Celebrating Jill Barr's Impact at UMBC

With gratitude for her more than 20 years of service, I write to share that Jill Barr will be retiring from her role as associate vice provost and assistant dean of the Graduate School on November 1. 

Throughout her tenure, Jill provided thoughtful leadership and oversaw a number of innovations to the graduate enrollment funnel, including the expansion of our international student population. During Graduate School orientations, Jill provided a bright and smiling welcome to legions of students – offering stories, humor, and information to help them thrive.  She remained a tireless advocate for students, working behind the scenes to help grad students who were facing barriers finishing the degree, and connecting them to resources within the Graduate CARE team.  She also served as a mentor to many in the Graduate School, supervising and promoting the career advancement of a large number of staffers in our division.

Jill's passion for the Grad School, and her deep knowledge, experience, and talent in bringing out the best in everyone at UMBC will be greatly missed.

We will be celebrating Jill's impact at UMBC with a reception on October 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Sports Zone, located in The Commons. We hope you will join us in showing our gratitude for her many years of service to UMBC. 

Christa J. Porter, Ph.D.
Vice Provost and Dean, The Graduate School