With about 68,000 students, the Community College of Baltimore County is one of the largest higher-education providers in the state. The school?s president, Sandra Kurtinitis, talks with The Examiner about the importance of a community college education.
Question: Is there a stigma attached to attending a community college?
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Answer: What has happened over the years is that community colleges have gone from being schools from the wrong side of the Ivory Tower to well-respected and well-recognized educational venues. Community colleges tend to be far more affordable and accessible, and they are able to deliver instruction and support at a very high level. A lot of people are attracted to that combination of quality and price.
Q: Even though many students take remedial course work?
A: You have to look at the nature of our student body. Only 35 percent of our population comes directly from high school. The other 65 percent has had very little reason to think or act critically in relation to academia. They?ve raised kids, worked jobs. Part of our mission has been to develop the capacity to get people college-ready. When people think, “Oh, community colleges are the place where the dummies go,” I bet that if you ? or me, and I have a Ph.D. ? sat down and took the placement tests, we?d be in remedial course work. It?s a matter of meeting people where they are and strengthening them to go forward.
Q: How many people complete their associate degree? Do people come just to boost GPA levels so they can go somewhere else?
A: We would love to help students go from beginning freshmen to graduating sophomores, but we know that?s not what everyone wants or needs to do. Students connect with us at many points of their academic careers. Part of our mission is to meet students where we find them and take them to the point of what they define as success.
Q: How do you attract the 65 percent of your students who are not graduating high school seniors?
A: We are committed to a 24-7, 365-days-a-year routine. We are building as fast aswe can an even more aggressive alternative instruction menu, which means more classes on weekends, more online programming, more classes in the evening and more classes that run for five weeks than the traditional 15. All these strategies tend to support the needs of working parents, as well as folks who have children in school during the day.
Q: How prepared are CCBC grads for the work force?
A: We have a huge school for nursing and allied health. We know we are successful not only because our students will have jobs offers even before they walk out door but also because our students are much sought after by our transfer partners. But we have many people ? graphic artists and accountants, for example ? who are well-trained to go to the next level and enter the work force.
Distinguished alumni
» Tim Williams: WJZ-TV news anchor
» Mike Rowe: Host of the Discovery Channel?s “Dirty Jobs”
» Peter Pucci: Internationally renowned choreographer
Fast facts
» Faculty: 21 percent have doctorates
» Student body: Approximately 68,000 students
» Cost: $2,409 (full tuition and fees)
