About CSM

Mission Statement

I. Summary Mission Statement

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) is an open-admissions, regional community college preparing students and community to meet the challenges of individual, social and global changes. CSM makes accessible a broad range of affordable, high-quality learning opportunities that allow students to define and achieve their goals, enhance their knowledge, and make smooth transitions at various stages of their development.

CSM contributes to the well being of the region by providing an array of associate degree and certificate programs; enhanced access to bachelor degree programs; workforce development and job training; corporate consulting; leadership and community development; wellness, fitness and personal enrichment opportunities, and cultural experiences.

CSM seeks to instill a desire for lifelong learning and an appreciation of diverse points of view, and values integrity, critical thinking and service to others. (Revised mission statement approved by Board of Trustees, July 2005.)

II. Institutional Identity

A. Summary of Identity and Purpose

The College of Southern Maryland provides comprehensive community college services to the residents of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties. To this end, the college offers high quality transfer and career courses and programs, continuing education for specialized training and for personal enrichment, and customized contract training to meet workforce development needs of regional businesses.

CSM’s current Carnegie classification is Associate’s College. There are no developments currently anticipated that would change the classification.

The college occupies a unique position, bringing a variety of educational programs to Southern Maryland—a region long under-served by higher education. CSM encourages access to its programs through active outreach to its community and low tuition for its programs. The college has joined with USM and independent Maryland institutions to ensure local opportunities for baccalaureate completion. Easing the transition from an associate’s degree program to a baccalaureate program encourages students to obtain the higher degree at a lower cost than is typically possible by completing all course work at a 4-year institution.

The college also recognizes the challenges inherent in a population whose commuting and work schedules have grown increasingly complex. The college, by itself and jointly with other Maryland institutions, offers alternative approaches to learning that will meet the needs of a community that is limited in its ability to participate in traditional daytime classroom experiences. The college will continue to explore, design, and deliver instruction and services that address the lifelong learning needs of this population, while serving a rapidly growing traditional day-time population.

The college serves as a vital link in the systems that support economic and community development in the tri-county region. The Corporate and Community Training Institute (CCTI) at the college provides business development and training services including incubator opportunities to companies and organizations to help them grow, compete, and succeed in tomorrow’s marketplace.

The college also serves as a cultural center for the area, through the Fine Arts Center at the college’s La Plata Campus, a growing number of arts-related activities at the Prince Frederick and Leonardtown campuses, through the Connections literary readings and magazine, the Chautauqua summer program and fine arts offerings in multiple venues throughout the region.

The special attention the college provides to the unique characteristics of the local populace enables it to provide educational opportunities and workforce development specially tailored to the needs of Southern Maryland.

B. Instructional Program Emphasis

As a comprehensive community college, CSM’s instructional program emphasis and its priorities for academic program development are in areas responsive to the needs of Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties and the Maryland State Plan for Postsecondary Education 2004.

1. Transfer Programs. The college serves a tri-county area that has limited access to four-year institutions. CSM awards four associate degrees: the associate in arts (A.A.), the associate of arts in teaching (A.A.T.), the associate in science (A.S.), and the associate in applied science (A.A.S). Alliances with the University of Maryland University College, Towson University, Bowie State University, the University of Baltimore, Villa Julie College, Capitol College, and St. Mary’s College ensure that programs are aligned and that upper division courses and programs are available locally. The Waldorf Center (described in Part III) provides a home for several of these programs. Additional opportunities for degree partnerships are under exploration or development, such as a dual enrollment plan being developed with the University of Maryland College Park. Increasing the availability of transfer programs offered in the college’s service region furthers the state’s dual goals of achieving a statewide array of postsecondary educational institutions while providing affordable and equitable access for all Maryland citizens.

2. Technology. The local military installations and the contractors serving them generate much of the need for technicians in areas of information technology, engineering, energetics, and electronics. The college is completing the third year of a grant from the National Science Foundation directed at increasing the local availability of highly qualified technicians. A variety of continuing education courses allow local residents to upgrade their job skills and to learn new computer applications. Employers also contract with the college for workforce development in areas of technology. The college is working closely with Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Patuxent Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), and government contractors to assess their training needs and develop appropriate instruction. (The recently approved computer science AS degree is one result of this effort.) Opportunities for new degrees and programs are also being explored in the technology field of nanotechnology and energetics. These efforts contribute to the further development of Maryland’s economic health and vitality and, by contributing to the supply of qualified workers at Indian Head NSWC and Patuxent River NAWC, support applied research.

3. Health Care. A major area of local employment is the health care industry. The college’s service area includes three hospitals, nursing homes, hospice facilities, ambulatory care facilities, physicians’ offices, emergency medical services, and other facilities providing health care services. The college offers credit programs in nursing (a program that has been expanded substantially over the past three years), dental hygiene, emergency medical technology, medical assisting and massage therapy. Respiratory therapy, radiation technology, and physical therapy assisting are offered jointly with other community colleges. Continuing education offerings include geriatric aide training and nurse refresher. New offerings and collaborations are being considered in pharmacy technology, surgical technology and other areas. In light of the critical shortage of nurses and other health care workers, these programs provide a vital role in the development of the area’s health care work force.

4. Environment. The quality of life in the college’s service area is largely determined by the condition of its rivers, streams, and bays. Efforts to maintain and improve the state of these waterways can be made only if business and industry have a sufficient pool of qualified personnel with knowledge of the latest technologies and environmental management programs. The college has a long history of providing training in areas of the environment through its Maryland Center for Environmental Training (MCET). MCET regularly schedules classroom training in waste water treatment operations and management. In addition, specialized and general courses can be contracted through MCET to train employees either at the college or at an employer’s facilities. MCET provides consulting services nationwide on asset management of water and wastewater facilities and consults regularly on security matters with state and local officials. An associate’s degree program in Environmental Technology as well as a letter of recognition in Environmental Management are offered to meet local business needs.

5. Business. The private business base of the region served by the college is largely retail and service, meeting the needs of a large commuter population. With the exception of a few utility companies and construction firms, these businesses tend to be small. The local, state, and federal governments also employ large numbers of local residents. Programs that meet the needs of business and government include business administration, management development, accounting, and paralegal studies. Leadership and supervisory training and other skill development courses are also offered as continuing education open enrollment courses and through contract training to business. The Small Business Development Center, housed at the college, also provides a range of services.

6. Industrial Training. The Southern Maryland area is the fastest growing region of the state; thus, the construction and related industries continue to employ a large segment of the population. The college provides continuing education offerings that address the need for truck drivers, heating/ventilation and air conditioning mechanics, bricklayers, welders, and other professions necessary to construction and a growing populace. The college is investigating the need for programs in construction management, auto and diesel mechanics, and landscape design.

7. Teacher Education. CSM offers transfer A.A. degrees at the early childhood, elementary, and secondary levels and the A.A.T. degree in elementary education. (The A.A.T. in early childhood education and selected fields in secondary education are under development.) In an effort to improve access to bachelor’s degrees in education, the college has served as the broker in bringing the bachelor’s in elementary education from Towson University and Bowie State University to Southern Maryland. Additional partnerships are being cultivated.

8. Community Service. Within the context of instructional programs the college also offers a variety of continuing education courses of interest to the larger community including: personal enrichment, programs for children, such as Kid’s College, programs for senior citizens, driver’s education, motorcycle safety and many more.

The college continues to develop programs in ways that offer students maximum flexibility and career mobility. In some programs career ladders allow students to progress from a letter of recognition to a certificate and then to a degree without loss of credit. Telecourses, tele-web courses, self-paced courses, web-based courses as well as blended courses (on-line and face to face), coop and internship experiences, service learning, accelerated courses, and other methods of alternative course delivery allow students greater flexibility in choosing how to fit new educational and career development opportunities into their busy schedules. The college continues to expand its alternative delivery options. Seven degrees are now available at a distance through a combination of web-based courses and telecourses. These efforts contribute to the Maryland being one of the most advanced states in the use of information technology to improve learning and access and a cost effective and accountable system of delivering high-quality postsecondary education to residents. The Waldorf Center, operated in conjunction with the University of Maryland University College, also serves to provide flexible learning options in that students have the opportunity to participate in educational programs leading to a bachelor’s degree at a location more convenient to local commuting patterns.

III. Institutional Capabilities

A. Functional Emphasis

The primary emphasis of the college is effective instruction to provide for the educational and workforce development needs of the region. Faculty are hired and retained for their ability to engage students in the learning process. Initial placement criteria and annual performance standards recognize successful, flexible, and innovative teaching, and ongoing support of the instructional dimension of faculty life is apparent in strong institutional support for the Innovative Teaching Center and New Faculty Academy. While the college encourages and funds classroom, instructional, and scholarly research, and addresses these in annual faculty evaluations, these activities remain secondary to teaching effectiveness as an indicator of faculty quality. Services and research activities are developed to the degree that they enhance and complement the instructional program or meet a specific community need.

B. Applicability of Capabilities to State Plan Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Maintain and strengthen a preeminent statewide array of postsecondary education institutions recognized nationally for academic excellence and effectiveness in fulfilling the educational needs of students, the State, and the nation.

Quality and Effectiveness. The College of Southern Maryland is committed to maintaining and strengthening the quality of its programs and the effectiveness of its institutional operation. The most recent re-accreditation process (completed Spring 2004) confirms the institution’s high standing. The college received two commendations as a result of that process (for progress to date and for the quality of the institutional self-study) and no recommendations for improvement made by the visiting team. Furthermore, for the third year in a row CSM has been honored by the Maryland Work-Life Alliance with the Workplace Excellence Award. The Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval recognizes visionary employers that view work/life as a strategic business imperative.

In an effort to institutionalize continuous quality improvement throughout the college, CSM has initiated a system of key performance indicators related to its eight institutional goals in order to monitor institutional effectiveness, measure outcomes and record improvements as they are made throughout the institution. The college is also preparing an application to the Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Program (aka Baldrige Quality Program), relying on the key performance indicators as a basic structure of the application.

A number of college employees and programs have received national recognition, and the college encourages presentations at national conferences.

Goal 2: Achieve a system of postsecondary education that promotes accessibility and affordability for all Marylanders.

Access and affordability. The first Guiding Principle of the State Plan is that “all Maryland residents who can benefit from post secondary education and desire to attend a college, university, or private career school should have a place in postsecondary education and it should be affordable.” The College of Southern Maryland holds access and affordability to be key criteria in the design of its programs and allocation of its resources. Adequate funding from the three primary sources of institutional support is essential to making a CSM education affordable: state and local funding and tuition from students. To an increasing degree the college is raising additional funds through its foundation in an effort to minimize the effect of tuition increases on access and affordability.

CSM has been aggressive in developing alternative approaches to delivering its educational opportunities. Telecourses have long been a feature of the CSM offerings. Tele-web courses, which combine the use of telecourse technology (tapes, and increasingly, DVDs and streaming video), are now also being offered as are web-based courses (seven degree programs available wholly on-line) and blended, or what are sometimes called “hybrid” courses that combine face to face with web-based instruction.

Financial Assistance. CSM devotes considerable time and resources to ensuring that cost is not a barrier to accessing higher education in the Southern Maryland area. Through publications, workshops, seminars, and an array of outreach activities, the college actively promotes financial assistance opportunities. The college has developed an information-rich Web-site to help students and their families research and apply for financial assistance. In addition to federal, state and private aid, the college offers both institutional and foundation scholarships and grants and a college-run tuition payment plan. The college has an active cost-containment program and actively seeks grants and fund-raising opportunities to help defer the need for tuition increases.

Waldorf Center. In the mid-90s, the College of Southern Maryland and University of Maryland University College came together to address the issue of degree attainment. Two major initiatives grew out of those discussions.

First, the two schools began work on the development of an alliance that would allow students to be dually admitted into both schools, take advantage of student services and learning opportunities provided by both schools, and to seamlessly complete their degree in the Southern Maryland area by taking lower division courses from CSM and upper division courses from UMUC.

The second initiative was to bring these articulated programs and joint services under one roof. In 1997 with approval from the state, CSM and UMUC leased a 25,000 square-foot facility and began promoting this new educational option to the citizens of the area. This facility is the Waldorf Center for Higher Education.

Over the past several years, the College of Southern Maryland has expanded its efforts to develop more “local” four-year degree options for Southern Maryland. CSM is now involved in six partnership programs. In addition to the UMUC partnership, CSM students are actively pursuing locally-based bachelor’s degree programs with Towson University, Bowie State University, Capitol College, University of Baltimore, and Villa Julie College. (Several of these programs are available at the Waldorf Center.)

In a region that is not home to a comprehensive bachelor’s degree granting institution, these partnership programs serve as a vital link between CSM’s associate degree programs and the bachelor’s and graduate degree programs offered by UMUC and other colleges and universities. The Waldorf Center serves as the home campus for many of these students.

Goal 3: Ensure equal educational opportunity for Maryland’s diverse citizenry.

Diversity. GEAR-UP, described below under preK-16 initiatives, is a program related to increasing the diversity of the student body at CSM. A Diversity Oversight Committee provides leadership in identifying ways to improve the climate, curriculum and success strategies for academically at risk students and for students not necessarily from the majority population. An Affirmative Action Committee provides oversight for regulatory compliance in the general areas of hiring and retaining a diverse faculty and staff and for dealing with cases of discrimination. A Global Initiatives Committee, which oversees and encourages internationally related activity, in conjunction with the Diversity Oversight Committee is engaged in efforts to assess and improve cultural competence of students, faculty, and staff at the college. Lastly, a faculty Committee on Diversity in Education sponsors annual, soon to be semiannual, conferences on issues related to diversity and the curriculum.

In the most recent Maryland Performance Accountability Report (MPAR) in four of the five indicators related to diversity the college has performed at or has exceeded its benchmarks. The number of minorities in the full-time administrative / professional staff is below the benchmark and has fallen in the most recent year. Steps outlined in the MPAR report are being taken to redress this shortcoming, and improving the academic success of minority students, while at the benchmark, has become a targeted goal for the college in the coming years.

Equal Educational Opportunity. CSM is firmly committed to providing equal educational opportunities. The college has an active Diversity Office to serve as a resource and provide input to the decision-making process and programs that foster a diverse environment. Several college committees that address equal opportunity and diversity issues are actively engaged in improving diversity, equal opportunity and success:

• Americans with Disabilities Task Force
• Affirmative Action Committee
• Diversity Oversight Committee
• Global Initiatives Committee
• Women’s Research and Resource Council

The college’s Returning Women’s Program is designed to address the special needs and concerns of women over 25 years of age who are returning to the classroom after an extended absence.

• The college’s commitment to and success in making its opportunities widely available is evident partly in the continuing increase in the enrollment of non-Caucasian students from 23.2% in 2001 to 25.4% in the Spring of 2005. This percentage mirrors the population of the tri-county region. Graduation rates for black students have also improved from 10.8% of the total number of graduates in spring and winter of 2001 to 14.5 % in Spring and winter 2004.

Additional program related activity that has created opportunities for minority students, while being available to majority students as well, include the Center for Civic Engagement and Service Learning and Volunteer Maryland, which has its Southern Maryland office at the CSM La Plata campus.

Goal 4: Strengthen and expand teacher preparation programs and support student-centered, preK-16 education to promote student success at all levels.

Teacher Preparation. The AAT Elementary Education degree has been implemented, and four fields for secondary education as well as early childhood education are in preparation. Partnerships have been forged with Bowie State, Towson University and University of Maryland University College to offer upper division education courses in Southern Maryland (at the Waldorf Center and elsewhere).

In partnership with the three counties’ school systems, CSM has begun a series of workshops during the summer for current teachers to sharpen their knowledge and skills in areas such as utilizing technology in the classroom. In addition pathways for para-professionals to acquire the certification necessary to comply with the requirements of No Child Left Behind have been put into place, especially preparation for the Para-Pro test.

K-16 Partnership Activities. The college is involved in ongoing efforts to ensure the smooth transition of K-12 students into college and to develop policies that will ensure they reach their goals. The following are examples of such efforts:

a) Partnerships with County Boards of Education. For the past several years senior administrators from the college and the local public school districts as well as the respective Boards of Education and the college’s Board of Trustees have met regularly for discussion of areas of mutual interest. From these meetings a variety of initiatives that address the needs of college-bound high school students have begun:

• Clarification of course overlap and course responsibility, particularly in areas of pre-college developmental work
• Replication of the CSM transitional courses in developmental mathematics and English during the senior year in high school, taught by the high school instructors
• Summer training for high school teachers who teach the developmental courses in the senior year
• Articulated programs in career fields
• In-school financial aid workshops
• Revised in-school college orientations
• Improved services for disabled students
• Joint facility and academic program planning
• Expanded early admission opportunities, including tech prep, for high school students
• Joint marketing of services and programs.

b) Tech Prep/Career Connections Partnership. One of the first colleges in the state to develop a Tech Prep program, CSM continues to work with the three county public school systems to develop articulated career programs. In each county over 15 high school courses are articulated, allowing students to gain college credit for high school courses in selected programs.

c) GEAR UP. The college works in partnership with the three boards of education and higher education providers in the area to target at-risk middle school students. With the support of this federally funded program administered through the Maryland Higher Education Commission, these students are offered enrichment activities that include assistance with academic decision-making, close academic monitoring, and college campus visits; their parents are provided information on higher education opportunities for their children; and their teachers are engaged in making opportunities for these children to succeed.

d) Shared Facility Use. The college shares its facilities with the local public schools for enrichment activities. A sample of events that the college hosts includes: It’s Academic for Charles County; the tri-county Honors Chorus; a broad range of music, theatre, and dance to local students; a Science Fair; the Bridge to Your Future program coordinated with Charles County public schools to encourage high school students to attend college; and athletic activities in the gymnasium and pool. Conference and meeting facilities at the college are frequently used by the school districts for teachers meetings and training. As the college’s facilities in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties have expanded, so too have the opportunities for those counties to use the college’s physical plant. Current discussions with county officials, for example, center around wellness / pool facilities in Leonardtown and Prince Frederick.

e) Partnerships with 4-year institutions: articulated programs. The college continues to seek opportunities to bring bachelor degree programs to the region so that students can complete their educational goals in the region. In addition to the UMUC alliance mentioned under State Plan Goal #2, the college has arranged for Towson University and Bowie State University to provide in Southern Maryland a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, Villa Julie College to deliver a bachelor’s degree in nursing and University of Baltimore to provide a business administration program at the Leonardtown campus. A number of additional articulation agreements exist with Maryland institutions including an agreement with St. Mary’s College of Maryland that encourages CSM computer science graduates to continue for their bachelor’s degree. In addition, the college has long had a consortial agreement with Capitol College and St. Mary’s College to offer an engineering program in Southern Maryland. The agreement with Capitol now embraces three engineering fields: Astronautical, Computer and Electrical Engineering.

Goal 5: Promote economic growth and vitality through the advancement of research and the development of a highly qualified workforce.

Partnerships with Government, Business, and Industry.

a) The College of Southern Maryland is an active participant in the activities of the Tri-County Council, a forum of regional leaders dedicated to advancing the interests of all the people of Southern Maryland through promoting the social and economic development of the region, environmental protection; including research, information management, and the preparation of a regional plan.

b.)The college works closely with the Patuxent River Naval Air Warfare Center and the Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). Both military installations are partners in the college’s technician development project, funded by the National Science Foundation. In the fall of 2005 a formal memorandum of understanding was signed with Indian Head NSWC acknowledging expanded cooperative efforts between the college and the Navy.

c) The college is a member of the Patuxent Partnership, an education / government / private enterprise consortium that supports initiatives important to the Naval Air Warfare Center at Patuxent River.

d) The college is an active member of Charles County Government’s Vision in Teamwork and Leadership (VITAL), an organization formed by the county commissioners to encourage close collaboration among county agencies and organizations.

e) The college has various partnership agreements with the local public school systems, the health departments, and the departments of social services aimed at enhancing service to local citizens.

f) The college is a sponsor of Partnerships for a Healthier Charles County a broad-based organization that attempts to identify health risks and improve community health.

g) The college works closely with local healthcare employers to develop strategies to address the workforce shortages in that industry and has worked to develop health care roundtables in each county to address workforce shortages.

h) The college has representation on the EDC boards and the Chambers of Commerce boards in the Southern Maryland counties.

Business Development Activities. The college has developed a technologically advanced Center for Business and Industry on the La Plata campus which houses many of the services required by local businesses, including:

a) The Center for Corporate Training (CCT) provides customized workforce training at the college as well as off-site. The college also offers a variety of open enrollment courses to enhance the job skills of individuals.

b) The Southern Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides start up and expansion assistance to local businesses through one-on-one counseling and guidance. SBDC also provides training programs specifically engineered for the needs of small businesses.

c.) The college currently manages two business incubators in Charles County and by fiscal 07 will have five in Calvert County. CSM also operates the Incubator Without Walls (IWW) which provides all of the business development support services of the physical incubators except for space. In partnership with the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, more than 30 companies are members of the IWW in the three Southern Maryland Counties.

d) Conference and Exhibitions Services assists in hosting meetings conferences and exhibitions sponsored by local businesses and agencies.

e) The Entrepreneur and Leadership Center offers courses and programs intended to enhance leadership skills for business and community organizations.

f) The Maryland Center for Environmental Training (MCET) provides training and consulting services and produces publications on water, wastewater, and other topics related to the environment. In addition MCET is the state training provider for the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

g) The college administers and promotes telecommuting centers in Waldorf, Prince Frederick, and Laurel Lakes to provide residents with alternatives to long commutes, scheduling, and technology issues.

h) As a registered Project Management Institute provider, the college produces a full range of project management courses as well as preparation for the certification exam.

IV. Institutional Objectives & Outcomes

A. Vision and Strategic Plan

CSM is currently in the first year of its second round of formal strategic planning, each cycle lasting five years. The process has involved a review of the mission, approved in July, 2005 (See page 1 of this document.) and a statement of vision with corresponding strategic initiatives that, along with the mission and goals of the college will provide guidance for planning for the coming three to five years.

The vision of the college which confirms its original spirit of dedication to learning, growing and changing, conveys a continuation of this dedication and a commitment to broadening the learning experiences in the classroom, the college and the community:

Changing lives through active learning.

The college sees itself as positioned to enhance student learning and achieve performance excellence by implementing its new Strategic Plan which identifies four broad college initiatives, two new and two carried forward from the previous plan, as well as strategies for success and measures of performance.

The first strategic initiative is carried forward from the last planning cycle:

Be a leader in performance excellence as measured by the Baldrige National Quality Program.

The Baldrige Assessment Program for Higher Education establishes criteria for performance excellence through a comprehensive system of deploying and measuring performance and engaging in continuous improvement.

In pursuit of its goal to continuously improve institutional effectiveness, the college has worked to implement a framework of performance measures that bring together in a systematic way the most important and actionable indicators of institutional performance. These Key Performance Indicators are about 150 in number and provide retrospective data, benchmarks and statistical projections concerning all eight institutional goals:

• Outreach and Access
• Student Progress
• Transfer Preparation
• Developmental Studies
• General Education
• Workforce Development
• Community Service
• Resource Management

The Maryland Performance Accountability Report (MPAR) indicators are part of this system.

This comprehensive approach to evaluating institutional success necessarily includes the five goals for post secondary education contained in the state plan. There are within the KPI system of measurement indicators relative to the history, projections and benchmarks related to quality and effectiveness, access and affordability, diversity, student-centered learning and economic growth and vitality. The goal of Outreach and Access contains specific indicators related to equal education opportunity (access) as do the goals of Student Progress and Transfer Preparation (success). The “minority achievement gap” is of particular concern to the college and is the focus of activity of its Diversity Oversight Committee.

The second strategic initiative included in the new plan is to:

Infuse active learning throughout the college experience by encouraging and supporting a broad array of learning strategies and by engaging the community in active learning processes and opportunities.

This initiative directs the college to be proactive in its approach to programming, extracurricular activities, services, personnel, partnerships, library and other resources, space utilization, and technology in order to support the learning process and create an enriching, interactive learning environment that encourages and challenges students to learn and apply their knowledge and skills.

Some of the activities anticipated with this initiative, which will require new and redirected resources include:

• Providing support and training to continuously develop and maintain high quality faculty who engage active learners
• Providing students with opportunities to demonstrate knowledge through project-based learning and through application-based learning opportunities
• Increasing service learning and other learning opportunities such as case scenarios, designs, internships, co-op, portfolio, public presentations, modeling, mentoring, and apprenticeships
• Actively engaging students in student life and cultural activities
• Designing and making available appropriate space, facilities, tools and technology for active learning
• Increasing the level of participation and involvement of program advisory councils, corporate partners, and stakeholders

The third initiative relates to workforce development and is a reframing of a previous initiative. Specifically it calls for CSM to:

Become a leader in workforce development by devising a system of employment guarantees that meets the needs of qualifying students and employers.

Employers understandably want to be sure that CSM graduates are prepared to meet workforce needs and challenges today and in the future. CSM students who are preparing to enter into the workforce similarly need to be confident that their programs of study will indeed prepare them for their chosen careers.

Lastly, in view of the fact that public funding for higher education is becoming more difficult to obtain and has not kept pace with inflation, projected enrollment patterns and service demands, the fourth strategic initiative is aimed at improving institutional resources:

Increase and improve the efficient use of resources to better serve, expand and diversify the student population.

CSM enrollments are projected to grow by at least 36 percent over the next 10 years. By streamlining the college’s most costly and time-consuming processes, increasing and diversifying revenue streams and containing costs, CSM can continue to serve a diverse community and position itself to realize growth in enrollment without compromising quality and a commitment to open access.

B. Capital projects and equipment

The Facilities Master Plan, on file with MHEC, outlines expected large scale capital needs in the future. They include:

• La Plata Science and Technology Bldg.: renovation & expansion, additional parking
• Leonardtown Campus Wellness Center
• Prince Frederick Campus Wellness Center
• La Plata Business and Continuing Education Buildings: renovation & expansion
• La Plata Fine Arts Building: renovation & expansion
• La Plata Off-Campus Property
• Prince Frederick – Phase II-second academic building

Foreseeable needs that are likely to have a significant impact on budgets for the future include the constant need to refresh and upgrade information technology and the inevitable, and probably very significant increases in fixed expenses, especially energy. In addition to upgrading information technology, it is also foreseeable that costs associated with alternative modes of instructional delivery, which positively affect student access to education, moderate physical facilities needs and lessen the time spent to acquire a degree, will also increase substantially.

C. Measurable Objectives

As indicated elsewhere in this document CSM has initiated a system of key performance indicators (KPI) related to its eight institutional goals in order to monitor effectiveness and record improvements as they are made throughout the institution. Each of the goals is briefly defined below followed by relevant outcomes measures (if currently available) being benchmarked and charted through the KPI process.

Developmental Skills – increased numbers of students enrolled in developmental courses will perform well in college level course work.

• Student success in coursework that follows developmental studies will improve over current levels of performance. (benchmark tbd)
• Of those students who placed in developmental courses, the number and percentage that received an associate degree within four and six years will increase over current performance. (benchmark tbd)
• Of those students who placed in developmental courses, the number and percentage that receive a certificate within four and six years will increase over current levels of performance. (benchmark tbd)

General Education – the general skills and broad analytical capabilities that students need in order to function competently in day-to-day life will be strengthened.

• Students’ mean rating of the surveyed items on the General Education Course Level Survey in each course will equal or exceed 3.50 on each item for at least 70% of students surveyed.
• Graduates’ mean rating on the General Education Graduate Surveys in each General Education domain will equal or exceed 3.50.
• Employers’ ratings of CSM graduates’ general education competencies as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ will be at or above the state weighted mean for each category.
• Graduates’ scores on the Academic Profile will be higher than those of freshmen and higher than the national mean.

Outreach/Access – an increased proportion of the service area population will be served by the college.

• At least 65 percent of recent public high school graduates in the service area who enroll in college will attend CSM.
• At least 56 percent of the tri-county area population enrolling in college will attend CSM.
• CSM will enroll at least 9,700 credit students per year by the year 2005.
• CSM will enroll at least 7,825 continuing education students per year by 2005.
• The proportion of CSM’s credit enrollment that is minorities will at least reflect the proportion of the region’s adult minority population.
• At least 2.5 percent of the tri-county area population will enroll in a continuing education course at CSM.
• The proportion of CSM’s continuing education enrollment that is minorities will at least reflect the proportion of the region’s minority population.

Student Progress – increased numbers of students will attain their stated education goals or will exceed those goals; students will persist in their pursuit of educational goals until they have been achieved.

• The second year retention rate will meet or exceed 71%
• The degree completion rate of an entering cohort of students will meet or exceed 42%.
• Ninety-five percent of CSM graduates will indicate that they have achieved their educational goal.

Transfer Preparation – increased numbers of students will transfer to bachelor’s programs and will be successful at the transfer institution.

• The average first-year grade point average (GPA) after transfer for transfer students enrolled in Maryland public four-year institutions will meet or exceed 2.8.
• The trend in the percentage of first-time full-time students transferring to a Maryland public four-year institution will remain consistent with the trend in the MD statewide transfer rate. The CSM average transfer rate will continue to exceed the statewide average of all community colleges in Maryland.
• a.) First-time, full-time transfer program students transferring to Maryland public 4-year institutions will meet or exceed 36.0% (2001 cohort).
  b.) First-time, full-time transfer program students transferring to an independent institution will meet or exceed 1.1% (2001 cohort).
  c.) First-time, full-time, transfer program students transferring to an out-of-state four-year institution will meet or exceed 5.2% (2001 cohort)

Workforce Development – CSM will be the first choice provider for workforce development needs of Southern Maryland.

• Ninety-six percent of employers will rate graduate preparation for employment as good or very good.
• Ninety-two percent of nursing graduates who take the Maryland Board of Nursing licensure exams will pass.
• The overall mean score of quality from respondents who have completed a continuing education course questionnaire and paid with employer resources will be 3.75 or higher.
• The number of participants in contract training courses will increase 5% over current performance by 2005.
• The number of contract training courses offered in a year at CSM will be 434 by 2006.
• One-hundred percent of employers for contract training will be satisfied with the services provided.

Community Service – consistent with its mission and resources, the college will continuously monitor and serve the specific needs of the Southern Maryland community in areas of education and recreation; community development; health, safety and welfare; business and employment development, and, cultural enrichment.

A variety of indicators are being developed in this area including ones related to service learning, staff and faculty participation on boards and commissions, public satisfaction with fine arts programming, and recreation, health and wellness opportunities.

Resource Management – CSM will plan, monitor, protect, and expand its financial, human and capital resources while improving its processes, services, and programs to make most efficient and effective use of those resources.

A variety of indicators are being developed in this area including ones related to personnel, faculty student ratios, realization of budgeted operating revenue and expenditures by year, grant and contract funding, CSM Foundation support and so forth.