Welcome to the Office of Academic Programs!
Cultivating Student Success
The Office of Academic Programs exists to support students throughout their involvement with the College of AGNR - from prospective students through alumni. Our office consists of faculty and staff working in the areas of recruitment, advising, academic support, student engagement, career exploration, and alumni relationships. Additionally, we employ undergraduate peer mentors to provide additional advising support for our students. Finally, our AGNR ambassadors work closely with this office represent the college in recruitment, public relations, and educational outreach.
The Office of Academic Programs is located in 0107 Symons Hall, 7998 Regents Drive, College Park, MD 20742.
View our location on-campus through UMD's Web Map feature or through Google Maps.
Email: agnrstudentservices@umd.edu
Phone: 301-405-2078
Meet the Academic Programs Team
Dr. Joe Sullivan is the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and a Professor in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Contact Dr. Sullivan at 301-405-2078 or e-mail him at jsull@umd.edu.
Dr. Sarah Balcom is the Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and a Principal Lecturer in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. As Assistant Dean, Dr. Balcom is the head of Student Services in the College and works closely with students and academic advisors to foster a community of success, personally and academically.
You can reach Dr. Balcom at 301-405-7044 or sbalcom@umd.edu.
April Brohawn is the Program Director for Recruitment and Student Engagement in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. April oversees the recruitment team within AGNR and helps plan opportunities for prospective and admitted undergraduates to visit AGNR. In addition to recruitment, April serves as the manager of the AGNR scholarship and financial aid programs and oversees student development experiences within the college. Contact April at 301-314-7222 or abrohawn@umd.edu.
Amanda Brown Clougherty is the Associate Director for Alumni Programs within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Amanda serves as the point of contact for all alumni of the College and oversees the AGNR Alumni Network Board of Directors. In her role, she organizes high impact alumni programming including the annual Eat, Drink, and Be Maryland! Alumni Dinner. Contact Amanda at akbrown@umd.edu or 301-314-9032.
Heather Buchanan (she/her) is the Program Manager for AGNR Student Services. Heather oversees undergraduate college-level student advising and academic policy to help students track their progress and bench-marking all the way to graduation. Heather also works with new AGNR students guiding them through the orientation process and organizing Change of Major workshops. You can contact Heather at 301-405-0117 or hbuchan1@umd.edu.
Casey Miller is the Program Director for Career Services in AGNR. Casey helps students discover their career path, promotes professional development opportunity, is the primary contact for employers interested in our students, and so much more. Casey can be reached at 301-314-2221 or caseymil@umd.edu.
Students may also register for appointments with Casey through the Career Center's Handshake platform.
Kimberly Monahan is the Coordinator for Recruitment in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Kimberly meets with prospective students and their families to help guide them through the admissions and enrollment processes. You can reach Kimberly at 301-405-5308 or kmonahan@umd.edu.
Prospective students can register for appointments with Kimberly by clicking this link.
Tyra Monnity is the Administrative Assistant to the Office of Academic Programs and the Associate Dean. Tyra helps with the daily operation of the Academic Programs office, including scheduling and student appointments, and is the contact for the Associate Dean. She also assists with planning for Ag Discovery and Maryland Day. Contact Tyra at 301-405-2078 or tgallman@umd.edu.
Learn more about this office
The mission of the College of AGNR’s Academic Programs office is to cultivate personal, academic, and professional development and success in all of our students- future, current and alumni- through promoting excellence in academics and advising, fostering a strong sense of belonging, and encouraging student participation in extracurricular opportunities.
Academic Programs is a nexus of support for attracting students to and fostering student success in all areas of the College of AGNR. Working alongside our academic departments, we help the College of AGNR to lead the university and peer institutions in academic excellence, student engagement, diversity, equity, inclusion and respect (DEIR), and the development of its students to attain their highest potential. We will cultivate alumni to be successful leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and public servants who will help us rise to meet the world’s Grand Challenges.
First and foremost, our work is focused on students.
- We leverage our collective expertise in student development and academic affairs to empower our students in their academic, pre-professional, and social development..
- The values of excellence, inclusivity, integrity, empathy, and professionalism guide our work and underscore all of the programming we offer.
We function as part of the university’s network of academic, advising, and student affairs programs and professionals.
- We support the College of AGNR’s academic departments.
- We align our work with offices and programs from across campus.
We embody our land-grant heritage and the University of Maryland’s commitment to address the pressing challenges of our time.
- We collaborate with the College’s external stakeholders and industry partners.
- We support the three-tiered mission of this college- teaching, research, and extension- in service to the state of Maryland.
