022, set bold directions for the University through broad engagement and collaboration across our community. Each plan provided clarity and momentum during a period of significant growth and change. I invite you to visit our institutional effectiveness website to review the progress we have achieved through these collective efforts.
Today, higher education is experiencing a time of profound change. The landscape in which we work continues to evolve, challenging us to be creative, flexible, and thoughtful as we advance our mission. Our next strategic plan will reflect these realities and build on UMB’s strong foundation, positioning us to continue serving our students, patients, and communities with excellence and compassion.
With that in mind, we are launching the process to develop UMB’s next five-year strategic plan, which, under University System of Maryland policy, must be in place by July 1, 2026. Our planning model will again emphasize broad engagement, transparency, and shared accountability, while embracing the need to think and act with agility.
I am pleased to announce that Jenny Owens, ScD, MS, vice provost of academic affairs and strategic initiatives, and Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean and professor, School of Nursing, will co-chair the 2027-2031 strategic planning process, under the executive sponsorship of Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, provost and executive vice president. I am deeply grateful for their leadership and confident that, together, they will guide a process that calls on the best of our creativity, courage, and collective wisdom.
In the weeks ahead, you will hear from the co-chairs about opportunities to participate and contribute. I encourage each of you to be part of this conversation. This is a moment for reflection and renewal, a chance to imagine what’s next for UMB and to shape that future together.
For now, please join me in extending my thanks to Vice Provost Owens, Dean Ogbolu, and Provost Ward for their leadership in this important initiative.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President