Maryland Higher Education Commission

September 2009 Press Release

 

 

For immediate release: September 11, 2009                            Media Contact: Christopher Falkenhagen
                                                                                                             Communications: (410) 260-4511

                                                                                                             cfalkenh@mhec.state.md.us

 

August 2009 MHEC Report for Governor O'Malley

August 1, 2009: Secretary Lyons sent letters to the presidents of all colleges and universities in the State requesting nominations for student representatives to the Student Advisory Council of the Maryland Higher Education Commission and to the Maryland Youth Council.

August 3, 2009: Secretary Lyons met with Director of Finance Policy to discuss budget issues within the agency.

August 4, 2009: Secretary Lyons met with senior staff to discuss and announce budget cuts within the agency.

August 4, 2009: MHEC representatives, including Director of Finance and Director of Academic Affairs met at the USM Hagerstown Higher Education Center to continue the review of the Center. This meeting focused on the goals of the Center, the impact of the Center and presentations by government and business leaders on the economic development, benefit and impact of the Center.

August 4, 2009: Director of Communications met with Director of Office of Information Systems and Information Systems Specialist to discuss implementing the Department of Information Technology’s (DOIT) official legal tagline for the deaf and disabled which is: “Visitors who are hard of hearing, deaf or speech-disabled and who use a TTY or text telephone can contact MHEC via Maryland Relay (Dial 7-1-1 or 800-735-2258).”

August 6, 2009: Secretary Lyons participated in unveiling of Investing in STEM to Secure Maryland’s Future: Final Report of the Governor’s STEM Task Force. The STEM Task Force was divided into three workgroups: STEM education, STEM workforce development, and translational research and economic development. Each workgroup studied and developed recommendations in its assigned area. The Task Force then came together reaching broad consensus on the most essential steps Maryland must take, grounding its recommendations in evidence-based research reports and analysis of state data.

August 6, 2009: Secretary Lyons met with Secretary of the Department of Disabilities Cathy Raggio to discuss disability, diversity data collection in the State Plan for Postsecondary Education.

August 6, 2009: Director of Finance Policy attended meeting to discuss Morgan State University’s capital budget at the DBM Office of Capital Budget.

August 6-7, 2009: The work group writing the grant proposal for the Lumina Making Opportunity Affordable program met to finalize the substance of the submission. Letters of support are being collected for a completed proposal, which is due to Lumina no later than September 11, 2009.

August 6, 2009: Director of Communications attended Smart, Green and Growing meeting with his communications colleagues in other State agencies. An environmental justice presentation was made by MDE and WBAL television presented a possible partnership with the State and its new “Maryland Green” initiative.

August 7, 2009: Director of Finance Policy visited Bowie State University in conjunction with the Departments of Budget and Management and Legislative Services.

August 7, 2009: Director of Communications and GEAR-UP/CPIP Coordinator attended Governor O’Malley’s Summer Internship Program presentations at the State House. Both the Director of Communications and Assistant Secretary for Finance Policy mentored Governor’s summer interns over the summer and both proved to be outstanding additions to the agency. They made great individual contributions on their own. They were creative, energetic and confident in their own abilities to work with seasoned professionals. The presentations made to Governor O’Malley and Director of Policy John Ratliff were well-done, well-presented, informative and interesting.

August 12-14, 2009: Secretary Lyons and MHEC Vice Chair Dr. Donald Slowinski represented the agency at the Maryland Association of Counties’ (MACo) annual summer conference. During the meeting, Secretary Lyons participated in the Lt. Governor’s BRAC Workforce Panel and attended several break-out sessions as well as attending Governor O’Malley’s keynote speech to end the conference.

August 13, 2009: Outreach Committee met with producer from Maryland Public Television to discuss details on a program MPT and MHEC will produce jointly entitled You Can Afford College. It is set to debut in January and will feature interviews with MHEC officials, financial aid experts from colleges and five college students who will explain how they applied for financial aid and how they benefited from it. Funds for the program will be paid for by USAFunds.

August 14, 2009: Director of Communications sent out 20 Twitter notifications which included new University System of Maryland institutions that had joined the Green registry, the link to each school on the Green Registry, information on what the Green Registry is and how organizations can join, and a link and explanation of Governor O’Malley’s Smart, Green and Growing initiative. The DOC does this every time a Maryland college or university joins the Green Registry.

August 14, 2009: Director of Communications working with colleagues at MDE, officially began work on including the Maryland Chamber of Commerce in a major press event promoting Green Registry sometime in September. DOC has been working to get the Maryland Chamber to join the Green Registry for two months as well as all of Maryland’s two- and four-year public and independent colleges and universities.

August 17, 2009: Secretary Lyons and Director of Government Affairs had productive meeting with officials from the Office of Minority Health.

August 18, 2009: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Academic Affairs and Director of Research met with representatives of the College Board to discuss Maryland’s annual report.

August 19, 2009: Secretary Lyons addressed the Maryland Fire-Rescue Education and Training Commission meeting at MHEC. In his remarks, the Secretary spoke about Governor O’Malley’s three S’s (security, skills and sustainability). He indicated that the administration is taking citizens’ suggestions to “fix” the budget quite seriously and that this was an important source of input.

August 19, 2009: Secretary Lyons met with Asuntha Chiang-Smith, Executive Director for BRAC to discuss upcoming higher education issues and events regarding BRAC.

August 19, 2009: Secretary Lyons, Assistant Secretary of Planning and Academic Affairs, Director of Research and Director of Legislative Affairs welcomed 26 visitors from Guangzhou University located in Guangzhou, China to discuss how higher education operates in Maryland.

August 19, 2009: Director of Finance Policy visited University of Maryland University College in conjunction with the Departments of Budget and Management and Legislative Services.

August 20, 2009: Secretary Lyons and Director of Communications joined in a conference call with the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Arne Duncan as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebilius and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss guidance CDC is issuing to assist colleges and universities in preparing for and preventing H1N1 flu. Secretary Lyons then e-mailed Chief of Staff Michael Enright to ask him how MHEC should do anything in particular to best go about educating Maryland’s campuses and universities about the H1N1 flu.

August 21, 2009: Per Secretary Lyons’ e-mail to Michael Enright, Andrew Lauland, the Governor’s Director of Homeland Security, responded that he had touched base with DHMH and the department indicated that one of their primary goals for colleges and universities is that the Governor’s office, DHMH and MHEC strongly encourage/advocate for the student health unit and every State college and university to go to DHMH’s website and pre-register to become a vaccination site. DHMH’s link that Mr. Lauland passed on to Secretary Lyons is:http://www.dhmh.state.md.us./swineflu/h1n1registration.html).

August 21, 2009: Per Secretary Lyons’ request, Director of Communications sent Mr. Lauland’s e-mail as well as a personal note to all Maryland colleges and university presidents to respond back to him if they had pre-registered as a vaccination site. Several institutions such as Bowie State, Frostburg, UMBC and Carroll Community College responded back to Secretary Lyons that they pre-registered as a vaccination site.

August 24, 2009: Secretary Lyons joined Governor O’Malley, Lt. Governor Brown and Secretary Colmers at a wide-ranging press conference at Prince George’s Community College in which the governor discussed how the State is preparing for the H1N1 flu and also to praise the new health center on PGCC’s campus.

August 24, 2009: Director of Finance Policy visited Stevenson University and Towson University in conjunction with the Departments of Budget and Management and Legislative Services.

August 25, 2009: Secretary Lyons and Director of Communications attended press conference held by Governor O’Malley to discuss reductions he was planning to present to the Board of Public Works on August 26.

August 25, 2009: Director of Finance Policy visited Hood College and the University of Maryland in conjunction with the Departments of Budget and Management and Legislative Services.

August 26, 2009: Conducted analysis of reductions to Sellinger and Cade programs following cost containment adjustments by Governor O’Malley.

August 26, 2009: Director of Communications, Director of Office of Student Financial Assistance and Associate Director of Student Financial Assistance participated in conference call with Joce Sterman of ABC Channel 2 news in Baltimore. Ms. Sterman is doing a story on legislative scholarships, which have always been controversial, to describe the program and how MHEC administers it. Only facts, no opinions were given to reporter.

August 27, 2009: Secretary Lyons and Director of Communications attended Capital for a Day in Cecil County. They visited with Cecil College President Stephen Pannill, deans, student leaders and board of trustees members, visited the Chesapeake Full Service Realty, LLC – a private career school over which MHEC has oversight and Secretary Lyons participated in the governor’s full cabinet meeting.

August 27, 2009: Director of Finance Policy attended College Savings Plan of Maryland board meeting.

August 31, 2009: Director of Finance Policy visited University of Maryland College Park in conjunction with the Departments of Budget and Management and Legislative Services.

Private Career Schools

• Associate Director for Workforce Development and acting as a Private Career School Education Analyst, visited the following institutions:
• 8/4: Biotechnical Institute (relocation site visit)
• 8/12: Baltimore School of Massage (VA Supervisory visit)
• 8/12: Omega Studios’ School of Applied Recording (VA Supervisory visit)
• 8/27: Camelot Real Estate Academy (relocation)
• Three PCS Changes of Ownership (DATS schools)
• 8/31: Associate Director for Workforce Development met with Bartender of America Bartending School (Annual Report)
• Held Private Career School Secretary’s Advisory Council meeting to review new school.
• Three school approvals renewed.
• Eleven new programs approved.
• One school name change approved.
• Three state school compliance visits conducted.
• Three meetings with school officials or applicants.

Community College Continuing Education

• 8/21/09: Associate Director for Workforce Development attended the MCCACET meeting of continuing education VPs and Deans, presenting the updated Continuing Education Manual and CC-10 online process.
• ONGOING: Associate Director for Workforce Development, in conjunction with MHEC IT staff, is close to completing the development of a paperless process for continuing education course applications for FTE funding to be available online. Ultimately, this online process will allow the MHEC inventory of continuing education courses to be publicly viewable online. Testing will occur throughout FY2010, with the anticipated date for going paperless as March 1, 2010.
• ONGOING: The Community College Continuing Education Manual has been updated and distributed to the community colleges for review.

Workforce Development / WIA

• 8/6 Associate Director for Workforce Development, attended one workforce related meeting (GWIB-DLLR workgroup meeting to discuss WIA State List performance standards).

Records from Closed Institutions of Postsecondary Education

Administrative Support Aide, under Associate Director for Workforce Development’s signature, responded to 21 requests for transcripts from closed schools and 7 education verification requests.

Office of Grants

• August 5, 2009 - College Preparation Intervention Program (CPIP) Grant Program: Awarded grants to 10 colleges and universities to provide mathematics and science academic services to the Maryland GEAR UP cohort students.

• August 5, 2009 - Improving Teacher Quality Grant Program (ITQ): Conducted technical assistance workshop to assist potential applications with understanding the requirements of the Request for Applications.

• August 7, 2009: Conducted orientation session for three new Governor’s Policy Fellows.

• August 27, 2009 - Maryland College Access Challenge Grant Program (MCACGP): Awarded grants to 13 nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County to provide college outreach services to middle school students.

• August 20, 2009 - Nurse Support Program II (NSP II): Distributed nominations solicitation information for the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship for FY2010.

Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA)

• Notifications were mailed to all public and independent high schools and post secondary institutions announcing the availability of OSFA staff to conduct State financial aid presentations and to distribute State financial aid publications.

• Awards were completed for the FY 2010 Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraqi Conflicts Scholarship and Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship programs.

• Revisions to OSFA’s College 411 publications for FY 2010-2011 were completed and submitted to vendor for printing.
 

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 337,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.

 

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