Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy

Associate Dean 
Undergraduate Student Success Strategic Initiatives
mart1742@msu.edu

Dr. Martin works with colleagues across campus to support student success while also advocating for faculty, educator and staff success. Her lived experience and career in higher education spans 3 decades, beginning as a University of Michigan first-generation student from a rural community in southern Michigan. It was during her roles as dining hall student worker and resident assistant that Amy became aware that not all students had similar experiences to hers, or the ability to fund their educations, and that marginalized students experienced significant barriers to their success. Amy completed a master’s degree in college student counseling from Eastern Michigan University while working full time as a hall director, and graduated in 2014 with a doctoral degree in higher education policy and leadership from the University of Maryland (College Park). Amy continues to reflect on how her identities as a white, cisgender, feminist, woman, parent, grandparent and academic administrator shape her standpoint on the world. She values and advocates for the inclusion of many voices and perspectives in any work the institution engages in around student success and sees the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy as a way to highlight the important research and work of colleagues across campus.

University Innovation Alliance Fellow 
Undergraduate Student Success Strategic Initiatives Manager 
jacomema@msu.edu

Maria's professional journey is rooted in social work with a profound commitment to higher education and student success. Maria has over a decade of experience in higher education serving in a variety of roles such as a Success Coach, Academic Advisor and Student Services Specialist. Before coming to MSU, Maria served as a Clinical Assistant Faculty for the Department of Social Work at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. An MSU alum, Maria is excited to return to Michigan State University as a UIA Fellow, contributing to student success initiatives within a university that has been pivotal to her life.

Project Manager 
Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy (SUES) 
wasek@msu.edu 

Wasek Sazzad is leading project management of the university-wide implementation of Michigan State University’s MiLEAP sponsored Undergraduate Learning Goals initiative supporting strategic and operational leads of the effort. In addition, he is collaborating with the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Student Sucess, Assistant Dean for the Undergraduate Student Success Strategy, University Innovation Alliance Fellow and Student Success Strategic Initiatives Manager, and other campus leaders to advance strategic priorities in student success through project management support of key student success initiatives. 

With over eight years of experience in strategic planning and project management, Wasek has designed and delivered 56 impactful projects across education, innovation, and global development - including initiatives with NASA Space Apps Challenge and the United Nations. He holds a STEM-designated Full-Time MBA in Data Analytics from MSU’s Broad College of Business, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2025. 

Previously, Wasek served as a Graduate Assistant with the SUES Unit, where he worked alongside 85+ university leaders through the Campus Student Success Group (CSSG) to improve student policies and institutional practices. He has also contributed to student mentorship and career development as a Career Peer Advisor and Global Student Ambassador at MSU.