Congratulations! UMB Middle States Accreditation Peer Evaluation Visit
Dear UMB Community:
I am pleased to announce that the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has concluded hosting a visit by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s accreditation peer evaluation team.
Over the past four days, a team of distinguished colleagues from external public and private institutions intensively interacted with UMB students, faculty, and staff as the last step in what has been a 2½-year process as we seek to reaffirm our accreditation.
Before the evaluation team arrived Sunday, our Middle States Accreditation Visit Kickoff Event on April 2 allowed UMB students, faculty, and staff to gather and enjoy snacks, activities, giveaways, a visit from the Oriole Bird, and more (see accompanying photos).
It was great to see all of the camaraderie at that event. In fact, throughout these many months, I have been struck by how remarkably everyone at the University came together to demonstrate outstanding engagement, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to promoting our institutional excellence.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to our colleagues from neighboring institutions who served on the peer evaluation visiting team. Their thorough and collaborative approach made their visit productive and meaningful.
- Joseph McCarthy, PhD, University of Pittsburgh (Chair)
- Carol Ruffin, EdD, MS, Syracuse University (Vice Chair)
- Howard Buxbaum, MA, Baruch College of the City University of New York
- Negar Farakish, EdD, New York University
- Ariel Fishman, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Jennifer Fogerty, MSEd, Thomas Jefferson University
- Lisa Krieg, MA, Carnegie Mellon University
- Danielle Liautaud-Watkins, EdD, JD, Rutgers University
Preparing our Self-Study Report required a strong collective effort across the UMB community. Our Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee solicited input and ideas from individuals across the University through town halls, requests for evidence, and review of self-study drafts. I acknowledge the contributions of those listed below who provided leadership and participated in the Steering and Logistics Committees:
Executive Sponsors
- Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, UMB President
- Steven Sibel, JD, University System of Maryland Regent
- William T. “Bill” Wood, JD, University System of Maryland Regent
Leadership Team
- Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, Provost and Executive Vice President, Self-Study Steering Committee Co-Chair
- Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, Dean, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Self-Study Steering Committee Co-Chair
- Gregory C. Spengler, MPA, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Office of the Provost, Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Accreditation Liaison Officer and Logistics Committee Chair
Self-Study Steering Committee
- Cherita Adams, MBA, MS, Assistant Dean for Administration and Strategic Initiatives, School of Social Work*
- Patty Alvarez, PhD, MS, Chief Student Affairs Officer and Vice President
- Susan Antol, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
- Gregory Brightbill, EdD, MBA, MEd, Staff Senate Representative*
- Susan Buskirk, DM, MS, Chief Accountability Officer and Vice President
- Lynn Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
- Stacey Conrad, MBA, Associate Dean, School of Nursing
- Richard Dalby, PhD, BPharm, Professor, School of Pharmacy
- Allison Deitz, MSW, MS, Staff Senate Representative
- Kevin Donegan, MBA, Assistant Vice President, Budget and Financial Analysis
- Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, MA, Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer and Vice President
- Jill Frankenfield, MSL, MS, Associate Vice President, Sponsored Programs Administration
- Barbara Gontrum, JD, MLS, Law School Professor Emerita, Francis King Carey School of Law
- Geoffrey Greif, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, School of Social Work
- Vanessa Harrington, MS, Director of Security and Compliance, UMB Police and Public Safety
- Peter H. Henderson, PhD, MPP, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the President
- William Joyner, JD, MSW, Assistant Vice President, Office of Community and Civic Engagement
- James Kaper, PhD, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Distinguished University Professor, School of Medicine
- Jon Kucskar, JD, Special Assistant to the President and Assistant Vice President for Enterprise Risk Management*
- Mark Macek, DDS, DrPH, Professor and Assistant Dean for Curriculum Innovation and Scholarship, School of Dentistry
- Monica Maggiano, Director of Leadership Communications, Office of the President*
- Andy Malinow, MD, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine*
- Alexa Mayo, MLIS, AHIP, Assistant Dean for Research and Information Services, Health Sciences and Human Services Library
- Ifeatu Menakaya, Student, Doctor of Pharmacy Program, School of Pharmacy
- Peter Murray, PhD, CAS, MS, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President for Information Technology
- Jenny Owens, ScD, MS, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost
- Jacqueline Sullivan, Student, Physician Assistant Program, School of Graduate Studies*
- William T. “Bill” Wood, JD, University System of Maryland Regent
*-Former member
Self-Study Logistics Committee
- Gregory C. Spengler, MPA, Chair, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Office of the Provost, MSCHE Accreditation Liaison Officer
- Michael Brown, MS, Associate Vice President, Data Analytics and Reporting, Center for Information Technology Services
- Peter H. Henderson, PhD, MPP, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the President
- Laura Kozak, MA, Chief Communications Officer and Senior Associate Vice President, Office of Communications and Public Affairs
- Karen D. Matthews, DM, MPA, Director, Strategic Planning and Assessment, Office of the Provost
- Victoria Meadows, MS, Assistant Director, Enterprise Risk Management Program, Office of the Provost
- Kate Noonan, PhD, MSEd, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Dental Public Health, School of Dentistry
- Tricia D. O’Neill, JD, Senior Advisor, Office of the Provost
- Courtney Resnick, EdD, Special Assistant to the Dean, School of Dentistry
- Leilani Uttenreither, MM, Executive Assistant, Office of the Provost
Finally, hosting the accreditation site visit would not have been possible without the outstanding contributions of so many individuals at UMB whose vital work happened behind the scenes. This includes the working group members who developed the first draft of the Self-Study and our colleagues in the Department of Administration and Finance, the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, and the Office of the Provost who provided indispensable support throughout the process. Your collective commitment and diligence were critical to the completion of our peer evaluation process and exemplify the spirit of UMB’s core values.
As we look forward to receiving the final report from the evaluation team later this spring, I am immensely proud to be part of this exceptional institution and thank each of you for your part in furthering UMB’s mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
