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MARYLAND’S REPORT AND THE PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF MARYLAND AND THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
Introduction Maryland's
Report on its System of Higher Education Development
of the Partnership Process Partnership
Commitments Maryland
Commitments Commitments
of OCR Monitoring OCR
Forms
In late October 1999, the State of
Maryland and the United States Department of Education, Office
for Civil Rights (OCR), entered into a Partnership for the
purposes of improving the educational opportunities for
African Americans in Maryland's public institutions of higher
education and ensuring compliance with the State’s obligations
under federal law. As part of the Partnership process,
the State and OCR agreed to examine and address the status of
African Americans regarding access, enrollment, retention, and
graduation at the State’s public institutions of higher
education. The Partnership process has been a joint,
cooperative effort and has not attempted to make legal
findings or to conduct any type of legal proceedings.
The result of the Partnership
process is the following agreement:
Part I of the agreement is
Maryland’s report on its system of public higher education,
including a synopsis of Maryland’s previous five-year
desegregation plan and a summary of the State's recent efforts
to increase African American students' access, retention, and
graduation in higher education.
Part II summarizes the development
and accomplishments of the Partnership process.
Part III sets forth the
commitments that the State and OCR anticipate will result in
agreement that Maryland is in full compliance with its
obligations under federal law, particularly Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. Section 2000d, et seq.)
(Title VI) and the standards set forth in United States
v. Fordice, 505 U.S. 717 (1992) (Fordice)
regarding Maryland's system of public higher
education.
The State of Maryland's public
system of postsecondary education consists of 16 community
colleges, 13 public four-year institutions and two public
research centers. The State is also home to 24
independent four-year institutions, three independent two-year
colleges, and 128 private career schools. For the purpose of
this agreement, all 13 public four-year universities, and all
campuses of the 16 community colleges are included. The
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in
Maryland are Bowie State University, Coppin State College, and
the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which are all part
of the University System of Maryland (USM), and Morgan State
University, one of two four-year public institutions not
governed by USM. The Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs)
that are part of USM are Frostburg State University, Salisbury
State University, Towson University, University of Baltimore,
University of Maryland Baltimore, University of Maryland
Baltimore County, University of Maryland College Park and the
University of Maryland University College. St. Mary’s
College of Maryland is a four-year public TWI not governed by
USM. The 11 USM institutions are governed by a Board of
Regents with a Chancellor as the chief executive officer.
The
statewide planning and coordinating body for all postsecondary
institutions in Maryland, including the entire public system,
is the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC or “the
Commission”). The public system includes the 11 USM
institutions, Morgan State University, St. Mary’s College of
Maryland and 16 community colleges: Allegany College of
Maryland, Anne Arundel Community College, Baltimore City
Community College, The Community College of Baltimore County,
Carroll Community College, Cecil Community College, College of
Southern Maryland, Chesapeake College, Frederick Community
College, Garrett College, Hagerstown Community College,
Harford Community College, Howard Community College,
Montgomery College, Prince George's Community College, and
Wor-Wic Community College.
The structure of the higher
education system in Maryland reflects its history, culture,
statutory mandates, leadership and political structure, and
geography and demographics.This system of higher education
aspires to provide an accessible, affordable, and diverse
system of quality postsecondary education for all Maryland
citizens.The institutions are accountable for the fulfillment
of institutional missions--teaching, research, and public
service—while maintaining efficient and effective
operations.In Maryland, a central coordinating board, MHEC,
serves as the liaison between state government and the
governing boards of individual institutions.The coordinating
board serves as the coordinating and planning agency for the
State and is responsible for the overall growth and
development of higher education in the State, while the
governance authority is vested with the various governing
boards.Each public institution in Maryland has its own
governing board with the exception of the 13 constituent
institutions and research centers of USM which is governed by
a single board of regents.Within this structure, USM supports,
facilitates, and encourages presidents to meet the goals and
objectives of the System and State. Academic and fiscal
autonomy enables the System and individual presidents to
provide leadership and to be held accountable for the
accomplishments of their respective campuses.
In 1969, OCR notified the
State of Maryland that it was one of ten states operating a
racially segregated system of higher education in violation of
Title VI and applicable federal law.
Over the next several years, Maryland worked to develop
a plan for dismantling its discriminatory dual system and
eliminating the vestiges of segregation.In 1976, after OCR
advised Maryland of its concerns with the State’s
implementation of its plan, Maryland was granted an injunction
prohibiting OCR from instituting enforcement action to
terminate Maryland’s Federal financial assistance unless
certain conditions were met.In 1982, OCR resumed negotiations
with Maryland concerning the development and implementation of
a new desegregation plan, and a consent decree ending the
litigation was entered.
In 1985, OCR and Maryland agreed
on another statewide desegregation plan, entitled A Plan to
Assure Equal Postsecondary Educational Opportunity
(Appendix A) designed to foster equal educational opportunity
in Maryland’s public institutions of higher education. The
Plan was accepted by OCR as one which could meet the
requirements of Title VI.Its principal objectives were (1) the
continued integration of Maryland’s TWIs through a portfolio
of enrollment goals, recruitment measures, retention efforts
and affirmative action plans, and (2) the enhancement of
Maryland’s HBCUs to ensure that they are comparable and
competitive with TWIs with respect to capital facilities,
operating budgets and new academic programs.The Plan provided
for a wide range of measures and activities to meet these
objectives, including enhancement of the HBCUs, desegregating
student enrollments through increased recruitment and improved
retention programs for African American students, and
desegregating faculties, staffs and governing boards, all of
which were designed to meet the mandates of Title VI in the
state-supported institutions of higher education in
Maryland.
During the five years the Plan was
implemented, Maryland submitted yearly progress reports to
OCR, with the final report submitted in 1991 (Appendix B)
summarizing the State’s accomplishments achieved under the
Plan.Upon expiration of the Plan, and in the absence of any
further OCR proceedings with respect to Maryland’s compliance
with Title VI, the State continued its efforts to implement
measures to improve equal educational opportunity and to
operate within the command of State and federal law.Maryland
has prepared an analysis of the primary goals and objectives
of the 1985 Plan and the 1991 report, reflecting current
data.The report is set forth in Appendix C.
In 1992, the Supreme Court
of the United States issued its decision in Fordice,
setting forth the legal standards imposed on former de
jure segregated systems of higher education.Subsequently,
in 1994, OCR issued its Notice of Application of Supreme
Court Decision applying the Fordice standards to
all pending Title VI evaluations of statewide higher education
systems with OCR-accepted desegregation plans that have
expired, including Maryland.
- The breadth and number of
efforts devoted to participation and success of African
American students in Maryland higher education attest to the
State’s unflagging commitment to providing equal educational
opportunities to all of its citizens.At all levels, the State
and its public higher education institutions have
developed and
implemented far-ranging initiatives designed to maximize
higher education access and success for African
Americans.These efforts include the following:
- accountability processes
through which institutions’ minority achievement efforts are
gauged;
- special grants to HBCUs
for development and implementation of recruitment and
retention initiatives;
- State, USM, and
institutional strategic plans in which goals and objectives
associated with African American achievement figure
prominently;
- reports and action plans,
developed by statewide coalitions, focusing on African
American students in Maryland higher education;and
legislation designed ultimately to improve disadvantaged
students’ college readiness, to improve teacher preparation,
and to increase financial aid available to disadvantaged
students.
These efforts indicate the State’s
ongoing commitment to implementing best practices in the areas
of recruitment and admissions, retention and graduation,
campus climate, faculty and staff diversity, enhancement of
HBCUs, and partnerships between MHEC, USM, St. Mary’s College
of Maryland, Morgan State University, the Maryland State
Department of Education (MSDE) , and other higher education
institutions and elementary and secondary school
systems.
The following summary highlights
some of these initiatives but is not intended to be
all-inclusive.
The Maryland Higher Education
Commission was created by the Maryland General Assembly in
1988 and given the responsibility for planning and
coordination of higher education in Maryland and the
continuation of the State’s desegregation efforts.
Generally, its responsibilities
include development of and oversight for the State Plan for
Higher Education, ensuring that campus mission statements are
consistent with that Plan, approving the operation of new
colleges and universities, approving academic programs,
reviewing and recommending capital and operating budgets, and
regulating private career schools.MHEC provides statewide
planning, leadership, vision, balance, coordination and
advocacy for all of Maryland’s postsecondary educational
institutions and administers state financial aid.
The Commission is
specifically responsible for developing a program of
desegregation and equal educational opportunity, including an
enhancement plan for HBCUs.In turn, it is responsible for
monitoring the progress made under, and assuring compliance
with, the goals, measures and commitments contained in the
desegregation and equal educational opportunity plan.The
Commission, in carrying out its responsibilities to coordinate
and monitor the equal opportunity activities of public
institutions of higher education in the State, may require
institutions to submit plans, reports, and data to evaluate
the effectiveness of institutional efforts and methods.Much of
this is accomplished through the accountability process set
forth in State law, including the use of benchmarks (for each
diversity indicator, five-year goals that the institution sets
for itself) developed through a “bottom up” approach, to
measure campus progress on certain accountability indicators
(recruitment, enrollment, retention, graduation and
employment).As a part of and related to this process, the
Commission and the institutions of higher education prepare
Minority Achievement Reports on the status of their
progress in attaining their benchmarks and indicating where
some institutions are falling short.An annual Performance
Accountability Report for Maryland Public Colleges and
Universities is prepared by the Commission and submitted
the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly.
Recognizing that there is a
critical need to improve student retention and graduation
rates at Maryland’s HBCUs, the State proposed and implemented
a plan of action to address these concerns. This plan, called
Access and Success: A Plan for Maryland’s Historically
Black Institutions (Appendix D), is funded and in
operation from 1997-2001. The primary goal of the plan
is to improve retention and graduation rates. In turn,
the plan implements strategies to enhance the relationship
between administration, enrollment management, and teaching
and learning practices on the one hand and student
achievement, improved retention and graduation rates on the
other. The lessons learned through the implementation of
the practices are to be shared with other public and
independent colleges and universities throughout the
State.
The Access and Success Multi-Year
Grant Program was implemented in Fiscal Year
1999 and disbursed $500,000 to
each of the State’s four historically black institutions
(Bowie State University, Coppin State College, Morgan State
University, and the University of Maryland Eastern
Shore). The Maryland Higher Education Commission
requested and received a Grant Program increase of
$1,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2001 and disbursed a total of
$3,000,000, $750,000 to each the participating
institution.
Activities initiated in the first and
second year were continued into the third year and in many
instances enhanced with the year three budget increase of
$1,000,000. The year three activities will continue into
year four with all institutions building on the great strides
they have made in implementing their campus-based initiatives
and augmenting the achievements made toward the goals of the
Program at each institution.
Bowie State University’s retention
initiatives have focused on the enhancement of the
academic technology infrastructure and assessment and
faculty and staff development.In the first two years, Bowie
State University has:implemented an Automatic Academic
Advising Program; purchased software and hardware for
instructional laboratories; increased
faculty access to technology; upgraded existing equipment in
the Electronic Music and PRAXIS
Laboratories; established the Center for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning (CETL) and the Office of
Assessment; sponsored faculty training sessions through CETL;
added a freshman academic counselor to the University College
of Excellence; developed statements of “Bowie State
University’s Expected Student Learning Outcomes”
to be recommended for adoption by the University; initiating
an Alumni Survey to assess student satisfaction,
perceptions, and attitudes about the University.
Coppin
State College’s initiatives have focused on the Division of
Academic Affair the Division of Student Life. In the
first two years, Coppin State College has: hired new staff for
the Academic Resources Center and the Recruitment-Counseling
Programs; made available alternative modes of tutorial
assistance; implemented the Natural Sciences Bridge Program,
Freshman Summer Success Program (110 students), Pilot
Mathematics and Computer Science Program, Developmental Pilot
English Program, Freshmen Mentoring Program, Attendance
Monitoring Program, and an Academic Advisement Package;
expanded support and workshops offered by the Writing
(Grammar, Essay Writing, Internet Research and Documentation),
Reading, and Math Labs.
Morgan State University’s
initiatives have focused on expanding tutoring programs,
enhancing educational programs in residence halls,
strengthening advising programs and enhancing the monitoring
of student progress, and the establishment and development of
the Access and Success Summer Bridge Program. In the first two
years, Morgan State University has:hired 42 tutors; made
available tutorial assistance in the resident halls in the
evening; added two advisors to serve “undeclared majors” and
Freshman Studies majors; purchased software to enable students
to make greater used of Computer-Assisted Instruction and to
electronically track student progress; establishment of a
state-of-the-art Learning Computer Laboratory in Banneker Hall
with software focused on mathematics and basic skills; and
enrolled 198 Access and Success students in the 1999 Summer
Bridge Program and provided students academic advisement
through the Advising Center during their first year; tracked
student progress through an advising, course analysis, and
mentoring program known as ACAMP; began the development of an
advising manual for faculty and Access and Success
staff;provided career guidance through the purchase of the
SIGI Plus Career Guidance
Software.
University of Maryland Eastern
Shore’s initiatives have focused on refining an infrastructure
for monitoring and assisting at-risk students, which
included developing and improving teaching and learning
practice, enrollment management, student support services, and
the tutoring center. In the first two years, the University of
Maryland Eastern Shore has: participated in faculty and staff
conferences related to retention and advisement; reviewed
course syllabi to improve courses; developed a campus-wide
advising manual; hired additional student support staff,
graduate student tutors for intermediate algebra, and a
writing skills specialist; identified at-risk students,
expanded tutoring service, provided advisement to “undeclared
majors,” and constructed a Tutoring Center to house all of the
University’s tutoring activities; provided funding for
retention advisors for 14 of 15 undergraduate programs;
instituted a systematic attendance-monitoring system.
Using federal and State funds,
Maryland is directly addressing campus diversity issues
through grant programs administered by MHEC. The
federally funded initiatives include, or have included, the
Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Grant Program,
the Maryland National Early Intervention Scholarship and
Partnership Program, and GEAR-UP. The State funded
initiatives include the Diversity Grant Program among the
graduate student population, the Henry C. Welcome Fellowship
Grant Program among faculty, and the Incentive Grant Program
projects (the Maryland Early Mathematics Placement Test
Program and the Southern Regional Education Board’s Doctoral
Scholarship Program) addressing student achievement and
faculty diversity.
The
College Preparation and Intervention Program, administered by
the Maryland Higher Education Commission in cooperation with
the Maryland State Department of Education, the public and
independent colleges and universities, the Council of
Maryland’s K-16 Partnership and the local school systems is in
its second year of operation. The State appropriation
for this program was used as the match for the proposal to
obtain a five-year federal GEAR UP funding (“Gaining Early
Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs”).
Ten sites serve approximately 2500 students with the goal of
providing low-income, middle to high school students with
challenging academic programs, counseling, tutoring,
mentoring, campus visits and financial aid information needed
to pursue and succeed in postsecondary education. With an
emphasis on these services, a second major focus of the
program is to contribute to the reform and improvement of
schools. A web site is being developed to share
information and best practices between the ten GEAR UP sites
and middle and high schools throughout the State.
In January 1998, MHEC approved and
published a statewide plan for postsecondary education,
entitled Educating for the 21st Century
which was to serve as a blueprint for the Governor, the
General Assembly, and the citizens of the State in developing
and improving postsecondary educational opportunities in
Maryland. Its goals, strategies and tactics addressed
(1) the ethnic diversity of Ph.Ds in faculty and
administrative positions at all institutions, (2) the
promotion of campus climates accepting of diverse groups and
the establishment of multicultural approaches to educational
experiences at all levels of Maryland education, (3)
multicultural diversity on Maryland’s campuses, (4)
recruitment and retention of minority students, faculty
members and professional staff, and (5) gender and salary
equity of the faculty and administrative staff of public
colleges and universities.
In August 1998, a task force was
formed to study the governance, coordination, and funding of
USM.In response to the task force’s findings and report, the
General Assembly enacted legislation that made a number of
changes to Maryland’s system of higher education.Among other
things, the legislation called for the adoption of a new state
plan to address present and future needs, capabilities,
priorities and objectives for postsecondary education and
research in the State.The plan was to include the long-range
and short-range objectives and priorities for postsecondary
education and methods and guidelines for achieving and
maintaining them.It was suggested that strategic incentive
funds be provided by the Commission to institutions to
encourage attainment of statewide goals and priorities. The
legislation also provided for the Commission to develop
operating and capital budget funding guidelines.The
legislation provided for a president of a constituent
institution of the University System of Maryland to propose
programs if the action was consistent with the institution’s
mission and could be implemented within the existing program
resources of the institution.The Commission would object if
the program proposed was inconsistent with the institution’s
mission, or if unreasonable program duplication would cause
demonstrable harm to another institution, or if the proposed
program violated the State’s equal educational opportunity
obligations under State and federal laws. Further, the
legislation specifically provided that the Commission shall
ensure that the state plan complies with the State’s equal
educational opportunity obligations under State and federal
law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The Maryland State Plan for
Postsecondary Education 2000 (the Plan) (Appendix E) is
based upon the recognition that a highly educated citizenry is
essential for the welfare and the economic well being of the
State. The new century, more than its predecessors, requires
enhanced and continuous access for all citizens to a
coordinated, cost-effective system of affordable, high-quality
institutions. Maryland enjoys the benefits of a wide array of
public and private postsecondary institutions, which make
significant contributions to the communities in which they are
located and to the State as a whole. The Plan envisions
these institutions being renowned for the quality of the
learning, scholarship and outreach activities they provide in
preparing Marylanders with the knowledge and skills necessary
to contribute successfully to society and to thrive in the
economy. It also envisions a time when the possession of
an associate’s degree or higher will be as common in Maryland
as the possession of a high school diploma is today.
Maryland’s present and future needs
for postsecondary education and the capabilities of Maryland’s
postsecondary institutions are addressed, and eight major
statewide goals and a number of related objectives are set
forth in this new Plan. The statewide goals address
quality, access, economic development, research, teacher
education, diversity, information technology, and
accountability. These goals may be summarized as
follows:
- achieve and sustain a preeminent
statewide array of postsecondary educational institutions
that are recognized for their distinctiveness and excellence
nationally and internationally;
- provide affordable and equitable
access for every qualified Maryland citizen;
- contribute to the further
development of Maryland’s economic health and vitality;
- support and encourage basic and
applied research;
- strengthen teacher preparation and
improve the readiness of students for postsecondary
education;
- provide high quality academic
programs for a population of increasingly diverse students;
- establish Maryland as one of the
most advanced states in the use of information technology to
improve learning and access; and
- achieve a cost effective
and accountable system of delivering high quality
postsecondary education.
The Plan includes a number of
objectives and strategies for implementing each of these
goals.While the objectives presented in conjunction with these
goals are in most cases statewide, they will be relevant to
different institutions to different degrees.Each institution
will determine, based on its unique capabilities, how it will
incorporate these goals and objectives into its mission and
planning process.Each institution will revise its mission
statement, as required by law, to ensure consistency with the
new Plan.
With specific regard for equal
educational opportunity, the objectives and strategies
include:
enhancing cross-cultural
understanding to prepare students to live and work in a
culturally diverse environment; including racial and cultural
diversity, and its impact on teaching and learning, in the
curriculum of each teacher preparation program; improving the
enrollment, retention, graduation and transfer rates of
African American and other minority students whose
achievements trail the State average; increasing the racial,
ethnic and gender diversity of faculty and
executive/managerial staff at Maryland colleges and
universities; enhancing the missions of HBCUs and their
enrollment of non-African American students; strengthening the
undergraduate and graduate programs at HBCUs; developing
high-demand academic programs at HBCUs;avoiding unnecessary
program duplication at geographically proximate HBCUs and
TWIs; maintaining and expanding the Commission’s Access and
Success program; and, ensuring that, as appropriate,
curricula reflect the perspective of diverse cultures and the
contributions of members of these cultures.
The community colleges serve as
the pipeline for many African Americans because they are
local, open access, quality institutions that offer the least
costly alternative for higher education.As an open access
entry point to higher education, the community college affords
learning experiences to students with a diverse range of
interest, aspirations, and abilities.The community college
mission is to accept individuals, at whatever level they may
enter, and provide them with the opportunity to enhance their
knowledge and skills to achieve their educational goals.
Additionally, the Plan
recognizes that sustaining a desegregated system will require
additional State investments in HBCUs as well as a commitment
to programs that improve the educational opportunities for
African American students.The State noted that it is working
with OCR to develop this partnership agreement in order to
further equal opportunity in Maryland’s postsecondary
education system.
The USM in
2010, the University System of Maryland’s
strategic plan, presents what, in its view, the System can and
ought to be in ten years, identifies challenges in realizing
the plan, and articulates specific measurable strategies that
institutions must undertake to succeed.The plan identifies the
following broad objectives for the USM:
- Development of an
enrollment growth strategy to increase dramatically the
overall number of Marylanders holding baccalaureate degrees,
particularly in critical, high- demand occupations;
- Increased participation
and achievement of minority students, who will be the key to
expanding the State’s labor force;
- Limiting tuition
increases to assure that USM programs remain
affordable;
- Improvements in all key
facets of the higher-education enterprise: faculty quality,
richer experiences for students, use of technology, and
increased opportunities for lifelong learning;
- Greater efforts and
investment in research to position the State as an
international leader in science and new technologies and the
USM as both a valued partner with business and an
intellectual asset to the State; and
- Effective management of
the USM’s resources to achieve national eminence, sustain
the trust Marylanders have placed in the System, and
increase the pride Marylanders have in the quality of the
System and its contributions to the State.
The plan articulates the
need for the breadth of Maryland’s citizens to be educated at
the highest levels if the State is to ensure continuing
economic viability and the highest quality of life for its
citizens.During the next decade, USM institutions must recruit
and retain increasing numbers of minority students, who have
been historically underrepresented in Maryland higher
education.African Americans have been (and continue to be) the
single largest minority group in the State.The USM commits to
addressing minority achievement in a variety of ways: by
increasing articulated programs that link USM institutions
with community colleges with high minority enrollments; by
increasing academic programs, academic- and student-support
services; and by enhancing facilities at the USM’s HBCUs; by
developing institutionally appropriate diversity-education
programs; and by including participation in
minority-achievement initiatives in faculty and staff rewards
programs.USM institutions are accomplishing the broad
objectives of the plan both individually and collaboratively,
reflecting the "institution-centric” approach under which the
campuses operate.The USM monitors the implementation of the
plan on an ongoing basis.
In response to the Southern
Education Foundation reports entitled Redeeming the
American Promise:Report of the Panel on Educational
Opportunity and Postsecondary Education (1995) and
Miles to Go:A Report on Black Students and Postsecondary
Education in the South (1998), the State formed the
Southern Education Foundation Maryland Leadership Group and
issued “a call to action.”Acknowledging that Maryland’s
efforts to improve access and success for its African American
students are at the forefront among the 19 southern states
that once operated dual systems of public higher education,
the group asserted that the State has a long way to go before
it achieves the promise of equal educational opportunity for
all students.In its 1999 report entitled Miles to Go -
Maryland (Appendix F), the State agreed to address three
distinct facets of equal educational opportunity -- college
readiness, teacher preparation and financial aid.For each of
these facets, the report detailed specific policy
recommendations to energize changes at the State level that
will facilitate and bolster them and promote the realization
of State and institutional goals.These policy recommendations
continue to guide equal educational opportunity initiatives at
all levels of education in Maryland, including this
partnership agreement.
The Road
Taken contains strategies for implementing
the college readiness, teacher preparation, and financial aid
recommendations that appear in Miles to Go -
Maryland.The road to educational equity and quality in
Maryland includes legislative, policy, and funding actions in
these three areas.Action in these areas is key to educational
access and success and to Maryland’s ability to produce and
nurture a highly skilled workforce and a responsible,
responsive citizenry.These strategies are consistent with
approaches that have been advocated and articulated by a host
of stakeholders in Maryland. These views are presented in
reports that include, among others, Making a Difference:
Report of the Task Force on Dropout Prevention, Intervention,
and Recovery (Maryland State Department of Education,
Spring 1998) and Minority Achievement: Increasing
Graduation Rates (University System of Maryland, July
1998). The overwhelming majority of the strategies
recommended in The Road Taken are grounded in “best
practices,” supported by outcomes data, that have been
implemented in Maryland as well as in other states.
House Bill 1091, which
creates a “Task Force to Study College Readiness for
Disadvantaged and Capable Students,” is based on The Road
Taken.The bill defines “disadvantaged and capable
students” as those who, because of environmental and economic
conditions or the lingering effects of historical patterns of
discrimination, are not achieving at a level that is
scholastically up to their potential abilities.Included among
these students are those who have the potential to complete
public high school successfully and who require special
efforts in the areas of college readiness, and financial aid
to succeed in postsecondary education.With membership from all
K-16 segments in Maryland, the task force will review the
college readiness, teacher preparation, and financial aid
findings and recommendations in Miles to Go - Maryland
and The Road Taken and make recommendations to
enhance existing programs and/or implement new programs to
support the comprehensive strategy it develops.The group will
provide an interim report of its findings and recommendations
to the Governor on or before January 1, 2001, and a final
report on or before December 1, 2001.
As a result of and in addition to
the above-referenced efforts, Maryland institutions have
initiated a myriad of equal educational opportunity programs
and initiatives evidencing the State’s efforts to improve
opportunities for African American students to achieve a high
quality higher education in Maryland.These “best practices”
are summarized in Appendix G, and include an Inventory of
University System of Maryland Best Practices (Revised
September 2000) as well as initiatives of Morgan State
University, the community colleges, the K-16 Leadership
Council, and the independent colleges and universities.
Maryland’s public four-year
colleges and universities have engaged in ongoing efforts and
initiatives designed to promote the enrollment, retention, and
graduation of African American students at all levels.To
ensure student access and success, the institutions have
implemented a host of best practices that have increased
African American participation in higher
education.
Maryland’s public four-year
institutions have implemented a vast array of initiatives and
activities through which African American students are
recruited.The colleges and universities participate in
liaisons with feeder high schools; engage in partnerships with
K-12 to improve students’ college readiness; offer bridge
programs, disseminate publications featuring a range of
students; regularly visit high schools with large numbers of
African American students; and participate in academic program
articulation efforts that span the entire higher education
pipeline—from community college through graduate and
professional school.The institutions provide summer institutes
and summer bridge programs for pre-college students and
participate in partnerships with selected K-12 schools that
large numbers of African American students attend.Other
efforts include campus visitation programs, college fair
participation, and need based and merit based financial
support.Additionally, faculty and staff serve on community
committees and boards, and the institutions participate in
partnerships designed to achieve systemic educational reform;
as a result, the institutions increase their networks and
enhance their ability to recruit African American
students.Finally, throughout the State, student movement from
the community college to the public four-year institution is
facilitated through partnerships that enable prospective but
non admissible baccalaureate students to complete courses at
community colleges prior to matriculation at the four-year
institutions and through ARTSYS, a nationally emulated on-line
course articulation system that facilitates student
transfer.
Because of the effectiveness
of their efforts designed to improve retention and graduation
rates, Maryland’s four-year public colleges and universities
are among the nation’s top producers of African American
baccalaureate degree recipients.To ensure that students
achieve at the postsecondary level, the community colleges and
the baccalaureate degree granting institutions have offered
numerous activities.They provide orientation programs for new
students; provide developmental or refresher programs in
mathematics, English, and reading; implement academic
monitoring and academic advising systems; provide tutorial
support, offer mentoring and peer counseling programs for
minority students; provide incentives to faculty and staff to
develop curricular and co-curricular activities appealing to
minority students; assess campus climate through surveys
administered regularly; sponsor lectures, exhibits, and
performances featuring African Americans; offer financial aid
awareness sessions and conduct exit interviews with students
who “drop out” to ascertain the reasons for their departure
and to obtain information to improve their retention
efforts.Additionally, Maryland’s HBCUs sponsor an annual
collaborative summit during which institutional
representatives share student retention strategies and develop
new retention approaches.
All Maryland public four-year
institutions have implemented a variety of campus diversity
activities.Multicultural centers, diversity education and
training for faculty and staff, conferences on
multiculturalism, organizations for diverse constituencies,
publications reflecting a commitment to diversity,
collaborations that link HBCUs and TWIs, institutional
policies that value diversity, and curricula that include the
contributions of diverse groups are among the best practices
that the institutions implement.
Maryland public four-year colleges
and universities have sought to employ diverse faculty and
staff.Non-discrimination and equal opportunity policies,
diversity/equity/equal employment officers, mentoring programs
and organizations for minority faculty and staff, and campus
diversity networks/structures/systems contribute to the
achievement of this end.Additionally, Maryland continues to
provide institutions with Henry Welcome Fellowships.
The community colleges are
also engaged in effective “best practices” which are
increasing the educational opportunities of African American
students.For example, Chesapeake College is partnering with
local community boards to provide high school juniors and
seniors with access to its Dual Enrollment Program.The
initiative, known as the Culturally Diverse Dual Enrollment
Program, links Chesapeake with the Queen Anne’s County
Community Partnerships for Children, Caroline County Human
Services Council, and Dorchester County Local Management
Board.The program has opened doors that otherwise would not
have been opened to students and the students have used that
door to walk right into a college education.There have been 23
participants from Queen Anne’s County in the three-year
history of the program.Fourteen have gone on to attend college
after graduating from high school, including nine who have
attended Chesapeake College, and three remain in the Dual
Enrollment Program.
Montgomery College and the Public
Schools in Montgomery County are committed to a partnership
aimed at addressing the problems associated with insufficient
readiness for college level studies.The partnership has
already undertaken a pilot effort to test tenth grade students
using the high school version of Montgomery College’s
assessment test.This effort was intended to serve as a
“wake-up call” to students and parents by alerting those who
are falling behind in college preparation.The plan also calls
for a series of intervention strategies, including support for
student success (intervention, tutoring, mentoring),
professional development (team teaching, research
collaborations, workshops, mentoring, monitoring, training),
parent/community involvement (designing supports that promote
home-school communications, ESL initiatives, community input
on careers and skills) and program coordination, evaluation
and planning.
Maryland has been actively engaged
in K-16 work for the past four years through a voluntary K-16
Partnership for Teaching and Learning co-chaired by the
Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, the State
Superintendent of Schools, and the Secretary of Higher
Education.This collaborative initiative among all segments of
the education community is one of the most successful efforts
of this type in the nation.The goal of the Partnership is to
give all students in the state the best public education by
setting high standards for teaching and learning.The K-16
Partnership has defined goals and is on the way to meeting
them.In an important first step, the State Board of Education
approved high stakes graduation examinations that will ensure
that every student who graduates will be prepared to take
college level courses if he or she
chooses.
In a parallel move, the teacher
training institutions in the state have collaborated on a
redesign of teacher education that will ensure that new
teachers will be held to high performance standards as
well.The K-16 Partnership creates a cooperative environment in
which all segments of the education community can engage each
other and engage theissues of education together.Because of
the history of K-16 collaboration, task forces, committees,
and commissions initiated or sponsored by one agency or
segment almost always involve participation from a broad
spectrum of K-16 stakeholders. The following reports suggest
the range of these collaborative efforts. All of the following
reports address the achievement of African American students
as part of the analysis:
-
SOAR report, issued annually
from MHEC,disaggregated by race;
-
The K-16 Remediation Task Force
Report (1998);
-
MSDE Minority Achievement "State of
the State" report (1999);
-
MSDE Intervention Task Force
Project, "Every Child Achieving" (October 27, 1999)
(mdk12.org/practices/ensure/initiative);
-
MSDE Middle Years Task Force Report
"Middle Grades Matter: Meeting the Challenge for Systemic
Reform" (July 1999);
-
Maryland State Task Force Report
on Reading (Oct 27, 1998); and
-
Making A Difference: Report of
the Task Force on Drop-Out Prevention, Intervention, and
Recovery (Spring, 1988).
In the range and
effectiveness of its efforts to improve African American
access and success, Maryland is a model.The State enjoys this
position because of the effectiveness of the best practices
that public higher-education institutions have implemented
over the years.
Black Issues in Higher
Education (BIHE) publishes rankings of American colleges
and universities based on the number of degrees they award to
members of minority groups.
The following data are taken from
the BIHE year 2000 rankings for academic year 1997-98. The
rankings of Maryland institutions are based upon the number of
degrees conferred to African Americans:
Among all American colleges and
universities Morgan State University (MSU) ranked tenth in
awarding baccalaureates in all disciplines combined and ranked
ninth among HBCUs.Among TWIs only, University of Maryland
University College (UMUC) ranked sixth and University of
Maryland College Park (UMCP) ranked
seventh. Maryland institutions
appeared within the top five when looking at specific
disciplines: UMCP ranked first in Social Sciences &
History, fourth in English/Lit/Letters, and fifth in
Biological Sciences/Life Science.University of Maryland
Baltimore County (UMBC) ranked fifth in Computer &
Information Systems.
Bowie State University (Bowie)
ranked eighth in awarding master’s in all disciplines combined
among all American colleges and universities and ranked third
among HBCUs.In the discipline specific categories Bowie ranked
first in awarding Master’s degrees in Computer &
Information Sciences, second in Psychology, and fourth in
Communications. Additionally, University of Baltimore ranked
first in Law & Legal Studies, Johns Hopkins University
ranked second in Physical Sciences, and UMUC ranked third in
Business Management & Administrative Services.
University of Maryland
Baltimore (UMB) ranked first in First Professional degrees in
all disciplines for TWIs only and ranked fifth among all
institutions combined. Among the top
five rankings for discipline specific categories, UMB ranked
fourth in Health Professions and Related Sciences.
On June 26, 1992, the United
States Supreme Court issued its decision in United States
v. Fordice, 505 U.S. 717 (1992).In Fordice, which
involved the State of Mississippi's former de jure
segregated system of higher education, the Court set forth
the legal standards and requirements for desegregation of a
previously segregated state higher education system.
The Court found that, under the
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and
Title VI, race neutral admissions policies alone are not
sufficient to determine that a state has effectively
discharged its affirmative obligation to dismantle a former
dual system of higher
education.Id. According
to the standards announced by the Court, "[i]f policies
traceable to the de jure system are still in force and
have discriminatory effects, those policies too must be
reformed to the extent practicable and consistent with sound
educational practices."505 U.S. at 729-30.
The Court urged an
examination of "a wide range of factors to determine whether
[a] state has perpetuated its formerly de jure
segregation in any facet of its institutional system."505 U.S.
at 728.As identified by the Court, a few examples of this wide
range of possible factors include, but are not limited to, the
following:admissions standards; program duplication;
institutional mission assignments; and continued operation of
an inappropriately large number of previously segregated
institutions.
The Court went on
to note:
If the State perpetuates policies
and practices traceable to its prior system that continue to
have segregative effects -- whether by influencing student
enrollment decisions or by fostering segregation in other
facets of the university system -- and such polices are
without sound educational justification and can be practicably
eliminated, the State has not satisfied its burden of proving
that it has dismantled its prior system. 505 U.S. at 731.
Responding to inquiries
concerning the effect of Fordice, on January 31, 1994,
OCR published a Notice in the Federal Register, 59 Fed. Reg.
4271 (1994), outlining the procedures and analysis that the
agency planned to follow in future reviews of states with a
history of de jure segregated systems of higher
education.
The Notice stated that OCR
planned to apply the Fordice standard to all pending
Title VI evaluations of statewide higher education systems
with OCR‑accepted desegregation plans that had expired,
including Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas,
and Virginia.Specifically, the Notice explained that OCR
planned to examine a wide range of factors to ensure that the
vestiges of these States' systems have been eliminated. The
comprehensive array of factors that OCR planned to consider
included those addressed in Fordice and those
reflected in the criteria for acceptable desegregation plans
specified in the Department's "Revised Criteria Specifying the
Ingredients of Acceptable Plans to Desegregate State Systems
of Public Higher Education," published in the Federal Register
on February 12, 1978 (43 Fed. Reg. 6658).59 Fed. Reg. 4272.
Additionally, OCR reaffirmed
in the Notice its position that states may not place an unfair
burden upon African American students and faculty in the
desegregation process and that state systems of higher
education may be required to strengthen and enhance
HBCUs.Further, OCR announced that it planned to "strictly
scrutinize state proposals to close or merge traditionally or
historically black institutions, and any other actions that
might impose undue burdens on black students, faculty, or
administrators or diminish the unique roles of those
institutions."59 Fed. Reg. 4272.
From the conclusion of
Maryland's five-year Plan in 1989 until the current
initiative, which officially began on October 4, 1999, OCR did
not comment upon the status of the State's compliance with
Title VI.However, in January 1994, Norma V. Cantú, Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights for the Department, informed the
State of OCR's intent to reexamine the status of Maryland's
desegregation efforts in its state‑supported system of higher
education.In her October 4, 1999 letter to Governor Parris N.
Glendening (Appendix H), Assistant Secretary Cantú
acknowledged that since the conclusion of the five-year
desegregation plan, Maryland has made significant progress in
enhancing educational opportunities for African American
students and providing equal educational opportunities for all
Maryland residents.She also indicated OCR’s desire to work
collaboratively with the State to evaluate the State’s
desegregation efforts.
In response to Assistant Secretary
Cantú’s letter, Governor Glendening indicated the State’s
interest in working with OCR on this endeavor (Appendix I),
and on October 25, 1999, an introductory meeting was held in
Annapolis between representatives of the Governor, MHEC and
OCR.MHEC invited OCR to accompany it on a series of previously
scheduled on-site visits to each of Maryland’s HBCUs pursuant
to the State’s Access and Success
program.Consequently, between November 1999 and January 2000,
OCR visited all four Maryland HBCUs: University of Maryland
Eastern Shore; Bowie State University; Coppin State College;
and Morgan State University.During March 2000, OCR also made
separate visits to several TWIs: University of Maryland,
Baltimore County; University of Baltimore; Towson University;
Salisbury State University; and Frostburg State University.OCR
made follow-up visits to each of the HBCUs during May
2000.
The information from OCR’s visits, as
well as the data, documents and other materials gathered as
part of this activity helped identify several issues of access
and equity for African American students in Maryland.For
example, Maryland officials and OCR recognize that the
enhancement of the HBCUs will remain an important concern even
though information provided by Maryland demonstrates that
numerous enhancement initiatives were implemented as a result
of the 1985-1989 desegregation plan and have continued since
that time.
At the October 25, 1999 meeting,
it was agreed that the State of Maryland would engage in this
review through a partnership approach with OCR.During the
meeting, OCR informed Maryland that, based upon its analysis,
it would focus the review on the following issues:
1.Enhancing Maryland’s four HBCUs
in order to improve educational opportunities for African
American students who attend them and to increase their
attractiveness to students of all races, especially white
students, including addressing the problem of unnecessary
academic program duplication among the HBCUs and
geographically proximate TWIs;
2.Enhancing initiatives at the
TWIs and community colleges in the following
areas:
a) Campus Climate, including the
employment of African Americans at all levels, which will
assist in improving campus climates for African American
students;
b) Student Recruitment; and
c) Student Retention and
graduation; and
3.Access for African
Americans to Maryland’s institutions of higher education,
including need-based and other financial assistance programs,
and access for African American students to, and retention in,
graduate and professional schools in Maryland.
The
Secretary of Higher Education, in her June 9, 2000 letter
(Appendix J), invited key stakeholders to participate in a
workgroup with OCR to formally commence the process which
would conclude in an executed Partnership Agreement.
The State of Maryland is committed
to ensuring equal access to high quality education for all of
the State's citizens regardless of race, color, or national
origin.Thus, the State has been, and will continue to be,
engaged in on‑going efforts to provide African Americans with
the full opportunity to participate in the benefits of public
higher education in Maryland and to assist in providing equal
access, retention, participation and graduation for African
American students in the State.Central to this commitment is
the continuing contributions of the State’s four HBCUs and the
necessity of ensuring that these institutions are comparable
and competitive with the State’s TWIs in all facets of their
operations and programs.The State is committed to remedying
and removing vestiges of past discrimination, if any, as
required under federal law, and expanding educational
opportunities for African American students without placing
unfair burdens on them in the desegregation process,
particularly as related to the unique role of HBCUs and their
students, faculty and staff.
Commitments to enhance the HBCUs,
consistent with this Agreement, will be provided through the
normal budget process based on operating budget funding
guidelines and, as may be necessary, appropriate and
available, special enhancement funding, for a limited period
of time, but not to extend beyond the terms of this
agreement.
In October 1999, the State,
represented by the Office of the Governor and MHEC, and OCR
embarked on a joint venture designed to assess and address the
challenges in providing higher education opportunities for
African American students in Maryland.This Partnership was
formed in recognition that both Maryland and the government of
the United States, as well as other interested parties and
stakeholders, share a common goal of continuing and enhancing
equal access to educational opportunity.The Partnership
process, as it was developed here, has been a joint,
cooperative effort and has not attempted to make legal
findings or to conduct any type of legal proceedings.
Throughout the course of the
Partnership activities, it has been the expectation that any
specific concerns that arose in light of the State’s equal
educational opportunity obligations under federal law would be
addressed within the context of the Partnership process.The
commitments are an expression of the continued effort on the
part of the State to enhance the opportunities for African
Americans, and indeed all Marylanders, to participate in the
benefits of higher education and to increase the opportunity
for access, retention, graduation and advancement into
graduate and professional education programs in the
State.
OCR has played an integral role in
the Partnership process.OCR proposed the Partnership process
as a cooperative approach to fulfilling its responsibilities
pursuant to Title VI and the Supreme Court decision in
Fordice.More specifically, OCR proposed that the
Partnership process would include the examination of a wide
range of factors to ensure that no vestiges of the prior de
jure dual system of higher education in Maryland continue
to exist.
OCR acknowledges the substantial
efforts and accomplishments Maryland has made under its
desegregation plans in support of meeting its obligations
under federal law.These steps demonstrate Maryland's strong
commitment to eliminating the vestiges, if any, of the prior
segregated system as well as ensuring equal access to higher
education.OCR anticipates that successful implementation of
the actions outlined in the commitments will effectively
address and resolve any remaining Title VI and Fordice issues within the Maryland public system of
higher education.
The duration of
this agreement will extend from the date it is signed through
December 31, 2005, although it may be extended as necessary
for the completion of certain of the provisions contained in
this agreement. Except as stated below, during the period of
implementation of these commitments, OCR will not initiate
enforcement action against Maryland based on a claim of
statewide segregation of or discrimination against African
Americans in the State's public system of higher education,
unless good faith efforts to resolve such issues have been
attempted and exhausted. Maryland and OCR acknowledge that
many of the implementation details of Maryland’s commitments,
including the commitment to enhance the HBCUs, will not be
finalized until early 2005.Therefore, OCR does not waive its
right to initiate enforcement until Maryland has submitted its
monitoring reports due through May 1, 2005 and OCR has found
those reports, and any agreed upon amendments thereto,
acceptable.At the conclusion of the implementation period, the
parties will determine whether these commitments have been
fully implemented and whether the Title VI and Fordice
issues have thereby been resolved.If so, OCR will formally
acknowledge, in writing, that Maryland has eliminated all
vestiges of segregation in the public system of higher
education, in accordance with Fordice, Title VI, and
other applicable federal regulations.It is understood,
however, that should the parties not be able, in good faith,
to resolve matters by means of this process, OCR reserves the
right to determine, by other means, whether the requirements
of the law have been satisfied regarding the outstanding
issues set forth herein, taking into account Maryland's
accomplishments under this Partnership.It is further
understood, however, that should the parties not be able, in
good faith, to resolve matters by means of this process,
Maryland reserves the right to seek a judicial determination
of whether the requirements of the law have been satisfied.
This agreement may be amended as
necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the various
initiatives contained herein, or as required by changes in
applicable law or policy, upon the agreement of the State and
OCR.In the event that either party proposes an amendment, all
parties shall be notified and given the opportunity to respond
to the proposed amendment.All proposed amendments submitted to
OCR shall be responded to within 15 working days.
Although the primary parties to
the Partnership are the State of Maryland (including MHEC, its
sole statewide planning and coordinating body for higher
education), and OCR, USM and each of the public institutions
of higher education are also parties in the sense that each
institution is agreeing to make its best efforts to fulfill,
within the limits of its authority, those commitments within
its purview.It is understood that the commitments agreed to
herein apply to all applicable branch campuses and any new
branch campus(es) that may be established during the life of
the Partnership.In addition, it is agreed and understood by
all parties that, to the extent that any document referenced
herein is inconsistent with the Partnership Commitments, the
Commitments will be controlling. It is also understood by the
parties that when the public agencies or institutions of
higher education in Maryland implement any of the partnership
commitments or operate any other programs, including those
related to admissions or financial aid, they must operate in
conformity with the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution, Title VI and its implementing regulation, and
applicable federal case law, including Fordice and
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S.
265 (1978) and Podberesky v. Kirwan, 38 F.3d 147 (4th
Cir. 1994),so long as they are controlling law.
The parties agree and commit
to work cooperatively with each other in implementing and
annually evaluating (1) the existing programs, initiatives and
best practices already in place and/or otherwise described in
section I.C. and the appendices of this Partnership Agreement,
and (2) the commitments hereafter set forth in this
Partnership Agreement, as follows:
Solving the problem of the
teacher shortage and improving the quality of teachers are
among the highest priorities of the State.In addition to the
need for 11,000 more teachers, there continues to be a
substantial under-representation of qualified minority
candidates for teaching positions. While much progress has
been made in implementing the recommendations in the
Redesign of Teacher Education, much work remains to be
done.
Maryland postsecondary
institutions will implement or continue initiatives to ensure
that all graduates of Maryland’s public teacher preparation
programs are prepared to help all students succeed in
Maryland’s increasingly diverse educational system, using
strategies consistent with the State Plan identified
under Goal 5, Objective 5.5 and The Road Taken,
and the recommendations of the Task Force created by HB
1091.
Specifically, each public
four-year institution offering a teacher education program
leading to certification will identify several of these
strategies which, in its judgment, will continue to enhance
diversity in higher education through the strengthening of
academic and teacher preparation programs and implement them
beginning in the 2001-2002 academic
year.
2.Strengthening the Partnership with
Elementary and Secondary SchoolStakeholders
If students are to be
successful in college, they must begin to consider college and
adequately prepare for it as early as possible.On the average,
there are substantial differences between African American and
white students in their academic preparation for college as
measured by relevant high school courses and scores on the SAT
and ACT.Therefore, Maryland’s public campuses will give
priority to developing relationships with public schools,
particularly those with high concentrations of low-income and
under-prepared students, in an effort to improve student
preparation for college.
a)
Consistent with the recommendations contained in
The Road Taken, MHEC, in collaboration with all public
colleges and universities, will continue to develop the K-16
Partnership with the K-16 Leadership Council, the Maryland
State Department of Education (MSDE) and local school
districts to address the educational needs of African American
students, including their preparation for higher
education.
b) MHEC, in
collaboration with USM, the community colleges, the K-16
Leadership Council and MSDE, and consistent with the
recommendations of the task force created by HB1091, will
continue to support the districts, at the elementary, middle
and high school levels, in preparing students for entrance
into four-year colleges. Strategies to accomplish this
include: a mechanism to inform stakeholders about college
readiness and effective strategies for reducing racial
disparities in college; a focus on schools identified with low
rates of African American student enrollment in college in
comparison to all students; and, institutional collaborations
between schools and institutions of higher
education.
Collaborations between the
schools and institutions of higher education also include
activities such as: parent involvement activities; student
counseling (such as in the Gear Up Program); tutoring;
financial planning; including in-school application for
financial aid during the senior year; and other strategies as
may be identified in support of the goal.Specifically, each
public four-year institution will identify a school district
or group of schools where, in its judgment, collaborations
will continue to enhance the institution’s diversity and
initiate collaborations with them by the 2001-2002 academic
year.
In Maryland, African Americans are
less likely than others to enter higher education. This is
reflected in persistent differences in the rates at which
African American and white public high school graduates enter
college in Maryland.Of the 1997 high school graduates, 35% of
African Americans enrolled in postsecondary education in
Maryland, while 44% of white students
enrolled. This coupled with
differences in college retention rates results in a sizable
difference in the rates at which young African American and
white students obtain college degrees.Moreover, African
Americans receive approximately 24% of the baccalaureates, 14%
of the Master’s degrees, 4% of the doctorates, and 12 % of the
first-professional degrees awarded by Maryland colleges and
universities.A major priority of this Agreement is to raise
the African American entry rates to college and narrow the gap
between the rates at which African American and white high
school graduates enter college, graduate, and pursue graduate
and first professional studies.
a) All public colleges and
universities commit to continuing and expanding their
recruitment and admissions activities, including ongoing
self-evaluation of their effectiveness, to assure that African
Americans have equal access to public higher education in
Maryland at the undergraduate, graduate and professional
levels in desegregated institutions, including desegregated
TWIs and HBCUs.In addition, each institution commits to the
improvement and expansion of outreach through community
networks and social or religious organizations and to
targeting recruitment efforts at venues that have significant
numbers of other race
students.Each public four-year institution will
identify several of these recruitment and admission activities
which, in its judgment, can enhance its institutional
diversity and implement them for the 2001-2002 academic year.
b) MHEC will regularly
monitor recruitment and admissions programs.Such programs
include: partnerships with elementary and secondary schools as
identified in 2, above; summer bridge programs; institutional
grants and scholarships; partnerships with community groups;
linkages with community colleges; and linkages between
undergraduate and graduate/professional programs.MHEC will
submit a report to OCR by August 15, 2001detailing the
recruitment activities already undertaken at each public
four-year institution.
c) MHEC will provide assistance to
the institutions, as may be needed or appropriate, in the
design, implementation and analysis of self-evaluation
measures.MHEC will also ensure that formal opportunities exist
at least annually for representatives of each institution to
learn about promising practices in this area from each other
and a variety of other experts in the field. This could be
accomplished through a sharing of information regarding
successful strategies implemented to increase minority
achievement in the areas of undergraduate recruitment,
enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.
d) MHEC will review its
current statewide process of administering financial aid to
students seeking higher education with the goal of addressing
needs to heighten the awareness among African American
students of the availability of financial aid, including the
types of aid available, the need to complete applications
correctly and in a timely fashion and other familiarization
techniques. MHEC will report the status of this review to OCR
by August 15,2001, submit the final report within 30 days of
completion and begin implementing any changes based on the
review by that date.MHEC, in collaboration with MSDE, will
facilitate the implementation of program activities such as:
establishing a clearinghouse for financial aid, educating
students and their parents about financial aid and the
application process, seeking increased funding for need-based
student financial aid, and implementing flexible deadlines for
filing for certain types of financial aid.
e) The State will expand the
current $ 44 million pool of funds available for need-based
financial assistance for part-time, full-time and transfer
students including those attending community colleges. The
State will also alleviate difficulties that students may
encounter with application processes and deadlines by
exploring measures that eliminate any obstacles that a student
may encounter in applying for financial aid.The State will
explore the feasibility of decentralizing the current
need-based grant program to allow all institutions of higher
education to determine eligibility at the point of a student’s
registration.A review of “best practices” at other states such
as California will assist with this feasibility study. This
study will be completed by December 1, 2001 and a copy of the
study sent to OCR by that date.
f) The State will explore establishing a
first-professional and graduate scholarship program for
high-achieving students at HBCUs to encourage them to enroll
in first-professional and graduate programs at Maryland’s
public and independent institutions of higher education
beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year and for each year
thereafter.HBCUs will work with first professional and
graduate programs to identify prospective students who have
the academic ability to pursue these programs at Maryland’s
public and independent colleges and universities. Strategies
for success, matriculation, and graduation from these programs
include a partnership program with all HBCUs and Maryland
institutions of higher education to help ensure a larger pool
of prospective candidates with adequate counseling, advising,
financial assistance, and academic preparation.
g) If any public college,
university, or first professional school experiences a
significant decline in the proportion of“other race”
enrollments at the undergraduate, graduate, or first
professional level as determined by MHEC, immediate corrective
action must be taken by the institution.After one year of such
a decline, the institution must identify strategies to reverse
this situation.If the decline persists over a two-year period,
an action plan must be submitted by the campus to the MHEC for
its approval.At a minimum, this action plan must identify
specific strategies that the campus will take to immediately
remedy the decline in
enrollments.
Statewide, the 4th year
graduation rate for African American first-time full-time
freshman who matriculated in 1995 was 17%, while the rate for
white students in the cohort was 38%.The 6th year graduation
rate for African American freshmen for white students was 40%
and 65%, respectively. While
graduation rates for both races are higher than twenty years
ago, the difference in the rates has not changed.Hence, a
major goal of this Partnership Agreement is to significantly
narrow or eliminate the difference in the rates at which
African American and white freshmen are successful in
obtaining college degrees.
a) All public colleges and
universities commit to continuing and expanding retention
programs and activities to ensure that Maryland’s African
American students have equal opportunity for success in higher
education. Specifically,each public institution will identify
several of these programs and activities which, in its
judgment, will continue to enhance its institutional diversity
through the strengthening ofstudent retention and graduation
and implement them beginning in the 2001-2002 academic year.By
August 15, 2001, MHEC will report to OCR on retention programs
at each public four-year institution that are to be
implemented in the Fall of 2001.
b) MHEC, in collaboration
with the public colleges and universities, will develop
assessment standards to include “risk-factors” to analyze the
effectiveness of retention programs in retaining and
graduating African American students and, based on these
assessment standards, recommend adjustments.
c) MHEC, in collaboration with the
public colleges and universities, will also ensure that formal
opportunities exist at least annually for representatives of
each institution to learn about promising practices in this
area from each other and a variety of other experts in the
field.
d) At the completion of each
academic year, MHEC will report retention and graduation data
to OCR and will provide OCR with copies of each
publicinstitution’s retention program plans for the upcoming
academic year.
A welcoming campus
environment is essential to retention and academic success for
all students.It is imperative that campuses provide ongoing
programs that foster a student-friendly campus environment,
accommodating an increase of students of all races.
a) All public colleges and universities
commit to continuing and expanding their programs and
activities designed to ensure that all students encounter a
campus atmosphere which is welcoming and free of hostility and
that the campus atmosphere at each institution is attractive
and welcoming to students of all races.This includes
appropriate recruitment, marketing and advertising activities
attracting African American students to TWIs and white
students to HBCUs.
b) All public colleges and universities
commit to ensuring that appropriate steps are taken to enhance
relations between the institutional campuses and neighboring
communities. These commitments include activities designed to
foster positive relations between students and campus police
and between campus authorities and local, civilian
police.
c) By August 15, 2001, MHEC will report
to OCR each public four-year institution’s programs that have
been implemented.
All Maryland institutions of higher
education commit to continuing their efforts to attract,
recruit and retain racially diverse faculty and staff.The
State particularly acknowledges the significance of the
presence of African American faculty and staff at the TWIs
with respect to the ability of those institutions to attract
and retain African American students.Consistent with other
commitments set forth in this agreement, the State is
committed to promoting the positive perception of all of its
public institutions of higher education, in order to make them
attractive to faculty and staff of all races and to the
development and enforcement of measures necessary to support
this commitment.
a) Each public four-year institution of
higher education will ensure that its hiring and employment
practices are fully implemented and are in compliance with the
State’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program as set forth in
Title 5 of the State Personnel and Pensions Article of the
Annotated Code of Maryland, and COMAR 17.04.08 (Appendix
K). This includes the appointment and
roles of a Fair Practices Officer and any Equal Employment
Opportunity Officers as required.
b) Public four-year colleges
and universities will continue the regular evaluation of their
recruitment procedures and enhance or develop efforts to
increase the diversity of their faculty and staff.
c) Each institution will enhance
its efforts to advertise vacancies for faculty and upper
administrator positions as widely as possible.
d) Each institution will
strengthen and expand orientation programs, mentoring programs
and activities for newly hired professional employees,
particularly other race faculty and administrators, designed
to help them succeed in their responsibilities, meet tenure
requirements, and to provide information concerning the
various diverse cultural organizations, areas and activities
available on campus and in the surrounding
communities.
e) Each public four-year
institution will identify several practices regarded as “best
practices” which, in its judgment, will continue to enhance
its institutional diversity by enhancing faculty and staff
diversity and implement them beginning in the 2001-2002
academic year.By August 15, 2001, MHEC will report to OCR on
each public four-year institution’s “best practices” plan for
implementation in the 2001-2002 academic year.
f) Each USM institution will strive to
achieve or maintain diversity among the members of its Board
of Visitors.
In fall 1999, almost 3,000 (21.4%)
of the new full-time freshmen at public two-year institutions
in Maryland were African Americans who are state residents
compared to almost 2,700 (22.5%) of new full-time freshmen who
entered public four-year institutions. Unfortunately, many
African American students who are community college beginners
do not earn associate’s degrees or transfer to four-year
institutions.The ineffectiveness of efforts to increase
transfer rates among these students is suggested in the
four-year success rate--the percentage of students earning a
degree or a certificate or transferring to a four-year
institution--of full-time African America community college
students in Maryland, which has remained flat at approximately
20% in recent years.For the most recent cohort (1994) of
community college beginners, the success rate for African
Americans was 19%, while the rate for white students was
37%.
As the data indicate, for African
Americans in Maryland, two-year institutions, more affordable
than four-year colleges and universities and focused on
meeting an array of academic needs, are vital to the
attainment of baccalaureate degrees.
Over 71% of the African American
freshmen at community colleges in the fall of 1999 were
part-time students.Many of these students would be more likely
to transfer and seek a baccalaureate degree if they could
continue their studies, both at the community college and the
four-year institutions, as part-time students.They too need
financial assistance.
a) MHEC will support expanded
opportunities for two-year institutions serving large numbers
of African American students and four-year institutions to
develop collaboratively 2+2 programs.Institutions will design
and implement, for the academic year 2001-2002 and for each
year thereafter, programs characterized by articulated
curricula, faculty and student services staff collaboration,
and dual admission when feasible.
b) MHEC and all public colleges and
universities will continue to identify and implement
articulation agreements and other actions needed to facilitate
transition from two-year to four-year institutions.
c) MHEC will continue to provide
information to each two-year and four-year institution on
transition and successful degree-completion rates of African
American community college beginners.
d) Each public four-year institution
will identify articulated curricula, faculty and student
services staff collaborations, dual admission programs or
other actions designed to facilitate transition from two-year
to four-year institutions which, in its judgment, will
continue to enhance its institutional diversity by improving
and expanding 2+2 partnerships and articulations.
e) By August 15, 2001, MHEC will report
to OCR on each public four-year institution’s programs for the
2001-2002 academic year.
As set forth in the State
Plan for Postsecondary Education 2000, the State commits
to developing high-demand academic programs at HBCUs and
ensuring that they are not unnecessarily duplicated at nearby
institutions.For these purposes, “unnecessary program
duplication” refers to those instances in which broadly
similar academic programs (i.e., with respect to overarching
purposes, overall curriculum content, and expectations of
program graduates) are offered in areas other than the core
undergraduate liberal arts and sciences at a TWI and an HBCU
that are operated in locations that are geographically
proximate to one another. Maryland will avoid unnecessary
program duplication unless there is sound educational
justification for the dual operation of broadly similar
programs. The commitments in this section of the Partnership
Agreement do not affect academic programs currently offered at
Maryland’s public colleges and universities.
a) Consistent with State law, by October
30, 2000, each public institution revised its institutional
mission statement to ensure compliance with the State Plan for
Higher Education 2000.The revised missions will support future
establishment of high demand programs at the HBCUs that will
enhance their respective institutional identities.The missions
will ensure that they do not promote racial identifiability at
any of the State’s public institutions of higher education or
otherwise foster segregation and discrimination by race. MHEC
will provide OCR with a copy of the mission statement
submitted by the governing board for each public four-year
institution.
b) Consistent with its
authority under State law, MHEC will review, object to, and
not approve programs which are unnecessarily duplicative
unless there is sound educational
justification. Beginning December 31,
2000, and each year thereafter, MHEC will provide OCR with a
report listing the new programs, collaborations, and
cooperative degree programs it has approved during the
preceding year and its statement that the approved programs
will not result in unnecessary program duplication, as defined
herein, absent a sound educational justification.
c) Academic program collaboration among
institutions for the benefit of all students is encouraged.
Where collaborations or cooperative degree programs are
proposed between TWIs and HBCUs, the effect of the proposed
collaboration on the participating HBCUs must be
ascertained.Collaborations or cooperative degree programs
between TWIs and HBCUs that are likely to adversely affect the
levels of racial diversity at a participating institution
should not be approved.For programs that are approved, the
actual impact of the collaboration or cooperative degree
programs on racial diversity will be addressed as part of the
ongoing evaluation and monitoring of the collaboration or
cooperative degree program.
d) The State will take
appropriate steps to ensure that new unique, high demand and
other programs that are approved for HBCUs by operation of law
or by MHEC, for the purpose of promoting their institutional
competitiveness and ensuring that these institutions attract
students regardless of race, are successfully implemented,
consistent with available resources, and with the mission,
student profiles, academic program mix and degree levels of
the institution.
e) MHEC, USM, and the public four-year
institutions agree that the delivery of all, or a substantial
part, of an approved program at a classroom site other than
the institution’s main campus, will not unnecessarily
duplicate program offerings available at the campus of any
HBCU located near the off-campus site, unless there is sound
educational justification.
Half of all African American
students receiving a bachelor’s degree from a public
institution in Maryland in 1999 received their degree from an
HBCU.This represents an increase from 43% just ten years
ago.Hence, these campuses continue to play a critical role in
ensuring access and equal educational opportunity for African
Americans.
While recognizing the significant
enhancement measures initiated by the State on behalf of its
HBCUs since 1985, the State commits to design measures which
ensure that the HBCUs are comparable and competitive with the
TWIs in all facets of their operations and programs, as soon
as possible and before the expiration of this Agreement. These
measures will be designed to ensure that these institutions
provide equal opportunity for a quality education to all
students who choose to attend them and to enable them to
compete for and be attractive to students regardless of
race.Consistent with previous sections of this agreement and
as set forth in this section, this includes, as may be
necessary and consistent with institutional missions,
enhancing:
- the distinctiveness
of the HBCUs’ programmatic missions;
- the uniqueness and
mix of quality academic programs that are notunnecessarily
duplicated at proximate TWIs;
- operational funding
consistent with the mix and degree level of academic
programs, support for the development of research
infrastructure, and support consistent with the
academic profile of students;
- lower
student-faculty ratios appropriate to support their
missions;
- the
expanse, functionality and architectural quality of physical
facilities;
- the
appearance, attractiveness and ambiance of the campus and
surrounding public infrastructure, including roads, lighting
and public transportation; and
- funding to support
students’ quality of campus life
The State commits, as set
forth below, to the expeditious completion of capital projects
already begun at each of the HBCUs.Included in this commitment
are the enhancement of campus environments at HBCUs to ensure
parity with TWIs with respect to the physical characteristics
of landscape, ambiance and appearance as well as the
availability, quality and adequacy of facilities necessary to
support the missions and programs of the
institutions.Facilities which serve similar functions at HBCUs
and TWIs should be comparable in scope and quality.Moreover,
the State is committed to supporting infrastructure
improvements at HBCUs that improve access by public
transportation and which improve appearance and security, such
as landscaping, paths, walkways and lighting.
The State agrees to assess and
incorporate into its established budget and program review
procedures the operating (including academic programs) and
capital enhancement funding proposals for each HBCU.The
governing boards of the public four-year institutions will
review enhancement proposals of the HBCUs and determine by
March 1, 2001, which will be recommended for funding, and the
timetable for such funding, subject to necessary approvals.
To be properly considered, the
enhancement proposals will be submitted annually through the
operating and capital budget cycles as required by the
Maryland Constitution, the Annotated Code of Maryland, and the
regulations and procedures of MHEC, USM, Morgan State
University and DBM.The academic program proposals will be
considered only upon submission as set forth in MHEC’s
established procedures for program approval, consistent with
State law.
By March 1, 2001, enhancement
proposals will be submitted to MHEC by the institutions’
respective governing boards.MHEC will review the proposals in
the normal budget process for recommendations to the Governor
and the Maryland General Assembly.DBM will analyze the
proposals for inclusion in the Operating and Capital
Budgets. The Executive Budgets will
be submitted to the Maryland General Assembly.The Maryland
General Assembly will review the enhancement funds included in
the Executive Budgets within the context of the normal budget
review process during the annual legislative session.The
budget committees of General Assembly will make
recommendations to the house floors for adoption in the annual
operating and capital budget bills.The Governor, as chief
executive officer of Maryland, will inform members of the
General Assembly about the commitments and related goals set
forth in this Agreement and will advocate for adoption by the
General Assembly of the enhancement funds included in the
budget.
In the normal course of these
procedures, particular focus will be given at all levels to
the commitments and related goals stated in this Agreement to
ensure that these institutions are comparable to and
competitive with other four-year public colleges and
universities in the State consistent with this Agreement.If
this cannot be done under established procedures, the State
will make special efforts to ensure that the proposals are
submitted. Commitments to enhance the HBCUs, consistent with
this Agreement, will be provided through the normal budget
process based on operating budget funding guidelines and, as
may be necessary, appropriate and available, special
enhancement funding, for a limited period of time, but not to
extend beyond the terms of this Agreement.
In addition to those measures and
commitments previously set forth in this agreement, the State
commits to the following:
a) Enhancing Certain Critical
Activities at HBCUs
For the 2001-2002 academic year,
Maryland’s enhancement funding in the areas of admissions
management, student financial aid administration, and
institutional development programs will be directed toward the
identification of ”best practices” and the development of
strategic plans in each of these areas for each HBCU.
Moreover, Maryland will address retention and fundraising by
enhancingits Access and Success program and the Private
Donation Incentive Program.Beginning with the 2002-2003
academic year, enhancement funding will be provided to enable
each HBCU to implement its strategic plan in these areas.
Enhancement, at each of its HBCUs, of the admissions
management program and the development and implementation of
an admissions strategy that is competitive with other publicly
funded institutions in recruiting and admitting a racially
diverse group of qualified students.
2) Enhancement, at each of its HBCUs, of
the student financial aid administration designed and
implemented to provide student financial aid counseling as
well as timely and appropriate processing and payment of
student financial assistance.
3) Enhancement, at each of its HBCUs, of
the institutional development program -- including public
relations, governmental relations, community relations, alumni
affairs, and development -- designed and implemented so as to
increase the institution’s visibility within its community and
across Maryland.
4) Beginning with FY 2002, increase
from its current $3,000,000 funding level, with the goal of
doubling by FY 2003, Access and Success, a program to
assist students enrolled in each of its HBCUs.MHEC will
provide OCR with a status report on August 15 of each
year.
5) Amend the State’s Private Donation
Incentive Program for each of its HBCUs matching two dollars
of State funds for every one dollar raised by each institution
from the private sector.This enhancement, which represents an
increase from Maryland’s current 1:1 match, will be in
addition to any other funding for which the institution may be
eligible and will remain in effect for the duration of the
agreement beginning with the academic year 2001-2002.MHEC will
report annually on the total amount of funds provided under
this program.
On January 31, 2001, April
30, 2001 and August 15, 2001, MHEC will provide reports to OCR
on the status and progress of the State’s enhancement measures
consistent with the provisions above.These reports will
include an assessment of the amount and level of funding
proposed and approved and a description of programs and
projects proposed, approved or funded.Thereafter, through the
implementation of this Agreement, MHEC will provide OCR with
updates of this report on January 31, April 30, and August 15
of each year.
b) Capital Enhancements of
HBCUs
1) Maryland commits to the expeditious
completion of the following capital improvement projects which
have been approved to begin at Bowie, UMES and
Morgan:
Institution |
Project |
Projected
Date of Completion |
Bowie |
Campus Site
Development |
FY2002 |
|
New Science
Building |
FY2002 |
UMES |
Food Science
& Technology Center |
FY2002 |
|
Construct
Social Science, Education & Health Sciences
Building |
FY2003 |
|
Construct New
Physical Plant Building |
FY2003 |
|
Renovate
Waters/Somerset Halls |
FY2003 |
Morgan |
Construct New
Community Center |
FY2004 |
|
Construct
Science Research Facility with Greenhouse |
FY2002 |
|
Montebello Site
Improvements |
FY2001 |
|
|
|
By March 1, 2001, the USM Board of
Regents will submit to MHEC capitalimprovement projects for
expeditious completion at Coppin State College.
On January 31, 2001 and every year
thereafter, MHEC willprovide OCR with a report which includes
a listing of these capital projects, and the appropriations
requested.On April 30, 2001 and August 15, 2001 and every year
thereafter, MHEC will provide OCR with a report on the status
of each project, including the appropriations approved, the
estimated date of completion, and when applicable, the actual
cost and the final date of completion.MHEC will provide OCR
with notice of any change in the construction schedule within
45 days of the change.
1) In addition, beginning in January,
2001 and every January thereafter, for the duration of the
this Agreement, the Governor will request additional state
funding for those capital projects needed in order to ensure
that the facilities at Maryland’s HBCUs are made comparable to
those at the TWIs.Such requests are subject to review and
approval of the Maryland General Assembly.
On January 31, 2001 and
every year thereafter, MHEC will provide OCR with a report
which includes a listing of these capital projects and the
appropriations requested. On April 30, 2001 and August 15,
2001 and every year thereafter, MHEC will provide OCR with a
report on the status of each project, including the
appropriations approved, the estimated date of completion, and
when applicable, the actual cost and the final date of
completion.MHEC will provide OCR with notice of any change in
the construction schedule within 45 days of the
change.
c) Revitalization of Coppin State
College
Notwithstanding the commitments
above pertaining to the known enhancement needs of Coppin
State College, Maryland commits to a process for Coppin’s
revitalization, as it enters its second century.
By September 1, 2001, the USM
Board of Regents, in collaboration with MHEC, will complete an
independent study leading to a comprehensive strategic plan
for the revitalization of Coppin. The strategic plan will
provide a vision for the future of Coppin, including an
enhanced mission, academic programs, administrative and
faculty staffing, institutional advancement, fiscal affairs,
and physical plant.The strategic plan will identify the new
construction and renovation of existing facilities needed to
provide campus facilities which are equivalent to those at
other publicly funded institutions.In this study,
consideration will be given to classrooms, laboratories and
other instructional facilities as well as academic,
counseling, and administrative offices, walkways and other
common areas.Consideration will also be given to those
facilities as are found in nearby, publicly funded
institutions that provide for parking, childcare, athletic
opportunities, recreation, and other supplementary
services.For this purpose, facilities will be regarded as
“equivalent” if they support the institution’s mission and
provide an atmosphere of safety and security, comfort, and
convenience at a level comparable to TWIs.MHEC will support
the development and approval of additional academic programs
at Coppin, consistent with its revised mission, and provide
any assistance necessary in the development of these new
programs, as well as the strengthening of existing academic
program offerings.In addition, the plan will identify the
steps to be taken in order the ensure a broader mix of
students, such as through the enhancement of an endowment at
Coppin to provide full tuition, four-year, merit scholarships
to undergraduate students. The USM Board of Regents and Coppin
State College will consider the findings and recommendations
of the study as the capital and operating budgets are prepared
for the institution.
Upon completion of the study, MHEC
will provide OCR with a copy of the final report and
recommendations to enhance Coppin State College.
d) Enhancing Boards of
Visitors
The presidents of USM’s
HBCUs will ensure that the Boards of Visitors at the HBCUs in
USM are of the highest caliber.For example, for any and all
vacancies occurring during the period of this agreement,
individuals possessing a diversity of experiences and
background will be recruited to serve on the Boards of
Visitors of HBCUs.Desired credentials for Board members
include, but are not limited to, a demonstrated commitment to
education and to the relevant HBCU, successful experience
operating medium-size or large for-profit or non-profit
organizations, demonstrated leadership in the individual’s
community or their field of work, demonstrated knowledge or
successful experience in managing personnel and
fiscal/financial affairs, demonstrated success in fundraising,
and other qualifications or experience that would be of use in
ensuring the vitality and future of the HBCUs.
1.OCR commits
to completing an expeditious review of Maryland’s reports, and
providing Maryland, within 30 days of its submission, with an
assessment of whether the strategies, programs, actions,
approved new academic programs, funding appropriations, and
other steps identified in these reports represent adequate
progress toward the commitments contained in this
Agreement.
2. OCR commits
to providing technical assistance to MHEC, USM, Morgan State
University and St. Mary’s College, and the community colleges,
as requested, in developing programs and activities to enhance
the climate for minority students, faculty, and staffs in the
campuses of Maryland’s public institutions of higher
education.
3. OCR commits to providing technical
assistance to MHEC, USM, Morgan State University and St.
Mary’s College, and community colleges, as requested, in
developing programs and activities that assure diversity in
enrollment and hiring for faculty and staff.
4. OCR will work cooperatively with
Maryland to implement the commitments set forth in this
Partnership agreement and will provide regular feedback and
constructive assistance to Maryland in meeting these
commitments.
5. During the implementation period,
OCR will report to and meet with the State of Maryland/OCR
Workgroup semi-annually on its efforts to fulfill the
commitments adopted herein.
6. OCR will work collaboratively with
MHEC, USM and the Maryland State Department of Education
(MSDE) to host a conference in Spring 2001 on Teacher
Preparation, focusing on preparing teachers to work
effectively with children of diverse backgrounds and learning
styles.
7. OCR will work collaboratively with
MHEC and USM to host a conference in the Spring/Fall 2001 on
campus diversity for all institutions of postsecondary
education in the State.
The State of Maryland, MHEC,
USM, each institution of higher education, and OCR commit to
closely monitoring the implementation of these commitments
through the review of annual reports prepared by each
institution. OCR will conduct annual site visits to selected
institutions to assess and report on the institutions’ success
and to provide technical assistance where necessary.OCR will
provide a report within 60 days of each site visit.A final
report will be prepared by OCR, with discussion and input by
MHEC, USM, and the institutions of higher education, in March
2006.By May 2006, the State and OCR will determine whether the
commitments have been implemented, thus concluding the
review.As set forth herein, if by May 2006 the parties
determine that the actions articulated in the agreement have
been implemented and the Title VI and Fordice issues
have thereby been resolved, OCR will acknowledge formally in
writing that Maryland has eliminated all vestiges of
segregation in its public system of higher education.It is
also understood, however, that should the parties not be able
to resolve matters by means of this process, OCR reserves the
right to determine by other means whether the requirements of
the law have been satisfied.It is further understood, however,
that should the parties not be able, in good faith, to resolve
matters by means of this process, Maryland reserves the right
to seek a judicial determination of whether the requirements
of the law have been satisfied.
To effectively monitor
implementation of the Agreement Commitments, MHEC, USM, and
the institutions of higher education will consider the
information provided annually to OCR during the life of this
agreement.
Unless otherwise stated, beginning
August 15, 2001, and each year thereafter, MHEC, USM, and all
public four-year institutions, will provide OCR with a report
with a report detailing the strategies, activities, and
programs selected pursuant to the commitments in Part III. A
above, including the methods of implementation, the standards
for determining the success of each strategy, plans for
adjusting or replacing those strategies which have proven
insufficiently effective and relevant data for the commitments
and goals listed below:
1.Strengthening Academic and
Teacher Preparation Programs
2.Strengthening Partnerships with
Elementary and Secondary School Stakeholders
3.Strengthening Recruitment and
Admissions
4.Strengthening Retention and
Graduation
5.Improving Campus Climate and
Environment
6.Improving Diversity of
Faculty/Staff and Governing/Advisory Boards
7.Improving and Expanding 2+2
Partnerships
8.Avoiding Unnecessary Program
Duplication and Expansion of Mission and Program Uniqueness
and Institutional Identity at the HBCUs
9.Enhancing Maryland’s
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Where applicable,
these reports shall incorporate an assessment of the
effectiveness of the activities carried out pursuant to this
agreement and relevant data.
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