LA PLATA, Md.— The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is intensifying efforts to expand student access as part of its “Built for Success” strategic plan, which emphasizes access, momentum, and mobility. During an Achieving the Dream (ATD) coaching visit on April 23-24, CSM faculty and staff explored strategies to remove barriers, welcome more students, and support their long-term success.
The visit, part of CSM’s ongoing partnership with ATD, included biannual on-campus coaching to advance student success goals. “We launched our strategic plan last year in the fall,” said CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson. “After a year’s worth of conversations, we had over 100 of you that engaged with us and gave us feedback,” through strategic planning, retreats, and input from students and stakeholders.
CSM’s Dream Achievers Team guides students through their college journey. “There’s something about saying that we are in the dream achieving ?????? that I think is really special,” Wilson said. The access pillar focuses on welcoming students, momentum ensures retention through supportive culture and policies, and mobility emphasizes viable programs for workforce entry or transfer to four-year institutions. “We have high-level metrics in our strategic plan. But we’re also looking at other kinds of metrics along the way,” Wilson added.
This was the third ATD visit focused solely on student access. “We’re not just going why – breadth. We’re going deep – depth. We’re delving deeply into those areas,” Wilson said. Dr. Molly O’Keefe, CSM associate vice president of Strategy, highlighted achievements in the plan’s first year, including expanded transfer fairs, the launch of the Center for Career Development and Success, and new early college programs at the Regional Hughesville Campus.
“Know that your work is helping the students and being noticed,” O’Keefe told colleagues. Susan Mayer, chief learning officer of ATD, praised CSM’s progress. “Each time we come back, we see more growth, more capacity building, and more sustainability of the work in student outcomes,” she said.
The visit featured presentations on student prospects, admissions and advising alignment, early student journeys, K-12 dual enrollment, early college trends, and homeschool student experiences. Attendees engaged in dialogue to align recruitment, admissions, and advising processes and advance data-driven decision-making. The visit concluded with the Finish Line Game, an interactive activity illustrating real-world barriers community college students face, emphasizing data-informed strategies for success.
CSM’s partnership with ATD, detailed at CSM’s Achieving the Dream page, underscores its commitment to equitable student outcomes. The college continues to refine its approach, using stakeholder feedback and data to eliminate barriers and enhance student pathways to graduation and beyond.
