April
2008 Press
Release
MHEC’s April Report to Governor
O’Malley
April 1-30, 2008: The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)’s
Office of Student of Financial Aid (OSFA) awarded more than
43,000 new and renewal Howard P. Rawlings Educational Assistance
and Guaranteed Access (GA) Grants to students for academic year
2008-2009. This is an increase of almost 700 students from
initial awarding time for 2007-2008. OSFA also made 50 new
awards in the Distinguished Scholar Community College Transfer
Scholarship program for 2008-2009. Additionally, OSFA mailed
approximately 50,000 award letters to students to notify them of
their financial aid award. This includes need-based programs and
award renewals in other programs.
April 1-30: Director of Communications Christopher Falkenhagen
has worked closely with Ashley Valis to send out congratulatory
or thank you letters to various advisory councils that volunteer
their services to MHEC and congratulatory letters to students
who receive scholarships or educational assistance grants. For
the first time in MHEC’s history, (OFSA) sent out scholarship
award letters with Governor O’Malley’s name included first thing
in the mailing. This standard letter has been used for years,
but the governor has not been mentioned. Eventually this
outreach will extend to 80,000 students.
April 8, 2008: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary George Reid,
Assistant Secretary Andrea Mansfield and Dr. Mike Keller met to
discuss the feasibility study for the creation of a regional
higher education and research and development center to deliver
higher education services to the Aberdeen Proving Ground area.
After a study is completed on the capacity of Maryland’s Higher
Education Institutions and an assessment of the needed courses
for transferring students is completed, a consultant will be
retained to examine space needs and make recommendations for the
allocation of programs across delivery locations.
April 11, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended a BRAC symposium at the
Baltimore City Community College. Secretary Lyons served on the
panel and worked with BCC’s president to identify the keynote
speaker, General Hayes.
April 14, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended Governor O’Malley’s
“Capital for a Day” press conference with Director of
Communications Christopher Falkenhagen. Secretary Lyons and
Christopher will be working closely with Maryland’s public and
independent two-year and four-year colleges and universities and
Private Career Schools to incorporate a full and productive
“listening tour” including campus presidents, provosts, board of
trustees members and others who make significant contributions
to higher education.
April 15-25, 2008: MHEC’s Academic Affairs staff was alerted
that New York-based “Trump University” was advertising self-help
foreclosure seminars at various locations in Maryland. By using
the term “University” without having obtained a certificate of
approval from the Commission, Trump was violating Maryland law
and misleading consumers. This use of “University” connotes a
post-secondary educational course or program, which this
training was not. With the help of Assistant Attorney General
Catherine Shultz, MHEC got Trump to comply with Maryland law and
change its advertising in Maryland.
April 15, 2008: Assistant Secretary Andrea Mansfield met with
BRAC coordinators to discuss how to appropriately develop agency
BRAC goals and corresponding BRAC STATS for track
accomplishments over the coupes of the year. Accomplishments
will be compiled into a BRAC Annual Report.
April 16, 2008: Dr. Reid, Director of Communications Christopher
Falkenhagen and Director of Government Affairs Gareth Murray
attended the groundbreaking of the Defense Information Systems
Agency Joint Task Force – Global Network Operations
ground-breaking ceremony at Fort George G. Meade resulting in
MHEC’s support of BRAC projects coming to Maryland.
April 16, 2008: Dr. Lyons marked his first year as Higher
Education Secretary at the full MHEC Commission meeting
resulting in high praise from Chairman O’Keefe and other
members. The meeting was very substantive including Director of
Finance Policy Geoffrey Newman presenting an overview of the FY
2009 higher education operating and capital budgets, Director of
Legislative Affairs Gareth Murray discussing the 2008 General
Assembly Session, a report on programs reviewed from Jan. 1,
2008-February 29, 2008 and a report on Private Career Schools
approval actions from February 1, 2008. All reports resulted in
a positive reception by the Commission.
April 19, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended and spoke at the first
Maryland Latino Education Summit and said it was a rousing
success. Secretary Lyons has spent considerable time developing
strong ties with MHEC and the Latino community.
April 21, 2008: Grants Director Paula Fitzwater conducted
reviewer consensus meeting for the Nurse Support Program II
Competitive Grant to formulate funding recommendation to the
Health Services Cost Review Commission.
April 21, 2008: Ms. Fitzwater attended the closing session of
the College Preparation and Intervention Program grant and the
Dundalk area mathematics teachers featuring Dr. Don Thomas,
director of the Hackerman Academy and former astronaut for four
shuttle flights. The goals of the Hackerman Academy are to
attract more students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) majors and to prepare teachers who will be
energized to teach in area schools in these much needed
discipline areas.
April 24, 2008: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary Reid,
Director of Government Affairs Director of Government Relations
Gareth Murray and Director of Communications Christopher
Falkenhagen attended the Governor’s bill signing ceremony in
which the Governor signed two of MHEC’s bills into law as well
as the Parren J. Mitchell public service scholarship which
MHEC’s Office of Student Financial Assistance will coordinate.
April 24, 2008: Director of Communications Christopher
Falkenhagen worked with the Governor’s office of photography to
get 30 photos of Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown
autographed for distribution to various people Christopher comes
in contact with. This has and will result in the Governor and
Lt. Governor getting positive exposure not just from those who
receive the pictures, but who the people who receive the
pictures to show their friends, co-workers and associates.
April 25, 2008: Secretary Lyons traveled to Ft. Monmouth in New
Jersey to visit to celebrate the opening of Maryland’s
“One-Stop” shop. Ft. Monmouth will be closed by 2011 with most
of its operations transferring to Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
April 25, 2008: MHEC issued a RFA for federal Title IIA,
Improving Teacher Quality State Grant program through which
approximately $1 million will be awarded to eligible
partnerships to provide teacher and principal development in the
core subject areas. These funds will be awarded on a competitive
basis to K-16 partnerships to provide teacher and principal
professional development in the core subject areas. The funds
will be awarded on a competitive basis to K-16 partnerships that
aim to improve teacher quality; to increase the number of highly
qualified teachers and principals; and to increase the academic
achievement of Maryland students.
April 26, 2008: Ms. Fitzwater meet with the Deans and Directors
of Nursing programs to discuss credentialing of nursing faculty
and campus hiring practices.
April 29, 2008: Mr. Falkenhagen joined his Public Information
Officer counterparts at a meeting in the Governor’s Baltimore
Office with Chief of Staff Michael Enright who gave a brief
presentation and Rick Abbruzzese, the governor’s director of
communications. The very productive meeting allowed PIOs to show
what they have done to promote the governor’s and their own
message and how to develop a 15-month strategy on how to improve
getting the governor’s message out even better and each agency’s
message out stronger as well.
Workforce Development / WIA:
Private Career Schools:
Records from Closed Institutions of Postsecondary Education:
November 14, 2011,
our new address is 6
N. Liberty St., Baltimore, MD 21201 | Phone: (410)
767-3301 | Toll Free: (800) 974-0203
