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

experienced a slight dip this year. Indicator 4, the market share of recent college bound high
school graduates dipped slightly in 2008 (from 67.5% to 66.1%). CSM offers high school visits
and College Fairs to increase the proportion of the service area high school population attracted
to the college. Other targeted activities include skills assessment testing in the high schools, and
financial aid workshops in each of the three county public school systems. The Better Education
Together initiative (BET) launched in 2008 should begin to show a positive impact. BET,
chaired by the CSM President and the County School Superintendents, established teams staffed
with executives and student services personnel from both the college and the public schools who
explore problems and create solutions together. The BET teams have developed detailed plans
that identify common goals and objectives for student preparedness and success. The Energetics
Program is part of a new initiative by CSM directed at recent high school graduates interested in
pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A hallmark of
the program is the inclusion of a mentorship or pairing of each student with a local scientist who
works in the field. The Energetics Program’s Inaugural year began the fall semester with 22
scholarship awards from Charles, St. Mary’s and Calvert counties.
The College of Southern Maryland and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD)
signed an Education Partnership Agreement to develop a pipeline for students to advance from
academic studies to employment within national security industries in Southern Maryland. The
partnership develops the framework for interaction between CSM students and faculty, area
elementary, middle and high school students and teachers, and NAWCAD scientists and
mentors. It identifies students with an interest in science while they are in elementary school, and
will provide learning and internship opportunities for them through college. Among the
possibilities addressed in the agreement, NAWCAD may transfer or lend defense laboratory
equipment to CSM, involve CSM faculty and students in ongoing laboratory research projects,
offer visits, tours, and demonstrations to CSM students, and provide summer and sabbatical
positions at NAWCAD for CSM faculty and staff. In addition, the Naval Air Systems Command
(NAVAIR) Fellows will be working with CSM faculty on projects and experiences for the
students.
Online and Web-hybrid courses provide an opportunity for students to further their education at a
time convenient for them, expanding CSM’s reach and giving students greater access to higher
education. Online offerings at CSM are in high demand. Recommendations by the CSM
Distance Learning Task Force which addressed the increasing selection of courses, sections, and
programs offered through online delivery were implemented. Credit enrollment is well above
the benchmark with non-credit offerings just six enrollments from reaching the benchmark. Both
credit and non-credit online course enrollments show steady growth in the years reported
(Indicator 5) despite the slight decrease in non-credit offerings in 2007 which resulted from an
interruption in delivering Ed2Go offerings. Ed2Go classes are non-credit online 6 week classes
on various personal enrichment and workforce development topics. Ed2Go accounted for the
majority of online non-credit enrollments.
Many students offset college costs through federal and state grants and loans (Indicator D). In
FY 2008, slightly more students received some type of financial aid than in the previous fiscal
year (22% in FY 2007, 24% in FY 2008). Additionally, in FY 2008 a slightly larger percentage
of students were Pell Grant recipients (12% in FY 2007; 13% in FY 2008). The college makes
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