Latoya Jenkins wants to ensure UMES is fully prepared for the new influx of students.
Jenkins, UMES’s Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Experience, has built a staff with experience to manage that increase and improve the student experience in ways ranging from student retention to social life on campus to career services.
“Over the last three years, our institution has undergone a transformation that has included 13% student growth and close to 3,000 students on campus,” she said. “It was essential to create a team that could continue the transformation and hone in on the details and specific areas in need of further development.”
The creation of Jenkins’s Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) began with the hiring of Dr. Reginald Garcon nearly two years ago, which allowed Dr. Garcon to assume some responsibilities that Jenkins was doing following her ascent to the position in 2020 without a second-in-command in place.
This summer, Jenkins completed her staff with the hires of Dr. April Johnson, the Associate Vice President of Recruitment and Student Success, and Dr. D. Jamar Simmons, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students. Garcon’s AVP role now focuses on Student Records and the Office of the Registrar.
“I was looking for a team who had skills they could leverage on our university and help bring about new initiatives or sustain the goals that we have,” Jenkins said. “They are all well-studied in their craft and have proven themselves in the area of transformation at their previous institutions.”
Johnson, whose experience includes more than a decade at Bowie State University, will oversee career services while also updating the student code of conduct and the student handbook.
“I always say that my job is to clear the way so staff can get their jobs done,” she said. “When we clear the way for staff to get their jobs done, then it positively impacts the student experience.”
Simmons arrives at UMES with impressive experience in student service roles at Xavier University, Kentucky State University, and most recently, Dillard University.
As AVP/Dean of Students, Simmons’ responsibilities include supervising clubs and organizations, the Student Government Association and Imperial Court, the Campus Activities Board, Counseling Services, and the Office of Residence Life. He will also focus on developing and advancing student advocacy.
“At the previous institutions where I worked, I’ve been able to build out avenues for students to receive that level of advocacy when we’re at certain tables,” he said. Sometimes, we don’t always have that student voice, and it’s important to have the right people at the table. You have to be that to make sure that students get the things that they not only need, but they deserve.”
For Garcon, who has nearly two decades of experience as a registrar, the transition to his current role wasn’t a drastic change.
As interim registrar, Garcon, with the help of an Enrollment Management Taskforce, implemented new policies focusing on topics such as academic sanctions and dismissals from the university, allowing for increased student retention.
“Part of the need for change was because the verbiage and criteria issued back then is now antiquated and punishes students who didn’t meet a particular threshold,” he said. “On average, we would get 190 or so dismissals at the end of the semester, and based on the tweaking of the policy this past semester, we’ve seen a 95% decrease.”
With all her hires in place, Jenkins now wants to focus on strategic goals while continuing to enhance the student experience.
“I am hoping that with these three AVPs, we will be working to quickly move onto the national landscape,” she said. “That’s what I believe this type of team will be able to do. Hiring this leadership team will also give us the capacity to make changes that will benefit our students.”
