Dear Parents & Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you in the midst of an amazing season filled with pumpkin spice lattes, vibrant fall foliage, and cozy sweaters. Two exciting announcements were made by President Tuajuanda C. Jordan this past Friday, which we’ll detail below. But that's not all, folks! This newsletter is bursting with even more exciting news, so get ready for some updates from the Office for Student Success Services (OS3) and the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). And speaking of exciting things, let's dive right into all the latest campus buzz.
College Announces Taking the LEAD: The Campaign for St. Mary’s College of Maryland
On Friday, September 22, President Jordan formally announced “Taking the LEAD: The Campaign for St. Mary's College of Maryland” during her annual State of the College address. This $20 million campaign will raise critical funds to support initiatives that ensure your student’s success at SMCM and beyond.
The campaign’s name is inspired by our Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery (LEAD) Initiative, which seamlessly integrates professional skill development into your student’s honors education by providing opportunities for internships, research and international experiences. The campaign is also anchored in the College's 2023-26 strategic plan, The Rising Tide, which charts a bold course for the future amidst the evolving landscape of higher education.
Taking the LEAD rapidly gained momentum during the quiet phase of fundraising (July 2020 – June 2023), with many generous donors contributing $13.6 million towards the overall goal.
You can learn more about the campaign by visiting the Taking the LEAD website, which contains information about our strategic plan, the case for support and impact stories from those who give.
President Jordan Announces Implementation of The Rising Tide
At her State of the College address, President Jordan also announced that The Rising Tide, had entered the implementation stage. The Strategic Plan Implementation Team (SPITfire), composed of 10 members drawn from the faculty and staff along with a student member, will be providing regular progress reports via the strategic plan website.
As reported in this newsletter, the strategic plan was developed over the course of the 2022-23 academic year with input from across campus. Workgroups organized around four central pillars met with stakeholders and developed goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) around four pillars:
- Create an innovative, distinctive and competitive academic identity that attracts and retains talented students, faculty and staff.
- Empower all students for success.
- Build a sustainable, vibrant, and diverse student body that exemplifies an inclusive institution.
- Become a sought-after regional resource and develop opportunities for student educational engagement with communities that are mutually beneficial.
The plan was adopted by the Board of Trustees at its May, 2023 meeting.
Middle States Reaffirmation of Accreditation
This academic year, the College is beginning its self-study work as part of its reaffirmation of accreditation process with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Over 60 faculty, staff, students and campus administrators will be working across nine different teams to look at the ways SMCM is fulfilling the criteria established by MSCHE. Maintaining a positive accreditation is linked to SMCM’s authority to confer degrees and participate in the federal student financial assistance system.
News for parents and families about changes to the FAFSA
Robert W. Maddox, Director
Office of Student Financial Assistance
The FAFSA application for the upcoming academic year will be available in late December. Please note that there will be significant changes to how the FAFSA operates for the 2024-25 academic year. The new FAFSA will determine aid eligibility using a new figure known as the Student Aid Index (SAI), rather than the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). To qualify for financial aid, students and their families will be required to directly import their tax and income information from the IRS. Additionally, the formula calculating the SAI will no longer factor in the number of family members in college.
Submitting the FAFSA is a crucial step in securing financial aid for your education, so please keep an eye out for more information and be prepared to submit your FAFSA application as soon as it becomes available.
Questions Every Parent Should Ask Their First Year Student
Joanne Goldwater, Associate Dean for Retention & Student Success / Seahawk Family Liaison
Office of Student Success Services (OS3)
We want to urge open conversations between parents and their students and suggest talking about the six adjustments that all students have to make.
- Financial: College costs a lot of money and some students may need or want to work, and some may want to look into ways to pay for college such as loans.
- Cultural: Learning about the lives, backgrounds, culture of other students and learning about the college setting helps students to connect with others and recognize that they belong.
- Intellectual: This relates to how students think and work out problems, and create solutions.
- Academic: Students have to work hard to do well.
- Social: Students need to believe that they belong on our campus. They need friends and they need to connect with their professors and staff. Joining a club and getting to know others helps students want to stay.
- Emotional: Recent research suggests that students are experiencing more anxiety than depression on campus. Students tell us that they are stressed more today than before Covid. This stress hurts students and impacts their mental health.
Click here to read the full article, including helpful open-ended questions you can ask your student and recommendations from the Office of Student Success Services (OS3).
Some of these questions depend on the student’s level of preparedness, their ability and comfort with reaching out to others to try to create a connection, and their desire to be successful in and out of the classroom. We urge parents and family members to ask open-ended questions (questions that need more than a one-word answer), and listen patiently and without judgment to the student’s responses. Providing support is one of the most important tasks you can do for your student. For additional suggestions, advice, or assistance, or if you wish to share info with us, please feel free to contact Joanne Goldwater, the Seahawk Family Liaison (and associate dean for retention & student success) at jagoldwater@smcm.edu or 240-895-4388.
News & Events
President Jordan
St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan gave the keynote address during the American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD) Virtual Deans’ Institute Tuesday, September 26.
During her remarks entitled “Leadership: A Calling that Just Cannot be Ignored,” President Jordan spoke of her journey to the college presidency — a position that she said she had never intended to aspire to. Read more about President Jordan’s remarks.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland Presented with Presidents’ Cup
United East athletic conference Commissioner Stephanie Dutton visited the St. Mary's College of Maryland campus on Friday, September 15 for the presentation of the 2022-23 Presidents' Cup.
The Presidents' Cup annually recognizes the athletic achievements of its members. The Presidents' Cup is determined by a scoring system which rewards a school for success during both regular season and postseason competition. St. Mary's College finished as the runner-up last season in its inaugural year in the league.
SMCM Welcomes Most Diverse Class in its History
St. Mary's College of Maryland welcomed 519 first-year and new transfer students, the largest incoming class in over a decade and the most diverse in the 183-year history of the College. New students arrived on campus Thursday, August 24 and participated in a range of orientation activities over the weekend, joining returning students for the first day of class on Monday, August 28.
HAWKTOBERFEST & FAMILY WEEKEND COMING UP
Over 1,500 people have signed up for our combined homecoming and family weekend on October 20 & 21! While registration is closed, there are plenty of walk-up events and everyone is welcome, registered or not. We look forward to seeing many of you there.