Dr. Mary Ellen Wade Awarded 2026-2027 Analytics Mini Grant
Dr. Mary Ellen Wade, director of assessment and planning in the Division of Student Affairs (DoSA), has been awarded a 2026–2027 Analytics Mini Grant. Sponsored by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) in partnership with the Office of the Provost, this competitive grant is awarded to UMBC faculty and staff to leverage data to solve current institutional challenges or create new pathways for student success. As part of the grant expectations, Dr. Wade will actively participate in the UMBC Analytics Community of Practice (CoP) and ultimately present a final report detailing the project's insights.
With this grant, Dr. Wade, in partnership with DoIT, will utilize learning analytics to develop a Tableau extract to examine retention and graduation rates among student organization leaders compared to non-leader peers. Tableau is a dashboard-building tool used by UMBC that takes numbers and spreadsheet data and automatically turns it into clear, interactive charts and pictures. It helps people easily spot trends, answer questions, and understand what their data means without needing to know complex code. Tableau at UMBC pulls information from different systems including PeopleSoft, StarREZ, and swipe card data.
The initiative will feature demographic analysis and comparisons against overall university metrics to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities to enhance institutional support. By focusing on student engagement as a key driver of persistence and degree completion, this project directly aligns with UMBC’s commitment to fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive campus community.
Dr. Wade notes, “As we embark on our DoSA strategic plan, Aligned for Impact, it is important to fully understand the impact of the transformational experiences offered within our division. This project represents a vital opportunity to harness learning analytics to better evaluate how student engagement influences long-term retention and graduation outcomes.”