Maryland Higher Education Commission

July 2008 Press Release

 

 

For immediate release: July 1, 2008                                                           Contact: Christopher Falkenhagen
                                                                                                                            Communications: (410) 260-4511

MHEC June Report to Governor O'Malley

June 1-24: MHEC Marketing and Outreach manager and MHEC Director of Communications worked with staff and all of Maryland’s two-year and four-year public and independent colleges and universities to produce one of its most comprehensive and important publications: College 411: A Student Guide to Higher Education and Financial Aid in Maryland. This includes a letter supporting higher education from Governor O’Malley and Secretary Lyons as well as information on Maryland’s colleges and universities, grants, scholarship and financial aid and academic programs.

June 1-3: Secretary Lyons attended the Making Opportunity Affordable Grant Program Academy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The Lumina Foundation is offering a multi-year initiative focused on increasing productivity with the aim of graduating more students. Maryland is one of 11 states invited to submit a one-year planning grant proposal to compete for one of five grants available.

June 1-7, 2008: MHEC’s Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) held Distinguished Scholar Talent in the Arts Competition. Applicants for the DS Scholarship audition before judges who are professionals in dance, drama, instrumental music, vocal music and visual arts. Approximately 700 students auditioned.

June 3 and 9, 2008: Staff met with the Health Services Cost Review Commission and the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) to discuss how the Nurse Support Program (NSP) II and MHA’s “Who Will Care?” initiative can complement each other. The expansion of NSP II and ways to gather input from interested parties about the program were also discussed.

June 5, 2008: OSFA held sessions with college students to review prototypes of the New State Student Financial Aid System. Students gave positive feedback and good suggestions for the prototypes.

June 6, 2008: Secretary Lyons met with the Morgan State University Board of Regents.

June 9, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended the Maryland Military Installation Meeting.

June 10, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended a meeting of the Governor’s P-20 Council of which he is a member.

June 10, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education (Bohanan Commission). Secretary Lyons is a member of this Commission and MHEC is the staffing agency.

June 12, 2008: Secretary Lyons testified before the legislative Joint Committee on BRAC to discuss in detail how MHEC is working to ensure that workers relocating to Maryland have the best postsecondary educational and workforce opportunities available to them. He told the legislators that “MHEC is ready for BRAC.” Secretary Lyons also introduced MHEC’s new BRAC coordinator to the legislative panel.

June 12, 2008: Finance Policy staff met with Morgan State University to discuss the development of new funding peers for the institution since their Carnegie Classification has changed from a Masters Large Institution to a Doctoral/Research Institution.

June 12, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended the Security Integration Sub-Cabinet Meeting.

June 12, 2008: Secretary Lyons was guest speaker and presenter of awards at the STAR Scholarship Foundation Board award presentation.  STAR is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which is all volunteer and more than 98 percent of all money it receives goes to scholarships and merit awards to middle school and high school students.

June 12, 2008: Secretary Lyons was guest speaker at the Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce dinner where he discussed Governor O’Malley’s One Maryland Message and BRAC initiatives.

June 12, 2008: Director of Communications attended Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation where Governor O’Malley received “Sportsmen’s Best Friend of the Year” award. He discussed what MHEC’s mission is and how it serves the higher education community with various legislators and their friends and supporters.

June 13, 2008: Secretary Lyons was guest on Bowie State University’s President’s Update with President Mickey Burnim. Secretary Lyons discussed important MHEC initiatives and the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

June 14-15, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended the Millennium Leadership Initiative Conference where he gave a speech at the Inaugural Marie McDemmond Lecture. Dr. McDemmond was the first woman to serve as the chief executive officer of a four-year state-supported university in Virginia.

June 16, 2008: Secretary Lyons was opening speaker at the first MHEC Student Loan Forum in which a series of expert panelists discussed the current state of the student loan and financial aid industry.

June 16, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended the Millennium Leadership Initiative Reception and Dinner.

June 17, 2008: Secretary Lyons and Communications Director traveled to Chestertown, MD for Capital for a Day. The itinerary for the day included Governor O’Malley’s cabinet meeting at Chesapeake College; a meet and greet with Washington College President Baird Tipson; a lunch with Cecil College president Steven Pannill and two of the College’s Board of Trustee members; a visit to Washington College’s C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience with State Archivist Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse and Washington College students; a visit to Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society with its director and students. The day ended at Chesapeake College where Secretary Lyons met with President Stuart Bounds, deans and several members of the school’s board of trustees. Secretary Lyons also toured the regional higher education center located on Chesapeake College’s campus.

June 17, 2008: OSFA Staff attended a webinar presented by the U.S. Department of Education regarding recent legislation passed to reduced/assist with college costs.

June 18, 2008: Staff attended the full MHEC meeting with commissioners and presented numerous proposals for approval. All received unanimous approval from the commissioners.

June 20, 2008: The Community College Supplemental Retirement Workgroup met to discuss issues relating to the oversight and administration of the Supplemental Retirement Program, as well as what entity should be considered the employing institution for the Program.

June 23, 2008: Finance Policy Assistant Secretary and staff met with the financial aid directors of the independent institutions to discuss student loan issues and State financial aid programs.

June 23, 2008: Secretary Lyons and Planning and Academic Affairs staff met with Maryland Digital Library representatives.

June 25, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board quarterly meeting. Secretary Lyons is a member of GWIB.

June 26-27, 2008: Finance Policy Assistant Secretary participated in the Nurse Education Capacity Summit in Crystal City, VA. This event was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). It brought together individuals from 18 states to discuss and exchange information on nursing initiatives and provided time for state teams to discuss initiatives to implement in their respective states to address the nursing shortage.

June 27: The Second Maryland-Anhui Presidents’ Forum on Higher Education was kicked off by Secretary Lyons, his Anhui counterpart, Mr. Zhang Rongguo, First Deputy Director General Anhui Provincial Education Department, and acting-Secretary of State Dennis Schnepfe. Both Secretary Lyons and Secretary Schnepfe brought greetings from Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, saying the administration was strongly supportive of the mission and vision of the forum held at UMBI in Baltimore City.

Private Career Schools

• One new program was approved in Infant and Toddler Education (Montessori Studies) and one in make up artistry.
• One cease and desist letter was issued to an illegally operating training provider.
• Hosted a Veterans Affairs-State Approval Agency (VA-SAA) Certifying Official workshop on June 16 for eligible private career school officials (training veterans under the GI Bill).
• Performed eight school visits, four of which were SAA Supervisory Visits for Veterans Affairs.
• Held the Secretary’s Advisory Council Meeting to review new school applications and changes of ownership on behalf of the Secretary of Higher Education.
• Met with a training provider to discuss compliance with state regulations.
• Continued project to update technology used to store closed school transcripts.
• Concluded plans for annual report data collection.
• Records from Closed Institutions of Postsecondary Education: Responded to 40 requests for records from closed schools.

Workforce Development / WIA

• Dean Kendall, Associate Director for Workforce Development represented MHEC at six workforce committee meetings.
• Mr. Kendall, acting as MHEC Workforce Development staff support for the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education, attended four meetings.
• Mr. Kendall represented MHEC at the GWIB “Raising the Bar” Conference on June 17.
• On June 20, Mr. Kendall participated in the first of many meetings over the next year as a member of the NGA Policy Academy on State Sector Strategies (Innovative Workforce Policies to Address Worker and Employer Needs).
• Mr. Kendall performed multiple reviews for MSDE Career and Technical Education supplemental funding as well as annual reporting analysis on Frederick County.
• David Jorgenson, Education Analyst, currently reviewing all Community College continuing education courses for regulatory FTE eligibility – fiscal close-out by June 30 with data entry accomplished by Alice Legum.
Mr. Jorgenson continues to work with MHEC IT staff to develop a viable process for continuing education course applications to be available online, and to make the MHEC inventory of continuing education courses publicly viewable online.

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 325,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.