Carroll Community College Joins Maryland’s Community College Alliance to Open Statewide Healthcare Career Pathways for Student Success
Westminster, MD, February 1, 2023─ Carroll Community College has joined six other Maryland community colleges to form the Maryland Education Alliance (MEA) to further boost students’ opportunities to earn associate degrees or certificates in the healthcare disciplines across the state.
The MEA is an innovative collaboration that creates a clear, seamless pathway for students to move from one community college to another and decreases the need to run highly specialized, costly, and sometimes low-enrolled programs at several locations. The alliance also creates opportunities for community colleges to share resources and expertise, meet community needs and generate cost savings that can be passed on to students.
Joining Carroll Community College in the alliance are Anne Arundel Community College, Cecil College, Chesapeake College, College of Southern Maryland, Harford Community College, and Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). These seven community colleges serve ten counties in eastern, southern, and central Maryland.
Through the MEA agreement, students complete their initial coursework at their home institution, such as general education, before transferring to the receiving community college for the specialized discipline coursework. For example, for healthcare programs, the home college would help develop agreements for students to complete their clinical requirements at a local healthcare facility. For some other programs, students can take a course at another community college and seamlessly transfer it back to their home institution to facilitate quicker completion of degrees.
For instance, Carroll currently offers its students the opportunity to transfer to massage therapy, nuclear medicine technology, and respiratory therapy programs. This statewide collaboration expands opportunities for sharing resources between the seven participating community colleges in order to increase student access to programs and meet workforce needs in the county and region. For more information, visit https://www.carrollcc.edu/programs/find-whats-right-for-me/healthcare/.
“Students can save substantial time and money by starting their coursework at Carroll and then transferring to a partner institution,” said Dr. Rosalie Mince, Provost at Carroll. This alliance opens doors to highly specialized programs in an innovative way that puts students’ needs first.”
Representatives from each participating community college will serve as the governing body to meet annually to discuss issues, maintain smooth transitions and open communication. In addition, as the MEA expands academic program opportunities, other Maryland community colleges can join to benefit their students, as individual institutions can choose which programs to offer.
With the creation of an umbrella agreement providing the collaboration parameters, each academic program shared under the MEA will be considered a specific articulation agreement between the institutions. These collaborations will have a signed addendum by participating institutions, creating flexibility related to each program’s curriculum requirements. Plans are underway to expand with similar opportunities in additional disciplines, including drone operation and construction management.
The innovation and resource-sharing of this “students first” alliance create the synergy, access, and pathways to rapidly expand Maryland and regional residents’ opportunities to further their education and careers for a better tomorrow.
PHOTO CAPTION: Carroll Community College nursing students receive the practical knowledge and hands-on training to enter one of the most in-demand fields in health care.
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## Carroll Community College’s mission is Empowering learners. Changing lives. Building community. Carroll Community College (Carroll) provides accessible, high-quality educational opportunities to advance careers, enrich lives, and strengthen the community we serve. Carroll offers academic and career preparation leading to transfer to four-year colleges and universities, and for direct entry into professional opportunities. Carroll Community College is located at 1601 Washington Road, Westminster, Md., 21157. Visit us on our website at www.carrollcc.edu.