The changes and challenges facing academic research and the University of Maryland, Baltimore's response was the topic of Virtual Face to Face on April 10 hosted by James Hughes, MBA, Chief Enterprise and Economic Development Officer and Senior Vice President. Hughes was joined by University of Maryland School of Medicine Professor and Executive Vice Dean Chris O’Donnell, PhD, and E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Director of the Center for Advanced Research Training and Innovation.

On April 1, the legal challenges facing higher education were the subjects of discussion on Virtual Face to Face. Program host and University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, spoke with University of Maryland Francis King Carey Dean and Professor Renée; Carey Law Professor Marley Weiss, JD; and Carey Law Assistant Professor Chris Mathis, JD. The program included questions from an audience of 500 UMB faculty, staff, and students.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Office of Community and Civic Engagement (OCCE) has launched a new partnership with Open Works, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit makerspaces, to expand access to hands-on maker education in West Baltimore.As part of this collaboration, Open Works is now serving as an operating partner of the Steve and Mim Dubin Makerspace at UMB’s Community Engagement Center (CEC) to support creative learning and technical skill-building in the Poppleton neighborhood.Together, UMB and Open Works aim to deliver exceptional programming and broaden access to fabrication, digital design, and technologies — including tools like the Glowforge laser cutter — all while working side-by-side with neighbors to ensure offerings are relevant and responsive to community needs.

On Feb. 25, 2025 University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, talked with legal scholars from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law on the program Virtual Face to Face. The guests were Dean and Professor Renée Hutchins Laurent, JD, University System of Maryland Regents Professor Mark Graber, JD, PhD, and the Jeff Sovern, JD, the Michael Millemann Professor of Consumer Law.

University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is Maryland's only public health, law, and human services university. Six professional schools and the School of Graduate Studies confer the majority of health care, human services, and law professional degrees in Maryland each year.