Maryland Higher Education Commission

September 2008 Press Release

 

 

For Immediate Release: September 1, 2008                                           Media Contact: Christopher Falkenhagen

                                                                                                                           Communications: 410-260-4511

MHEC August Report to Governor O'Malley

August 1, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy participated in the Appropriate Shares Workgroup of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education.

August 4-5: MHEC officials participated in site visits at UMBC and Towson University with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

August 5, 2008: Secretary Lyons addressed the NorthEast Alliance Summer Research Program for Underrepresented Students at the University of Connecticut resulting in him encouraging college junior and seniors to pursue doctoral degrees in Maryland.

August 6, 2008: Communications Director participated in a BRAC marketing meeting led by Asuntha Chiang-Smith with colleagues from other State agencies to encourage people affected by BRAC re-location efforts at Fort Monmouth (NJ) and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to move to Maryland.

August 7, 2008: The University of Maryland at College Park hosted an all day workshop for high school juniors and seniors on preparing for college. A financial aid presentation was given by staff from MHEC’s Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).

August 7, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy met with Department of Human Resources officials to discuss legislation expanding the Foster Care Tuition Waiver.

August 7, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy met with the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to discuss BRAC Higher Education Investment Fund Request for Applications.

August 8, 2008: Secretary Lyons and MHEC BRAC Coordinator attended and participated in a BRACStats Planning Meeting with Asuntha Chiang-Smith, Executive Director of Maryland’s BRAC Subcabinet.

August 8, 2008: Secretary Lyons was Speaker at Tuskegee International Celebration.

August 10-12, 2008: Grants Director participated in the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) national meeting of Title II State Directors to assist in the national effort to document the impact of the Improving Teacher Quality programs and create a guidebook of new program administrators.

August 11, 2008: Issued Request for Applications (RFA) for the College Preparation Intervention Program. Grants will be awarded to institutions of higher education to support eligible Maryland GEAR-UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) -- Focus on Math sites. Maryland GEAR UP is a federally funded early intervention program administered by the Maryland State Department of Education.

August 12, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy represented Secretary Lyons on the Task Force to Review Physician Shortages in Rural Areas.

August 13-August 16: Secretary Lyons attended MACo Annual Summer Conference. He joined Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and MHEC BRAC Coordinator as a panelist to discuss BRAC re-location efforts in Maryland and how MHEC is helping in these endeavors. Secretary Lyons also promoted agency overall agency efforts to various county and State officials present at the conference in addition to being in attendance at Governor O’Malley’s speech.

August 15, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy met with the Community College President in Ocean City to discuss the Community College Supplemental Retirement Workgroup recommendation to introduce legislation during the 2009 General Assembly Session to define the community colleges as the employing institution for the purposes of the Supplemental Retirement Program.

August 18, 2008: MHEC Segmental Advisory Council met to discuss BRAC Transfer Agreements, Articulation Agreements, and Plans for Programs of Cultural Diversity through passage of House Bill 905, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) visits to various Maryland universities to review facilities among other important issues.

August 20, 2008: OSFA staff participated in a successful College Fair at Fort Meade.

August 21, 2008: Secretary Lyons and Communications Director attended Capital for a Day in Pocomoke City. Secretary Lyons participated in cabinet meeting, attended Governor’s press conference and visited presidents, vice presidents, deans and board of trustees members at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Salisbury University and Wor-Wic Community College.

August 20, 2008: Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy and MHEC BRAC coordinator participated in the Economic Competitiveness/Workforce Workgroup meeting of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education.

August 25, 2008: Awarded scholarships to 350 Distinguished Scholar finalists, semifinalists and honorable mention students. Also awarded all eligible applicants (156) including wait-list students, for the Edward T. Conroy Scholarship.

August 26, 2008: MHEC sponsored the William D. Schaefer Scholarship awards ceremony. Twenty-five recipients were recognized and presented scholarship certificates. Secretary Lyons and Mr. Mark Wasserman, Vice President of External Affairs and Development, University of Maryland Medical Systems (and former Chief of Staff to Governor Schaefer), addressed the attendees. The members of the Schaefer scholarship advisory committee were recognized and awarded Governor’s Citations.

August 29, 2008: Drafted Request for Applications (RFA) for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Higher Education Investment Fund.

August 29, 2008: Secretary Lyons participated in Adult Education Transition Committee.

Private Career Schools (PCS)

• Performed seven VA supervisory visits
• Performed three state visits
• Performed one new school site visit
• Performed two school relocation site visit
• Performed one new classroom site visit
• Met with/counseled four private career schools
• Approved one new school
• Approved one school change of location
• Approved new classrooms for two schools
• Held PCS Secretary’s Advisory Council meeting to review three new school applications and one change of ownership.

Workforce Development / WIA

• Dean Kendall, Associate Director for Workforce Development, represented MHEC at an August 7th workforce committee meeting.
• On August 19th and 25th, Mr. Kendall, acting as MHEC Workforce Development staff support, attended an Economic and Workforce Workgroup meeting for the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education.
• ONGOING: David Jorgenson, Education Analyst, reviews on a daily basis all Community College continuing education courses for regulatory FTE eligibility.
Mr. Jorgenson, in conjunction with MHEC IT staff, has implemented a test version for a process for continuing education course applications to be available online. This will also allow the MHEC inventory of continuing education courses to be 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 326,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.