Appreciation for Faculty and Staff

Key Points:

• Governor Hogan’s budget provides a $1,000 bonus for state employees, including USM faculty and staff.

• A more positive budget outlook also allows temporary salary reductions affecting some UMBC employees to end earlier than expected.

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to confirm that the extraordinary work of UMBC and other state employees during the pandemic will be recognized with a $1,000 bonus, a step proposed by Governor Hogan and now passed by the General Assembly. 

Regular faculty and staff and Contingent II employees will receive the one-time bonus of up to $1,000. The bonus will be pro-rated for eligible part-time employees (e.g., 50%= $500, 75%=$750, etc.). Graduate Assistants and Contingent I employees are not eligible. 

The bonus payments will be processed by the Human Resources Department and will be reflected in the paychecks issued April 30, 2021.   

We are also pleased to announce the early end of temporary salary reductions for faculty and staff earning $100,000 and above, which was part of a multi-point plan to protect campus jobs. This will be reflected in the paychecks issued April 16, 2021.

Both the one-time bonus and early restoration of full salaries were made possible by  prompt, aggressive budget actions taken this past year in the face of projected pandemic-related revenue declines, including diligence in adhering to the hiring freeze, and greater operating savings than expected. The University has also benefited from Federal stimulus funding, which is being used to cover pandemic-related costs originally expected to be supported from regular operating funds.

We are deeply grateful for all that you are doing to keep our campus community safe and healthy and to support academic progress and business operations during this difficult time. While we will continue to face operational and fiscal challenges through the pandemic and beyond, this year has affirmed that we know how to get through them together. Keep hope alive!

President Freeman Hrabowski and Provost Philip Rous