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March
2008 Press
Release
Governor’s Monthly Report from
MHEC for March
Accomplishments and results:
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March 1-31, 2008: Working together as a cohesive unit, all
segments of MHEC’s staff met consistently to review bills
that affect higher education. The bill review committee
agreed to consult with the Governor’s office whether to
support or not support a bill or to write a letter of
concern or letter of information. This resulted in better
communication between the MHEC staff in various departments
and the Governor’s office so we were all on the same page.
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March 1-31, 2008: MHEC staff (most notably Secretary Lyons,
Assistant Secretary Andrea Mansfield, Assistant Secretary
George Reid and Legislative Affairs Director Gareth Murray)
was a constant presence in Annapolis to testify on various
bills of interest to the agency. This resulted in a stronger
relationship with MHEC and members of the General Assembly.
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March 1-31, 2008: Secretary Lyons held bi-weekly meetings
with Assistant Secretaries Mansfield and Reid so that all
three could discuss in-depth, issues affecting MHEC on a
regular basis. This resulted in all three being united in
the course they wanted to take the agency on various key
issues of importance.
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March 14, 2008: MHEC released its job requirements for its
BRAC coordinator on its website. The closing date is April
4, 2008. This resulted in a series of outstanding resumes
coming to Secretary Lyons for review.
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March 14, 2008: Secretary Lyons was the luncheon speaker at
the 11th Annual Historically Black Colleges and University
Conference Summit on Retention in Ocean City. Secretary
Lyons addressed the needs of African-American students
wherever they attend college resulting in an outstanding
reception from conference attendees.
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March 17, 2008: Secretary Lyons was only Cabinet Secretary
to attend the groundbreaking of the Aberdeen Proving Grounds
groundbreaking of their new Army’s Team C4ISR Complex. This
$477 million complex is approximately one million square
feet of administrative and specialized laboratory space for
up to 5,000 personnel. This was a result of an invitation
Secretary Lyons accepted from Deborah T. Devlin, HR Director
from Fort Monmouth and Lisa A. Swoboda, Deputy Director of
Military and Federal Affairs with DBED who met with MHEC’s
Advisory Board on March 10, 2008. The key result of
Secretary Lyons’ attendance was that it showed MHEC’s strong
commitment to BRAC initiatives.
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March 1-31, 2008: Director of Communications Christopher
Falkenhagen in tandem with Ashley Valis in the Governor’s
office has compiled a data base of names of people who serve
on various MHEC advisory councils and ad hoc committees.
Christopher is writing letters of thank you or
congratulations from Governor O’Malley to go out to the
people who have served on these committees. This resulted in
MHEC sending out more than 150 letters with Governor
O’Malley’s signature.
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March 1-31, 2008: MHEC’s Office of Student Financial
Assistance (OSFA) is currently processing student financial
aid scholarships and grants resulting in 90,000 Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms for the
2008-2009 academic year being received by OSFA and 2,000
Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant applications for
the 2008-2009 academic year. This is a result by heavy
promotion by OSFA, the Director of Communications’ office
and MHEC’s Outreach group to get students to file their
FAFSA forms.
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March 1-31, 2008: OSFA also has awarded complete on-time
waiting list of 12 students for the Veterans of Afghanistan
and Iraq Conflicts Scholarship (VAIC) program for 2007-2008
academic year. They previously awarded 129 students. The
Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts Scholarship
Program is designed to provide financial assistance to
United States armed forces personnel who served in the
Afghanistan or Iraq Conflicts, and their sons, daughters, or
spouses attending a Maryland postsecondary institution.
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March 1-31, 2008: Awarded full on-time and late waiting list
of 17 students for the Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship
program for the 2007-2008 academic year. One hundred-five
students were previously awarded. The Conroy Scholarship is
designed to provide financial assistance to sons and
daughters of deceased, missing in action or prisoner of war
United States armed forces personnel, sons and daughters of
deceased public safety personnel, surviving spouses who have
not remarried deceased public safety personnel, disable
public safety personnel and son, daughters and/or surviving
spouses of victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks attending a Maryland postsecondary institution.
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March 25, 2008: Senate Bill 146, which alters the service
obligation for nonresident nursing students receiving a
tuition reduction at a public institution of higher
education and SB 187 which authorizes MHEC to require an
application fee from institutions of postsecondary education
seeking certification to operate in the State were heard in
the House Appropriations Committee. As a result of MHEC
officials’ testimony on these bills, SB 146 (46-1) and SB
187 (47-0) passed out of the Senate with strong votes.
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March 27, 2008: MHEC worked with the University System of
Maryland (USM) and Maryland Association of Community
Colleges to provide a response to SB 967, a proposal by the
legislature to make changes to the Early College Access
grant program and other aspects of early postsecondary
access and high school graduation.
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March 28, 2008: MHEC’s mail house sent out 76,000 MDgo4it
calendars to all of Maryland’s public and independent high
schools. This popular calendar features more than a hundred
tips and websites to inform or remind students what they
should do to be best prepared for the college experience
such as talking with guidance counselors about career plans,
visiting colleges that fit their personalities, asking for
recommendation letters, updating their resumes among
countless others valuable advice. It targets all Maryland
high school juniors.
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March 28, 2008-March 31, 2008: Evangeline Redding, chief aid
to Secretary Mansfield, processed labels, inserted
individual letters and MHEC’s new MDgo4it calendars to
University Presidents (68), every member of the General
Assembly (338), all cabinet members (21) and financial aid
officers (61). Director of Communications Christopher
Falkenhagen dropped off 60 calendars for distribution to all
of Maryland’s Independent colleges and universities to the
Maryland Independent College and University Association
offices on West Street then mailed out 60 calendars to MHEC
Commission members, University System of Maryland public
relations officials and all members of the Segmental
Advisory Council.
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March 1-31, 2008: MHEC served as lead staff to the Committee
on the Education of African-American Males, resulting in the
group now working on pulling together material submitted by
the full committee. A draft will be presented to the P-20
Workgroup later this spring.
Workforce Development / WIA:
Private Career Schools (PCS):
Records from Closed Institutions of Postsecondary Education:
Good news items:
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MHEC awarded $563,318 to six (6) institutions of higher
education through the State’s College Preparation
Intervention Program (CPIP) for the purpose of supporting
eligible Maryland GEAR UP – Focus on Math sites. Maryland
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for
Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded early
intervention program administered by the Maryland State
Department of Education.
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Secretary Lyons sent out congratulatory letters to the
presidents and head coach of all of the Maryland basketball
teams (UMBC, Coppin State, Mt. St. Mary’s men’s teams and
the University of Maryland College Park and Coppin State’s
women’s teams) that made the Division I NCAA tournament.
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November 14, 2011,
our new address is 6
N. Liberty St., Baltimore, MD 21201 | Phone: (410)
767-3301 | Toll Free: (800) 974-0203
