ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 3, 2011) – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that Maryland has won a $1 million award from the Complete College America Completion Innovation Challenge.
A national organization that works with states to boost college completion, Complete College America established the grant competition to support state-level efforts. Governors from all 50 states were invited to submit proposals to win one of only ten $1 million Complete College America grants. Ultimately, 33 states submitted proposals, and the winners were chosen based on which states proposed the most innovative, high-impact initiatives.
“It is more important than ever to ensure that Marylanders earn their degrees,” said Governor O’Malley. “This grant award will go a long way toward helping our State’s higher education institutions implement strategies to eliminate barriers to completion and help students get the degrees they need to compete and win in the new economy.”
A national organization that works with states to boost college completion, Complete College America established the grant competition to support state-level efforts. Governors from all 50 states were invited to submit proposals to win one of only ten $1 million Complete College America grants. Ultimately, 33 states submitted proposals, and the winners were chosen based on which states proposed the most innovative, high-impact initiatives.
“It is more important than ever to ensure that Marylanders earn their degrees,” said Governor O’Malley. “This grant award will go a long way toward helping our State’s higher education institutions implement strategies to eliminate barriers to completion and help students get the degrees they need to compete and win in the new economy.”
Maryland’s winning grant proposal focused on two key projects aimed at increasing the number of Marylanders who complete Associate and Bachelor’s degrees. The Developmental Math Course Redesign Project will transform remedial and developmental mathematics courses, particularly at community colleges and Historically Black Institutions (HBIs), so that many more students can move onto college-level mathematics in a timely manner. Research shows that remedial mathematics serves as a major roadblock to students completing their degrees. The ADAPTS (Associates Degree Award for Pre-Degree Transfer Students) Project will help students obtain their Associate degree if they transfer to a four-year institution before receiving that degree. Currently, more than 500 Marylanders earn their associate’s degree after they transfer from a community college to a four-year college or university.
The grant will be administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) with a CCA state team that includes representatives from the Governor’s Office, the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, and the Maryland State Department of Education.
Governor O’Malley has set a statewide attainment goal that, by 2025, at least 55 percent of the State’s residents aged 25-64 will hold at least one degree. In addition, the State has joined a number of national policy initiatives that support Maryland’s state-specific goals, and partnerships with Complete College America, the Lumina Foundation, and the National Governors Association’s Complete to Compete Initiative.
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