TO: The UMBC Community
FROM: Nancy Young, Vice President, Student Affairs
SUBJECT: Student Affairs Campus Life Department

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

To better align our high quality programs and services with the new University Strategic Plan, the Division of Student Affairs has reorganized some of our existing departments into the Campus Life Department. As you know the University Strategic Plan highlights the Student Experience as one of the main areas of focus, which includes these strategic goals:

• Increasing peer-to-peer interactions on campus

• Increasing the cultural and global competencies of all students

• Continuing to build a campus culture that supports applied learning

• Increasing the number of students who are aware of and attend campus activities

Dr. Dan Barnhart serves as the Director of Campus Life and will lead the department’s focus on a holistic approach to delivering the student experience. That work will be directly connected with these strategic goals, with emphasis on the promotion and support of a vibrant campus life through co-curricular involvement in student programs and activities. The new department includes the following:

• Campus Life Engagement (formerly Student Life), led by Associate Director Jen Dress

• Campus Life Operations (formerly The Commons Administration) and Event and Conference Services, led by Associate Director Joel DeWyer

• Student Diversity and Inclusion, led by Associate Director Lisa Gray

• Student Marketing and Promotion (commonvision), led by Assistant Director Laura Schraven

To date, the new Campus Life Department has already implemented several co-curricular initiatives, including promotion of high-impact student events by developing a new online Events Hub; creation of a unified weekend activities communications campaign; collaboration with Athletics to promote athletic contests and increase overall event attendance; incorporating more arts events into our promotions; and reimagining large-scale events, such as Homecoming, to leverage strong cross-divisional partnerships and to drive greater participation. More information about Campus Life services, programs, and offerings can be found on the new website, campuslife.umbc.edu.

Thank you for your continued support of this important work, and we look forward to your involvement and help in shaping the student experience and creating a more vibrant campus life at UMBC.

Nancy Young, Vice President, Student Affairs