360/Maryland Manual

and makes recommendations upon operating bud-
get requests from the University of Maryland,
Morgan State University, the Board of Trustees
of the State Universities and Colleges, St. Mary's
College of Maryland, the State Board for Com-
munity Colleges, the State Scholarship Board,
and the Higher Education Loan Corporation. On
the basis of this review, the Board develops a
consolidated operating budget for higher educa-
tion for presentation to the Governor. In consul-
tation with the Department of State Planning, the
Board also reviews proposals for capital projects
requested by public and private institutions of
higher education. This capital budget review func-
tion is aided by the Board's facilities inventorying
efforts as well as by its other activities in the area
of pace planning utilization. The Board also ad-
ministers the State's program of aid to private in-
stitutions of higher education.

The Board must approve all proposals for new
programs and for major changes in existing pro-
grams in the State's public postsecondary institu-
tions. It also reviews and makes recommenda-
tions about the continuation, modification, or
duplication of programs currently in operation in
public institutions and about programs offered by
private institutions that receive State funds. In re-
lationship to its program review and approval
functions, the Board recommends to the Gover-
nor and the General Assembly any name or gov-
ernance change requested for a public institution
of higher education.

In order to obtain maximum benefit from
available educational resources, the Board encour-
ages the development of cooperative programs
among the State's public institutions. It also de-
velops policies for student transfers and recipro-
cal credits acceptance. In cooperation with the
Southern Regional Education Board and with in-
dividual states, the Board pursues interstate
approaches to meeting educational needs.

The Board works to improve cooperation be-
tween the federal government and policy-makers
at the State and institutional levels. It also serves
as the administrative agency in the State for pro-
grams under Title I of the Higher Education Act
of 1965, and Title IV, the Education Information
Center Program. Title I provides State higher ed-
ucation institutions with opportunities for discre-
tionary funding in the areas of community service
and continuing education.

INSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL TO
OPERATE

The State Board grants approval to operate to
all Maryland public and private institutions of

postsecondary education. This approval is contin-
gent on an institution's ability to meet standards
developed by the Board. These standards pre-
scribe minimum requirements for the issuance of
certificates, diplomas, and degrees. The Board
must review and approve educational programs
that enroll veterans and war orphans in order for
these students to become eligible for federal fi-
nancial benefits under Title 38 of the U.S. Code.
The Board also engages in a variety of other ac-
tivities aimed at enhancing the quality of
postsecondary education in Maryland.

EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

The State Board for Higher Education coordi-
nates and monitors the implementation of the
Maryland Plan for Completing the Desegregation
of the Public Postsecondary Education Institutions
in the States. As part of its efforts to carry out
this broad responsibility, the Board collects, com-
piles, analyzes, and disseminates data related to
desegregation in the State. The results of these ef-
forts are published each year in the form of an
Annual Desegregation Status Report, which con-
sists primarily of data collected by institutions
and segment boards, and a Midyear Desegregation
Status Report, which provides a narrative evalua-
tion of desegregation activities throughout the
State.

Through the use of Desegregation Impact
Statements, the Board reviews all new degree pro-
grams and facilities for their potential effect on
the State's desegregation efforts. The Board also
conducts studies on specific areas of concern,
such as the retention and progression of students
by race and the impact of academic program of-
ferings on the racial composition of student en-
rollments.

The Board administers a variety of programs
designed to enhance desegregation efforts. These
include: the Other Race Grants Program for
Graduate and Professional School Students, and
the Henry C. Welcome Fellowship Program.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY
SERVICE

The Board promotes public awareness of activi-
ties in postsecondary education through publica-
tion of a newsletter entitled Record; preparation
of news releases for newspapers, radio, and televi-
sion; and publication of numerous documents, in-
cluding its Admissions and Financial Aid Informa-
tion manual and Directory of Public and Private