Shared Governance Committees are those committees that exist outside of any individual Senate, but exist within and between the various offices of UMBC to ensure that the opinions of students, faculty, and staff are all heard and weighed in decision-making on campus.
Responsibilities of any Graduate Student Representative on any of these committees are to attend the meetings and provide an end-of-semester report to the Senate Speaker. These reports are short and informal and are only meant to keep the Graduate Senate up-to-speed on UMBC Policies, Issues, & Concerns. Some committees may be attended by the Executive Council or the Cabinet instead of the senators.
Senator Committees
Athletics Policy
Responsible for reviewing the mission of the athletics programs. The committee may review and recommend the following: changes in policies affecting recreational and intramural programs on campus; policies affecting access to athletic/recreational facilities; recruiting policies, admission standards, and academic progress of intercollegiate athletes; and polices regarding outside fund raising activities to support the athletic program.
The graduate student representative would be eligible to run for the position of Chair of the committee.
CAHSS Graduate Student Advisory Board
Responsible for reviewing academic priorities and graduate student concerns within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The board may review and recommend the following: policies affecting graduate education and student success; access to academic resources and professional development opportunities; program requirements, admissions practices, and graduate student progress; and initiatives that strengthen communication between CAHSS leadership and graduate students.
Classroom Committee
Charge of this committee: Review the campus classroom scheduling practices and provide recommendations on scheduling policies and practices leading to more efficient use of the classrooms and lecture halls. Provide recommendations for increased utilization of Friday afternoons for scheduling in order to improve campus climate. Provide oversight of the classroom upgrades/maintenance needs on the campus. Provide a forum to discuss the size of classrooms mostly needed. The Classroom Committee meets on a monthly basis during the academic year.
Financial Literacy Workgroup
This workgroup is dedicated to helping the UMBC community navigate resources related to making effective financial decisions. Topics discussed are related to providing timely and relevant resources for managing budgets, bank accounts, assets and debt as students pursue their education at UMBC.
Discuss ideas surrounding IT infrastructure, new technologies to invest in, new and existing core facilities. IT Administration as it affects students, classes, staff, & faculty. Charge of this committee: Serve as an advisory group to the campus administration providing general oversight on information technology matters; Develop policies and guidelines related to information technology; Develop and update periodically the campus plan for information technology; To accomplish this charge the IT Steering Committee meets monthly during the academic year. The IT Steering Committee includes chairs from campus committees that oversee IT related activities, key administrators and staff members from the units relevant to the committee’s activities, and student representatives.
Library Policy
This committee discusses policies, concerns, and ideas related to the UMBC Library. Members represent main stakeholder groups and the five shared governance senates.
Middle States Steering Committee
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The process of accreditation occurs every 8 years and involves a university self-study of the institution as well as visitation and recommendations from the organization itself. Shared governance senates are usually called upon to participate in various parts of the process during the academic year when the visitation occurs.
Parking Advisory Committee
This committee meets to address concerns and provide information related to parking services at UMBC.
Research and Creative Achievement Council
This council reviews and recommends policies that support the operations of research, scholarship, and creative activities at UMBC.
Retriever Essentials Advisory Board
The Advisory Board helps to plan and implement strategic goals for Retriever Essentials. Advisory Board members consist of stakeholders across UMBC, working to address food insecurity concerns and similar needs across campus. The Graduate Student Representative will advocate for graduate student needs, and serve as part of one of the Advisory Board’s working groups. At least one graduate student representative is required, while a maximum of three representatives are available.
Special Sessions Policy Committee
The committee is responsible for approving courses to be taught in Special Sessions to prevent unnecessary duplication and ensure a balanced course selection, provided that all credit-bearing courses have been previously approved by the Faculty Senate; reviewing and recommending Special Sessions policies to representative bodies and the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; overseeing the Special Sessions budget; promoting the overall well-being of the Special Sessions; and adopting policies consistent with these objectives.
Student Dining Committee
Members serve as a partner with Chartwells Managers in ensuring a quality dining program at UMBC. Members must attend at least two meetings per semester and be willing to participate in discussions and out of meeting work. Time commitment is about 2.5 hours per month.
Microcredential Advisory Committee (MAC)
The committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending microcredential programs to ensure academic quality, relevance, and alignment with workforce needs; evaluating proposed credentials to avoid duplication and promote a balanced portfolio of offerings; advising on policies related to program design, assessment, and implementation; supporting partnerships with academic units and external stakeholders; and promoting the overall effectiveness and sustainability of UMBC’s microcredential initiatives through policy guidance consistent with these objectives.
Executive Council Committees
Student Fee Advisory Board
The Student Fee Advisory Board (SFAB) at UMBC is a team of students (undergraduate and graduate) who represent student interests in the annual mandatory fee review process. After hearing presentations from administrators representing the departments who own the six mandatory student fees, SFAB conducts outreach to determine what recommendations students have with respect to the size and specifics of those planned expenditures.
Graduate Student Representative
GSA Treasurer
University Steering Committee
Committee made up of heads of the five shared governance senate which meets monthly to establish rules insuring the proper coordination of the five Senates and to represent the interests of the five Senates to the UMBC Administration, the
University System of Maryland Administration, and the Board of Regent. These concerns are raised before president’s council members as well as other administrators. The committee also discusses the implementation of and any changes to the University’s Plan of Organization.Graduate Student Representative
GSA President and Vice President
Student Regent Nomination Committee
Screens and selects the UMBC applicants for USM Student Regent for further consideration, in conjunction with SGA and Director of the Center of Democracy and Civic Life.
Graduate Student Representative
GSA President
Strategic Planning Committee
The committee is responsible for guiding and evaluating UMBC’s strategic priorities to support institutional growth and student success; reviewing and recommending long-term goals, initiatives, and performance measures; advising on policies and resource alignment related to the university’s strategic plan; fostering collaboration across academic and administrative units; and promoting continuous improvement through data-informed planning and recommendations consistent with these objectives.
Graduate Student Representative
GSA President
Neighborhood Relations
Discuss ideas to build better, lasting relationships with Arbutus, Catonsville, and Baltimore City.
Graduate Student Representative
GSA President
Middle States Steering Committee
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The process of accreditation occurs every 8 years and involves a university self-study of the institution as well as visitation and recommendations from the organization itself. Shared governance senates are usually called upon to participate in various parts of the process during the academic year when the visitation occurs.
Graduate Student Representative
GSA President
Grad Council
The council is responsible for reviewing and recommending policies related to graduate education across USM institutions; advising on academic standards, program development, and graduate student success initiatives; promoting collaboration and consistency among member universities; supporting assessment and continuous improvement of graduate programs; and providing guidance on systemwide priorities affecting graduate education in alignment with these objectives.
Graduate Student Representative
GSA President