Mission

     Our mission is to establish a robust institutional CLB culture for graduate students, post-doctorate fellows, and faculty success. We plan to target members of the campus – faculty, staff, post-doctorate fellows, and graduate students to “celebrate” career-life balance integration through:

 

  • raising awareness through education and training
  • presenting profiles of people who have used the CLB policies (posters, online through this website, and social media)
  • encouraging members of the campus to take advantage of the established policies

 

     This website will serve as a repository for Career-Life Balance resources. We will raise awareness of the CLB policies by posting them on this website on a regular basis. We will also showcase profiles of faculty members who are successfully balancing career and life. Our premise is that things that are done outside of UMBC do not have to remain secret. We would like to showcase the fact that people take the leave that they’ve earned to raise families, that they participate in health and wellness activities, and that they take time for community engagement. We will design and launch campus posters, banners, and have a web presence that will showcase this balance, and that will both celebrate and publicize the activities that represent a full life.

 

The list below provides examples of UMBC faculty policies that we will highlight through the website, seminars and workshops, and visual imagery such as posters and banners:

 

  • A minimum assured period of paid parental leave of eight (8) weeks
  • A one year extension of the time for tenure review for new parents
  • Leave and support options, e.g., Collegially Supported Leave: Faculty members’ academic
    responsibilities covered by colleagues, on a voluntary basis, for a period of time.
  • Redistribution of Duties: Adjustment of faculty members’ responsibilities among teaching,
    service, and research.
  • Family and Medical Leave: Leave guaranteed by the federal government for a life-changing event (birth, adoption, or serious health condition).
  • Development of an individualized “Family Support Plan.”
  • Workload modifications, to the extent authorized by the institution and feasible within the faculty member’s department.