UMBC graduate student Alexia Van Orden has been appointed by the Governor to serve as the sole student member of the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). As the student Commissioner, Alexia will work with MHEC's ten other members to establish policies and make decisions regarding budgets and construction priorities, financial aid, the creation of new academic programs, the establishment of new colleges and universities and other matters relating to higher education in Maryland. (Read more about what MHEC does here).
Alexia is pursuing her doctorate in Public Policy with a concentration in Education Policy. She graduated from UMBC in 2006 with a BA in History, and earned her Master of Public Policy degree in 2009. She is the second UMBC student to be appointed to this prestigious post in the past four years: Josh Michael served as MHEC Student Commissioner in 2007-2008.
