Sam Arcement—Director of Graduate Academic Programs for the College of Biological Sciences, and the program coordinator for the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology (MCIP) Graduate Group—has been honored with the 2024 Outstanding Graduate Program Coordinator Award from the Office of Graduate Studies. This year saw a record number of nominations. “Sam tirelessly ensures that our needs and concerns are heard and addressed,” said one MCIP student, who praised Arcement’s dedication to student advocacy.

Arcement, who oversees about 60 students in MCIP and provides background support for 480 students in the college, was “really excited” to receive the award—in part because it shows her that students are benefiting from her work. “My current role has shifted and I do a lot of management now,” she said. “Sometimes I worry that takes away from my students and my faculty, so it’s really nice knowing they still feel the support and help that I always try to provide them.”

In pursuit of supporting students

A native of Louisiana, Arcement earned her bachelor’s degree as a first-generation college student at Louisiana State University and went on to work as a ranger at Yellowstone National Park. She arrived at UC Davis in 2017, working as an advising assistant, a role that helped her realize she enjoyed working with graduate students. “Their questions and concerns were in depth, with a lot of policy analysis involved, and I really love that,” she said. “I like the intersection of student support, policy and financials that happens in the grad coordinating world.”

Arcement, who worked at Yellowstone National Park before arriving at UC Davis pictured holding a kookaburra at the British Bird of Prey Centre in Wales. (Courtesy photo)

To pursue a career in graduate advising, Arcement earned a master’s degree in higher education administration at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. “The thing that I really took away from that was looking at ways to help students develop meaningful, impactful, and lasting mentorships with their faculty,” she says.

Arcement joined the College of Biological Sciences in 2022. “I really love working in CBS,” she said. “To see how much care and attention and dedication our faculty have to graduate students is unique and really nice to work with.”

“Sam is a great asset to our campus,” said Mark Winey, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. “Her impact on the graduate student community in CBS, as well as her advocacy for improved policies, is a source of great pride among college leadership. Graduate education is a cornerstone of how UC Davis advances our shared understanding of life on Earth, and Sam is an integral part of our success in this regard.”

Building bridges through teamwork and communication

Arcement is quick to attribute her success in supporting students to strong relationships with faculty and her team. “More than anything, I'm really proud of the amazing team that I work with,” says Arcement. “I only have the time and ability to be a good coordinator because my team is there doing a good job every day, and our shared value of wanting to help students pushes all of us to do a better job.”

Likewise, she says, the interdisciplinary nature of MCIP fosters behind-the-scenes communication that helps students thrive. “What I love about my group is that it’s a really collaborative environment where there are a lot of open discussions with faculty on how we can support our students in ways they don’t always see,” she says.

Arcement, who serves as the program coordinator for the MCIP Graduate Group, pictured with Manuel Navedo (light blue shirt), chair of MCIP, and two members of the group's faculty and student groups. (TJ Ushing/UC Davis)

“We simply could not get anything done without Sam’s resourcefulness and passion,” said Eleonora Grandi, professor of pharmacology and co-chair of the Biophysics Graduate Group. “Her approach is characterized by a blend of initiative, outstanding organizational skills, genuine care for student growth, and commitment to fostering a thriving academic community, and her interactions with students are wide ranging, individualized, helpful, and compassionate.”

Arcement emphasizes that her top priority is helping students—when they need it. “I’m very hands off with my advising, but if they email me a problem, they're normally getting an answer in 20 minutes,” she says. “I think what my students notice and feel is that I’m here the second they need me.”