Sally Helms
Administrator of Academic Affairs, Public Policy
2010-2011 Jakubik Family Endowment Staff Award

For 18 years, Sally Helms has been committed to the personal, academic and professional success of students within the Department of Public Policy. She understands the department’s academic requirements/policies, helping guide students toward successful completion of the program.

Helms is often the first person a public policy graduate student encounters at UMBC, and she greets each student enthusiastically. She serves not only as an advisor but as a counselor and coach. She is the social center of the department, consistently finding ways to engage students, faculty and staff. For students away from home, Helms is an aunt, a sister and a best friend.

In her position, she set up several beneficial procedures that alleviate stress for students and make them feel included. She created a listserv to communicate with students about special events; authored a student handbook about curriculum, timelines and policies; and maintains a departmental Blackboard site. She is active in assisting students with professional development and helps collect information about pertinent internships and job openings. She also advises students about scholarship opportunities and fellowships.

Helms participates in a number of campus activities that support students, including the PeopleSoft SA Academic Advisory Committee, the Graduate School Program Coordinator’s Group and the Registrar’s Scheduling Coordinator’s Group. She volunteers at Commencement ceremonies and
has been a discussion leader for the New Student Book Experience. She
also served as a professional staff senator and officer.

Helms earned her B.S. in Education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.