Education Guide 10.18.26 - Flipbook - Page 3
| Sunday, October 18, 2026
Antione D. Tomlin, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of academic literacies at Anne Arundel Community College.
Area Universities Offer Variety
of Student Support Services
Numerous programs bring out the best in students
By Carol Sorgen, Contributing Writer
A
nne
Arundel
Community
College is investing in its students’ experience through its
Student Success Champion
Series, a five-workshop program for
employees that focuses on supporting
the whole student. The series was initiated and is directed by Antione D. Tomlin,
Ph.D., associate professor and chair of
academic literacies.
Tomlin has been on the AACC faculty
since 2018 and while he loves being
in the classroom, he also has a strong
interest in professional development. He
established the Champion Series to help
fellow AACC faculty and staff add to
their “toolbox” when it comes to supporting both students and colleagues.
The workshops focus on fostering
belonging, so that every student on
campus feels welcome; strengthening
connections among students, faculty,
and administrative staff; identifying and
dismantling the academic, financial, or
institutional obstacles that may hamper students’ successful achievement
of their goals; and supporting the whole
student, be it in their academic, personal
or professional development.
The five workshops are taken individually and can be taken in any order. The
series was begun in early 2026 and so
far, 99 participants have completed the
program, earning a formal certificate and
a digital badge. Another 150 individuals
have already signed up to participate.
“I couldn’t have imagined that so
many people would have been this
invested in the program and consider it
so worthwhile,” says Tomlin, adding that
the series has grown so fast that he has
created a Facilitator Training Program to
add more workshop leaders.
“Our goal is to create a culture of
collaboration and inclusiveness, and to
reignite our flame and passion as faculty
and staff, in the best interests of our
students,” Tomlin says. “By showing
up as our genuine and authentic selves
in serving our community, we can do
everything possible to invite our students to be their authentic selves and to
ensure their success.”
Goucher College Supports
Diverse Learners
This fall, Goucher College launched
its Pathways Program to Support
Diverse Learners. Christine Lake, B.A.,
M.A., associate director of accessibility
3
services and success advisor, explains
that the fee-based cohort program helps
students develop useful skills and the
confidence to guide their own academic
and social journey.
Pathway 1, or the Discovery Path,
supports students who need help with
organization and academics through
intentional coaching and self-advocacy, while Pathway 2, the Mindful Path,
supports students with sensory needs
through intentional regulation practices
and self-advocacy.
“These pathways have been designed
to bridge the gap where students have
not been successful in the past or need
additional help to have a successful college experience, whether it’s academic
or social,” says Lake.
The Discovery Path offers academic
coaching sessions, small group workshops, accountability sessions, progress
reports, structured study hall, updates
to parents on FERPA (the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act),
and priority move-in. The cost is $2,500
a semester.
The Mindful Path, at $1,250 a semester, also offers academic coaching sessions, weekly wellness programming,
such as Pilates and mindfulness, to
help with sensory decompression, and a
twice-monthly visual thinking workshop,
as well as early move-in.
While the programs have just gotten
off the ground, Lake reports that parents
say they are relieved that the college is
easing some of their stress in meeting
their children’s educational and emotional needs.
“Many families view the pathways as
bridge programs to help their children
gain the skills they may not yet have
developed themselves because their
parents have always been their advocates,” says Lake.
UMSON Helps Students Become
Strong Advocates
At the University of Maryland School
of Nursing at the Universities of Shady
Grove, the LatinX Association of Nurses
(LANUM) was established to empower nursing students, both LatinX and
non-LatinX, to be strong advocates for
LatinX/Hispanic patients, both in the
health care setting and the broader
community.
Faculty Advisor Angelica FernandezDizon, M.D., M.B.A., M.S.N, says the
Student Support Services,
continued on page 17
