Greetings to our fellow UMBC retirees and Wisdom Institute (WI) friends! As the incoming WI Co-Directors, we are indebted to Diane Lee for her years of dedicated service. Her example inspired us to step into this transitional role for one year. These are not easy footsteps to follow, but we look forward to working with the WI Board and members to nurture what Diane created in 2018, help it continue to grow, and develop new leaders to guide it moving forward.
Our new leadership role reflects the WI’s positive impact on engagement and the ability to be involved as little – or as much – as desired. While we were together on campus for much of our careers and education, our paths did not cross until we joined the WI Board. Kathy Raab retired in 2006 from the President’s Office after 36 years in various departments, including Ancient Studies, American Studies, English, Special Sessions and the Office of the Vice Provost. Kathy Sutphin, who is also a UMBC alum, retired in 2020 as an Assistant Dean in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences after 25 years in CNMS and the Department of Biological Sciences.
We discovered many commonalities in addition to our shared name and developed a new, rewarding friendship as we participated in WI committees and activities, both virtually and in person. Kathy Raab, who has been married to Fred for 53 years, has two children and two grandchildren. Kathy Sutphin, who has been married to Stan for 57 years, has four children and eight grandchildren. We both live in Maryland and spend leisure time at the Delaware seashore.
We particularly enjoy the WI Signature events, which serve as an annual reunion of UMBC colleagues with great food and interesting speakers. The 2026 keynote speaker, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helair gave a heartfelt presentation on her life and the important role UMBC has had in her success as a vaccine expert and viral immunologist. We are both looking forward to the 2027 event that will celebrate the start of WI’s tenth year and feature one of our favorite writers, Don Akchin, as the keynote speaker.
In addition to activities, we value WI’s role in keeping retirees informed of issues (e.g., prescription coverage changes) and how we can continue to support UMBC and its students as we did during our working years. Also, we deeply value our organization’s partnership with the University, especially the Offices of the Provost and Institutional Advancement.
We look forward to the coming year, and we encourage both new and established retirees to give the variety of WI activities a try. We value your input and suggestions. Stay in touch by sending us a message and by updating your preferred contact information via wisdominstitute@umbc.edu.