5 Questions With...

Catherine Horta-Hayden
Assistant Provost

Q: Why is Towson University (TU) making a commitment to offer bachelors and masters degrees in Harford County?
A: Harford County is home to 9,200 TU alumni and in fall 2009 the TU campus was home to 1,710 undergraduate students from Harford County. TU's geographic proximity to Harford Community College (HCC), its extensive undergraduate and graduate program offerings, and the willingness of both institutions to partner in offering academic programs on site at Harford County have enabled this educational partnership to move forward. In 2006, the level of collaboration began to expand in order to meet the demands of a growing County population and forthcoming Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) expansion at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The main goal of the TU/HCC Educational Partnership is to provide upper-level undergraduate education to the current and future residents of Harford County.

Q: How long has TU been involved with Harford County?

A: TU, HCC and the Higher Education and Conference Center (HECC) at HEAT have been working together for the past 13 years to address the higher education needs of Harford County residents. Since 1997, in close collaboration with Harford County Public Schools, we have been addressing the professional and educational needs of teachers in Harford and Cecil counties. The Harford County Public School System is the second largest employer in Maryland of TU alumni.

Q: What programs will Towson offer in Harford County?

A: In October 2006, HCC and TU signed 20 memoranda of understanding creating 2+2 articulation agreements to allow for seamless transition in programs from HCC to TU. Today there are 23 agreements in place. At the undergraduate level TU currently offers a Bachelor's in Elementary Education/Special Education (EESE). The first cohort of students from the EESE program will graduate from TU on May 20, 2010. Upper-level undergraduate classes in Business Administration, Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology with a Criminal Justice concentration are also being offered in Harford County.
     TU currently offers eight graduate and certificate programs at the HEAT Center which include:

• M.S in Human Resource Development / Educational Leadership Track
• Certificate of Advanced Study- Organizational Change
• Administrator I Track
• M. Ed. Early Childhood Education
• M.Ed. Elementary Education
• M.Ed. Secondary Education
• M.S. Instructional Technology (Educational Technology)
• M.S. Applied Information Technology (new fall 2009)
  

Q: An educational facility is being built for Towson University to offer classes, can you tell us about that project?

A: A new educational facility will be constructed by Harford Community College on property across the street from the main campus. In September 2009 the HCC Board of Trustees accepted the winning architectural proposal and authorized the procuring of architectural, engineering design services. Design of the 30-40 thousand net assignable square feet (NASF) instructional facility is underway. Groundbreaking is scheduled for August 2010. TU has signed an MOU to operate the educational facility. This project is being constructed without state capital construction funding. TU will seek formal approval by the Board of Regents to sign a 10-year operating lease with a 10-year renewal option. By offering undergraduate programs at this new facility it will allow the HECC @ HEAT to continue its mission of offering graduate level programs to serve BRAC employees while the residents of the northeast region of Maryland can seek their associates, bachelors and masters degree closer to home if they so desire.

Q: What other activities are TU engaged in to address the needs of BRAC?
A: TU is working with University System of Maryland, the Governor's Subcabinet on BRAC and all of the state agencies that are involved along with the Army Alliance and the multiple entities on base at Aberdeen Proving Grounds to address the broader demands of BRAC in the graduate education and research arena. TU developed a BRAC website to educate students and faculty about the opportunities around BRAC in Maryland, http://www.towson.edu/brac/. To assist in recruiting employees to move to Maryland with the base realignment TU staff visited Ft. Monmouth Army Base and Brookdale Community College in New Jersey to discuss the transfer process for general transfer and 2+2 agreements in order to assist students impacted by the move. Through a US Department of Labor grant and in conjunction with the Governor's Subcabinet on BRAC, TU is developing a database of internships available for students that will go through the soft-skills security clearance training programs. These training programs are in partnership with Fort Meade Alliances' Project Scope.

Culminating the 2010 Plan

Towson University is a major producer of nurses and health professionals in the state and leads the University System of Maryland in health professions enrollment. The College of Health Professions (CHP) enrolls more students in bachelor's and master's level health care and sport-related programs than any other University System of Maryland institution. Enrollments in Towson University's Department of Nursing have seen a steady incline over the last 4 years among nursing majors and pre-majors. Towson University continues to address the shortage of nurses in the region by expanding our programs remotely in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Hagerstown and Harford, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties. Towson University's Master of Science degree program in nursing prepares graduates to assume key roles in the delivery of health care within a community-based nursing practice, in nursing education, or in transition from clinician to administrator. Towson University has Maryland's only combined B.S./M.S. program in Occupational Therapy and the state's only Gerontology program.

2010 Plan | Report Card | Guiding Principles

New in the News

Read up on the latest higher education issues that have appeared in the news recently:

• Towson University helps build Maryland Broadband Map -- TU Newsroom
• TU economist analyzes affordability of doing business in Baltimore-- TU Newsroom
• How is Towson University thinking outside?-- TU Newsroom
• Md. House rejects shifting cost of teacher pensions-- The Baltimore Sun
• End to legislative scholarships survives House vote-- MarylandReporter.com
• Many bills, little time for legislators-- The Baltimore Sun
• Budget, Other Issues Dominate Final Week Of Session 2010-- WBAL
• House approves $32 billion state budget-- The Gazette
• Maryland budget plans diverge on cutting shortfalls-- The Washington Post
• Budget conferees start work on 2011 spending plan-- The Gazette

Legislative Bills

Budget Update 4/06/2010:
The USM Office of Government Relations is again asking you to reach out to members of the House and Senate regarding the System's budget for FY 2011. Last week, Senate Bill 140 (Operating Budget bill) and Senate Bill 141 (Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act) were passed in the House. The House and Senate versions of the budget moved to conference committee negotiations which began on Monday. The conference committee is composed of five members from each chamber, and is, by rule, restricted to dealing only with those amendments in disagreement. The difference between the House and Senate budget bills for USM is in the millions of dollars!

Specifically, we are urging the USM community and friends to let your opinion be heard, again! The USM is working to reject a proposal to cut $2 million from the USM budget based on reorganization of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI). We are also asking that the conference negotiators preserve as much of the USM fund balance as possible. The Senate has proposed a fund balance cut to USM by $3.8 million and the House has proposed a $10 million cut. Please take the time to go to http://capwiz.com/usmd/home/ and let your legislators know how you feel.

Thank you for your support in limiting these budget cuts and continuing support for high quality, affordable and accessible public higher education.

Bill Information:

The following is a status report of bills relating to higher education in the 2010 General Assembly.

Bills passed in the House and Senate:

• HB 257 Evidence - Journalist's Testimonial Privileges - Student. Status as of April 1, 2010: Bill is in the Senate - Third Reading Passed. Assigned to House: Judiciary and Senate: Judicial Proceedings.

Conference Committee:

• SB 140 Budget Bill (Fiscal Year 2011). Status as of March 30, 2010: Bill is in the House - House Conference Committee Appointed/ Senate Conference Committee Appointed. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
  Senate Conference Committee Appointed - (Senators Currie, Kasemeyer, DeGrange, Madaleno, and Brinkley)
  House Conference Committee Appointed - (Delegates Conway, G. Clagett, Gaines, Bohanan, and Beitzel)
• SB 141 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2010. Status as of April 1, 2010: Bill is in the Senate - Senate Conference Committee Appointed/House Conference Committee Appointed.   Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
  Senate Conference Committee Appointed - (Senators Currie, Kasemeyer, DeGrange, Madaleno, and Brinkley)
  House Conference Committee Appointed - (Delegates Conway, Gaines, Bohanan, Hixson, and Beitzel)
  

Bills passed in the House:

• HB 209 General Obligation Bonds for Capital Projects - Required Reports. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation. Assigned to House: Health and Government Operations and Senate: Budget and Taxation.
  
• HB 466 Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Education Health and Environmental Affairs. Assigned to House: Ways and Means and Appropriations and Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs.
• HB 506 Higher Education - Delegate Scholarships - Summer School.Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Education Health and Environmental Affairs. Assigned to House: Ways and Means and Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs.
• HB 943 Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Education Health and Environmental Affairs. Assigned to House: Environmental Matters and Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs.
• HB 348 Public Senior Higher Education Institutions - New Design and Substantial Exterior Modification - Notice. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation. Assigned to House: Appropriations and Senate: Budget and Taxation and Education Health and Environmental Affairs.
• HB 1370 Public-Private Partnerships - Oversight. Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation. Assigned to House: Appropriations and Ways and Means and Senate: Budget and Taxation.

Bills passed in the Senate:

• SB 80 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Office of Student Financial Assistance, Bill is in the House - First Reading Ways and Means. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Ways and Means.
• SB 91 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Exempt Institutions. Bill is in the House - First Reading Appropriations. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Appropriations.
• SB 275 Education - Maryland Longitudinal Data System. Bill is in the House - First Reading Ways and Means. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Ways and Means and Appropriations.
• SB 283 Higher Education Investment Fund - Tuition Stabilization and Funding. Status as of March 28, 2010: Bill is in the House - First Reading House Rules and Executive Nominations. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: House Rules and Executive Nominations.
• SB 286 Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland. Bill is in the House - First Reading Ways and Means. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Ways and Means and Appropriations.
• SB 311 Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program. Bill is in the House - First Reading Environmental Matters. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Environmental Matters.
• SB 693 Green Maryland Act of 2010. Bill is in the House - First Reading Health and Government Operations. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: Health and Government Operations and Environmental Matters.
• SB 829 Teachers' Retirement and Pension Systems - Reemployment of Retirees - Retired Higher Education Faculty. Bill is in the House - First Reading Appropriations. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
• SB 1124 University System of Maryland - Audits - Communicating Preliminary Findings. Status as of March 27, 2010: Bill is in the House - First Reading House Rules and Executive Nominations. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: House Rules and Executive Nominations.
• SB 1084 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Review of Program Proposals. Status as of March 27, 2010: Bill is in the House - First Reading House Rules and Executive Nominations. Assigned to Senate: Education Health and Environmental Affairs and House: House Rules and Executive Nominations.
• SB 897 Academic Facilities Bonding Authority. Status as of March 29, 2010: Bill is in the House - Second Reading Passed. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
  
• SB 1018 Prior Authorizations of State Debt to Fund Capital Projects - Alterations. Status as of March 30, 2010: Bill is in the House - Second Reading Passed with Amendments. Assigned to Senate: Budget and Taxation and House: Appropriations.
  

For more information on bills with an unfavorable report and those that are awaiting votes, please click here.