Dear Colleagues,
Thanks to those of you who joined our campus conversation on Monday. It was good to be together, even if some of what we discussed was challenging. This message summarizes the information that was shared and provides additional resources and next steps.
At the meeting, we described how our institutional values are guiding decisions related both to resource allocation and to the creation of a shared and distinctive identity.
Budget:
Campus leadership will present our academic/fiscal year 2026 (FY26) campus budget request to U of M System leadership in the second half of April. At that time, we will ask them to partner with us by investing in our student success efforts, our research enterprise, and our faculty and staff through a funded compensation plan.
Each year, we balance our budget. However, we continue to use one-time carryforward funding to cover expenses that outpace revenues. We expect costs to increase again next fiscal year.
As part of the U of M System’s annual budget process, all units were asked to create scenarios related to budget reallocations. UMD is planning for a 2.2% ($3.7 million) reallocation starting July 1, 2025. We also completed an exercise to identify potential changes in the form of a 7% budget reallocation. Our internal conversations and those with U of M System leadership will inform budget decisions, including potential areas of investment and reallocation, which will likely happen this summer.
Registration for fall 2025 courses started before decisions on budget, staffing, and related university operations were finalized. Given this timing, some course offerings were adjusted to provide flexibility as we finalize plans in the next few months. When program offerings change, we are committed to working with current students to complete their degrees within a reasonable timeframe.
We want these decisions to be informed by our values and the collective wisdom of this campus. Many of you have been part of the budget process this year. Deans worked within their college to set a list of priorities for funding decisions. The Academic Revisioning Committee (ARC) is providing recommendations related to academic programs. The budget, the efforts of ARC, and our strategic planning discussions are intended to work in concert with each other.
For additional information about our budget process and specifics, you can refer to this budget FAQ document.
Identity and Programming:
Our program offerings will change over time to meet the needs of our students, the community, and our disciplines. UMD’s programs in 1970 were very different from what they are now. Our offerings in 25 years will be different than they are today.
We are making decisions that will help us be sustainable and dynamic. In this process, we need to think creatively about what we do and how we do it. We must also think about partnerships across campus, the university system, and the region to ensure that the work we do is both effective and efficient in helping us achieve our goals.
Aligning our work to our identity, mission, and values is critical as we address these challenges and make these important decisions. In discussions throughout campus, four core identities have begun to emerge:- Environment and Sustainability
- Health and Wellbeing
- Community and Economic Development
- Cultural and Global Engagement
The UMD community has built a strong foundation upon which we can build into the future. Collectively, we can find solutions to these challenges while we continue to celebrate our remarkable education, research, creativity, and scholarship. Our research is meaningful to our region and beyond. Our outreach programs inspire future scholars and leaders. Our students are thriving and have a transformational experience here at UMD. While we have difficult decisions to make, we will continue to foster, create, and invest in our continued success.
We will be having more conversations throughout the spring and into the fall, and we hope you’ll be able to join us in this work as we co-create our future.
Thank you for your attention and engagement in these important topics.
Sincerely,
Charles Nies, Chancellor
Rebecca Ropers, Interim Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Matt Massman, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations |
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