In Support of Rev. Holly Ulmer

Dear Presbytery Council Members, Mission Coordination Committee Members, and Presbytery Leaders,

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deepest concern at the possible budget cuts to the University of Marylands United Campus Ministry, and specifically to Rev. Holly Ulmer, and to provide our strongest solidarity and support on her behalf.

We have all known and appreciated the contributions of Rev. Holly Ulmer for over 15 years now. Her presence and service has been instrumental directly or indirectly in all of the work we do particularly around issues of diversity and equity. She has worked extensively with the Intergroup Dialogue Program (offered by the Office of Human Relations Programs), which brings together groups of students to have facilitated and meaningful conversations around important conflict issues of our time. Currently she is co-facilitating a national research dialogue on gender issues. She helped us pilot the Interfaith/Secular dialogue which has been so popular with students that we have had to offer consistently more sections of it each semester. In our troubled times around religion, it is important to point out that someone with Rev. Ulmers stature, sensitivity, and nuanced understanding and tolerance of various faith traditions has been crucial to our campus climate.

Repeatedly, during times of national and local crises, the campus chaplaincies have always taken leadership and initiative in offering our students, staff and faculty a place of quiet retreat, meaningful conversation, and sustained support. When 9/11 happened, the UM Chaplains planned and led a memorial on the academic mall attended by 8,000 faculty, staff and students. They were the first to rally on campus and offer a safe space for many students; and worked hard and tirelessly to build bridges across several faith communities. They have continued this work over the past many years, while many others have fallen by the wayside after the initial crisis was past.

Recently, during the VA tech shootings, the campus ministry organized a vigil, and offered spiritual support for a tragedy that affected our campus populations in diverse ways, including those specifically in the Korean community. Most of our students do not have access to ministries in the local community necessarily, since many of them are not from Maryland, and do rely upon the campus chaplains for their spiritual and religious needs. This is particularly true for international students, many of whom do not have cars or means of transportation to get to local churches. They form a large and important part of our campus citizenry.

Rev. Ulmer has also provided enormous amounts of support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community on campus, including faculty, staff, and students. She has been a constant and strong ally in our various endeavors, and several of us have called on her abilities to help us navigate difficult times.

We felt we needed to write a joint letter of support from our various locations and offices on campus to give you all a sense of the scope of Rev. Holly Ulmers reach and work on this campus. You may feel free to contact any one of us individually, either by email or telephone, as listed below.

We have no hesitation in strongly recommending that Rev. Ulmer is an important and integral part of our campus life.