Newly Retired English Professor Michael Olmert Reflects on 40 Years at UMD

The British lit expert has been beloved by students for his generosity and mentorship.

By Chelsea McLin M.A. ’19

In 2004, a young English major approached Professor Michael Olmert with an unusual request: Would he write the foreword to a self-published poetry chapbook? Olmert readily agreed. More than two decades later, the student—now the award-winning author Jason Reynolds ’05—returned to campus as the College of Arts and Humanities commencement speaker and reflected on that act of mentorship, telling graduates he was “more grateful for Professor Olmert’s words now” than he had been at 18.

It was the kind of gesture that came naturally to Olmert.

Over four decades at Maryland, the English professor built a career that reached well beyond the classroom. He won three Emmy Awards, lectured throughout Europe and was inducted into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame. Yet ask Olmert what he’ll miss most, and he’ll talk about the steady stream of students who stopped by his office hours or the relationships that continued beyond graduation.

“I’ve never had a bad student,” said Olmert. “They’re all great, and they come ready to learn. I’m lucky to have taught at Maryland.”

Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Olmert knew he always wanted to be a Terp. He began his journey as an engineering major but after taking a required English course during his second semester, he learned he felt most at home in the English Department.

“I had great teachers. I learned a lot about Shakespeare, and I loved seeing the plays," he said. "I never got to go to the theater when I was young because I grew up kind of poor." 

He received his undergraduate degree in 1962 and later returned to earn his doctorate in 1980. He has written five books, seven plays, two feature films, an IMAX movie and more than 90 National Geographic and Discovery Channel documentaries, three of which awarded him TV’s highest honors. He’s also written hundreds of magazine articles, reviews, and essays that have appeared in publications like the Washington Post and New York Times.

For 40 years, he taught medieval studies, Shakespeare, 17th and 18th century studies, and modern British drama at the University of Maryland. Throughout his career, he made it his mission to introduce students to theater, literature, art and culture. For nearly 20 years, Olmert led study abroad trips to London taking students to places like the home of English Romantic poet John Keats and to see the works they read in class come to life in theaters like the famous Shakespeare’s Globe.

Olmert’s approach to teaching encourages students to lean into the world around them. Noora Ghahremani ’26 attended one of Olmert’s guided trips in 2024 and shared that the professor taught her to see things for more than what they are. 

“A brick wall was never just architecture—it was history. A play was never just entertainment—it was social commentary,” said Ghahremani. “Shakespeare wrote that ‘the object of art is to give life a shape.’ If that is true, then Professor Olmert is an artist who has given shape to so many young lives—and we are all the better for it."

Creative Writing Professor Joshua Weiner shared that Olmert’s energy and charisma always garnered the admiration of students. 

“He occupied the office across the hall from mine, and it was not unusual a couple times a week for me to find lines of students waiting to see him in office hours,” said Weiner. “They hovered around his door even when he wasn’t there, like wasps around the scent of a missing apple.”

Looking ahead, Olmert plans to spend his retirement reading, writing and traveling. But, he said, he’s also looking forward to keeping in touch with students. 

“Maryland has been good to me these past 40 years,” he said. “My door is always open.”

Top photo: Michael Olmert cheers on stage at the 2026 ARHU undergraduate ceremony. Photo by Lisa Helfert.