September Governors Report

October 2008 Press Release

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

September MHEC Report to Governor O'Malley

September 1-30, 2008: Staff from the Office of Student Financial Assistance represented MHEC in outreach activities at John Hopkins Bay View Medical Center, and Edgewood, Largo, Fairmont Heights and Western high schools.

September 1, 2008: MHEC released 90,000 copies of the publication, The 2009-2010 College 411 Student Guide to Higher Education & Financial Aid in Maryland. This publication, printed in English & Spanish, has been mailed to all public and independent high schools, early intervention sites, Private Career Schools (PCSs), all libraries, colleges and universities in the State. Supplies of the publications are also made available on demand to community groups that support higher education initiatives and to support presentations made by MHEC staff.

September 1-30: Communications Director sent out nearly 4,000 congratulations letters from Governor O’Malley to recipients of the Maryland Distinguished Scholar finalist, semi-finalist and honorable mention winners of the Maryland Distinguished Scholar competition held among all public, independent and home school juniors.

September 2, 2008: Secretary Lyons participated in one of several meetings with MHEC staff to discuss MHEC’s FY2010 budget.

September 2, 2008: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy, Assistant Secretary Planning and Academic Affairs and Director of Legislative Affairs reviewed MHEC’s legislative package to be presented to Governor O’Malley. Director of Legislative Affairs then delivered them to the Governor’s office located at 45 Calvert Street.

September 6, 2008: First Lady Catherine “Katie” Curran O’Malley was keynote speaker at MHEC’s most prestigious event of the year, the 2008 Maryland Distinguished Scholars program. This event features dance, musical and theatrical performances and honors Maryland’s best high school seniors, many who will be receiving scholarships to attend Maryland colleges and universities.

September 8, 2008: MHEC’s office of grants assisted with the execution of the Governor’s Grants Office annual statewide professional development conference.

September 8-9, 2008: Secretary Lyons celebrated Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week by attending the 2008 National HBCU Week Conference in Washington, D.C. He presented a proclamation commemorating the event from Governor O’Malley – the only State at the conference that received such recognition from their Governor.

September 10, 2008: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Academic Affairs and Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy as well as numerous other MHEC staffers participated in the MHEC Education Policy Committee Meeting. Items discussed included the Report of the Maryland Teacher Shortage Task Force, recommendation to name Lincoln Technical Institute as a Degree-Granting Institution, and the 2008 Minority Achievement report among others. All recommendations, which were unanimously approved, were presented to the full Commission for approval later in the month.

September 10, 2008: Secretary Lyons and MHEC staff attended the full Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education in which Southern Regional Education Board Executive Director and other Historically Black College Presidents throughout the country presented a preliminary draft on the status of HBCUs in Maryland.

September 11, 2008: Secretary Lyons gathered staff together to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. He mentioned Governor O’Malley’s statement about the day which was released to Communications Director earlier in the day.

September 11, 2008: MHEC’s internal advisory council made up of Secretary Lyons, assistant secretaries, department heads and directors throughout the agency extensively reviewed the MHEC employee handbook which has been recently reviewed and revamped by assistant Attorney General assigned to MHEC.

September 12, 2008: Secretary Lyons was one of two cabinet officials to attend and present an MHEC BRAC update to the Maryland Military Installation Council Meeting. This meeting was also attended by MHEC’s BRAC coordinator, BRAC researcher and Director of Communications.

September 12, 2008: Office of grants held the College Preparation Intervention Program technical assistance meeting. Representatives from 17 institutions of higher education in Maryland attended. Grants will be awarded to support eligible Maryland GEAR UP II – Focus on Math sites.

September 12, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy attended Maryland Association of Community College Business Officers (MACBO) meeting at the College of Southern Maryland to discuss legislative changes to the Supplemental Retirement Fund.

September 13, 2008: Secretary Lyons and Robert Parker, MHEC’s Director of the Office of Student Financial Assistance, participated in the University System of Maryland’s event launching the Way2GoMaryland campaign held at the Maryland Science Center. Approximately 100 students registered for this first event which is targeted to middle school students and how they can prepare early for college. Secretary Lyons delivered remarks.

September 15, 2008: Office of grants awarded 287 GEAR UP I students $1,030,345 in scholarships for the 2008-09 academic year.

September 15, 2008: Secretary Lyons presided over Segmental Advisory Council meeting consisting of representatives of the University System of Maryland (USM), the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA), St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Morgan State University and the Private Career Schools Association. The Council briefly discussed the upcoming State budget, an update on the status of proposed 2009 legislation affecting MHEC and higher education and a presentation of CollegeKeys Compact by Ms. Christen Pollock, Director of Advocacy and Government Relations for the College Board.

September 15, 2008: Assistant Secretary of Finance Policy and Assistant Secretary of Planning and Academic Affairs accompanied officials from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on a site visit to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

September 16, 2008: Secretary Lyons met with representatives of USA Funds, a grant organization which has helped pay for numerous MHEC publications.

September 16, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy represented Secretary Lyons on the Task Force to Review Physician Shortages in Rural Areas. This legislatively mandated task force is discussing recruitment and retention initiatives to provide incentives to physicians to practice in rural areas of the State.

September 16, 2008: Grants Director, BRAC Coordinator and BRAC researcher conducted a RFA Technical Assistance meeting for those interested in submitting grant applications.

September 16, 2008: Office of grants participated in the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Higher Education Investment Fund technical assistance meeting.

September 16, 2008: Assistant Secretary of Planning and Academic Affairs, Director of Finance Policy and Director of Legislative Affairs accompanied officials from OCR on a site visit to Salisbury University.

September 17, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended Capital for a Day events including Governor O’Malley’s cabinet meeting and press conference, meetings with presidents of the University of Maryland University College and the University of Maryland College Park (as well as its Provost) and a tour of the Port Towns of Prince George’s County with his fellow cabinet secretaries.

September 18, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended a BRACStat Meeting with MHEC BRAC coordinator.

September 18, 2008: Finance Policy Committee met to hear from the segments of higher education, including regional higher education centers, regarding their capital and operating budget requests for the upcoming Fiscal Year.

September 19, 2008: Secretary Lyons met with the Mid-Atlantic Association of State Fire Commissioners at their annual meeting held at the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis. He gave brief remarks to the attendees on behalf of Governor O’Malley.

September 19, 2008: Office of grants received 11 applications for the Improving Teacher Quality federal grant program and implemented the proposal review process.

September 22, 2008: Secretary Lyons attended a meeting with officials at Aberdeen Proving Grounds to receive a BRAC update.

September 22, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy participated in meeting of the Economic Competitiveness and Workforce Subcommittee of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education.

September 23, 2008: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Academic Affairs and numerous MHEC Directors and staff members participated in the organizational meeting of the new 2009 State Plan for Postsecondary Education with more than 50 stakeholders in the higher education and business community. The most active endeavor that the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Academic Affairs is leading regarding the coordination for the development of the new State Plan for Higher Education. This Plan will include the Governor's priorities for higher education, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) goals, the career and technology education goals, and emphasis on the base realignment closure (BRAC) opportunities facing Maryland going forward. At present, the new State Plan will be comprised of an update to the 2004 State Plan. A significant discussion regarding the issues that have arisen since 2004 that will have both positive and negative impacts on higher education and refinements to the following goals that were discussed in the 2004 State Plan and how they affect the implementation of:

1. Quality and Effectiveness
2. Access and Affordability
3. Diversity
4. Student-Centered Learning
5. Economic Vitality and Workforce Development

The development of the new State Plan will take place for the remainder of this calendar year and through the first quarter of 2009, to be issued at the June 17, 2009 meeting of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. In many aspects, Governor O’Malley’s One Maryland will be reflected in the new State Plan. The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Academic Affairs is the General Editor for the new State Plan.

September 23-24, 2008: Secretary Lyons met with Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Thomas Perez and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary John M. Colmers.

September 24: Secretary Lyons participated in full MHEC public meeting. Items discussed included the Report of the Maryland Teacher Shortage Task Force and the 2008 Minority Achievement Report among many other items. This was also the first full Commission meeting attended by new member Mark R. Frazer. Numerous MHEC employees including its two assistant secretaries attended the meeting and made substantive presentations to the Commission.

September 24, 2008: Office of grants drafted Request for Applications (RFA) for the Maryland College Access Challenge Grant Program (MCACGP). The MCACGP will fund projects to provide college awareness and career planning activities for low-income, underachieving middle school students and their parents in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County.

September 25, 2008: Secretary Lyons, Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) Executive Director Clay Whitlow, Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) President Tina Bjarekull, MHEC Private Career School Director, Legislative Director, Associate Director of Grants and spoke to a visiting class of graduate students from the University of Maryland describing what MHEC, MACC and MICUA do on a daily basis to ensure that the State’s higher educational system remains one of the best in the nation.

September 25, 208: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy presented to the Department of Budget and Management on the Community College Construction Grant Program.

September 26, 2008: Thirty-two (32) faculty members received the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship. The program addresses the nursing shortage by assisting nursing programs in recruiting and retaining new nursing faculty to produce the additional nursing graduates required by Maryland’s hospitals. Fellows receive $20,000 over a three year period.

September 30, 2008: Secretary Lyons convened a staff meeting of all MHEC employees to brief them on the State budget and ask if anyone had any questions.

September 30, 2008: MHEC Outreach committee met to review various publications that were mailed to high school seniors, juniors and middle school students which provide invaluable information regarding Maryland’s two- and four-year public and independent colleges and Private Career Schools. These include the College 411 A Student Guide to Higher Education and Financial Aid in Maryland (including a full page letter from Governor O’Malley and Secretary Lyons touting Maryland’s outstanding postsecondary institutions); Questions for College; an informational 16-month junior calendar featuring key dates to help prepare students bound for college not to miss important deadlines and other invaluable flyers and mailers.

Private Career Schools
• Performed 10 school visits for VA supervision
• Performed one change of location approval visit
• Met with/counseled two private career schools
• Approval--change of ownership
• Approval—new school, two new programs
• Mr. Kendall, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Jorgenson attended and/or led three State Plan meetings.

Community College Continuing Education
• Processed 116 continuing education course applications for FTE funding.
• Dean Kendall, Associate Director for Workforce Development, represented MHEC at two community college continuing education meetings (9/5 and 9/24)
• Mr. Kendall, in conjunction with MHEC IT staff, continues to develop a test version for a process for continuing education course applications for FTE funding to be available online. This will also allow the MHEC inventory of continuing education courses to be publicly viewable online. The continuing education manual will also be updated and put online when the electronic online application process is complete.

Workforce Development / WIA
• Dean Kendall, Associate Director for Workforce Development, represented MHEC at a September 11-12 ACHIEVE annual conference meeting.
• Mr. Kendall, acting as MHEC Workforce Development staff support, attended four Economic and Workforce workgroup meetings for the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education.
• Mr. Kendall also represented MHEC on 9/4 at Northrop Grumman to help determine best practices for meeting electronic technician needs.
• Mr. Kendall attended five GWIB meetings that included participating on a panel at the Manufacturing Industry Forum (9/10), GWIB Board meeting (9/17), GWIB Interagency Committee (9/18), GWIB Construction Steering Committee (9/23), and GWIB Energy Steering Committee (9/30).

Records from Closed Institutions of Postsecondary Education
Responded to 29 requests for transcripts from closed schools and 10 education verification requests.

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 326,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.