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Faculty & Staff Convocation

Convocation is a time for the university community to come together and officially usher in the academic year by celebrating academic and service honorees, selected by their peers, to be awarded for their achievements.

Guests who do not have assigned campus parking should plan to park in visitor parking at Mowatt Lane Garage, Regents Garage or near Lot C. Please see the virtual campus map here.

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Recipients of the President’s Medal, President’s Distinguished Service Awards, Distinguished University Professors, Distinguished Scholar-Teachers, and Kirwan Teaching Awards are recognized at Convocation.
 

Convocation 2022 Program

 

President’s Medal

The President’s Medal is the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the university community. It is intended to recognize extraordinary contributions to the intellectual, social, and cultural life of Maryland. 
 
  • Warren L. Kelley
 

Kirwan Faculty Research and Scholarship Prize

This prize is presented annually to a member of the faculty in recognition of a highly significant work of research, scholarship or artistic creativity that has been achieved within the past three years. 
 
  • Richard Bell
 

Kirwan Undergraduate Education Award

This prize is presented annually in recognition of the faculty or staff member who has made exceptional contributions to the quality of undergraduate education at the university. 
 
  • Sarah Balcom
 

President's Distinguished Service Award

The President’s Distinguished Service Awards recognize exceptional performance, leadership and service by members of the university staff. The recipients of this award have a record of exemplary performance and distinctive contributions to the operation of an administrative, academic, research or service unit on campus. 
 
  • Anthony Fisher
  • Hilary Gossett
  • Dawn Y. Jackson
  • Axel Persaud
  • Paige Smith
 

Sharon La Voy Data Impact Award

The Sharon A. La Voy Data Impact Award recognizes faculty or staff members who have made exceptional contributions to the University of Maryland community through effective utilization of institutional data.
 

  • Michelle Appel

 

Provost’s Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty

The Provost's Excellence Awards for Professional Track Faculty honor consistently excellent contributions from full-time faculty who have served for at least five years and do not have nor are eligible for tenure. Honorees are recognized in one of the three core areas of academic activity: teaching, research and service.
 

  • Negin Fouladi (Teaching)
  • Jandelyn Plane (Service)
     

Distinguished Scholar-Teacher

Winners of the Distinguished Scholar-Teacher awards represent a broad range of academic excellence. The program honors tenured faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments as educators. Each scholar will present a lecture during the school year. 
 
  • Caren Chang
  • Allen P. Davis
  • Michelle Girvan
  • Rebecca Hann
  • Kenneth Kiger
  • Matthew Roesch
 

Distinguished University Professor

The highest honor the university bestows, this title is conferred in recognition of extraordinary achievement as a teacher, scholar, and public servant. 
 
  • Balakumar Balachandran
  • Dmitry Dolgopyat
  • Richard L. Greene
  • Gary LaFree
  • Robert W. Lent
  • Zhanqing Li
  • Liangli (Lucy) Yu
 

 

Convocation 2021 Awardees

Convocation 2020 Awardees

Contact Us
Office of Special Events
301.405.4638 / events@umd.edu

About

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and nearly 400,000 alumni all dedicated to the pursuit of Fearless Ideas. Located just outside Washington, D.C., we discover and share new knowledge every day through our renowned research enterprise and programs in academics, the arts and athletics. And we are committed to social entrepreneurship as the nation’s first “Do Good” campus.

DO GOOD 

Introducing The Nation's First Do Good Campus Transforming Idealism into Impact 

Academics

Spanning 12 schools and colleges, Maryland offers more than 300 degree-granting programs, many of them ranked among the best in the country. Our faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 58 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. And our students, who include the highest achievers in the state and nation, enjoy experiences unique to our location just outside the nation’s capital, including internships, research, and leadership and service opportunities.

Schools and Colleges

Research and Innovation

The University of Maryland is one of the world’s premier research institutions. With our strategic location and scores of partnerships with government and businesses, UMD conducts groundbreaking research on some of the biggest challenges facing our global community, including cybersecurity and terrorism, bioengineering, public health equity, food safety and climate change. We strive to discover new knowledge and put it to work through innovation and entrepreneurship, advancing economic development and transforming lives. 

The newly launched Innovation Gateway will guide you to the resources, programs, partners, and spaces you need to activate and scale your fearless ideas into innovations that launch new ventures, catalyze growth, and advance economic development.

Arts

At the University of Maryland, the arts, the humanities and the sciences intersect to address important societal issues and shed new light on the human experience. Our vibrant campus arts community collaborates with local and national cultural organizations such as the Phillips Collection, Kennedy Center and Folger Shakespeare Library. Student and faculty artists, designers, historians, writers and performers are exploring new media, presenting new perspectives, investigating new techniques and engaging new audiences.

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Athletics

Home of the Terrapins, the University of Maryland has one of the nation’s most recognizable and successful athletics programs. More than 550 student-athletes compete each year in 20 intercollegiate sports—12 for women and eight for men. Since 2005 alone, Maryland has won 19 national championships, including NCAA titles in women’s basketball, men’s soccer, men's lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, and field hockey. Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014, UMD has won a combined 32 regular season and tournament championships. Fear the Turtle!

Our Commitment to Student-Athletes

At the University of Maryland, our commitment to the safety and well-being of our students is paramount and resolute. For our student-athletes, that means both on and off the field.
The University of Maryland is committed to accountability, transparency, and fairness and is working to ensure our program upholds the values of our University.
Learn more about our commitment.

Student Life

The Terp experience extends beyond classrooms, labs and studios. It encompasses residence halls and dining halls, clubs and sports, fraternities and sororities, campus events and performances, and countless off-campus destinations. Maryland touts 800-plus student organizations, dozens of prestigious living and learning communities, and countless other ways to get involved. Students here can create a unique identity and grow as individuals, even as they’re part of a close-knit and diverse community. 

 

Latest information on Coronavirus

 

On Campus

Winter Session at UMD

Keep Learning! Earn up to four credits in just three weeks. Courses offered on campus or anywhere online. Meet your goals with University of Maryland’s Winter Session, January 3-23, 2023. Register now at winter.umd.edu.

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News

Latest news at Maryland Today

For media releases visit UMD Right Now

Coronavirus Updates:
We have worked diligently to develop and enhance plans for reopening our campus while prioritizing the health and safety of our community members. Hundreds of faculty, staff and students have collaborated in work-groups and teams to create and maintain a physically distant, yet academically and socially rich environment for the fall semester. Our plans continue to be coordinated with state and county health officials, with additional guidance provided by the University System of Maryland. Latest 4 Maryland Updates

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All Events

Terps are bold, smart, curious and proud. We do good, in our communities and out in the world. We are fearless. And we are always looking to expand our ranks. Interested in becoming a University of Maryland student? This is where to start.

 

Undergraduate Admissions

Graduate Admissions

Give to Maryland

Giving back is a fearless Terp tradition, and there are many ways you can not only keep it alive, but also make an instant impact. 

M Circle on the University of Maryland campus

 

Give Now

Maryland Promise Students

Support the Clark Challenge for the Maryland Promise Scholarship and double your impact through the Clark Challenge.

 

Clark Challenge for the Maryland Promise