2023 UMB Cultural Diversity Report

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational and work environment. UMB’s commitment to diversity is guided by the Core Values and the UMB 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Two of University of Maryland, Baltimore’s eight Core Values, Equity and Justice, and Respect and Integrity, are closely tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Theme 3 of the UMB 2022-2026 Strategic Plan focuses on University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging and the strategic objective is for UMB to “create a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive culture of care that collaboratively engages and embraces all members of the University community, and broader community, with respect and in a manner that fosters belonging, understanding, trust, and equity.” The strategic outcomes include that UMB “is inclusive and actively seeks input from stakeholders at all levels and of all backgrounds when identifying opportunities, planning and setting goals, and making decisions”;  “actively recruits, retains, supports, and advances diverse students, faculty, and staff, demonstrating a commitment to our core value set of Equity and Justice”; “provides professional and educational programs and initiatives that build capacity, equity, and respect, and support the well-being, sense of belonging, and success of all members of the University community”; and “communicates in a manner that is empowering, inclusive, and demonstrates cultural humility.”

All the schools and major units at UMB developed goals based on Theme 3. A Strategic Plan Implementation Management System (SPIMS) is used to store all strategic plan SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals, risk assessments, and progress reporting for each school or unit. There are currently eighty-eight strategic goals in SPIMS that include equity, inclusion, diversity, or social justice. Progress of goals are submitted to and evaluated bi-annually by Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Planning, and Assessment (IESPA).

UMB is making progress towards increasing gender and racial diversity in UMB leadership and at some mid-management levels, for which we were recently recognized by both Forbes magazine and Executive Alliance. We are also updating existing policies and creating new policies to improve DEI. One example is the UMB Policy on Contributions to Diversity Statements by Candidates for Employment, Promotion, or Re-Evaluation. Human Resource Services (HRS), Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI), and the Office of the Provost collaborated to develop the policy. The policy requires a diversity statement submission for upper-level management, leadership, and specialized positions, which will assist search committees to identify candidates who could potentially advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at UMB. Another example is the recent development of an institutional data dashboard that maps and tracks the current state and progress of EDI across all schools and administrative units by examining staff and faculty presence, recruitment, retention, promotion, and access. The dashboard provides deans, vice presidents, and other institutional leaders the ability to map and address EDI gaps and opportunities and develop change and implementation strategies.

Progress is also being achieved through planning and assessment efforts such as the creation of UMB’s first-ever diversity strategic plan (DSP), beginning in Fall 2022. This plan will serve as a roadmap and framework to advance DEI at UMB. The committee has adopted a data-driven, evidence-based approach to identify university equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) priorities and needs. The committee extensively reviewed surveys, climate studies, the UMB strategic plan and core values, university-wide strategic goals and outcomes, and best practices at UMB and throughout higher education and industry to inform the plan's development. The review uncovered major themes to guide this work, categorized as Climate/Experience; Recruitment/Retention; Professional Development/Career Advancement; and Education, Scholarship, and Service. The Committee is leading listening sessions by positional and personal identities, supplemented by an interactive website through the platform Konveio for the UMB community to provide input. Feedback from these sources will be reviewed by the Committee and considered in the creation of the DSP. The Committee’s goal is to finalize the DSP by Fall 2023.

Including DEI as part of the University’s strategic plan, the creation of the Diversity Strategic Plan, the launch of the data platform, and the creation of the Contributions to Diversity Statement policy are all important steps towards further enhancing cultural diversity at UMB. With all our progress, there are still opportunities for improvement. Employee recruitment is an area identified for continued improvement. In addition to the Diversity Statement Policy, further standardizing recruitment through policies and assessment practices incorporates equity, diversity, and inclusion in the hiring process. For example, staff and faculty diversity could be improved by using a hiring check list and/or rubric that shows the extent to which diversity was considered during the interview process.

The current DEI political landscape, in which the Supreme Court is considering rolling back affirmative action in college admissions, coupled with organizational cultural challenges, impact our progress and ongoing work.

• The interactive online Institutional Data Dashboard and data reports tailored to individual schools, as well as key programs that enhance diversity across our various populations (See Appendix 6).
• HRS prepares a yearly Affirmative Action Plan that focuses on our effectiveness to achieve a workforce that is more diverse, and highlights areas we need to emphasize (See Appendix 5).
• DEI leadership at the campus level and designated DEI leadership at each of the schools that provide learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff (See Appendix 3).

• The Office of Admissions in the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (SOD) recruits underrepresented students locally by engaging the pre-health advising offices of Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Hampton University.
• The SOD has active student affinity groups: the Student National Dental Association is an award-winning organization that supports Black dental students, while the Student Hispanic Dental Association supports Hispanic dental students.
• The University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) has been using a multi-pronged approach with various strategic initiatives resulting in near tripling of the proportion of underrepresented students in each first-year class since 2020.
• The SOM’s retention efforts include, but are not limited to, unconscious bias, allyship and social determinants of health education incorporated into the medical education curriculum for all students; and unconscious bias education required for all SOM faculty. The SOM appointed an Assistant Dean for Student Diversity and Inclusion who engages and advises the Student Diversity Council; and there are multiple active student affinity groups.
• The School of Social Work (SSW) EDI office developed a Book Lending Program that provides free, easily accessible textbooks and other materials to SSW students.
• The Graduate School promoted syllabus focused on Equity and Justice and collaborated with Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCLT) on Inclusive Pedagogy professional development. Co-curricular student programming includes a weekly professional development newsletter offering a wide array of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) topics and monthly meetings addressing social identities.
• At the 2022 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Career Development Marketplace (HBCU CDM), UMB provided opportunities that catered to students interested in continuing their education pathways into graduate school. The Graduate School provided academic opportunities for those interested (See Appendix 5).

• The Faculty of Color Network was launched in the Fall of 2022 with goals including strengthening overall faculty diversity and development and supporting the recruitment, retention, and overall success of faculty from underrepresented groups (See Appendix 2).
• In 2022, OEDI cosponsored with the schools eleven faculty from underrepresented groups, to participate in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity’s (NCFDD) twelve-week on-line Faculty Success Program.
• The SOM Diversity Advisory Council developed the SOM Equitable Faculty Search Guidelines, recommending diverse gender, racial, and ethnic representation on and requiring implicit bias training for search committees; regulating broad strategic posting and advertisement of available positions to enhance diversity of the applicant pool; and mandating consistent evaluation metrics for candidates. In addition, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was one of only 5 academic medical institutions in the country to be awarded the prestigious NIH (National Institutes of Health) FIRST Award, which provides funding to recruit a diverse cohort of underrepresented early career faculty to the SOM.
• Faculty retention efforts at the SOM include multiple invited DEI-focused lectures open to all faculty and staff and the appointment of an Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion (See Appendix 4).
• SSW expanded the Faculty Annual review to include a section specifically on DEI Efforts.
• The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (SOP) developed the first diversity plan for M-CERSI Competitive renewal to increase participation of Black and Hispanic faculty who are underrepresented in regulatory science as principal investigators.

• Recruitment efforts for traditionally underrepresented staff such as veterans, women, minorities, and disabled people includes HR (Human Resources) regularly attending job fairs such as the Maryland National Guard, Baltimore Port Alliance Hiring & Career Expo, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Career Development Marketplace (HBCU CDM), and communicating open UMB positions to the Maryland Workforce Exchange to various Departments of Labor and Rehabilitation (DOL and DOR) and DOR constituents. Other HRS efforts include the monthly Workforce Wednesday, a career-focused open house at the Community Engagement Center (CEC) where community members can receive assistance with online job searches, résumé review, interview skills, explanation of the application process and understanding job descriptions; and Project Search, a model in workforce and career development for adults and students with disabilities (See Appendix 5).
• The SOP integrated Commitment to Diversity Statements into position descriptions and postings.

• The Intercultural Center, under UMB Student Affairs, provides cultural heritage month events, intergroup dialogue opportunities, training and development experiences (e.g., poverty simulation), identity-based advisory boards (e.g., students who are parents/caregivers), a podcast, as well as additional resources and programming. The Intercultural Center regularly collaborates with student organizations, staff, faculty, and community groups to offer initiatives such as Portraits of East Baltimore’s Reservation, First-Generation Celebration Week, Black Professionals on the Rise, and Transgender Empowerment & Advocacy Week (See Appendix 3).
• UMB received the 2022-2023 First-gen Forward Designation (See Appendix 3)
• The School of Dentistry (SOD), regularly communicates through announcements and social media posts about UMB recognition week information and programming specific to all cultural diversity programming, resourcing, etc. Some examples include Safe Space Training; Intercultural Center Events, Programming, and Resourcing; Black History Month Programming, Events, and Resourcing.
• The Learning Institute sponsored by Intercultural Leadership and Engagement within UMB Student Affairs offers online and in-person experiences designed to foster the professional development of the UMB community regarding a variety of DEI topics, for which they can earn a digital badge or micro-credential (See Appendix 3).
• Co-curricular programming at University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (SOL) includes orientation training to help SOL students develop cultural competency.
• Co-curricular programming for students in the SOM includes access to multiple student-run organizations that support cultural diversity and identity. Many of these affinity groups provide programming that addresses elements of social support, workforce diversity, social justice, and inclusion (See Appendix 3).
• MSW (Master of Social Work) Leading for Equity, Anti-Racism, and Diversity is offered through the Leading for Equity, Anti-Racism, and Diversity (LEAD) Institute at SSW.
• The SOP developed and integrated new antiracism and anti-oppression terminal performance outcomes for the PharmD Curriculum.

• The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) co-sponsored twenty-three faculty members who participated in Lumen Circles; centered 7 inclusive teaching topics in their podcast; launched ALLY, a Blackboard tool that monitors the accessibility of online course documents, and supported the development of curriculum in the following new programs which are grounded in cultural diversity frameworks (See Appendix 4).
• The SSW Monthly 1-hour virtual learning communities focuses on social identities and thriving in the graduate school and a weekly newsletter offering professional development on a wide array of JEDI topics.
• Annual SOD faculty and staff retreat has focused on cultural training.
• SOL host faculty gatherings focused on ways to infuse cultural competency throughout the curriculum. A recently formed reading group focuses on understanding how to view the first-year curriculum through a critical race theory lens.
• SOP piloted the first Implicit Bias Training for faculty on the PharmD Admissions Committee December 2022.

• HRS provides many staff training opportunities including career development consultations and the Cultural Proficiency module, offered three times per year; and Diversity related content (See Appendix 5).
• The SOM has multiple invited DEI-focused lectures and departmental DEI lecture series open to all faculty and staff.
• Cultural Competence is integrated into the Emerging Leaders
• The EDI Office in SSW offers training and coaching series designed to increase participant’s understanding of their own bias, systemic oppression, and making change through concrete action steps.
• Administration and Finance (A&F) hired an Executive Director of Diversity in 2022. The Executive Director’s focus for the first year is creating and rolling out a holistic organizational DEI approach (See Appendix 5)

Underrepresented populations vary in higher education depending on discipline. For example, males, not traditionally categorized as underrepresented, are underrepresented in Nursing education and profession. Black, Hispanic and Latinx, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races, people with disabilities, women, people from lower socioeconomics, and people from the LGBTQ+ community are underrepresented in higher education as students, faculty, staff, and leadership.

A new Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) model was implemented in Spring of 2023. The purpose of the new DAC is to advise and provide comprehensive feedback to the UMB VP/CDO on University goals, initiatives, and other priorities to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, anti-racism, and anti-oppression at UMB.

OEDI launched a DEI focused innovations grant in 2023 for innovation projects and initiatives that advance Belonging (Be) and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) at UMB with a particular focus on UMB’s Strategic Plan University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging theme. (See Appendix 2).

UMB 2022-2026 Strategic Plan was released in December 2021, and began implementation during the summer of 2021.  One of its six strategic themes for which all administrative units must develop strategic implementation goals focuses on University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging. New initiatives tied to that theme and others will advance anti-racism, DEI, and social justice efforts. This plan is the foundation for developing UMB’s first-ever 2023-2027 Diversity Strategic Plan (DSP).

Referring to items described in Section 2 and Section 3 above, please extract the two or three most successful or promising efforts and how they have yielded change, or you anticipate they will yield change.

Faculty of Color Network: In collaboration with the President’s Office and the Office of the Provost, The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion launched the Faculty of Color Network in Fall of 2022. The Goals of the Faculty of Color Network are to strengthen overall faculty diversity and development, support the recruitment, retention, and overall success of faculty from underrepresented groups, particularly Black, Latinx, multiracial, Asian, and Indigenous faculty. The network will provide opportunities for community building, knowledge sharing and networking, faculty mentoring, support, and collaboration. Though in its infancy, the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion has received positive feedback from faculty of color from across the university. The network not only communicates UMB’s commitment to diversity, but it will also strengthen and enrich our culture and community as we recruit and retain more faculty of color.

Institutional Data Dashboard: Launching the Institutional Data Dashboard communicates to current and future students, faculty, and staff that we are an Institution committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The accessibility of this tool equips UMB leadership with data that can assist with identifying opportunities for organizational change and continue to work towards reducing and eliminating the barriers underrepresented students, faculty, and staff have when trying to enter higher education.

Office of Student Affairs: UMB recognizes and celebrates the success of first-generation college students. Due to the collaborative efforts and programming from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and UMB Intercultural Center, UMB was recognized in March 2022 with a 2022-2023 First-gen Forward designation. The designation was awarded by the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and the Suder Foundation. The First-gen Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education that demonstrate a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes for first-generation college students.

Digital Badge: The Learning Institute sponsored by Intercultural Leadership and Engagement within UMB Student Affairs offered online and in-person experiences designed to foster the learning of the UMB community regarding a variety of DEI topics, for which they earned a digital badge. For example, Safe Space Online brings UMB’s traditional LGBTQ+ Safe Space program to the virtual world, allowing participants to build their LGBTQ+ allyship skills, engage with a cohort of online peers, and learn about LGBTQ+ identities, activism, support, and inclusive best practices, all from the comfort of their home or office, at any time or any day. Additionally, students could enroll in an Inclusive Leadership track as a part of the President’s Student Leadership Institute.

UMB Student Affairs: Student initiatives offered by UMB Student Affairs, UMB’s seven Schools, and other areas across the university create positive engagement opportunities, advance learning, and provide support. Each School has designated diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders. Several leaders also exist at a campus level, including the Vice President/Chief Diversity Officer, Executive Director of Intercultural Leadership and Engagement/Director of the Intercultural Center, Executive Director of Global Learning and International Services, and the Director of Educational Support and Disability Services. Each of these individuals and areas provide engagement and learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. 

UMB Student Affairs has committed to enhance efforts focused on creating identity-based experiences and promoting anti-racism and anti-oppression efforts in collaboration with stakeholders to develop inclusive and engaged leaders who feel a sense of belonging at UMB. Identity-based experiences and learning opportunities offered by UMB Student Affairs and in collaboration with University and School stakeholders will aid in the development of students who are inclusive and just leaders actively engaged in anti-racist and anti-oppressive actions.

2022-2023 First-gen Forward: Due to the collaborative efforts and programming from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and UMB Intercultural Center, UMB was recognized in March 2022 with a 2022-2023 First-gen Forward designation. The designation was awarded by the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and the Suder Foundation. The First-gen Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education that demonstrate a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes for first-generation college students.

School of Dentistry:  The SOD offers a Predoctoral D1 course, PROF 518 Professionalism with many learning objectives related to cultural awareness such as health equity, social determinants of health and social justice, and learning objectives to understand and explain the tenets of health equity, and social determinants of health and social justice in the dental field. As well as two courses in the Dental Hygiene program that center cultural diversity in the classroom.

PROF 518 Professionalism I (Predoctoral D1 course)

Class #1: Learning objectives

1. Understand and explain the tenets of health equity, social determinants of health, and social justice in the dental field.
2. Reflect on the health- and interrelated social-needs and opportunities of the population of West Baltimore and identify opportunities to learn more from this community during dental school.

Class #2: Learning objectives

1. Understand the neighborhoods from which your patients come
2. Identify challenges to health care that affect low-income and underserved patients
3. Articulate what oral health professionals can do to promote health equity in the situations outlined in the educational videos
4. Commit to action steps dentists may take to optimize the health of the population

Class #3: Group project learning objectives

1. Gain a basic understanding of cultural awareness, health equity, social determinants of health, and social justice in the dental field,
2. Learn about general attributes and traditions of a specific culture/identity,
3. Learn how to apply a basic code of conduct when working with cultures/identities,
4. Reflect on what an oral healthcare professional needs to be aware of when interacting with a diverse patient population,
5. Recognize the importance of treating patients as an individual as well as part of a group, and
6. Understand the importance of applying the ADA Principles of Ethics (5 principles) to your work with all patients.

The dental hygiene program has two courses that center cultural diversity in the classroom: DHYG 412 Innovative Dental Hygiene Practice, DHYG 329 Oral Health Literacy & Communication, DHYG 329 Community Oral Health, DHYG 612 Communicative Health Literacy and Advocacy , and DHYG 425 Dynamics of Health Care.

School of Medicine: The University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) has been using a multi-pronged approach with multilevel strategic initiatives resulting in near tripling of the proportion of underrepresented students in each first-year class since 2020. These strategic initiatives include increased recruitment events with HBCU and other minority serving institution campuses, as well as with dedicated premedical organizations focused on underrepresented students; diversification of the Admissions Committee to reflect the goal representation more fully in the matriculating class; required implicit bias training for all Admissions Committee members and interviewers; enhanced engagement between diverse accepted students and current medical students with shared lived experiences.

The SOM’s Introduction to Medical School, is a week-long orientation program conducted each August for first year students includes sessions exploring structural racism in Baltimore, social determinants of health, LGBTQIA+ health, hidden curriculum, antiracism, and a tour of Baltimore neighborhoods.

The SOM offers Practice of Medicine course sessions on Baltimore Health, Health Inequality, Health Care in the U.S.A, Anti-Asian Racism, and Addiction History which includes a service-learning component, where students are required to participate and learn from various community-based organizations throughout the city of Baltimore, further enhancing their exposure to structural and systemic barriers that impact health.

The SOM educational content review committee (ECRC) conducts a multi-layered review of all educational materials in pre-clerkship curriculum before delivery to students. Including pedagogical review and separate review focused on DEI aimed to increase diverse cultural and racial representation in images and elimination of biased material. The Assessment Review Committee (ARC) reviews all questions on assessments before delivery to students to ensure highest quality questions including review of language and removal of race and gender when appropriate.

 SOM Student Diversity Council is comprised of leadership from SNMA (Student National Medical Association), LMSA (Latino Medical Student Association), APAMSA (Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association), WIM (Women in Medicine), and the LGBTQA+ Health Interest Group.

School of Medicine: The faculty retention efforts at the SOM include multiple invited DEI-focused lectures and departmental DEI lecture series open to all faculty and staff. The appointment of an Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion (ADFDI). The ADFDI advocated for DEI leaders to be identified in every SOM department, including clinical and basic science, and include both faculty and staff leaders. The ADFDI established the SOM Diversity Leadership Council (DLC), comprised by the departmental DEI leaders, as well as other appointed faculty and staff leaders in the School of Medicine. DLC members are engaging in the early stages of an equity strategic planning process for SOM.

Affirmative Action Plan: Each year, Human Resource Services prepare an The Plan focuses on our effectiveness to achieve a workforce that is more diverse, and highlights areas where we need to increase our emphasis.  Sensitivity to and awareness of the diversity among faculty and staff is part of the UMB culture and when making hiring decisions, schools and unit representatives strive towards recruiting and retaining underrepresented employees throughout the campus. When search committees are formed and launched for faculty and/or staff recruitments, the diversity of both the committee membership and the candidate pool is emphasized.

Workforce Wednesday: HRS Staffing Team and the Office of Community Engagement in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Employment Development (MOED) and the Southwest Partnership, conducts a monthly, career-focused open house at the Community Engagement Center (CEC). The HRS Staffing team assist the CEC by working with community members on a walk-in basis, once a month. Community members can receive assistance with online job searches, résumé review, interview skills, explanation of the application process and job descriptions. Participants get to hear from decision-makers about how they make hiring choices and what they are looking for in potential hires.

Project Search - Through a continuing partnership between UMB, the Arc of Baltimore, the Baltimore City Public School System, and the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), Project Search is a model in workforce and career development for adults and students with disabilities.  This program creates internships for high school students to learn employable skills within the campus.  It improves the student’s probability of being employable and enhances the campus awareness of the potential of people with disabilities.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Career Development Marketplace (HBCU CDM): The Graduate School, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Human Resources (HR) teamed up to serve as sponsors at the at the 2022 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Career Development Marketplace (HBCU CDM). The HBCU CDM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2001, whose mission is to inform and educate students from HBCUs about corporate America as they transition into the workforce. The conference has remained free for students to attend and as a result, strengthened the leadership and professional skills of thousands of HBCU graduates.  The group provided opportunities that catered to students interested in continuing their education as well as those interested in pursuing a career in higher education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Student, staff and faculty from across UMB’s campus were invited to participate in the panel discussion “UMB Values, HBCU Graduates.”  HR was available to discuss career opportunities and benefits, while the Graduate School provided academic opportunities for those interested.

Institutional Dashboard: In collaboration with Center for Information Technology Services (CITS), HRS, Student Affairs, and other campus partners, OEDI launched an interactive online Institutional Data Dashboard  that maps and tracks the current state and progress of EDI across all schools and administrative units at UMB related to areas such as presence, recruitment, retention, promotion, and access. The dashboard provides Deans, Vice presidents, and other institutional leaders the ability to map and address EDI gaps and opportunities and develop change and implementation strategies.

ADA Steering Committee: The ADA Steering Committee, comprised of various faculty, staff, students, and individuals with disabilities from the campus community, is organized to ensure that all parts of the organization are represented in ADA issues and that we speak in one voice in compliance with the law.  Under the ADA Steering Committee, UMB participates in the Access Maryland program through the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD).  The purpose of the program is to bring state-owned facilities into compliance with state and federal mandates requiring access for person with disabilities. UMB maintains a transition plan under MDOD.  This plan is a three-year living document that helps the campus estimate the cost of removing barriers to accessibility.