Baltimore City Community College: A Long Way to Go. Two Years Yield Few Meaningful Reforms, Underscore Deep-Seated Challenges Facing City Residents' Largest Provider of Post-Secondary Education

Abell Foundation. 111 South Calvert Street Suite 2300, Baltimore, MD 21202. Tel: 410-545-1300; Fax: 410-539-6579; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.abell.org

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African American Students; Community Colleges; Educational Change; Metropolitan Areas; Governing Boards; Educational Opportunities; Urban Schools; Educational Quality; Access to Education; Labor Force Development; Graduation Rate; College Preparation; Financial Support; State Aid; Federal Aid; Taxes; Trustees; Governance; Accountability; Leadership Responsibility; Educational Needs; Educational Finance; Disadvantaged Youth; Developmental Programs; Student Needs; Program Implementation; Nursing Education; Mathematics Education; At Risk Students

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. (Contains 146 endnotes.) [For supporting document, see ED505858.]

ERIC

2009

ED505855