Funding To Meet The Need For Community College Education In Baltimore City

Author : Abell Foundation
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 89 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (16 download)

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Download or read book Baltimore City Community College written by Abell Foundation and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) represents the only chance for many Baltimore City residents to obtain a post-secondary education, find a job with a career path, and earn a sufficient income to support a family. BCCC is also a critical linchpin in Baltimore's ability to build a competitive workforce. Yet the college, with 7,300 credit students, has generally graduated fewer than 270 students each year, a reflection of the insufficient academic foundation that students bring to the college. At the same time, BCCC represents a sizable State investment. Unlike other Maryland community colleges which rely on the State for approximately one-third of their public funding and local governments for the rest, BCCC receives two-thirds of its public dollars directly from the State, Adding to these State dollars local and federal support, a projected $76 million for Fiscal Year 2005 is taxpayer-funded. Yet this State funding is not linked to any true State oversight, and failures of reform efforts to strengthen BCCC have severely limited the returns on taxpayer investment in the institution. Based on the stakes of a successful BCCC and the college's inability to fulfill its potential, this report concludes that significant changes are required at BCCC, starting with a reconfiguration of its Board of Trustees. The report recommends that Maryland's governor replace BCCC's Board with one whose members represent the necessary skills and experience, particularly a solid understanding of K-12 and higher education and workforce development, to ensure sound management of the institution. Additionally, the report recommends that the State designate an external level of accountability for BCCC's Board by: (1) appointing ex-officio members to the BCCC Board; (2) requesting that the Blue Ribbon Panel on Higher Education place considerable focus on BCCC in its examination of higher education needs in Maryland; and (3) commencing a dialogue among the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Mayor, officials of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and state budget leaders about the State's investment in BCCC, and how it can best ensure a return on taxpayer investment. This issue of the bi-monthly "The Abell Report also includes "Abell Salutes", recognizing BEST (Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust) for its efforts "to increase educational opportunities for academically talented, economically disadvantaged African American students from the Baltimore metropolitan area. (Contains 30 footnotes.).