The Division of Student Affairs congratulates three exempt staff who will begin serving as new exempt staff senators starting June 1, 2024:

*Dr. Griselda Flores, director, Off-Campus Student Services

*Tess McRae ’22, coordinator for civic design, Center for Democracy and Civic Life

*Dr. Samantha Smith, director, Office of Health Promotion

We know they will do a great job representing Student Affairs and the exempt staff community.

Thanks to all exempt and non-exempt staff senators who advocate for the university’s dedicated and hardworking staff!

Three Questions With … is an opportunity to celebrate and learn more about staff in the Division of Student Affairs. This month, get to know Vic Madrid from Retriever Integrated Health!

Name:

Vic Madrid, M.D.

Pronouns: He/him/his

Title:

Medical Director/Associate Director of Health Services

Retriever Integrated Health

Years in Student Affairs/UMBC:

5 (started August 2018 as Contingent I, then Regular FT staff October 2020)

What is something you do as part of your position that people may not be aware of?

I do not personally see many patients these days, but take pride and priority in ensuring that our amazing medical team has all the tools necessary to provide the highest quality care that they can.  I also cherish the many opportunities to work with other departments across campus to contribute to the health and safety of our entire community and beyond, not just those who come to our clinic in the Center for Well-Being.  One example is our work with the Dept. of Recreation and their summer youth camp.  When needed, I can zip over to the RAC to check out an injured camper or administer meds.  Another rewarding annual project is coordinating the vaccine clinics every fall, bringing a convenient option for our students and staff to be best protected against seasonal illnesses.  

What is one of the most important things you’ve learned during your time here? 

This is my first venture in higher education, coming from a 20-year career practicing primary care medicine.  I have thoroughly enjoyed learning how the young mind works, and figuring out myriad ways to better help our students navigate through their journey here.  I am also inspired by the dedication and expertise of so many UMBC colleagues who will stop at nothing to develop and deliver the best college experience possible. 

But the most important thing that I have learned is how to work with others across unfamiliar disciplines.  As a physician, much of the work and decision making is done alone.  But as an example of amazing collaboration, the pandemic opened up many opportunities to work with so many different departments, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience to be a part of the entire community coming together with a single purpose.

What do you like to do for fun and/or is something you are passionate about outside of work? 

After spending time with family, my next greatest passion is flying down mountain trails on skis in the winter and on my mountain bike year-round.  I love outdoor experiences, and am fortunate to have Patapsco Valley State Park as my backyard.  There you’ll find me riding for fun and fitness.  Sometimes I ride solo for a form of mental therapy, other times with my family and friends, and every fall you might catch me leading a bunch of teenagers as a coach with the Trolley Trail Tacocats, a middle and high school level mountain bike race team in the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.  When the weather doesn’t cooperate, I enjoy playing the guitar and fixing things- bikes, cars, tuning skis, and anything else in the house and garage.  

("Three Questions With Vic Madrid" will be published in the May 2024 issue of "DoSA Matters," the division's internal e-newsletter.)

Every May, Honors College graduating students vote for the Faculty Fellow of the Year who best embodies the ideals of the Honors College in their teaching of a seminar. This year’s recipient is David Hoffman, Ph.D. ‘13, director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. In addition to being memorialized on the plaque in the Honors College seminar room, Dr. Hoffman will speak at the Honors College Medallion Ceremony on Tuesday, May 21. 

Dr. Hoffman began teaching in the Honors College in fall 2017, when the first of two courses he co-designed debuted. Talking Democracy (HONR 200), helps students become critically aware of the interplay among communication styles and techniques, democratic values, and the civic health of communities. Students reflect on their own values, hopes, experiences, and approaches to communication, and build skills that can help them initiate and enact positive social change. Dr. Hoffman designed and initially taught this course with former Student Affairs colleague Craig Berger, and refined it with subsequent co-instructors Dr. Romy Hubler ’09, M.A. ’11, Ph.D. ’15, (former Center associate director), Dr. Simon Stacey, Honors College director, and Tess McRae ‘22, coordinator for civic design.

The other course, Be Your Best Self in Real Life (HONR 300), debuted in spring 2019. The course investigates how institutions regulate our lives, and helps students build skills at recognizing, challenging, and changing institutional norms that can prevent people from thriving together. Dr. Hoffman designed and initially taught this course with Dr. Hübler and Dr. Stacey, and refined it with subsequent co-instructors Dr. Stacey and Tess McRae.

When asked what he might share with Honors College students at the May ceremony, he offered these thoughts: “One of the Civic Life Maxims that guides the Center for Democracy and Civic Life's work is ‘We Build the World We Know.’ What we mean is: If you are going to change the world for the better, it is important to have had some experience of a better world, even in a very local setting, to spark your imagination and guide your choices. Students graduating from UMBC undoubtedly have had some experiences in the last few years that fit this description: spaces and activities in which they have felt that they truly mattered and belonged, bonded with people with different identities and backgrounds by sharing stories, and benefited from being immersed in a culture that embraces their potential wholeheartedly. Think about what those experiences have been for you. We don't always recognize experiences of happiness, liberation, and connection as core aspects of the learning you do in college. But if you nurture the memory of them, those experiences can be the seeds of all the contributions you will make to every community of which you will ever be a part.”

Amery Thompson, assistant director for transfer student success, was the subject of the lead article in Middlesex College President Mark McCormick’s 2024 report: “A successful transferee is now in charge of transfer student success.”

Amery graduated in 2014 from Middlesex, a public community college in Edison, New Jersey, before transferring to Montclair State University for his bachelor’s degree, then going on to receive a master’s in higher education administration from William Paterson University.

He came to UMBC in 2019 as a community director and joined OCSS in 2022. Amery says, “I have lived the transfer student experience, wrote my thesis on the transfer student experience, and was always involved in the transfer student experience when this opportunity came. I also realized this was the job for me when I had to give a presentation on the transfer student experience and how I would support it. In that moment, everything kind of clicked."

Congratulations to Cathy Myers, program administrative specialist in Student Conduct and Community Standards, who completed the Building Bridges Across Maryland Administrative Support Program!

The Building Bridges Program for administrative support staff fosters professional/leadership development, collaboration, and idea sharing between select employees at McDaniel College, Maryland University of Integrative Health, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Towson University, the University of Baltimore, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and UMBC. Up to five individuals from each university are nominated by vice presidents, vice provosts, and deans to participate each fall.

Myers participated in a graduation ceremony for all program participants on April 11 at Notre Dame of Maryland University.