January 2010 Governor's Report

February 2010 Press Release

For immediate release: February 2, 2010 Media Contact: Christopher Falkenhagen
Communications: (410) 260-4511

cfalkenh@mhec.state.md.us

MHEC's January 2010 Governor's Report

January 5, 2010: Secretary Lyons addressed the participants in the Washington Center for Internships. He discussed the overall state of higher education, the importance of internships and Governor O’Malley’s strong contribution to higher education.

January 6, 2010: Secretary Lyons and MHEC Education Policy Analyst participated in College Success Task Force conference calls with officials at the Maryland State Department of Education.

January 7, 2010: Secretary Lyons was keynote speaker at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of Faculties for Advancement of Community College Teaching at the College of Southern Maryland. He pointed out several times that the O’Malley-Brown administration has been very supportive of the mission of community colleges and workforce development.

January 8, 2010: Secretary Lyons held a staff meeting for all MHEC employees to discuss the status of the budget beginning Fiscal Year 2011 and how it affects MHEC.

January 8, 2010: Director of Academic affairs addressed the the 20th Annual Meeting of the Association for Faculties for the Advancement of Community College Teaching. The topic of the address was student-centered learning, “Focusing of Faculty for Student-Centered Learning”. There were approximately 150 community college faculty, (full-time and adjunct) in attendance at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata campus.

January 12, 2010: Secretary Lyons had discussion with GWIB Executive Director Eric Seleznow to discuss Skills to Compete Update.

January 12, 2010: BRAC Coordinator participated in meeting with Asuntha Chiang-Smith and his colleagues in other State agencies to discuss important and updated BRAC issues.

January 13, 2010: Secretary Lyons and Director of Communications attended the first day of the opening session of the 2010 Maryland General Assembly Session.

January 14, 2010: Director of Finance Policy met with Director of Academic Affairs and Career Education to discuss Guarantee Tuition Security Fund to follow up on Education Policy Committee questions

January 15, 2010: Director of Communications met with Asuntha Chiang-Smith, and Maryland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kathy Snyder and Chamber Chairman Joe Slater. The meeting, set up by MHEC’s Director of Communications, was to discuss how the Chamber could work with the governor’s sub-cabinet on BRAC on issues regarding procuring jobs for the unemployed as well as a discussion of cyber-security initiatives the administration is undertaking which will create potential jobs.

January 19, 2010: Secretary Lyons met with Lt. Governor Anthony Brown to discuss higher education issues that will be facing Maryland in the near-future. He also attended the governor’s press conference regarding the FY 2011 budget.

January 20, 2010: Secretary Lyons attended reception Celebrating Education Ireland at the Residence of the Ambassador of Ireland.

January 20, 2010: Associate Director for Academic Affairs represented Secretary Lyons at Smart Growth Sub-cabinet meeting in Baltimore City.

January 20, 2010: Director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) and Director of Academic Affairs testified on behalf of two departmental bills, SB 80 and SB 91.

January 21, 2010: Secretary Lyons addressed the Mainland, Jiang Su Province, China, Provincial Officials, General State Delegations from Multiple Governmental Functions at the invitation of the University of Maryland China Institute.

January 21, 2010: Secretary Lyons and MHEC staff testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Hearing regarding recommendations by the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education (commonly referred to as the Bohanan Commission named after the chair of the Commission, Delegate John L. Bohanan, Jr.).

January 21, 2010: Director of Academic Affairs joined colleagues from the Lumina Making Opportunity Affordable project to make a presentation on “Transformational Transfer” at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C. Approximately fifty people were present for the session.

January 21, 2010: Director of Finance Policy presented portion of briefing on progress on Implementation of Commission to Develop Model for Funding Higher Education to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

January 25, 2010: MHEC’s Segmental Advisory Council met. The council is made up of the University System of Maryland (USM), Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA), Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC), Morgan State University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Maryland Association of Private Colleges and Career Schools (MAPCCS). Discussion items included the Maryland State budget for higher education, update on Making Opportunity Affordable Grant, College Success Task Force, the academic program approval process, common core draft standards in math and English Language Art, concerns about the possibility of espionage at research institutions and prospective higher education legislation.

January 25, 2010: Secretary Lyons and Director of Communications attended the Maryland Association of Community Colleges’ annual luncheon during its Trustee Leadership Conference. Secretary Lyons discussed the important mission of community colleges and how supportive the O’Malley-Brown administration has been to community colleges. Director of Communications networked with community college trustees and presidents mentioning how supportive Governor O’Malley is towards all of the 16 institutions during terrible economic times.

January 25, 2010: Secretary Lyons attended the MACC legislative reception in the evening talking with various senators and delegates.

January 25, 2010: Director of Finance Policy attended Department of Legislative Services Fiscal Briefing.

January 27, 2010: MHEC’s full commission met. Items discussed included: Nurse Support II Program II Guidelines, Summary of Activities of the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), Regulation Revision on Exempt Institutions, New Post-Master’s Certification, Information Reports Distributed to the Commission, Update on Statewide Designated and Health Workforce Shortage Program Lists, update on Closing of ComputerTraining.edu, Continuing Education Manual for Maryland Community Colleges – 2009, Report on Programs Reviewed from November 1-December 31, 2009 and report on Private Career Schools: Approval Actions from October 31-December 31, 2009. The Commission also considered whether to revisit its decision to uphold Secretary Lyons’ rejection of the University of Maryland University College’s request to offer a Concentration in Community College Policy and Administration Doctorate in the State of Maryland. The Commission voted 7-2 not to reconsider their earlier decision.

January 28, 2010: Director of Academic Affairs facilitated a meeting with representatives of the World Bank, Montgomery College and University of Maryland, College Park for the purpose of designing a week-long seminar for policy leaders in higher education from developing countries. It is expected that approximately sixty policy leaders will attend the seminar in March. Site visits will be made to a campus of Montgomery College and to the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park as outstanding examples of American higher education.

January 29, 2009: Secretary Lyons held telephone conversation regarding Pell grants with Senator Jim Rosapepe (D-District 21).

January 29, 2009: Secretary Lyons and MHEC staff testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Subcommittee on Health, Education and Human Resources regarding the Higher Education Fiscal 2010 Budget Overview. They also testified on MHEC’s budget analysis compiled by Department of Legislative Services staff.

Workforce Development / WIA and Private Career Schools:

January 4, 2010: MHEC private career school staff represented MHEC in a television news interview regarding two private computer schools that closed over the holidays.

January 5: MHEC private career school staff represented MHEC in two telephone news interviews regarding the two private computer schools that closed over the holidays.

January 6: MHEC private career school staff represented MHEC in a television news interview regarding the two private computer schools that closed over the holidays.

January 6: MHEC private career school staff visited the site of an applicant private career school to thoroughly review its application.

January 19: The Associate Director for Workforce Development represented MHEC at a Department of Disabilities Team Leadership Committee meeting to develop reporting parameters for Skills2Compete-Maryland.

January 20: MHEC private career school staff met with the owner of four private dental assisting schools to provide guidance on best practices for his dental assisting programs.

January 21: The Associate Director for Workforce Development represented MHEC in a U.S. Dept. of Education OVAE (Office of Vocational and Adult Education) webinar on secondary and postsecondary CTE reports and parameters.

January 21: The Associate Director for Workforce Development represented MHEC in a GWIB Interagency Workgroup conference call to discuss Career Readiness Certification, Skills2Compete, and Universal Design implementation at Local Workforce Investment Board locations.

January 22: MHEC private career school staff convened a Secretary’s Advisory Council to review applications for one new private career school and one change of ownership.

January 26: MHEC community college continuing education staff distributed the annual Biennial Review Inactive Course inventories to all community college chief continuing education officers for review.
Throughout the month of January:
• One State Solicitor Permit was reviewed, processed, and issued.
• 52 community college continuing education course applications for FTE funding were reviewed and processed.
• 22 requests for transcripts from closed schools and 4 education verification requests were processed.

Ongoing:
• MHEC staff continues to test the online CC-10 community college continuing education course application for State funding. When fully implemented, it will be a paperless process which will allow the MHEC inventory of continuing education courses to be publicly viewable online after approval. Testing will occur throughout FY2010, with the anticipated date for going paperless now July 1, 2010. The delay is due to a disparity between database configurations for colleges and MHEC when performing an upload of data.

• In accordance with the 2009 State Plan for Higher Education, MHEC continues to develop standardized annual reports for each GWIB Industry Sector that will provide yearly data comparing DOL occupational demand projections with Maryland postsecondary graduation data in related programs. The first updated industry sector report is targeted to be completed by March 1st.

Office of Grants:

January 7, 2010: Met with BRAC Coordinator to seek federally approved indirect cost
rate.

January 11, 2010: Made Bowie State University site visit for Nurse Support II (NSP II) program.

January 15, 2010: Attended legislative bill review committee meeting.

January 15, 2010: Deans and Directors of Maryland Nursing Schools.

January 19, 2010: University of Maryland Baltimore site visit for NSPII.

January 20, 2010: Attended IMPART meeting.

January 20, 2010: Made Towson University site visit for NSPII.

January 22, 2010: Made presentation to Community College Development and Grants managers affinity group.

January 25, 2010: Attended Oversight Committee of Who Will Care? initiative.

January 26, 2010: Attended Health Services Cost Review Commission meeting for NSP II.

January 27, 2010: Closed out FY2009 GEAR UP administration grant from the Maryland State Department of Education.

January 28-29, 2010: Represented MHEC at Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Advisory Board meeting in Atlanta.

January 1-31, 2010: Contacted reviewers for upcoming NSP II proposals and arranged meetings. Responded to numerous requests concerning NSP II from Department of Legislative Services. Created project amendment request form. Worked on CPIP FY2011 Request For Proposals. Reviewed and approved several one-time not cost six-month extensions for IMPART and Community College Students with Learning Disabilities grants. Posted project coordinator position for the National Security STEM initiative and monitored incoming applications. Updated Governor’s Policy Fellow files; obtained needed letters of resignation and reestablished contact with remaining Fellows. Resolved several technical and legal questions pertaining to participation of non-US citizens in the federally funded ITQ State Grant Program. Worked with Governor’s Public Policy office staff to obtain seating for the Governor’s Policy Fellows at the State of the State address.

Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA):

• The new web based financial aid processing system , MD CAPS, went live for Maryland institutional financial aid officers on January 7, 2010. This new system will allow real time processing and changes to Maryland student financial aid awards and payments. The next phase scheduled for early February will include the student portal which will allow students to apply, accept and change award information and communicate online with the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).

• During January the OSFA staff participated in financial aid outreach activities in Prince Georges County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City. The activities were held at local high schools and Coppin State University.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission is a 12-member coordinating board responsible for establishing statewide policies for Maryland public and independent colleges and universities and private career schools. It serves as an advocate for more than 350,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.

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