Local business leaders and community members have been working during the 2010-11 academic year to provide input and a fresh perspective to administrators at Hagerstown Community College for use in developing the college’s Strategic Plan 2016.

Co-chaired by John League, editor and publisher of The Herald-Mail, and Carolyn Brooks, immediate past chair of the HCC board of trustees, the Commission on the Future of HCC was given the charge to study relevant data and make informed observations detailing HCC’s performance as a higher educational institution and to make recommendations for improvements as the college moves forward in a rapidly changing world. 

Below are the study groups and the final recommendations of the commission.

Commission on the Future of HCC - Study Groups

Student and Student Affairs Study Group

Co-Chairs: David Engle, Director of the Washington County Department of Social Services and Donna Rudy, HCC Dean of Student Affairs
Committee members:
John Little, HCC’s Student Government Association; David Engle; Donna Rudy; Joan Johnson, HCC faculty; Carol Kreykenbohm-Barnhart, Washington County Public Schools; Sila Bartel, representing the Hispanic community; Leon Brumback, HCC Foundation; and Maureen Grove, Girls Inc.

The Programs and Educational Support Study Group

Co-Chairs: Cassandra Latimer, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Citicorp and Judith Oleks, HCC Vice President of Academic Affairs
Committee members:     
Sean Maher, HCC faculty; Theresa Shank, dean of HCC’s Continuing Education and Business Services Division; Paul Leatherman, HCC Alumni Association; Joe Kroboth, Washington County Government. Seated, from left: Donna Hanlin, WCPS; Cassandra Latimer; Judith Oleks; Dori Nipps, Pen-Mar Development Corporation; Rebecca Massie Lane, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, and Maggie Stone, HCC SGA.

The Finances, Facilities, Human Resources, and Technology Support Study Group

Co-Chairs: Tom Newcomer, President of R. Bruce Carson and Anna Barker, HCC Vice President of Administration and Finance
Committee members:     
Phil Kelly, Millennium 3 Energy; Joe Marschner, HCC faculty; John Itell, Albright, Crumbacker, Moul & Itell; Anna Barker; Tom Newcomer; Sam Cool, Planet Technologies; Jim Ward, D.M. Bowman; and Matthew Vich, HCC SGA.

The Effectiveness and Quality Assurance Study Group

Co-Chairs: Earl Stoner, Washington County Health Officer and Barbara Macht, HCC Dean of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

Committee members:     
Earl Stoner; Rebecca Lake, HCC SGA; Barbara Macht; Tony Valente, HCC faculty; Tammy Strite, HCC staff; Mary Anne Burke, Washington County Arts Council; Tracy Barlup, Longmeadow Animal Hospital; Kathy Maher, City of Hagerstown; and Dale Bannon, WCPS.

Recommendations of the CFHCC

The following 17 recommendations are the overall suggestions made by the Commission of the Future of HCC. They are not listed in priority order.

1. Emphasize individualized career counseling and academic planning, as well as student extra-curricular activities and athletic programs that contribute to student success.
    
2. Continue to develop, schedule and promote offerings and services for at-risk populations, including disadvantaged, unemployed or underemployed persons.
    
3. Continue to recruit students and employees of diverse social, ethnic and educational backgrounds.
    
4. Continue to provide a balance between career programs and liberal arts programs as determined by community need and student interest.
    
5. Strengthen and expand access to developmental, remedial, and adult education.
    
6. Expand the practice of utilizing employers and other community partners in the development of new and updating of ongoing programs.
    
7. Continue to collaborate with the public and private high schools and work toward the implementation of greater curricular alignment to ensure college readiness.
    
8. Continue to broaden the marketing and number of credit-free continuing education courses and programs to match community need.
    
9. Provide an affordable educational opportunity to those that desire and can benefit from higher education.
    
10. Increase public awareness about the total cost of going to college and the ways to pay for it.
     
11. Continue to seek public and public competitive grants to support institutional priorities and strategic goals.
     
12. Increase awareness levels related to successes of private fundraising efforts for student scholarships and capital support through the HCC Foundation, Inc., Booster Club and Alumni Association.
     
13. Continue communications and collaborative efforts with County and State representatives to secure and protect adequate funding for Hagerstown Community College.
     
14. Maintain an appropriate balance of full-time and adjunct faculty and expand faculty and staff to meet the workload associated with substantial student enrollment growth.
     
15. Maintain adequate technology investments needed for student and staff success.
     
16. Market and communicate more effectively curriculum and service offerings, successes, and opportunities to better position HCC as the local “college of choice.”
     
17. Increase public awareness of HCC’s customized training opportunities for businesses, business incubation services, student internships, as well as the wide variety of credit free courses for all age groups.

Read the full report.