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

usiness training. The college’s business processes and operations are managed through a
centralized administrative management database, and access to registration, grades, financial aid,
schedule information, and communication is provided on the web. The college’s Technology
Advisory Board, consisting of Howard County business and technology leaders, provides input
for planning programs and campus technology initiatives, developing partnerships, and securing
resources. Major technology initiatives this year included the upgrade of the college email
system, giving students and staff increased functionality and file storage capacity, replacement of
more than 900 computers for students and staff, facility renovation and upgrade of technology
infrastructure in the network operations center, and deployment of computing resources for a
new radiologic technology lab. The implementation of Colleague Advancement, which integrates
with the administrative enterprise system to support institutional development processes was
recently completed. Other planned initiatives that will be completed in the next couple of months
include the installation of a new phone system will allow utilization of voice-over Internet
Protocol (IP) technology and result in decreased operating costs. Together, these improvements
enhance the college’s business processes. Additionally, the Center for Digital Education, in
connection with the American Association of Community Colleges, ranked Howard Community
College sixth in the country (within the category of large community colleges) for use and
deployment of technology services to students, faculty, and staff.
The college partners with both four-year institutions and public high schools to enhance its
student-centered teacher education learning programs in support of a statewide initiative. In
addition to the College of Notre Dame at the Laurel College Center (LCC), HCC partners with
the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) to provide over 400 students each year with
field experience required for teacher education courses. HCC continues outreach to students in
teacher academy classes at 11 Howard County high schools and accepts up to six articulated
credits for students who complete the high school teacher academy or early childhood
development coursework and then enroll at HCC as a teacher education major. An MSDE grant
for Child Care Career and Professional Development provides teacher education students
working on two- or four-year degrees tuition, fees, and books at no cost, providing they agree to
work in an approved child care program while attending college and upon graduation. Each fall
HCC invites teacher education majors, HCPSS high school students in teacher academy classes,
paraeducators, child care providers, and career changers to attend a teacher education transfer
fair, with workshops on HCC’s teacher education programs, the HCPSS hiring process, and
financial aid information.
To improve affordability and minimize financial barriers to higher education, HCC processed
more than $8.8 million in funding, consisting of grants, scholarships, and student loans to more
than 2,600 students in FY09. Over $605,000 came from institutional operating funds allocated for
need-based grants. In addition to funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the college
provided more than $70,000 to fund student employment opportunities, and the HCC Educational
Foundation provided over $275,000 for student scholarships.
Quality and Effectiveness: Student Satisfaction, Progress, and Achievement
The college is dedicated to student success and lifelong learning in the pursuit of personal and
professional goals. An important measure of successful learning is goal achievement, and rates of
graduate satisfaction with educational goal achievement have been high, ranging from 94 to 98
percent. A survey of 2008 graduates is currently underway. Non-returning student satisfaction
with educational goal achievement declined by less than one percentage point for the spring 2007
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