The Academic Success Center has gained national visibility and recognition as a Learning Center that adheres to the professional standards established by the International College Learning Center Association. The ASC has also been recognized as an early and innovative adopter of the emerging Academic Advocacy Model positioned uniquely within a College Learning Center. Other campuses routinely reach out to the ASC to request conversations with leadership to learn how to replicate and build upon the models at their institutions.
In September 2023, the UMBC Academic Success Center (ASC) gained the Learning Center of Excellence designation from the International College Learning Center Association (ICLCA). There are only four other institutions in the world with an active designation of excellence from ICLCA.
The ASC’s Tutoring Program meets the College Reading and Learning Association’s International Tutor Training Program Certification and the SI PASS Program —ASC’s peer-assisted study sessions— is accredited through the International Center for Supplemental Instruction.
Annual Reports
2019-2024 Five Years in Review
News and Articles
Hope Weisman, Senior Academic Advocate, named Diane M. Lee Teaching Award Winner
March 27, 2025
Meet a Retriever, Emmanuella Osei, Academic Peer Advocate
UMBC Magazine, February 3, 2025
Nardos Kebede, Writing Center Tutor, received Rangel International Affairs Fellowship
UMBC Stories, January 14, 2025
UMBC – Academic Success Center Participates in $4 Million Grant from U.S. Department of Education to Advance Student Success
USM News, December 15, 2023
5 Steps for Success as a Student in the Natural Sciences
UMBC Magazine, September 12, 2024
Academic Success Center partners on Hrabowski Innovation Fund Grant to support transfer students in Computer Science
UMBC Faculty Development Center, September 9, 2024
Academic Success Center earns elite international distinction
UMBC Magazine, October 31, 2023
Orientation for “Gen P”
Inside Higher Ed, September 7, 2023
Elaine MacDougall, Writing Center Assistant Director, named Diane M. Lee Teaching Award Winner
April 23, 2023
Meet a Retriever—Hope Weisman ’14, M.A. ’18, transfer student advocate
UMBC Magazine, June 12, 2023
Amid surging demand for computing education, UMBC initiatives boost student success
UMBC Magazine, April 14, 2023
Meet a Retriever—Adeola Ojomo, sociology major and academic peer advocate
UMBC Magazine, March 13, 2023
Welcome back to college, pandemic students. This year is different.
Christian Science Monitor, January 19, 2023
Where off-roading and Academics Intersect – Endeavors Magazine
Endeavors Magazine, December 2022
Lifelong advocate achieves decades-long dream
UMBC News, May 12, 2022
Academic Success Center featured in The College Tour, highlighting peer educators Giuliana Weiss, Gabby Khan, and Aarsh Shah
Amazon Prime, March 19, 2022
Connecting with Students by Hearing Their Personal Stories
Inside Higher Ed, February 2, 2022
Seeing Students for Who they Are and Where They’ve Been
Inside Higher Ed, February 1, 2022
Princeton Review Highlights UMBC as a “university that wants every student to succeed.”
UMBC Magazine, September 2, 2021
UMBC rapidly expands live online peer tutoring to include computing fields
UMBC Magazine, March 12, 2021
Advocating for students: GSE alumna’s career journey enhanced by lessons from off-road racing
University at Buffalo Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, March 9, 2021
First In Class
UMBC Magazine, November 9, 2020
Holding Down the Fort to Keep Students Connected
The Retriever, November 6, 2019
Publications
Why We Will Not Return to Exclusively Face-to-Face Tutoring Post-COVID: Improving Student Engagement Through Technology
Delana Gregg and Sarah Shinn, NCLCA: The Learning Assistance Review Vol 26 #2, Fall 2021
Presentations
Building Bridges to Student Success: Implementing and Scaling Academic Advocacy Programs to Increase Retention and Graduation
2024 SUCCESS24 Soaring to Enrollment Success Conference
Student Success Impacts of SI PASS Online and In Person
2024 International Conference on Supplemental Instruction
Academic Advocacy and Academic Peer Advocacy at UMBC
2024 University System of Maryland Student Success Symposium
Building Bridges to Student Success: Implementing and Scaling Academic Advocacy Programs to Increase Retention and Graduation
2024 National Student Success Conference
Scaling Student Support: The Power Of Academic Peer Advocacy In Enhancing Student Retention And Success
2024 National Student Success Conference
Teamwork Makes Their Dream Work: How Academic Advocates Use Cross-Division Collaboration to Support Students Holistically
2024 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Empowering Mindful Learners: Integrating Metacognitive Strategies in College
2024 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Supporting the Murky Middle: Academic Peer Advocates’ Proactive and Reactive Retention Effort
2024 National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition’s Annual Conference
Diversity 360: Strategies to Grow a Diverse Pool of Tutors
2023 College Reading and Learning Association Conference
Supporting the Murky Middle: Academic Peer Advocates’ Proactive and Reactive Retention Efforts
2023 National College Learning Center Association
Harness and Share Data for Student Success
Student Success US
Students Success Impacts of SI PASS Online and In Person
2023 Drexel University Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning Assessment
Closing the Loop: Let’s Talk Assessment
2023 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Onboarding: The Good, the Bad, the Overlooked
2023 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Growing Into and Growing Through, SI PASS
2023 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Rebooting Student Success: An Asset-Based Approach For Supporting Students in Academic Jeopardy
2023 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Supporting the “Murky Middle”: Academic Peer Advocate’s Proactive and Reactive Retention Efforts
2023 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
Webinar: How Colleges Are Bridging the Equity Divide
U.S. News Live Presents, November 9, 2022
Competitive Collaboration: Oxymoron or approach to inspire team-building, motivation, creativity, and productivity in a growing SI PASS Program?
2022 Maryland College Learning Center Association Conference
2022 International Conference on Supplemental Instruction
Training tutors: Are our modules designed for diversity and inclusion?
2022 Association of Colleges for Tutoring & Learning Assistance Conference
Academic Advocacy: The Next Level in Learning Center Holistic Student Care
2021 National College Learning Center Association
Why we will not return to exclusively face-to-face tutoring post COVID
2021 National College Learning Center Association
Academic Advocacy as Holistic Student Support Through the Student Lifecycle: A Model for Student Success
2021 National Student Success Conference
Academic Advocacy: An Emerging Solution to Turning Information into Action
2020 National Student Success Conference