2009 Performance Accountability Report Vol. 2 - Maryland Higher ...

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND IMPACT
Following is a summary of Garrett College’s main contributions to the community, including
local employers, schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individuals, in fiscal year
2008.
Residential Facilities: Garrett College has two residential facilities, a 60-bed unit and a 124-bed
unit, which support enrollment in its various programs. Recent enrollment growth resulted in the
need for the 124-bed unit, which opened in fall 2007. These facilities house students during the
academic year but are available during the summer for use by outside groups for conducting
camps, workshops, and other activities where temporary housing is needed.
Learning Resources Center: Garrett’s new Learning Resources Center (Library), which opened
in January 2008, is open to the public and provides the community with access to a wide
selection of print, digital, and electronic resources; wireless internet access; quiet and attractive
study and reading areas; and a professional staff to assist with research needs and other library
support.
Commissioners Scholarship Program: In March 2006, Garrett County’s Board of
Commissioners announced the approval of the Commissioners Scholarship Program, renamed
the Garrett County Scholarship Program, which provides tuition-free education at Garrett
College for all students graduating from Garrett County high schools. This scholarship program
also allows high school seniors to take Garrett College courses tuition-free as part of a dual
enrollment program.
Articulation with Bucknell University: Garrett College continues to be an active partner in
Bucknell University’s Jack Kent Cooke Scholars Program. This program provides 2-3 full
scholarships to Bucknell each year and offers Garrett County students of limited means an
opportunity to attend an elite institution of higher education. Students in the Bucknell Scholars
Program frequently serve as peer role models, with the result that other students are encouraged
to strive for higher academic achievement. The wider community also benefits because this
program brings bright, Ivy League educated individuals back into the community. It also brings
individuals back into the communities who have been exposed to a diversity that has generally
not been present here; thereby increasing the likelihood that acceptance of diversity will spread
to others in the community.
Global Education: Garrett College is not only committed to achieving greater diversity among
its student body but also made the determination that it had to globalize its educational
experience to offset the insularity of life in its rural service region. To assist in achieving these
goals, the College’s Board of Trustees have authorized the administration to grant international
student scholarships in amounts of up to $2,000 per student. Fifteen different countries were
represented at Garrett College during AY08-09. Because Garrett County is not only rural but
also somewhat isolated, its residents have few opportunities to interact with people from other
cultures. In its early stages, international students enrolled in the Global Education Program
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