February 1, 2012

15 Howard Community College Students to Travel by Bus at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 9, to Meet with Legislators to Seek Increased Support for FY 13 Operating, Capital Funds

9 a.m. Kickoff Event in Miller Senate Office Building (Presidential Conference Room), 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis, Maryland 

(Followed by student group visits with state legislators)

(Columbia, MD) – Hundreds of students from Maryland’s 16 community colleges will head to the State Capital to meet with lawmakers and to urge them to boost operating and capital funding for the state’s two-year colleges, whose budgets have been hit hard at the state and county level, for the past five years. The Governor’s proposed FY 2013 operating budget includes a modest increase this year of $4.7 million in state aid, but it would be more than offset by a proposed shift in pension costs to counties, which would amount to $9.5 million. Among the many in attendance will be 15 students from Howard Community College who will leave campus for Annapolis by bus at 7:00 a.m. outside of The Rouse Company Foundation Student Services Hall (RCF). Following a 9 a.m. kick-off event for all community college students in Annapolis, Howard Community College students will meet personally with their respective delegates and senators between 11:00 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. HCC students will present oversized thank-you cards and Payday candy bars on their visits.

Speakers for the annual Community College Student Advocacy Day kickoff event will include student leaders, key Maryland lawmakers, and community college presidents. After the morning gathering, students will visit the offices of their respective state delegates and senators, from the various county delegations.

While advocating for budget and legislative priorities of their colleges, students also will seek to raise awareness of the important role played by Maryland’s community colleges in higher education and their benefits to the state.

• Community colleges are the gateway to higher education for more students than ever. Half of all undergraduate students in Maryland are now enrolled in the state’s community colleges.
• Increasing the number of students who earn degrees and other credentials is vital to the economic future of the state and nation, and both national and state leaders – beginning with President Obama and Governor O’Malley – have called the completion agenda an economic imperative.
• Maryland’s community colleges are committed to addressing this challenge. In 2012, the Governor’s “Skills2Complete Maryland” agenda calls for a 20 percent increase in degree and certificate attainment.

About HCC

Howard Community College (HCC) is a publicly funded two-year community college serving the educational needs of the citizens and employers in Howard County, Maryland since 1970. With its slogan, “You Can Get There from Here,” the college has forged a variety of partnerships to offer career and transfer programs to nearly 29,000 students annually at its main campus in Columbia, the Ecker Business Training Center, and Laurel College Center. Located midway between two major metropolitan areas, Washington DC and Baltimore, MD, Howard Community College is an affordable, community-based institution that has long been recognized for its ability to inspire learning, and the lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals. Among its many awards is the prestigious U.S. Senate Productivity Award for organizational performance excellence.