Office of External Affairs

Under the direction of T. Sue Gladhill, MSW
Vice President for External Affairs

Known as "OEA," this unit assists the Office of the President as well as the seven professional schools and the graduate school with:

• Development 
• Management of private donations
  through the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc. (Board of Trustees )
• Government and community affairs, including the WestSide renaissance
• Communications, including the news bureau, publications, and Web development  
• University Events
  

Offices Within OEA

Communications
(Details on this office)
Assistant Vice President Paul Drehoff

• Media relations with regional, national, and international news outlets
• Publications, including magazines (Maryland Magazine), the VOICE newspaper, student recruitment materials, and brochures
• Web development and guidance
  

Development
(Details on this office)
Associate Vice President Mary Campion

• Major Gifts
• Planned Giving
• Corporate and Foundation Relations
• Annual Giving
• Prospect Research
• Proposal Writing

Government and Community Affairs
(Details on this office)
Associate Vice President Barbara A. Klein
Offices are in Baltimore and Annapolis, the state capital

1. Coordinates campus matters with government officials at the state, local, and federal levels
2. Under the guidance of the president, develops and implements strategic public policy initiatives that benefit the campus
3. Serves as the primary contact point with community representatives for the Office of External Affairs by developing collaborative opportunities and building partnerships with the communities and local government
   

The Office of Government Affairs should be informed of any matters where public officials are involved in campus affairs or where members of the campus community are reaching out in their official capacity to public officials.

Resource Management
(Details on this office)
Assistant Vice President Judith S. Blackburn

• Collection, disbursement, and audit of private funds through the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc.(Board of Trustees)
• Maintenance of database of donors, alumni, and UMB friends
• Administrative office for OEA
  

University Events
The office of university events is responsible for planning and executing all events hosted or sponsored by the president of the University, including Founders Week, held every October. We also consult with all constituencies of the University to plan events large and small.

Detailed Description of OEA Services

The Office of External Affairs (OEA) is one of the administrative units of the office of the president and is responsible for campus support in resource management, development, government and community affairs, and communications for the campus. OEA also manages the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc., which receives and processes funds from private donors.
(See list of Board of Trustees)

OEA assists in the development and implementation of strategies central to their missions. The development office helps the deans and their fund raisers with donor identification, cultivation and solicitation, event arrangements, stewardship efforts, and project planning. Other services include donor research, proposal writing, and the Fund-Raisers Council, composed of each of the schools' development officers and OEA specialists, who meet monthly to share information and discuss policies and trends. The development office also includes the office of special events and serves as the liaison to numerous entities involved in the multiyear, multimillion dollar renaissance in west Baltimore, where the campus is a significant landholder.

In addition to managing the collection, disbursement, and auditing of private funds through the UMB Foundation, Inc.,the office of resource management maintains a sophisticated database of donors, alumni, and other friends of the University. The office collaborates daily with the schools' deans, development officers, program directors, administrators, and faculty members as they manage multiple research, service, and teaching projects. The office acts as the administrative entity managing human resources and payroll for OEA.

The office of government and community affairs has offices on campus and in Annapolis, the state capital. Because UMB is a public institution, relationships with legislators and the executive branch of government are key to its progress. During the 90 consecutive days the Maryland General Assembly is in session each year, the government affairs office monitors and tracks more than 800 bills while developing strategies and advocating for legislative actions on issues pertinent to the University. This office coordinates the testimony delivered by the president and other campus officials, drafts legislative language, and offers amendments on bills that affect the campus.

Throughout the rest of the year, the office works with legislative committees and individual legislators in developing and promoting UMB initiatives while undertaking major studies on issues significant to the institution. Government affairs also is responsible for community affairs, particularly in the neighborhoods surrounding the 56-acre campus and with the Baltimore city government.

The office of communicationsprovides campus media relations, publications, and web development services. The office collaborates with contacts in each of the schools and other entities, such as the Health Sciences and Human Services Library. The News Bureau team coordinates interviews with faculty members, students, administrative experts, and print and broadcast media. It also generates interest in UMB and frequently manages or advises on crisis-communications strategies.

The publications team produces printed materials for the president, the schools, and other campus units. This includes magazines, brochures, posters, and the campus newspaper. The schools provide budget resources. Any publication central to the mission of the University (such as student recruitment) carries no fee for staff time.