When University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) says it meets students where they are, it is thinking about more than geography. As evidence, the university is connecting students to financial, food, housing and health care resources—all in one place.
The university’s partnership with Single Stop, a nonprofit organization with a one-stop web platform linked to federal, state and local benefits and services, aims to put critical resources within reach of students.
“UMGC knows students can face challenges in terms of meeting basic needs, and we want to make sure we help address these,” said Francisco Muniz, the business lead of basic need initiatives in the Department of Student Support, Engagement and Belonging within the UMGC Office of Student Affairs. “Single Stop is one more step in our goal to help students focus on learning without other distractions getting in the way.”
Muniz said some students, especially those who are parents, may currently find themselves set back by ongoing government budget adjustments, including cuts in the SNAP and WIC food programs. Single Stop users can be screened for eligibility for more than two dozen resources across a broad spectrum, from food assistance and health insurance to child care and emergency housing. There is no cost to use the platform, information entered on Single Stop is confidential and applications for program eligibility typically take less than 15 minutes.
In addition to services aimed at urgent needs, Single Stop also offers connections to tax assistance, financial counseling and wellness programs.
Muniz, who is also UMGC’s senior manager of subject tutoring, said that in launching Single Stop in April, the university took another step forward in showing awareness of the issues that students may struggle with.
Bernadin Moise clicked the Single Stop link out of curiosity when she saw it at the bottom of her student page.
“I was introduced to it via my UMGC student account and decided to explore it for the first time. I entered my personal information on the website, and relevant results appeared,” said Moise, who is working on her second associate degree at UMGC. “I wasn’t actively seeking any specific service at the time. I discovered information on the website that I wasn't previously aware of, including several programs listed.”
Moise said it was “beneficial” for UMGC to provide students with information about and access to resources they may need but not know about.
UMGC’s interface with Single Stop comes on the heels of two years of data collection and analytics focused on students who struggle with basic needs, psychological support, finances, food security and technology.
“We looked to see what resources might be out there,” Muniz explained. “We are connecting students to the Single Stop platform so they can search for more information on resources and apply for services.”
Although Single Stop is not currently available for most of UMGC’s overseas students, Muniz said it is a good resource for the rest of the university’s enrollment because its scope is nationwide.