UMBC Creates Retriever Learning Center to Enhance Academic Support for Students
This year, the real party is in the library.
On any given day, the Retriever Learning Center is packed. Students puzzle out problems on giant white boards. They snack and study. Or they order up pens, pencils and sticky notes from the academic “vending machine.”
After just a few months, the Retriever Learning Center (RLC) feels like it’s always been a part of campus. It opened in August on the first floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library. The space is open 24 hours a day, secured by card entry, and provides students with the opportunity to study and collaborate at any hour – something they have desired for a long time.
“The greatest push has been from the students,” said Larry Wilt, director of the library. “They have advocated so well through shared governance for this project.” Students backed up their enthusiasm by contributing funding to the project. The SGA contributed $30,000 for a second round of furniture in the RLC.
Former Provost Elliot Hirshman emphasized, “The creation of the Retriever Learning Center is a critical addition to the institution’s commitment to support success for all students. By supporting active learning, group discussion, and peer tutoring, and integrating the resources of the Learning Resources Center and the Division of Information Technology in a single location, the Retriever Learning Center will play a central role in supporting student success and academic excellence at UMBC."
“A student explained why this is so important,” said President Freeman Hrabowski. “He said, ‘I can really say that the real party at UMBC is in the library.’”
