M E M O

TO: Faculty and Staff

FROM: Arthur T. Johnson, Provost

DATE: July 12, 2005

RE: Convocation - Fall 2005

We look forward to your participation in Convocation 2005, the formal beginning of the academic year at UMBC, on Tuesday, August 30 from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Retriever Activities Center. This is a special opportunity for faculty, staff and administrators to welcome students to the UMBC academic community. I encourage you to participate in the academic procession that symbolizes for our new students the community of scholars they have joined. President Hrabowski will address the gathering and we will continue the tradition of pinning the new students. The Presidential Teaching Professor for 2004-05, Cindy Hody, associate professor and chair of the political science department, will also make brief remarks.

REGALIA: Faculty and staff--including members of the platform party and all those in the academic procession--will march in regalia. We are on a tight schedule in working with our regalia supplier this summer, so if you will be attending Convocation, the deadline for ordering is Monday, July 18. The cost of regalia rental is underwritten by the Provost's Office if ordered by this deadline. Faculty and staff who order after the July 18 deadline will be charged a $10-15 late fee.

To order regalia, go to http://my.umbc.edu/convocationform. If you have ordered from UMBC before, your information will appear on the screen. If this is your first time to order, you should be prepared with the following information: height, weight, cap size, highest degree earned, and name of the school where degree was earned.

PICK UP: Regalia will be available for pick-up at the Bookstore August 26-29. Faculty and staff must pick up their own regalia at the Bookstore, which will be open for your convenience on the weekend of August 27 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

RSVP: Even if you own your own regalia, please reply through the response form at http://my.umbc.edu/convocationform by July 18, so we can plan seating for you.

Following Convocation, faculty and staff are invited to the "Taste of Maryland" dinner with new and returning students. For more information or to RSVP, contact Pat Damm at damm@umbc.edu by August 25.

We look forward to welcoming a talented and enthusiastic group of new students to UMBC this fall and to the start of a new year that holds much promise for excellence in teaching and learning, research and service in our academic community. I hope you will join us to begin the school year at Convocation on August 30.