July 15, 2020

Dear UMB Community,

We are writing to share information about two open town hall meetings related to the search for the next president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). These meetings are an opportunity for you, members of the UMB community, to share your thoughts about the ideal characteristics and qualifications for our next president, comment on the presidential position profile, and nominate potential candidates. The meetings will take place at the following times:

  • Friday, July 17, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Join the town hall here.
  • Monday, July 20, 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Join the town hall here.

The questions below are a good starting point to help you think about the future of UMB and the ways in which we can tangibly measure the success of the next president:

  • In hiring the president, what fundamental differences do you hope to see at UMB one year from now, three years from now, and five years from now?
  • What subjective or informal measures will you apply in determining the success of the president?
  • What current organizational activities for UMB need to be sustained? Which ones enhanced? Which new ones initiated?
  • In what tangible ways can the new president promote UMB’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion?

To date, our presidential search team from Isaacson, Miller has met with key individuals and groups from around the University, synthesizing what they’ve learned into a working draft of a Presidential Position Profile, which you can find here . This document provides a compelling description of UMB’s history and mission as well as a realistic picture of the challenges, measures of success, and ideal qualifications for the role. We believe this draft is in good form, but we welcome and value your input. Once completed, we will share this document broadly with prospective candidates and key sources.

In addition, we are creating a website to facilitate input from the community. We will share the website link shortly.

Please note that we have been advised to alert you that, in accordance with Maryland law, these town halls are not being recorded by Isaacson, Miller, and, in addition, we caution participants to not record them.

Thank you for your participation in this important effort.

Regards, 

William T. Wood
Chair, Search Committee for UMB President
Regent, University System of Maryland
Follow UMB: