UMBC Privacy Information
This website provides information on UMBC’s implementation of the Maryland Higher Education Privacy law, which went into effect October 1, 2024.
UMBC understands that privacy is important. As an educational institution, we are obligated to collect information on who our students are, their academic performance while at UMBC, and how our work has contributed towards their careers (outcomes). We understand that we have a responsibility to use this data for the uses it was intended, to make certain that the information is accurate, and to protect that information from inappropriate disclosure.
To protect your privacy, UMBC has established the Data Management Committee. The Data Management Committee consists of individuals from different units that collect, process, and utilize institutional data. This committee is responsible for developing policies and procedures that are associated with our privacy program. We understand that individual privacy expectations as well as privacy regulations will continue to evolve. Our privacy program is our ongoing commitment to evolve with those expectations and regulations. As such, the launch of this privacy web site is not the end of our work, but the beginning. We know that as we purchase new administrative systems, privacy controls will be a major point of emphasis in our purchase decisions.
How To Use This Web Site
For the initial launch of the privacy web site, we have focused on providing information on a number of our most heavily used student facing systems that collect data under the Data Categories menu. For each of the Data Categories menu we provide information on the following questions for the named data categories where we collect data:
- What data we collect?
- How we use the data we collect?
- How we collect that data?
- How we share this data?
- What actions can individuals take to review their data?
Our Privacy Governance Program menu documents the the work we are doing in across the campus to embed privacy best practices in all the work we do. Some of these best practices are listed below:
- Updating our procurement contract language to add new privacy requirements when we utilize third parties software services;
- Establishing a centralized request tracking system where you can submit questions and request corrections;
- Working to develop a privacy card in myUMBC to provide individuals with access to their data in a manner that can be understandable;
- Expanding our training materials to include more information on privacy best practices for individuals to safeguard their data.
Our Policies menu documents our current applicable policies related to privacy.
Our Privacy Education and Laws menu provides users with some basic tips on protecting your privacy along with links to pertinent laws that may be applicable.
We welcome your feedback on how we can improve the web site and will take all suggestions under consideration as we implement our privacy program.