The Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center team: Andrea Miller Pound, Kristin Chapleau, Chelsea Tucker, Lorice Tolbert, Stacy Green, Samantha Denson, Sherrina Lofton, Brooke Walker, Jonathan Williams, and Mellissa Taylor.
More than 400 students attended UAB’s Night at the Library event last fall, with hundreds more participating in the spring event in April — record-setting numbers for the program. Led by the Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center, or VMASC, in collaboration with Student Affairs, the Writing Center and Sterne Library, Night at the Library offers more than pizza, therapy dogs and a silent disco. The event also provides tutoring, supplemental instruction and test preparation, combining fun with academic support. Now wildly popular, Night at the Library creatively showcases UAB’s commitment to student success.
In recognition of all the ways it enriches the student experience, the VMASC team has been named UAB’s SUCCESS Champion of the Quarter for first-quarter 2026 by the SUCCESS Executive Steering Committee.
“I am incredibly proud of our team,” said VMASC Executive Director Kristin Chapleau. “Our professionals consistently go above and beyond to support students, often behind the scenes, and this award is a wonderful acknowledgment of their commitment to helping students thrive at UAB.”
The honor reflects VMASC’s role in bringing to life the goals of UAB’s Strategic and Unifying Campus Collaboration that Empowers Students to Succeed (SUCCESS) Initiative. This campuswide effort is designed to unify and strengthen support services and create a seamless student experience from initial interest through graduation.
“Our work is directly aligned with the goals of the SUCCESS Initiative because everything we do centers on improving student success, engagement and retention,” Chapleau said. “From strengthening the First-Year Experience and expanding tutoring and academic success coaching to supporting underrepresented and first-generation students through federal programs, VMASC plays a key role in creating the support structures that help students persist and graduate.”
Spanning convocation to graduation, VMASC designs activities and initiatives that keep students plugged in. The 400-plus attendees at VMASC’s 2025 Night at the Library were just a fraction of the thousands of student engagements across this academic year. Other signature events, such as the Major Discovery Fair, serve as evidence of the demand for — and trust in — VMASC services.
Just as critical is the team’s institutional approach. VMASC works across UAB’s academic and student support units to deliver coordinated programming — ensuring students experience support as a connected system, not a series of disconnected services.
That collaboration also exhibits the SUCCESS Initiative’s emphasis on campuswide cooperation and shared responsibility for student outcomes.
“The team at VMASC does a masterful job of creating a supportive, intentional environment for our students,” said Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D., UAB provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “Their measurable efforts expertly demonstrate the best of our SUCCESS Initiative and serve as a model for others to emulate.”
Chapleau welcomes that emulation, knowing it will only expand opportunities for students throughout UAB. The unit has multiple plans and initiatives on the horizon, including broadening its First-Year Experience program, further refining its Academic Success programs and continuing popular financial workshops piloted this academic year.
“Our goal moving forward is to continue building proactive, connected support systems that help every student succeed at UAB,” Chapleau said.
The VMASC team includes Kristin Chapleau, executive director; Samantha Denson, academic advisor III; Stacy Green, assistant director of Academic Progress; Sherrina Lofton, academic advisor III; Andrea Pound, director; Mellissa Taylor, assistant director of Academic Support; Lorice Tolbert, academic success coach; Chelsea Tucker, associate director of First-Year Programs; Brooke Walker, director of First-Year Experience; and Jonathan Williams, office associate.
If you know of an individual or a team at UAB worthy of being named a SUCCESS Champion, consider nominating them using the Student SUCCESS Champion Nomination Form. Nominations for second-quarter 2026 are open through June 1.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to delivering a high-quality educational experience and advancing student success at every stage of the academic journey. The Strategic and Unifying Campus Collaboration that Empowers Students to Succeed (SUCCESS) Initiative serves as a university-wide framework to align efforts across enrollment, academic support and student engagement. Through strategic planning, investment in people and cross-campus collaboration, UAB is strengthening pathways for student achievement, ensuring that the university remains a destination of choice for talented students prepared to thrive.