TESTIMONY TO THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
on Education and Economic Development

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

SENATE BUDGET AND TAXATION SUBCOMMITTEE
on Health, Education and Human Resources

FEBRUARY 25, 2011

PRESENTED BY
BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT MICKEY L. BURNIM, PHD

Introduction

Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee. I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify on behalf of the students, faculty, administration, and staff of Bowie State regarding the Governor's proposed FY2012 budget for the University System of Maryland. Because we have been designated a growth university within the USM, I especially appreciate the strong support that the Governor and members of the General Assembly continue to show for education in general, for the University System of Maryland more specifically, and for Bowie State University in particular.

Your support and investment have enabled Bowie State to maintain its momentum toward excellence in this challenging economic climate. As we succeed in our endeavor to become one of America's top public comprehensive universities, we are keenly aware of the trends in higher education that are affecting our nation and the State of Maryland. As USM Chancellor Kirwan testified previously, Maryland's position as one of our nation's best educated states is in jeopardy as the statistics for college completion are softening. Yet the demand for higher education in Maryland is on the rise - especially among low-income students, underrepresented minority students, and "first in family" students. As Chancellor Kirwan noted "providing opportunities for these students and serving their special needs is vital to the future well being of our state."

As the State of Maryland's oldest Historically Black Institution of higher education, Bowie State University's enrolls over 5,000 students - 75 percent of whom receive financial aid, 95 percent of whom are underrepresented minorities, and 35 percent of whom are the first in their families to pursue a college education. The institution's proven record of success in educating low-income, minority, and first generation students, extends back some 145 years. As the University System of Maryland embarks on its new strategic plan, we at Bowie State are excited about our potential to contribute to the success of this plan, including awarding more degrees to Marylanders.

With the clear vision one would expect for the USM strategic plan for 2010-2020, our university, with its special mission to provide access to higher education, is certain we can help achieve the goal of having 55% of Marylanders attain college degrees by 2025 (source: College Board and National Conference of State Legislatures College Completion Agenda: State Capitals Campaign). Toward this effort we are working to close the achievement gap that reflects lower graduation rates for some African American students as compared to the general USM student population through proactive student advising and intervention designed to help students make deliberate progress toward completion of their degrees. And we are succeeding. Bowie State University has the highest six-year graduation rate of any HBI in Maryland-43%. Note that this rate, though below our goal, is significantly higher than the 39% average rate for HBIs across the nation.

Plotting a Course for Degree Completion

Though it is much too early to claim that this progress is the result of implementing our new strategies, it provides great cause for optimism as we move to fully implement our plan to close the achievement gap for our students. Appropriately, one of the first strategies that we are implementing is to create a campus culture that encourages students to be intentional about graduating on a strict timeline.

We want our students to have a positive experience at Bowie State University. We want them to come away with fond memories of their alma mater and a desire to continue their involvement as caring and giving alumni. However, it is imperative to our continued progress as a nation and a state that our students succeed in completing their degree programs.

A college program completed in a timely progression helps to make college more affordable for the student. These economic times require careful management of our university resources. Courses must be offered on a cycle that does not afford frequent repetition. That's why we are implementing strategies that will help students have a successful start to their academic careers and avoid the need for repeating required courses. Our plan also includes more interaction between students, faculty, and university advisement professionals.

As I prepared this testimony, the halls of the administration building where my office is located were bustling with students who had not met the deadline for paying their semester bills for tuition and fees. Their personal stories received the attention of staff in three divisions, located on two floors. Sadly, we could not help all of them. Their circumstances serve as a reminder about the importance of financial support to ensure that qualified students have every opportunity to matriculate and earn a degree. This month I am asking the Board of Directors for the university's foundation to redouble their efforts to raise more resources in support of student scholarships and retention funds. These funds raised from private sources will help to address the retention of students based on merit, need, and student emergencies that threaten continuous matriculation.

Whereas past economic downturns resulted in strong enrollments for colleges and universities as members of the workforce sought to earn degrees, this recession is different. The status of the current job market has presented challenges to those interested in furthering their education as their ability to pay tuition has been severely curtailed. Consequently, the competition for the students who can meet the cost obligations of a college education is very keen. I believe Bowie State has been able to remain competitive in college recruitment because we offer high quality academic programs and because of our success in helping students to achieve their dreams of becoming a college graduate. Our ability to compete with other institutions to offer financial support to high achieving students will be very important to our continued leadership in graduation outcomes among the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The university will continue to allocate scholarship funds strategically to ensure that students who are close to completing their studies do not "stop out." Moreover, our neediest students with the lowest expected family contribution will have priority for institutional financial aid dollars as we seek to provide access to higher education for students from less affluent backgrounds and advance the university's goals for increasing graduation rates.

Bowie State graduated more than 900 students last year with baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees in 49 academic programs. In keeping with our designation as a "growth institution" by the University System of Maryland, our university works proactively to attract new students and to retain our students through graduation. With a headcount of 5,578 for fall 2010, Bowie State University's enrollment has remained largely stable.

Trends in Enrollment
Fall 2006 - 2010

Enhancing the Workforce

For the second year in a row, Bowie State has received recognition from the Governor's Office for Minority Affairs for exceeding the state's minority business enterprise goal. Bowie State awarded 31% or approximately $7.5 million of the University's overall contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses in 2010. We firmly believe that strong businesses help our state's economy and help to maintain a strong workforce.

We are very pleased that the Baltimore/Washington Corridor Chamber and the Baltimore/Washington Corridor Chamber Foundation chose Bowie State University to be the recipient of their 2010 Award of Excellence in recognition of the university's substantial contributions to education in the Baltimore Washington region. Criteria for the award include service to the community such as educational, economic development and workforce preparation opportunities both in the region and the country.

The university strengthened its preparation of students for three important professions - nursing, social work and criminal justice. Accreditation was re-affirmed for the Nursing and Social Work baccalaureate programs. These two professional degree programs provide our graduates with credentials on which good careers can be built and address the needs of our workforce.

The university launched an additional professional baccalaureate degree program in Criminal Justice. This new program will offer a rigorous course of study that will prepare students to work successfully with agencies -- such as police, courts, corrections, and homeland security - that are designed to administer law, achieve justice, reduce crime, and enhance domestic security. The program is designed to provide the community with servant leaders, who are socially, politically, and globally conscious practitioners and problem solvers.

Our plans to give more focus to the STEM disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics received a boost as faculty in those disciplines garnered more than $1.1 million dollars in grants and contracts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to strengthen our programs in those disciplines. The money will be used to continue our research partnership with NASA through the Chesapeake Information Based Aeronautics Consortium (CIBAC); to pursue the emerging mathematical field of quantum information science; and to obtain equipment that will enhance our chemistry curriculum and expand our opportunities for research in the natural sciences. An additional $753,000 was granted by the United State Department of Education to provide support for students to enroll in the university's Department of Computer Science doctoral program.

We are also building on our heritage as a Normal School and teachers college to assist with this STEM focus. Our College of Education and College of Arts & Sciences are collaborating on a special curriculum for the preparation of teachers for the STEM disciplines. As our nation calls for more scientists, engineers and mathematicians, teachers will play a critical role in cultivating the interest of their students in STEM subjects and providing them with the necessary skills to enter STEM-related professions.

Connecting with the Community

As we prepare our students for life, we emphasize the importance of community involvement. In some instances this involvement is a formal part of the student's education. This is true for our students majoring in elementary and secondary education who, as part of their studies, complete significant hours of teaching in the classroom. Our nursing majors also must garner experience in clinical settings. But I am very pleased that many of our students choose to connect with the community even when there is no academic requirement for them to do so.

Bowie State University students can be found serving as volunteers for public servants, non-profit organizations, churches, and schools. Students from Robert W. Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore received a campus tour, fitness workout, and lunch as part of a mentoring project held by the university's ROTC Bulldog Battalion. This past fall semester, our Student Athlete Advisory Committee devoted a week of activities to raising awareness about breast cancer and raised money for charity during the holiday season. Bowie State honors program students mentor local high schoolers. Some of our students who were enrolled in health and physical education classes helped senior citizens with leaf collection last fall and participate in a Seniors Prom with Prince George's County senior citizens every spring.

Mitigating Fiscal Challenges

Our strategic planning calls for the university to increase revenue from sources in addition to the State of Maryland. We are pursuing that goal through a comprehensive campaign that launched its public phase in the fall of 2008. The Campaign for Bowie State University - Believe Invest Grow has passed the half way mark raising almost $8 million towards its $15 million goal. Overwhelmingly, the dollars raised to enhance the university's endowment are in support of students in the form of scholarships, special awards, and enrollment and retention emergency funds.

Faculty are encouraged to pursue additional resources through granting processes offered by external agencies. In FY 2010, Bowie State was awarded over $22 million in extramural funding - $6 million more than what we were awarded in FY 2009 (Source: FY 10 USM Extramural Funding Report). We will continue this effort by offering training and support to faculty looking to pursue grant opportunities.

Inspiring Excellence

In celebration of the university's 145^th anniversary, Bowie State was host to a succession of outstanding individuals that included public officials, award-winning authors, and leading policy-makers who delivered messages to our campus community in a variety of gatherings.

The campus celebrated Black History Month with Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown who was joined by Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert Bell and a cast of other members of the judiciary from Maryland and Washington, DC to present "Full Truth" a play about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The play was presented in partnership with the Elder Theodore Barber Foundation and raised money in support of scholarships for our students.

Two Bowie State faculty members recently collaborated to write an inspirational book for mothers. A Mom's Timeout: Inspirational Devotions for Moms by Moms is the selection for the university's Women's History Month community reading experience.

Dr. George Acquaah, Professor and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, garnered recognition for his seventh textbook: Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding from an international panel convened at the prestigious Waganingen University in the Netherlands.

Our student-athletes continue to excel. The men's cross-country team and the women's softball team finished second in the CIAA Championships. Our women's bowling team won the CIAA Championship and our men's basketball team has just won the Northern Division of the CIAA Conference.

Strengthening Our Campus Infrastructure

In 2010, we initiated a $ 4.7 million vast network renewal project throughout the University's campus (both wired and wireless) in order to better support our mission of teaching and learning and enhance the security of our network. Our investment is paying off as evidenced by students' extensive use of the new wireless network. The renewal has brought the convenience of wireless network access in student residence halls using mobile devices, without overload concerns. We welcome this intense network utilization by our students as we continue to work to increase resources and expand our technological capabilities for the campus community.

The new Fine and Performing Arts Building remains on schedule for completion with faculty expected to take occupancy in fall 2011. Soon thereafter, Bowie State students will have another structure to look forward to - a new student center project is in design. The 92,300 square foot building will enhance the quality of student life on campus with meeting areas, a bookstore and other retail areas, student organization space, recreation, food service, and student affairs and administrative offices. The project incorporates ideas and concepts from students, staff, and faculty, and will be a "Green" building designed to meet the LEED Gold standard.

The university was also pleased to receive a new turf multi-purpose field. Installation of the $1 million field was completed in fall 2010 and we intend to take advantage of the opportunity to generate revenue from its rental. We hosted the Maryland Crab Bowl, a football event featuring the top seniors from Maryland public and private high schools divided into Washington-area and Baltimore-area squads.

Caring for the Environment

Bowie State University recently became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to further campus efforts toward building a healthy and just world. Through membership in AASHE, Bowie State will receive support in advancing its sustainability initiatives throughout the institution and in the community. In addition, earlier this year Bowie State University was awarded a 2010 Kresge Foundation Fellowship Award. Second Nature, with funding from The Kresge Foundation, presented these fellowship awards to 25 higher education institutions out of 60 applicant institutions. Selection was based on a diverse selection committee's assessment of these institutions' level of need, statement of interest, and campus sustainability capacity.

The 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated at BSU with flower planting, campus clean up and an awards ceremony for the 2010 Recyclemania Competition winners and participants. BSU students and the campus community came together to show their support and make a difference to reduce their carbon footprint to help our environment and the campus community. In support of National Recycle Week BSU's Climate Commitment Coordinating Committee (C4) conducted two recycle events for magazine and toner ink cartridge recycling that took place simultaneously from November 8-14^th. Our intent was to bring focus to recycling, minimizing waste and effectively managing material resources.

Bowie State University's C4 Committee teamed up with representatives from Toyota to jumpstart ongoing sustainability efforts currently happening on campus. The partnership focused on raising awareness of green practices, targeting students, faculty and staff, as well as the Bowie community. The Toyota Green Initiative targeted HBIs across the country to support green programs and sustainability strategies. BSU was the first school selected based on its strong commitment to sustainability including an active C4 Committee charged with leading the green initiative for the University.

Over several days, students, faculty, and staff volunteered to participate in a landscaping Day of Service; presented a Green Initiative Lecture Series; and offered Homecoming Day demonstrations of hybrid vehicles and technology as well as displays of recycled art.

The university's goals for implementing a comprehensive energy efficiency and guaranteed savings program include an approved $4.4 million plan that will:

Promote effective and efficient use of institutional resources
Address needed building infrastructure improvements
Enhance the indoor environment
Support USM's commitment to climate neutrality as evidenced by signature of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment
Support achievement of the Governor's EmPOWER Maryland goals

Conclusion

Bowie State University is an institution moving forward and garnering recognition for its contributions to higher education and the improvement of our region. Yet, we remain concerned about the fiscal outlook for our state and the impact that additional budget cuts would have on our ability to meet our core mission - teaching and serving our students. State funding is crucial to our efforts to provide access for qualified students seeking to earn a college degree and contribute to the workforce.

I urge the Subcommittee to approve the Governor's proposed budget for USM and join Chancellor Kirwan in opposing the proposed $8.1 million cut to the USM System office budget. This proposed cut would have the campuses pick up this cost, which would make it impossible for us to achieve the objectives outlined above or even to maintain the progress that we have registered over the last couple of years.

REQUESTED COMMENTS

The President should comment on the implementation status of BSU's achievement gap strategies and their expected impact on improving minority degree attainment.

Bowie State is working aggressively to reach the goal of reducing by one half the gap in graduation rates of its students as compared to all students within the USM. The University is implementing a new student success monitoring system (SSMS), using "StarFish" software. This tracking system will allow faculty and staff advisors to monitor more closely individual students' academic progress, and help us intervene more quickly when students show signs of falling off track. Training is currently underway. We intend to expand the system to include all undergraduate students.

The university revised the New Student Orientation program to provide greater emphasis on educating students about taking responsibility for and being intentional about their education. We anticipate that this focus on raising students' awareness will help prevent unnecessary delays in their progression.

The hours of operation for the Wellness Center and the Counseling Center have been expanded to assist more students with non-academic concerns that affect their ability to focus on their studies. The university is assessing all tutoring and advising services campus wide to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness. We are reorganizing the Academic Advisement Center and have expanded its hours of operation as well. Each academic college has developed strategies and plans for retaining students and each is in the process of hiring a retention coordinator.

The Faculty Senate created a subcommittee to help facilitate the assessment of student learning and the university has provided training and professional development opportunities for faculty members.

The President should comment on the implementation status of the First Year Retention and Engagement software and how it will be utilized.

The student success monitoring system, "Starfish" will enable faculty and academic advisors to monitor at risk students more closely and intervene more quickly to put in place necessary services to help students succeed. This retention management system gathers information in real-time at the point of instruction through ANGEL, our campus-wide learning management system. It will enable us to identify at-risk students and prioritize services for them. The tracking system features the following:

Advisement Management - allowing for real-time reporting.
Early Alerts -- allowing the faculty member or advisor to communicate concerns in such a manner that the student is not embarrassed. Also, this system will flag identified concerns, alerting the student that he/she may be in jeopardy of failing a class.
Appointment Scheduling -- automatic reminder e-mails and text messaging alerts to students.
Assignment Tracking -- alerting students to upcoming projects, tests and assignments.
Attendance Monitoring -- simple class attendance entry with instant reporting.
Tutor Management -- fast and easy appointment scheduling with email reminders; easily matching tutors with students based on availability.

Training has begun for staff in the Academic Advisement Center; TRIO staff and English, Math and Science faculty. Implementation is scheduled to begin before mid-term exams.

The President should comment on the changes being considered concerning institutional financial aid for BSU's neediest students and when changes would be implemented.

Consistent with our commitment to provide more assistance to our neediest students, we are making slight changes to the process for allocating institutional need-based aid to ensure that students with the lowest expected family contribution (EFC) will receive the maximum level of support. Other eligible recipients will receive funding prorated based on their level of need. This change will take place beginning in the fall 2011.

The President should comment on why the Summer Bridge Program will be phased out and whether the Bulldog Academy will be expanded to meet the demands of both conditionally and regularly admitted students who want to complete developmental courses before their first semester. Finally, the President should comment on whether the structure of the Bulldog Academy will change to accommodate the needs of both conditionally and regularly admitted students.

The Summer Bridge Program is being phased out in order to devote greater resources to assisting admitted students who have deficiencies. The Bulldog Academy will serve as an introduction for students to college life and will provide both regularly admitted and conditionally admitted students an opportunity to address deficiencies in mathematics, English and reading. Addressing academic deficiencies during the summer will facilitate more of these students to beginning their college careers doing college-level work and progressing to graduation more quickly. The Bulldog Academy will provide transitional courses based upon placement examination results. Students who place above the transitional courses will be allowed to enroll in the next level course(s), thereby giving them a head start in their college career.

The President should comment on the status of changes under consideration to improve the academic performance of Bulldog Academy participants. The President should also comment on why completing a credit-bearing math course in the first academic year and/or immediately following completion of developmental math is not required. Finally, the President should comment on how the institution will track progression, retention, and graduation data on all students participating in Access and Success programs, beyond the summer bridge programs.

The Bulldog Academy will feature mandatory tutoring/study sessions in summer 2011. During the academic year, Academy participants will continue having access to peer mentors/tutors and will be required to take advantage of the Tutoring Center. We will track their progress during the academic year. This monitoring and tracking of the participants will be an ongoing process and will include early interventions when students experience difficulty. Instructors and advisors will act as a support unit.

The faculty determines the sequencing of courses required for programs of study. We have not required that students immediately enroll in credit-bearing math courses after completing developmental math, although we strongly advise them to do so. As noted above, students completing the Bulldog Academy summer program will be provided greater support and monitoring. We anticipate that the extra support will increase the likelihood of students enrolling in and successfully completing credit-bearing math course soon after they complete the developmental course.

Beyond the Academy, students will be required to participate in at least two workshops per semester during which they will assess their progress and obtain any additional support deemed necessary to help them successfully complete the academic year.

We will monitor progression of students participating in various Access and Success programs by establishing cohorts based upon various student characteristics. The implementation of "StarFish" will allow the University to match institutional level data with advising information for the first time. We anticipate being able to monitor the amount and type of advising activity and match that information with, for example, accumulated credits earned and grade point average. Again, the close monitoring will enable us to maintain a more intrusive relationship with our students, retain them and help them graduate.