Dr. Mary Ellen Wade, director of assessment and planning, co-authored “Exploring Students’ Perceptions of the Campus Climate and Intergroup Relations: Insights from a Campus-Wide Survey at a Minority-Serving University” in Journalism and Media. Additional co-authors are Dr. Irina Golubeva, interim chair and professor, Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication (MLLI); Dr. David DiMaria, vice provost for global engagement, Center for Global Engagement (CGE); Adam Holden, director of international partnerships and recruitment, CGE; and Katherine Kohler, adjunct faculty, MLLI.

The article abstract states:

Campus climate research has long been a focus of higher education scholarship; however, studies show that inequalities and a pervasive sense of not belonging continue to negatively affect students. This paper presents the results of a campus-wide survey conducted at a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), with a sample of 820 undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D., and non-degree students. The authors explore students’ experiences on campus in relation to their identities as well as students’ perceptions of campus climate. Specifically, the paper examines students’ intergroup relations and how these influence their sense of belonging. The survey instrument developed in the frame of this project also included questions designed to assess opportunities students have to develop key values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding related to intercultural and democratic competences necessary for life and work in multicultural societies. This study identifies the areas students perceive as important for development, highlighting which values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding they have had the opportunity to cultivate during their time at the university and those they would like to develop further. The authors hope these findings will inform efforts to strengthen institutional support for more inclusive practices on culturally diverse university campuses and provide evidence-based guidance for designing effective pedagogical interventions.

“It was a pleasure to assist with the data analysis for this article. I appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with others across UMBC in this important work,” said Dr. Wade. “Study insights informed the creation of targeted, transformative learning experiences tailored to students’ needs. As a result, the approach enhanced students’ perceptions of campus inclusivity and improved their overall sense of belonging.”

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life's David Hoffman, Ph.D. ’13, director, and Tess McRae ’22, coordinator for civic design, co-authored “Together Beyond: Fostering Agency and Connection within Campus Communities” with former UMBC colleagues. The chapter is part of a new book, Civic Pedagogies: Teaching Civic Engagement in an Era of Divisive Politics.

The chapter describes the Together Beyond program the Center developed with Division of Student Affairs colleagues: guided conversations facilitated by UMBC stakeholders trained in advance of the 2020 election, knowing that there would be tension and anxiety in the election’s immediate aftermath.

An article by Director of Health Promotion Samantha A. Smith, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, was published in Learning Well magazine's Perspectives section on Feb. 7. In "Let Them Scream" Dr. Smith discusses the history of student protests, and shares her recent research on the connections between student activism, protests, and well-being.

Dr. Smith says, "Research has shown that participating in protests can increase students' sense of belonging, identity development, and positive mental health outcomes." She also discusses how activism and civic engagement can work together to advance justice.

As a Aspen Senior Impact Fellow, Vice President for Student Affairs Renique Kersh, Ph.D., co-authored a report focused on the advancement of youth leadership development opportunities. "Advancing Youth Development Leadership Research," was published in October 2023 under the new name of the organization that spun off of Aspen, The Center for Expanding Leadership and Opportunity, along with an additional report on "The Future of Youth Leadership Development Practice." 

Dr. Kersh was named a Senior Impact Fellow by the Aspen Institute in 2022. The program highlights the need to offer leadership development to a new generation of youth leaders. According to Aspen, "fewer than 32% of youth under the age of 25 in the United States are exposed to any form of leadership development." With the goal of increasing youth exposure to leadership programs above 50% over the next five years, the Fellows provide opportunities for youth to cultivate their talents and prepare them to address political, social, and scientific issues.

Another concrete goal of the Fellows' work is the development and testing of the Aspen Institute Leadership Development Index (Aspen Index), a digital tool to measure personal leadership capacities, accelerate growth, and improve the quality of leadership programs. A valuable tool for self-assessment, The Aspen Index "equips individuals, teams, and programs to define, measure, and elevate their potential and deepen their impacts."

An article on college students participating in the Black Lives Matter movement, co-authored by Samantha A.Smith, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, was published on Oct. 11, 2023 in the Journal of Adolescent Research. Smith, director of the Office of Health Promotion and an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, is the primary author of, "'It Just Felt Nice to be Able to Scream': A Qualitative Examination of the Experiences of College Students Participating in the Black Lives Matter Movement." Co-authors from the University of Maryland, College Park and the Maryland Center for Health Equity, College Park are Amelia M. Arria, Ph.D.; Craig S. Fryer, Dr.P.H; Kevin Roy, Ph.D.; Kerry M. Green, Ph.D.; and Typhanye V. Dyer, Ph.D. 

The abstract states, "This study was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the role of emotions within protest experiences among college students. The study sample consisted of 18 undergraduate students aged 18 to 25 who participated in 2020 Black Lives Matter movement protests. Within the sample, the majority of the participants identified as female (61.11%, n=11) and were Black (38.89%, n=7). In-depth interviews were conducted and subsequent data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings distinguished three themes: (1) emotions as motivators for protest participation, (2) emotional residence during protests, and (3) identity development and the way ahead. A substantial portion of the participants experienced negative emotions following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, which motivated them to participate in protests.

Interestingly, the majority of participants described experiencing positive emotions, including empowerment and hope while at the protest sites. The protest elements: chanting, listening to protest speakers, and being in community with others were the source of positive emotions. Most participants described protesting as a momentary emotional release. These findings demonstrate that protesting does impact student emotional well-being and is an adaptive emotion-focused coping strategy for negative feelings garnered by the sociopolitical climate."

The article is available online.

At the January 2023 NASPA* Mental Health Conference, Jasmine A. Lee, M.S.W., Ph.D., director of inclusive excellence and Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b,) and Samantha Smith, Ph.D., M.P.H., CHES., director of the Office of Health Promotion presented on Community Conversations. Community Conversations is a collaborative program which advances health equity by embedding mental health prevention efforts within identity-based spaces. Community Conversations is an interactive event that helps students understand the role of community in supporting their well-being and mental health. The conversations also highlight what it means to "show up" for others.

The abstract for Lee and Smith's NASPA presentation states, "institutions often face challenges in providing mental health prevention efforts that specifically address marginalized populations when their health promotion teams are small. This session will provide an overview of a health promotion and identity-based area collaboration focused on advancing health equity and holistic campus mental well-being using dialogue. This session will report on the development and evaluation of an initiative to reduce stigma and promote community care among marginalized identity populations."

Smith was recently interviewed for the February 2023 Baltimore Sun Education supplement story, "Health and wellness initiatives create strong sense of community on campus."

Information about upcoming Community Conversations can be found in the Office of Health Promotion myUMBC group.

*NASPA is the national organization for student affairs administrators in higher education.

Office of Health Promotion Director, Samantha Smith, Ph.D., M.P.H., CHES, is the co-author of "In harm's way: Do college students' beliefs about cannabis put them at risk for use?" The article was published in the Journal of American College Health on September 9, 2022. 

The study describes beliefs held by college students about cannabis use and examines the association between three specific cannabis beliefs and likelihood of use. The authors' findings suggest that beliefs unsupported by scientific evidence are widespread among college students. Dispelling misinformation about cannabis might hold promise for reducing use.

In August 2022, the Office of Health Promotion became its own department within the Division of Student Affairs and Smith was promoted to Director. The Office of Health Promotion was previously part of Retriever Integrated Health.

In spring 2022, Mary Ellen Wade, director of student affairs assessment, research, and strategic priorities co-authored “Defining Collaboration Through the Lens of a Delphi Study: Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Partnerships in Residential Learning Communities” with Margaret Leary, Ph.D., University of San Diego; Tina M. Muller and Samantha Kramer, Ph.D., University of Central Oklahoma; John Sopper, University of North Carolina Greensboro; and Richard D. Gebauer, Ed.D., Cabrini University.

The abstract for the paper, published in The Qualitative Report (n3 p. 664-690 March 2022), states, “Evidence suggests that collaborations between academic affairs and student affairs can foster student success both inside and outside of the classroom. Residential learning communities (RLCs) are a popular avenue by which these two divisions can find collaborative opportunities to integrate students’ curricular and cocurricular experiences…We engaged RLC scholars and practitioners in a Delphi study to create a comprehensive definition for use in RLC program assessment and development resulting in the following definition: Collaboration between academic and student affairs is the continuous process of cultivating an interdependent relationship where each stakeholder is mutually committed to working toward the shared purpose of holistic student learning. This definition serves as a springboard for academic affairs and student affairs RLC collaborators to strive for continuous processes, interdependent relationships, and commitment to a shared purpose.”

Samantha Smith, MPH, CHES, Retriever Integrated Health’s associate director of health promotion, shared her doctoral research on the relationship between social movement activism participation and emotional well-being among college students in the fall 2021 issue of the peer-reviewed Mary Christie Institute Quarterly.