Strategic Commitments

Objectives

• Offer curricular and co-curricular opportunities that promote personal growth, career readiness and lifelong learning.
• Map and assess learning opportunities to UMD's Co-Curricular Learning Outcomes; attend to equity issues.
• Build experiences that help students explore their interests and develop skills and agency to actively participate in their learning and development.
• Increase collaborations with students, divisional, academic and other campus partners to enhance students' access to and use of programs and resources.

Year Two Action Steps

• Support the launch of Terps Learn Everywhere Co-Curricular Learning (CCL).
• Develop DSA digital badging opportunities for students.
• Incorporate CCL Domains within DSA student employee opportunities to enhance career readiness.

Year Two Progress

• DSA launched the inaugural CCL Grant Program, through the generosity of the Terp Family Fund. Grantees participated in a learning community for learning outcomes assessment. (G1.a., A1)
• Thrive Center Financial Wellness collaboratively launched the Financial Wellness Hub with Business School and University Libraries; engaged with Campus Assessment Working Group (CAWG) to survey first-year and juniors/seniors regarding financial preparedness; in collaboration with the First-Gen Coordinator, developed financial wellness series which were part of the 24 workshops held this year. (G1.d, G1.a)
• RecWell Leadership Development program launched an intensive two-semester training program to develop student supervisors’ leadership skills, with alignment to CCL Domains and high-impact practices.  (G1a)
• The Maryland Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program in Stamp launched the Maryland Leadership Hub: Online Leadership Learning Module, an online training resource designed to accommodate student’s busy schedules and unique learning styles 
• The Peer Nutrition Coaching Program was re-imagined to focus on providing dietetic students with a more robust training experience and renewing a relationship with the RecWell Personal Training program, providing clients a more well-rounded approach to health and wellness. (G1d)
• This year, the Student Healthcare Assistant Program, which provides students experience working with patients at the University Health Center, expanded responsibilities and administered over 2,000 vaccines. (G1c)

Objectives

• Develop definitions and aspirations grounded in national trends related to college students' well-being and physical and mental health.
• Assess, reimagine and recreate current programmatic, resource and service offerings. 
• Implement culturally relevant and equity-centered resources and programs that meet the present moment.
• Promote efforts grounded in Divisional values to enhance the well-being of all students and the community. 
• Strengthen collaborations with students, campus partners, alumni, families
  and the community.

Year Two Action Steps

• Develop common definitions, a shared framework for well-being, key performance indicators and methods to enhance campus collaboration.
• Develop a plan to assess and report student well-being, including identifying a common well-being survey and sharing existing data.

Year Two Progress

• The Students First Goal 2 Subgroup work this year includes: (a)  recommendations for next steps to advance Team Well-Being’s common definitions, (b) exploration of well-being frameworks to identify the Limerick Framework as solidly aligned with DSA Values, (c) proposed plans to advance well-being efforts through an Advisory Committee in SP Year 3 and formation of a Well-Being Collaborative in SP Year 4. 
• The University Health Center expanded access and reduced barriers to free sexual health resources by establishing the Unity Center as its 22nd Safer Sex Supply Distribution location on campus.  
• The University Health Center, in collaboration with the Student Government Association, advanced the Menstrual Health Initiative to address menstrual equity and expand access to products for students.
• The University Health Center launched two initiatives spanning the spectrum of prevention: SMART Recovery, a program to build healthier habits related to substance use, and The Green Code, practical guidance to reduce risks associated with cannabis use.
• The University Health Center launched Intro to Mindfulness, using evidence-based curriculum from the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults. The course teaches 10 mindfulness skills across 4 weeks.
• CARE to Stop Violence Office launched two clinical groups for students with shared goals of decreasing barriers to mental health care and supporting students to find community and peer support. 
• Therapists from the University Health Center were reassigned to the Counseling Center; realignment provides clear delineation and clarifies service delivery.
• Counseling Center hired an inaugural embedded clinician in the Department of Resident Life to improve access to mental health care for students where they live.

Objectives

• Cultivate pathways for developing community through civic engagement, campus employment, student organizations and residence hall communities.
• Educate the campus community about the roles that students, families, staff, faculty, alumni and administrators play in empowering students’ equitable access to and utilization of existing campus resources. 
• Empower students to use and practice their agency to co-create inclusive communities and environments that prioritize accessibility, safety and well-being.
• Collaborate with students to identify and resolve inequities and injustices, eliminate barriers and increase access to success in college, career and life beyond UMD.

Year Two Action Steps

• Continue strengthening and evolving our programs and initiatives to welcome and orient our newest students, helping them develop resource awareness, a sense of connection and a sense of belonging.
• Support the launch of the Unity Center as a model for connecting, engaging and educating the campus community regarding student belonging and agency.
• Support the launch of the Thrive Center for Essential Needs.

Year Two Progress

• The Unity Center opened Fall 2025 as a central hub for student belonging and agency with five lounges open for daytime use, and 47 student organizations reserving space in the evenings. This was the culmination of years of centering student input to create inclusive lounges; initial reports showed a strong sense of belonging among users.
• The Thrive Center for Essential Needs launched in Fall 2025 as UMD's centralized hub for essential needs support, providing coordinated, trauma-informed services to students experiencing food insecurity, housing instability, financial hardship, and other barriers to success. 
• Thrive Center First-Gen Initiatives (a) supported the charter of a student-initiated first-gen Tri Alpha Honor Society; (b) developed and published the inaugural campus First-Gen Student Profile in collaboration with Institutional Research Planning and Assessment (IRPA); (c) designed and hosted seven career readiness workshops in collaboration with the University Career Center; (d) launched a partnership series with two colleges to host networking events with students, faculty and staff. 
• Coordination of Welcome Programs: Starting in 2025, DSA departments shifted to a coordinated alignment of signature welcoming programs including Fall Welcome, Terps After Dark, and Find your Squad, providing a consistent transition experience for new students. 
• RecWell Unified Intramural Sports formalized their program, which promotes community building through competition alongside Special Olympic athletes from the surrounding community.
• Fraternity and sorority chapter presidents co-created a new expectations framework, through their HESI 318G Policy Lab, using a developmental process focused on inclusive approaches to accountability, belonging, safety, and well-being. 
• Health Center CARE to Stop Violence Office partnered with the UMPD and SGA to promote the Hospital Drive to collect comfort items for survivors of sexual and relationship violence seeking treatment and/or a sexual assault forensic exam at Shady Grove Adventist HealthCare
• Terps for Recovery student organization officially registered with the Stamp’s Student Organization Resource Center (SORC) to promote well-being of students in recovery from substance use or those affected by other’s substance use. 
• RecWell embarked upon significant planning for the opening of the new Terps Esport Center (TEC) housed in the Cambridge Community Center. Once opened, the TEC will provide opportunities for student gamers to build community and connection in a welcoming environment. 
• Following a request from the Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Resident Life Assignments & Academic Support staff assigned incoming ROTC students to residences in relative proximity to each other. 
• Resident Life shifted to an equitable housing selection process for students with approved medical accommodations by empowering self-selection of assignments.
• Resident Life Assessment launched a student staff survey to explore training, work experiences and sense of belonging. Results informed the revamp of student staff training for desk services staff. 
• Discovery House, a new University-affiliated apartment community for 741 graduate students opens August 2026. Resident Life partnered with Capstone On-Campus Management (COCM), UMD Real Estate, contractors, the Graduate School and graduate students to develop this unique housing community with residential faculty. 
• Stamp responded to student concerns regarding the lack of performance rehearsal spaces by collaborating with campus partners to double the number spaces available to student groups, including engaging students in the redesign of the former Stamp Co-op Space.
• The TerpsVote Ambassadors peer-to-peer program, for enhancing engagement in the democratic process, increased programming by 37%, including 15 classroom presentations and 45 events. 
• Accessibility and Disability Services incorporated stakeholder input to finalize plans for the launch of a new database management system to streamline case tracking, reporting, and service delivery; thereby enhancing access to services.  

Objectives

• Provide staff and supervisors a framework for identifying early signs of burnout and equip them with practical strategies to mitigate and manage stress effectively.
• Foster an organizational culture that promotes work-life balance and wellness.
• Help supervisors and staff develop workload management strategies.
• Improve business continuity.
• Create systems to celebrate staff accomplishments and cultivate a passion for service.

Year Two Action Steps

• Establish a unified definition and framework for workplace well-being across the Division; align and coordinate existing efforts.
• Share best practices from departments with successful initiatives to create learning communities around specific aspects of staff development.
• Create dedicated pathways and resources for non-exempt staff to participate in professional development.
• Support workload management by cross-training staff, where appropriate, and increase
  position redundancies so staff can step away from duties while on leave.

Objectives

• Develop a comprehensive training course for Student Affairs supervisors that is grounded in Divisional values and offers the skills to support staff in career development, workload management, wellness, communication, recognition, engagement, and ethics.
• Strengthen supervisory relationships throughout the division.
• Review job descriptions, departmental structures, and compensation to ensure they are equitable and aligned across the division.

Year Two Action Steps

• Establish comprehensive business continuity systems across all departments, including succession planning, standard operating procedure documentation, and cross-training programs.
• Continue to support supervisors taking the University's Excellence in Supervision course and leverage divisional resources to integrate and supplement that learning.
• Determine whether position descriptions and pay are equitable to enhance alignment across the Division.

Objectives

• Foster staff members' capacity to advocate for their professional interests and needs.
• Build a comprehensive professional development program that provides regular opportunities for staff at all levels and classifications to expand and improve their personal and professional skill sets.
• Create pathways for mobility and growth within the exempt and non-exempt experience.
• Create opportunities for professional growth, career advancement, and skill and experience development, such as job sharing, cross-training, and externships.
• Incentivize staff to advance their careers by providing funding for training and by forging new professional development pathways.
• Equip staff with the tools to help them succeed in their work.

Year Two Action Steps

• Develop consistent metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of DSA staff development programs, including staff satisfaction, performance improvements, and/or staff retention measures.
• Create opportunities for professional growth and career progression, including competency development roadmaps and mentoring programs.
• Conduct a systemic review of access to professional development resources across departments and staff classifications to identify and address disparities.

Objectives

• Build strategies to sustain an environment that acknowledges and celebrates diversity.
• Employ inclusive excellence practices in daily operations.
• Evolve a culture where all community members feel welcomed, valued, and have a sense of belonging.
• Establish a restorative community of practice where the Division of Student Affairs comes together to build trust, community, and healing.

Year Two Action Steps

• Continue training staff to facilitate Tier 1 restorative community circles and expand opportunities to educate the community about restorative practices and philosophy.
• Create tools to implement restorative practices and philosophy, and incorporate proactive community-building circles across DSA work and departments.

Year Two Progress

SADI:

• Held two Division-wide Restorative Processing Spaces for staff to come together, process changes on campus and national levels, and support each other.
• SADI is developing a condensed Restorative Practices Overview session to increase staff awareness & understanding of RP; goal launch date: October 2026. 
• SADI is developing tool for DSA Directors and leadership teams to reflect on how to integrate RP into daily work, including staff meetings, and training sessions. 

DSA Impacts:

• Assistant Director for Restorative Practices in Res Life held 3 Tier 1 Restorative Practices Trainings in 2025-2026 with 54 staff across 8 DSA departments completing training.
• Res Life worked with a consultant to develop a department-wide roadmap to guide the next 3-5 years of Restorative Practices implementation, establishing a framework for fostering belonging, trust, accountability, and community across the department

Objectives

• Develop and implement policies and practices that ensure the successful recruitment, retention, and promotion of staff with marginalized identities.
• Support inclusive excellence within job descriptions and functions.
• Enhance professional development and mentorship opportunities for staff, specifically those with marginalized identities, to facilitate retention and promotion.

Year Two Action Steps

• Provide training and support for supervisors on expectations and evaluation, utilizing a restorative lens that centers staff belonging and well-being, in collaboration with Staff Experience & Culture.

Year Two Progress

SADI:

• SADI outlined potential content and related resources for training series for supervisors utilizing a restorative lens that centers staff belonging and well-being; this training series builds off of CLOC’s Excellence in Supervision series. 

DSA Progress:

• Our division selected a cohort of six SALT directors who participated in the Courageous Leadership Lab, an initiative designed to build the necessary skills for sustaining inclusive excellence and navigating complex intergroup and interpersonal challenges. Through this program, leaders learned dialogue skills to foster community, align decisions with core values, and prepare for courageous action in workplaces and learning spaces. 
• Res Life developed and piloted a six-session Restorative & Inclusive Supervision Series that focuses on restorative and inclusive practices for feedback, accountability, relationship building, and addressing harm, with the overall intention of fostering staff belonging and well-being. 

Objectives

• Ensure policies, practices, structures, resources, and metrics drive commitments to inclusive excellence.
• Demonstrate departmental accountability for strategic plan components.
• Collaborate across departments to leverage and enhance inclusion, diversity, and equity programming, learning, and development.
• Fully resource the Department for Student Experience and Culture.

Year Two Action Steps

• Develop a process for departmental policy and procedure audits that uses reflection and processing questions to ensure attention to divisional values in our policies, practices, and communications.

Year Two Progress

SADI:

• SADI reviewed multiple tools used to review processes, practices, and procedures to ensure equity, accessibility, and inclusion, and selected the Equity Tank Model for Divisional use. The subcommittee is integrating feedback on structure and format of the review process before launch. 

DSA Progress:

• Through Clinical Training for Campus Partners, the University Health Center strengthened Divisional capacity to support students through trauma-informed, equitable practices by providing specialized training and consultation for staff. 
• The University Health Center developed and piloted the Shells of Support: Recovery Ally Training, a comprehensive training curriculum focused on substance abuse awareness, exploring and unpacking stigma, recovery allyship, resource referral, and peer support skills.
• DSA moved forward in creating infrastructure to support the expansion of restorative practices. In addition to Res Life’s Assistant Director for Restorative Practices, Stamp created a Coordinator for Leadership Development and Restorative Practices.
• In conjunction with We Put Students First, The Unity Center successfully launched in August 2025 as a centrally located hub for student belonging, providing a supportive environment for over 45 student organizations. This inaugural year directly advances the Division's strategic goal to empower student belonging and agency, with future objectives focused on expanding facility access through extended hours and integrating "Terps Learn Everywhere" co-curricular learning opportunities. 

Objectives

• Grow awareness, knowledge, and skills that center inclusive excellence in students and staff through division-wide learning and development opportunities.
• Promote a shared framework for divisional and departmental learning and development opportunities.
• Implement training and development on inclusive excellence and equity in decision-making, policies, and practices.

Year Two Action Steps

• Facilitate Indaba conversations that align with this year’s theme of Investing in Our People.
• Collaborate with Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE) faculty and other academic partners to develop training content, including developing Indaba discussions.

Year Two Progress

SADI:

• SADI organized an Indaba session regarding workplace conflict resolution and mitigating toxic cultural norms. As SADI and divisional DEIJ initiatives progress, the subcommittee is further refining strategies for professional development and community participation. 

DSA Impacts:

• Through the Adaptive Recreation + Adventure Program, RecWell strengthened staff capacity to support participants with diverse abilities and expanded access to adaptive recreation experiences across Adventure Program offerings. 
• First-Generation Coordinator in collaboration with the Teaching & Learning Transformation Center developed a semester-long faculty learning community to enhance support of first-gen students. 

Objectives

• Provide time and space for staff to interact with one another outside business-related contexts.
• Permeate the workplace, events, and programs with evidence of our value of care.
• Develop internships and mentorships so students can develop, engage, and connect with our Division.
• Onboard all staff (students and FTE) with intentional training and messaging to connect them to our mission, vision, and values.
• Create opportunities for staff at all levels to see how their work contributes to the whole.

Year Two Action Steps

• Develop a unified DSA staff onboarding framework for all exempt and non-exempt staff that integrates with existing department staff onboarding processes to promote core messages, share resources, and achieve the common goals of One Division.
• Revive the Faculty/Staff Financial Assistance program.

Year Two Progress

• The process to operationalize the DSA Onboarding Framework began with designing a pilot for a unified divisional onboarding program. The design approach involved stakeholder engagement to gather feedback on the deliverables needed for a pilot onboarding program for non-exempt and exempt staff.  Human Resources and Information Technology leaders were identified as two cohorts to influence the initial stages of the operational design. Based on initial feedback, the committee drafted an initial implementation template.  

Objectives

• Create opportunities for divisional leadership to engage with staff at all levels to build relationships and to model the values and behaviors that underscore our culture.
• Create time and space for non-exempt staff to participate in connections, knowledge-building, and committee involvement opportunities.
• Highlight our current work to support our community, e.g., staff community building spaces, and encourage staff at all levels to utilize these resources.
• Use technology to be better informed about each other’s work, celebrate achievements, support others through challenges, and build meaningful connections.

Year Two Action Steps

• Continue to advance the work of the DSA Non-Exempt Task Force.

Year Two Progress

• Continue to advance the work of the DSA Non-Exempt Task Force. (G2b)
  • We Thrive as One Division and We Invest in Our People commitment committees coordinated with the divisional representative of the campus Non-Exempt Task Force to continue monitoring and implementing the recommendations from the campus Non-Exempt Task Force work.  Many of the Non-Exempt Task Force recommendations align with One Division principles.
• Across DSA, there are examples of multi-department collaboration and partnerships that illustrate creativity and efficiency.  (G2a/c) Examples include, 
  • World Safety at Work Conference (UHC)
  • Maryland Living 101 Webinar Series (Resident Life)
  • Houses on the Row program (Resident Life)
  • RecWell Community Building (RecWell)

Objectives

• Promote adequate and equitable resourcing to solve institutional issues while considering the perspective of departments.
• Use intentional, collaborative initiative to create unified student experiences, raise awareness of and access to resources, create efficiencies, and enhance communication between departments.
• Employ inclusive decision-making. When transparency is impossible, equip all staff with rationale and information to understand and support the change/decisions.
• Invest in ways to unify our efforts to promote our values.

Year Two Action Steps

• Develop a unified DSA staff onboarding framework.

Objectives

• Formalize, standardize, and organize policy and procedure documents, including maintenance, format, and location. Explore policy management tools and software. 
• Establish continuity and change management plans for policies and procedures, including training and communication.
• Review and evaluate policies and procedures that apply to multiple departments. Designate a formal, collaborative working team for this work that includes a diverse set of stakeholders.

Year Two Action Steps

• Design and draft a detailed guide that establishes clear standards for policy and procedure formatting, storage, naming conventions, and access protocols, and embeds plain language, translation, and accessibility standards.
• Research and design key implementation resources and standardized templates for core policy and procedure documents.

Year Two Progress

• Developed a draft Policy & Procedure Standards Guide ("The Blueprint") (G1a, b, c; G1-A1) that establishes a consistent framework for policy creation, governance, review, storage, accessibility, version control, and continuous improvement across the Division.
• Leveraged findings from the Information Pathways project to better understand current needs related to information storage, management, consistency and access.

Objectives

• Define the policies and procedures that need review and inventory them.
• Develop a measurable rubric or framework for evaluating policies and procedures, which includes a review schedule to ensure they support values and operations.
• Work with policy and procedure owners to create a productive way to contribute feedback, request changes, and resolve differences.
• Integrate inclusive excellence into all policy and procedural practices, including development, accessibility, communication, and application.

Year Two Action Steps

• Establish broad requirements for the structured review of policies and procedures.
• Develop a process for staff to give feedback regarding policies and procedures.

Year Two Progress

• Established broad requirements for structured policy and procedure review within The Blueprint
• Developed a framework within The Blueprint for employee feedback on policies and procedures that establishes a phased, multi-channel approach for gathering employee feedback on policies and procedures, grounded in equity, belonging, and community well-being.
• Collaborated with the Inclusive & Caring Communities committee to embed restorative philosophy into employee feedback processes, creating pathways for dialogue, equity-centered engagement, and collaborative problem-solving. 

Objectives

• Identify and prioritize the physical infrastructure needs for each Division of Student Affairs building.
• Develop a Facilities Condition Assessment Program internally to monitor the condition of our buildings in real time.
• Prioritize and schedule infrastructure repairs and improvements, anticipating
  risks and rewards for each project. 
• Deliver a preventive and predictive maintenance program with new campus projects.

Year Two Action Steps

• Continue to engage the DSA Facilities Peer group through regular meetings and capacity-building opportunities.
• Develop an agreed-upon Facilities Condition Assessment (FCA) protocol for the division, based on nationally recognized standards.
• Identify capital renewal priorities and incorporate them into the University’s Capital Pipeline planning cycle.
• Establish performance dashboards to track improvements in condition index and preventive maintenance compliance.
• Continue to explore predictive modeling capabilities to optimize resource allocation and reduce the total cost of facility ownership.

Objectives

• Evaluate the benefits of aggregating resources from the Student Affairs departments and identify purchasing, staffing, and resource-sharing efficiencies.
• Explore the feasibility of replacing or supplementing the current self-supporting funding model with funding from the university, state, endowments, or corporate sponsorships.
• Partner with academic units to explore how we can fund residence hall renewal.
• Develop a financially sustainable capital renewal and deferred maintenance funding plan for renewing existing infrastructure.

Year Two Action Steps

• Continue creating internal DSA job aids to supplement campus resources. A priority is to outline internal processes for procurement and resource sharing and to bolster business continuity.
• Increase use of foundation and endowment funding to augment our budgets, including the Terp Family Fund.
• Provide resources to enhance grant proposal writing and activities.
• Work with the physical infrastructure committee on the capital renewal and deferred maintenance funding plan.

Year Two Progress

• Invested in student and staff success through the Terp Family Fund, awarding 55 projects and providing more than $303,677 in reimbursements to departmental budgets to date. Since its launch, the fund has awarded more than $800,000 to support innovative initiatives across the division. 
• Developed the Home Base: Your Finance & Administration Guide to strengthen financial literacy and operational consistency across Resident Life. This comprehensive resource gives staff an overview of departmental operations and serves as a practical guide to navigating financial and administrative processes. The guide will be introduced during the Summer Summit in July 2026. 
• Strengthened business continuity across the division by developing a Finance and Business Resource Directory, creating a network of shared expertise and cross-functional support among Student Affairs business professionals. 
• Enhanced financial transparency and decision-making through Resident Life’s Finance Statement Support initiative. Using Workday and ChatGPT Enterprise, generated monthly financial statements for 46 operational accounts and distributed them to 46 staff groups, improving access to timely financial information while reducing reliance on manual spreadsheets and shadow systems. 
• Implemented a centralized reservation management system in Smartsheet for Studio A (Stamp Student Union), improving reservation management, revenue tracking, inventory, and staffing operations. 
• Expanded grant development resources by presenting a Council Conversations workshop on grant funding that provided departments with funding strategies, budgeting tools and sample budget templates. 
• Increased grant funding support by collaborating with the OPSA Budget Team and the Development Office to assist principal investigators across the division with grant budget development and proposal submissions. 
• Promoted strategic use of foundation and endowment resources through annual meetings between OVPSA Budget Team, the Development Office, and each department to review available foundation and endowment accounts and encourage effective utilization of these funds.
• Improved communication and operational alignment through regular SABusiness meetings, where business officers share best practices, new financial reports, updates from central offices and important policy, deadline, and procedural changes. 
• Expanded career exploration opportunities by leveraging campus partnerships to grow the Intern for a Day program, connecting students with public and private sector employers for immersive workplace experiences that build career awareness and professional confidence.