Dear UMBC Community,

With this week's Happy Monday message, I want to share a glimpse into a recurring event on my calendar. While it happens often, it never feels routine; in fact, it is always inspiring.

Last week, I held student office hours at UMBC-Shady Grove, where we offer several undergraduate and graduate programs at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville. As is the case when I hold office hours on our main campus, connecting with students in back-to-back meetings over the course of an afternoon reminds me of the very best of UMBC.

This time, I happened to meet with four students who had transferred from Montgomery College and were studying social work, psychology, or both. They shared, too, a passion for service and an appreciation for the access to UMBC they have through Shady Grove. Their ages and backgrounds varied widely, as did their aspirations and their reasons for wanting to meet with me—some for the first time, and one who has seen me in student office hours every semester since she began at Shady Grove. I cannot begin to describe the joy I feel to see and learn from them and to engage so directly with the mission that drives us every day.

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby