News Updates and Briefs

Student Success Center Central to UMUC
"Game Plan"

By Andrea Martino

It is true UMUC has no athletic teams, but it does indeed have a game plan for student success. As President Gerald Heeger said during his recent town hall meeting, if we had to bet, we would bet on student success—and we'd win. Now, UMUC has in place a center to help ensure the success of UMUC students.

The new Student Success Center replaces the Rock Creek, St. James, Wingate, and Liberty teams. Graduate and undergraduate advising centers have been organized and are in operation in Adelphi, Maryland, to provide a higher level of focused academic service to UMUC's current students. In addition, a new enrollment management team has been established to welcome and assist prospective students and applicants through the admission process and, hopefully, to their first touchdown—sorry, their first registration!

Said Matt Gaglione, vice provost for student affairs, "We realize our students work full time and need more time to earn a degree. That's fine. We just want to be sure they don't lose sight of their goal and that they always know that we're here to help them through. Our goal is simple: student success—and to have the highest student retention rate in the industry!"

The Office of Admission, the Registrar's Office, Information Services, and the Degree Audit Team round out the processing centers that are ready to support the advising centers. Their purpose? To help academic advisers better serve our students by assisting them throughout their academic careers at UMUC so that every student attains his or her educational goals.

Watch for a feature on the new Student Success Center in next month's FYI Online.

Online MBA Adds Face-to-Face Component

By Andrea Martino

This year, for the first time, UMUC will offer courses in its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in a combination of both the online and face-to-face formats for students in Maryland and throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. Since its launch in fall 2000, all courses in the MBA program have been offered completely online.

Starting in the fall semester, which begins September 2 for the MBA program, students in certain sections of the one-credit AMBA 600 "MBA Fundamentals" and the six-credit AMBA 601 "Organizational and Management Processes" will meet six or seven times during the 14-week semester. Depending on the section, the classes will meet either at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi, Maryland, or at the University of Maryland Shady Grove Center in Rockville, Maryland.

The new combination format will eventually be standard for all the MBA courses. The content of the courses will be the same; only the delivery method will change.

"The number of students in UMUC's MBA program nearly tripled in one year, from fall 2000 to fall 2001," said Barbara Awuku-Asabre, graduate coordinator. "Even with that rate of success, we still recognize that some students in this area would prefer to meet with their classmates from time to time, so we are offering this format to accommodate their preferences."

For more information about UMUC's MBA program, point your Web browser to www.umuc.edu/mba.

Mannheim Campus Sets Records for Commuter-Student Enrollment

By Tina Krizek
UMUC–Europe

UMUC's two-year, residential campus in Mannheim, Germany, reported its highest enrollment of full-time commuter students ever. Mary Fiedler, resident dean, said that the number has more than doubled within the past 10 years.

Fiedler attributes the increase to the number of nontraditional students who have decided to attend college after completing military service or after being out of high school for a number of years.

"Full-time attendance is possible for nontraditional students because they are entitled to federal financial aid, including work-study jobs, scholarships, grants, and loans, and many qualify for veteran's benefits," Fiedler said.

Jerry Deaver, director of Residence Life, said that "approximately 50 percent of the full-time commuting students live with their families in nearby military communities, while the others try to find accommodations on the local economy.

"The campus has informally helped students find affordable off-campus housing in the past, but a new Off-Campus Housing Referral service has been established to step up these efforts," Deaver added. All full-time students can contact the Office of Admissions for help in finding off-campus housing.

For more information about the Mannheim Campus, visit the Web site at www.mc.umuc.edu.

Mannheim Campus Hosts Preview Saturday

By Tina Krizek
UMUC–Europe

UMUC's Mannheim Campus offered new and prospective students an opportunity to get acquainted with the campus August 10, 2002, one week before classes begin.

"One purpose of the preview is to ensure that every new student has an opportunity to see the campus before moving into the dorms," said Louis Wigley, director of Admissions. "A surprisingly large number of new students have not yet seen the campus, and I believe that visiting the campus prior to attending helps pave the way for a smooth transition into college life."

According to Resident Dean Mary Fiedler, "Preview Saturday is also for students who have not yet applied. Although classes begin on August 19, there is still time to apply for admission, financial aid, and dormitory rooms. Scholarships in the amount of $1000 are still available to qualified students."

Preview Saturday visitors were offered student-led tours of the campus and an opportunity to discuss admissions, academic programs, financial aid, and housing with representatives of the college.

For more information about the Mannheim Campus, visit Additional campus information can be found on the Web site at www.mc.umuc.edu.