Five Student Affairs Operations and Facilities student staff members received the inaugural Yachi Madaan Employee Excellence Award. It will be presented each semester to those student staff that excel in their area and go above and beyond to provide excellent service, teamwork, and leadership. 

The award is named for Yachi, a dedicated teammate and campus leader who passed away unexpectedly in 2025. 

The fall 2025 award winners are: 

• Trisha Sirsat (Campus Information Center)

• Sai Varshit Nandamuri (Gameroom)

• Siddhesh Sunil Dumbre (Maintenance)

• Andrew Lawson (Facilities)

• Anna Kim (Facilities student manager) 

Commuter Connections has been selected as the Silver Award Winner in the NASPA 2026 Excellence Awards within the Commuter, Off-Campus, Military-Connected, Non-Traditional, and Related Programs category.

Dedicated to creating inclusive, engaging experiences that help commuter students feel at home at UMBC, Commuter Connections offers over 60 events and programs during the academic year, created to build a strong sense of connection and community. These events and programs are helping students feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to thrive – academically, personally, and as part of the UMBC experience and beyond. 

Commuter Connections' Good Morning Commuters program, founded in 1988, averages 155 students weekly. It includes a buffet-style breakfast, resource information from campus partners, and the opportunity for students to meet and make friends. The program has been expanded to include a Good Afternoon Commuters event. 

In addition to Good Morning Commuters, Commuter Connections offer a variety of engaging programs designed to build community and enhance the commuter student experience. These include Commuter Hangouts, themed pop-up events that provide opportunities for commuters to connect; off-campus trips, which allow commuter students to build community while exploring new experiences throughout Baltimore; and the annual Spring Commuter Week, a celebration featuring daily events that uplift and highlight the commuter experience.

Commuter Week 2026 will take place Saturday, February 28 through Thursday, March 5.

Led by Assistant Director of Commuter Student Success Serena Studivant, Commuter Connections also benefits from the work of graduate and commuter assistants who receive professional development experience by helping to plan, develop, and execute programming. 

"Serena is deeply deserving of this award for the way she leads through collaboration," said Jennifer Artis, director of Student Life and Success for Graduate, Adult Learners, and Commuters. "Her impact extends far beyond her department; she consistently builds meaningful partnerships across campus and shows up for students with care, intention, and excellence. Serena is truly a rockstar whose work strengthens our entire UMBC community."

NASPA Excellence Awards recognize the contributions of members who are transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services, and effective administration. The awards cover twelve categories crucial to the success of students. 

Studivant will share a poster presentation on the Commuter Connections program at the 2026 NASPA Annual Conference in Kansas City, MS.

The Division of Student Affairs continues to share its leadership and expertise on the national stage. Staff from across the division will be presenting at the NASPA Annual Conference in March 2026, in Kansas City. Their upcoming sessions highlight the transformative student-centered work happening in Student Affairs and across the campus.

Empowering the Frontline: Intentional Professional Development and Coaching for Administrative and Frontline Staff 

Ebony Brown, Executive Coordinator, Student Affairs, and Dr. Adam Cebulski, Founder and CEO, transform.forward

Organizations often miss an opportunity to foster an environment that is truly inclusive by limiting who has access to professional development resources. Brown and Dr. Cebulski will share an intentional approach to supporting professional development for administrative and frontline staff.  They will discuss a framework that combines coaching and community building that not only enhances professional growth, but increases self-efficacy and sense of belonging among administrative and frontline staff.

We All Can't Move West: A Regional Exploration of APIDA Identity and Community

Angelina Jenkins, Assistant Director, Mosaic Center, and Dr. Aaron Parayno, (Tufts University) 

While the West Coast and Hawai'i are often viewed as the primary hubs for the Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) community, the Asian American population is the fastest-growing in the U.S., expanding from 10.5 million in 2000 to 18.9 million in 2019. This growth has extended into non-traditional regions like the Midwest and South, yet many professionals still encounter the "just move West" narrative when considering community and belonging. This session centers on the experiences of APIDA professionals who navigate the tension between their career trajectories and the search for geographic belonging in areas lacking established ethnic enclaves. Grounded in research on geographic racial identity development (Chan, 2017; Kodama et al., 2017), featured panelists will discuss navigating isolation, "othering," and the strategies used to build meaningful communities in varied regional contexts. Participants will gain insights into how geography influences professional identity and learn actionable strategies to support APIDA students experiencing similar geographic isolation.

NASPA APIKC Scholars Collective 

Angelina Jenkins, Assistant Director, Mosaic Center, Dr. Justin Samuel (University of Texas at Austin), Erika Pen (Salem State University), Dr. Savneet Bains, (University of Texas at Austin)

The NASPA APIKC 2026 Scholars Collective serves as a dynamic bridge between rigorous inquiry and communal growth, integrating formal research presentations with community-focused roundtables that center APIDA scholarship and research development. The 2026 Collective provides an intentional platform to amplify scholarly contributions from APIDA professionals. In alignment with the NASPA Annual Conference Focus Areas, this session centers on research that elevates APIDA experiences, culture, and identity to transform the landscape of our profession.

Different Roads to Campus: Centering Commuter and Returning Adult Learner Voices on Belonging

Serena Studivant, Assistant Director, Commuter Success, and Lauren Allen, Director, Women's, Gender, and Equity Center

Studivant and Allen will unpack the diverse journeys of commuter and returning adult learners, two student populations often overlooked in belonging conversations. Their session uplifts lived experiences, challenges traditional narratives of campus life, and offers strategies institutions can implement to create more inclusive pathways to success.

From the Margins to the Center: Stories of Black Queer Doctoral Students Searching for Belonging

Dr. Mitchell Everett, Assistant Director, Graduate Student Life

Dr. Everett's powerful session elevates the narratives of Black queer doctoral students whose stories often go unheard in graduate education research. Drawing from personal testimonies, this session explores identity, community, resilience, and what it means to seek belonging in spaces not originally built with you in mind.

Navigating Self-Doubt: Impostor Syndrome and Graduate Student Wellbeing

Jennifer Artis, Senior Director, Director of Student Life and Success for Graduate, Adult Learners, and Commuters, and Dr. Rae Chresfield, Assistant Vice President, Health and Wellbeing

Artis and Dr. Chresfield will lead an insightful conversation about impostor syndrome, mental health, and the unique pressures facing graduate students. Their session blends research, practice, and lived experience to highlight how institutions can better support students navigating self-doubt while building healthier academic communities.

Congratulations to Megan Jackson and Christina Cuglovici Abrao for being awarded a BreakingGround grant! Their project – "Maryland Public Service Scholars Training Program" – will contribute to UMBC's continued commitment to fostering collective thriving and civic agency.

The Maryland Public Service Scholars Training Program will provide a cohort of UMBC students early exposure to public service careers through a spring semester pilot combining weekly service site placements, professional development seminars, and industry mentorship. The program offers stipends to ensure equitable access while students serve at partner sites and attend weekly seminars featuring guest speakers from government and nonprofit sectors. Students will develop foundational professional skills, learn asset-based service approaches, and build networks through formal mentorship to prepare them for competitive opportunities in public service careers.

Megan Jackson said about this project:

Offering this training program is a pivotal moment for MPSS, opening up our 39-year-old program to freshmen and sophomores for the first time and providing crucial early-career public service opportunities. We are delighted to begin this work with these UMBC students, and we are incredibly grateful to Breaking Ground for their support of this pilot!

The BreakingGround initiative provides grants of up to $2,500 to UMBC faculty, staff, and students who want to launch or strengthen educational and community-building projects. These projects should, as a part of their work, foster civic agency: the ability to initiate and make meaningful contributions to social change. For more information, visit the BreakingGround website at civiclife.umbc.edu/breakingground.

STRiVE 2026 in January was the 18th year and 20th iteration of the leadership for public purpose program, hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life with support from SGA. Forty three UMBC undergraduate students spent five days exploring their stories, values, talents, and identities; developing strong relationships with other members of the UMBC community; learning how to enact meaningful and sustainable social change; and leaning into their power to intentionally create empowering, connective environments in which everyone can thrive.

STRiVE 2026 was facilitated by a team of 12 UMBC undergraduate student and staff coaches trained by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. The student coaches — all of whom had participated in STRiVE in 2024 or 2025 — were Ben Bazarsuren, Carly Shearer, Francheska Burrola, Keven Guruswamy, Maryada Bhattarai, Nate Cullen, and Vannessa Morant. (Maryada and Vannessa took on special responsibilities by serving as our "site coordinators," managing materials and logistics throughout the week.) 

The staff coaches were Dr. Ciara Christian (Center for Social Justice Dialogue), Dr. David Hoffman (Center for Democracy and Civic Life), Dr. James DeVita (Division of Student Affairs), Dr. Jasmine Lee (Division of Institutional Equity/Center for Social Justice Dialogue), and Tess McRae (Center for Democracy and Civic Life).

During the week, other staff members from UMBC visited the program to support  the participants' learning. Angelina Jenkins (The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity), Matt Hoffman (Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism), Michael Canale (Office of Student Disability Services), Dr. Ricky Blissett (Center for Democracy and Civic Life), Tiffani McGronan (Office of Health Promotion), Tori Ciorra (Student Engagement), Trentqual Rhone (Center for Democracy and Civic Life), and Wendy Low (Center for Social Justice Dialogue) served as "stakeholders" by meeting with small groups of students exploring topics of interest and concern at UMBC (Accessibility, Civic and Political Engagement, Equity and Justice, Finding Community, and Well-Being) and connecting with students as thought partners and co-creators. Blissett also co-facilitated select STRiVE sessions, and Dr. Renique Kersh, vice president for student affairs, visited to connect with and inspire STRiVE participants.

"STRiVE gave me a community unlike any I've experienced before, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it. Learning in STRiVE was incredibly empowering with what I've learned about myself, my place in my community, and what I can do as a leader," said Lexi Malenfant '29, computer science, one of the STRiVE 2026 participants.

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life's evaluation data from STRiVE 2026 indicates that the program was a phenomenal success. Out of 38 students who completed the program evaluation:

• 100% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel a greater sense that I belong at UMBC." (73% answered "strongly agree" and 27% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 97.3% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel more confident in my ability to engage in groups and communities." (76.3% answered "strongly agree" and 21.1% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 97.3% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel more empowered to work alongside others to create positive change." (94.7% answered "strongly agree" and 2.6% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 100% indicated that they strongly or somewhat agree with the statement "Because of STRiVE, I feel like I have changed for the better as a person." (78.9% answered "strongly agree" and 21.1% answered "somewhat agree.")

• 100% indicated that they would recommend the program to another UMBC student. 

Read more about STRiVE 2026.

UMBC has received a gold rating from The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's (AASHE) STARS program (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). With more than 1,200 institutions participating globally, AASHE STARS is the benchmark for sustainability in higher education. Earning a Gold rating through AASHE STARS is a significant milestone for UMBC and a strong external validation of the work staff and faculty do every day. STARS is the most widely recognized sustainability framework in higher education, and this rating places UMBC among leading institutions in sustainability.

The Gold certification reflects a truly collective effort across campus, including the work of the Division of Student Affairs in areas such as student sustainability organizations, sustainability-focused student-enterprises, civic engagement, food recovery, and support for students from underrepresented groups.

"We are so grateful for all of our campus partners, including Student Affairs, who helped us to achieve Gold on our 2025 AASHE STARS report," said Nicole Wolf, coordinator in the Office of Sustainability. "We are excited to showcase UMBC's commitment to sustainability through all of the collaborative work and support. Thank you for your support in fostering a culture of sustainability on our campus."

STARS is the Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System used by most higher ed institutions across the US and even in some other countries. Assistant Director Taylor Smith and Wolf complete this comprehensive assessment every three years to assess the university's progress in campus sustainability efforts. 

For questions about sustainability, reach out to Smith or Wolf, visit the Office of Sustainability  website, or subscribe to their monthly newsletter.