Education 10.12 - Flipbook - Page 8
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, October 12, 2025
8
Lending a helping hand
Student support services continue to
expand at area schools
By Linda L. Esterson, Contributing Writer
early
N
80%
freshmen
of
Maryland
of
incoming
emphasis
the
University
one,
Eastern
operations.
borrow
what
For
laborative
rooms,
are
space
group
it
is
books to occupy a students’ children
national publications like the New York
literally walk from one service to the
and
Times and Washington Post.
next
to
UMES
attend
has
college.
developed
to
a
support
these
body
their
student
Isom,
of
Ed.D.,
in
that
connecting
and
one
with
give
them
a
chance
to
study.
There’s also a caregiver space, opened
in
partnership
with
the
division
of
student affairs, providing a space for
assistant
admissions
shares
vice
recruit-
students to bring children along while
initiative
prospective
Many
and
students
leave
come
family
pets
to
for
with
steps
they
disappointment over missing the fam-
set foot on campus. This includes out-
ily pet. The companion cats do tricks
lining high school coursework that can
and purr while sitting on the student’s
prepare them for college-level work.
lap.
to
success,
take
long
historically
black
college
or
university (HBCU), UMES offers scholarships to students who live in states
without an HBCU. There are 30 states
companion
In
cats
addition,
a
to
appease
long-time
engaging
with
students
during
ences on campus for students to help
build connections, friendships, engage
professors,
addition,
a
join
or
start
leadership
developed
last
clubs.
to
help
stu-
data
to
analysis,
mapping,
data
and
“We
really
believe
that
important
to
not
just
with
for
the
long-term
were
Garczynski
relationships
initiatives
to
focus
on
specific
skills
help
students,
have
a student,
perhaps that’s
working with an academic coach, who
are
assignments,
but
explains.
“It’s
not
dents, for example, to offer strategies
you
think
male
their
these
careers,”
practical
like
to be surrounded by books and other
could
on
their
the
groups
better
ways
and
focuses
in
stu-
demographic
it’s
the
survey design.
learn
on
visualization
another
to become leaders. Also implemented
build
like
of
that it amplifies the impact is that you
One workshop series teaches skills in
organization
year
feel
One
says.
the
offer tools for success in academics.
experi-
“I
do.
Lilly
final exam period.
UMES at the in-state rate for tuition.
on
says.
often
space,”
to campus to provide stress relief by
Library staff have created a series
put
he
and
one
partner-
of more than 15 free workshops that
also
“I like the support the library gives
me,”
into
ship with Pets on Wheels brings dogs
ing in these states are able to attend
was
access
their
without an HBCU and students resid-
Emphasis
online
The
before
need
free
campus
behind.
ic
roadmap
of
they study.
a
dents
that
families
library has made available three robot-
was
show
“They’re all on one floor. Students can
students and their parents to provide
In
practices
good for student success to integrate
them
president
with
“Best
ample
individual
to
post-secondary education.
an
offer
and
advantage
the
As
which
work,
pods for online meetings, and he takes
of
they
for
packs are filled with fidget games and
and
involves
may
called “busy bags.” These small back-
services
ment,
library
Shore
of
Darryl
for
students
(UMES) are the first in their
variety
all
at
skills;
about
just
it’s
also
how
do
data?
How
do
you
to ensure success in college.
“All
have
of
this
the
admissions,
to
of
that
students
the
institution,
recruitment,
enrollment
management,
dents
means
support
and
make
a
the
dean
of
stu-
difference
in
their
Access
and
experience,” Isom says.
The
Center
Academic
for
Success
(CAAS)
houses
tutoring, academic coaching and other
programs
and
resources
designed
to
promote success. Each first-year student
the
is
assigned
CAAS
for
an
advisor
assistance
through
with
sched-
uling, providing guidance for academic
success
and
connection
to
programs
like mentors, tutors, study groups and
events offered by the university.
“The mentors also are able to really
find out what’s going on with the students and help meet them where they
are,”
Isom
explains.
“They’re
able
to
determine what their needs are, where
they’re
having
step
and
in
difficulty,
provide
and
them
really
with
the
referrals to these resources or provide
those resources in-house themselves.
“It’s
all
belonging
about
and
creating
a
support,”
sense
says
of
Isom.
“Once students feel they belong, they
can
do
has
really
this,
they
helped
can
our
engage.
That
students
come
together.”
A
evaluate whether or not the data that
renewed
focus
on
student
suc-
you’re
looking
at
are
accurate
repre-
cess has also transformed operations
sentations of what’s happening? How
at Towson University’s Albert S. Cook
do you make sense of large data sets?
Library. Events, programs and services
We
have been designed to meet student
students for the long-term.”
needs.
are
very
Before
“The
library
has
really
begun
to
much
the
Oyedokun
trying
summer,
(seen
focus on the resources that we offer
University’s
students, and the services and in the
Library
twice,
spaces
programs
specific
meet
professor.
for
on
our
how
events
we
can
and
help
the
that
assignment
now,
visited
S.
Cook
was
for
a
outlined
by
a
the
second-year
students where they are,” says Joyce
pre-nursing
Garczynski, director of library commu-
of the library’s resources two or three
nication
times each week, and he expects that
and
University.
engagement
“We
are
at
Towson
preparing
them
that
they’re
going
to
have,
not just right after they graduate, but
further
on
down
the
line
throughout
their lives.”
Today’s
university
is
different
others
need.
Some
spaces
in
on
the
attending
ings,
for
class
sessions,
are
rooms,
“power
online
meet-
physician
visits and job interviews.
“We
they
enable
need
students
and
have
to
in
the
science
complex
or
the
es are crowded with other people and
library
online
alone,”
[University] Union because those plac-
individual cubicles, group study rooms,
booths”
studying
experi-
traditional schedules. There are small
practice
of
work on a project, we can’t really do
it’s not really conducive for studying.”
open 24 hours to accommodate non-
presentation
instead
he says. “If my friends and I want to
student
library
based
advantage
“It’s a good place for studying with
that
ence
takes
to grow as his coursework intensifies.
for the world and the future and the
careers
student
had
Albert
and
But
prepare
Temiloluwa
above)
Towson
and
to
study
as
collaborative
Oyedokun
attended
a
workshop
on AI use over the summer. He found
it
extremely
the
summer
helpful,
as
conducting
he
spent
research
on
behalf of the library to determine how
students
are
taking
services.
The
project
presentation,
the
advantage
which
presentation
of
culminated
he
in
rehearsed
practice
room
its
a
in
with
spaces if they need,” Garczynski adds.
staff members in the audience as well
“We also are the largest computer lab
as the caregiver room, which provided
on
a quiet place and distractions like toys
campus.
We
provide
lots
of
com-
puters for students to use, so if they
can’t
afford
selves,
they
the
can
technology
come
to
the
themlibrary
to use what we have.”
Strategic
student
initiatives
wellness
have
and balls to give him a break.
Sitting
quiet
on
study
the
area,
second
floor
Oyedokun
in
a
acknowl-
edged a nearby vending machine that
focusing
on
allows
him
to
snack
while
studying.
become
an
He’s also taken advantage of the col-
people
in
the
library.
Seeing
other
people studying puts me in that zone
so I can gain knowledge.”
The
the
library
center
Academic
vides
The
Commons,
academic
Writing
Learning
also
support
Center,
Center
and
houses
which
pro-
services
like
the
Tutoring
&
the
Technology
Support Desk, all in one place.
This
fall,
McDaniel
College
opened
its new Learning Commons @ Hoover
Library,
on
the
facility’s
first
floor.
Like with UMES, the $3.6 million project brought student support services
to
one
location
as
opposed
to
them
being spread across the campus.
“Supporting
really
our
having
especially
dent’s
students
wrap-around
means
services,
in
the
first
year
of
a
time
at
the
college,”
stusays
Flavius Lilly, Ph.D., McDaniel College’s
provost.
“The
most
challenging
tran-
sition point for a student is that first
year, and also that as they go through
the
college,
seeing
that
students
want
one
important
metric
they
graduate.
We
to
them
come
to
be
to
McDaniel
successful,
is
want
and
and
we
want them to graduate.”
The
the
Learning
college’s
fessors,
in
the
Commons
academic
faculty
Writing
and
combines
deans,
student
Center,
pro-
coaches
STEM
Center
and Student Accessibility and Support
Services (SASS) with library and information
technology
provides
support
documented
demic
year
coaches
tions.
for
to
students
disabilities,
students
center
resources.
assigned
and
those
with
houses
aca-
to
first-
includes
with
SASS
all
a
testing
accommoda-
can
then…stop
and
make
an
in
the
STEM
appointment
center
to
speak
about study strategies for a chemistry
class.”
The
project
is
part
of
a
strategic
initiative to bolster retention. Census
data from McDaniel indicates a freshman
to
sophomore
for
the
fall
2024
The
national
retention
cohort
freshman
as
to
rate
81.4%.
sophomore
retention rate was 69.5% for the fall
2023 cohort according to the National
Student
Clearinghouse
Research
Center.
The
Hoover
support
with
Library
also
traditional
provides
quiet
study
spaces, group study spaces and large
meeting spaces with technology available on two upper level and basement
floors.
Librarians
support
dents
with
navigate
environment.
has
well,
continue
research
The
additional
which
the
to
and
growing
Learning
open
offer
provide
help
study
access
stu-
digital
Commons
spaces
to
as
charging
plugs for laptops and computers.
“Our
library
is
still
occupied
with
floors and floors of books and scholarly journals,” Lilly notes. “It’s still an
important part of our mission provide
access to those kinds of things. I think
the mission has just grown in a sense
that
we
now
also
have
these
digital
spaces that students need to learn to
navigate, and to do it in a way that’s
appropriate,
to
teach
to
how
to
cite
and
students
access
the
how
right
materials for the question that’s being
asked, and that’s where librarians are
so important to the work of the college. They help our students navigate
that.”
