Findings Released in Sexual Harassment Investigation at Montgomery College

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) completed an investigation into sexual harassment charges against a professor at Montgomery College’s Takoma Park Campus on Wednesday, June 28.

According to the report, the professor required women students to remove their shirts and wear only their bras as he made commentary on their bodies to demonstrate a medical assessment. The assessment process required neither action. Reports of targeted harassment after the class were also filed...

Findings Released in Sexual Harassment Investigation at Montgomery College - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

'Waste of time': Community college transfers derail students

America's high school graduates are often encouraged to start at a community college before getting a bachelor's degree, but the money-saving move rarely works as planned

First came the good news. After taking classes at a community college, Ricki Korba was admitted to California State University, Bakersfield, as a transfer student. But when she logged on to her student account, she got a gut punch: Most of her previous classes wouldn’t count.

The university rejected most of her science classes, she was told, because they were deemed less rigorous than those at Bakersfield — even though some used the same textbooks. Several other courses were rejected because Korba exceeded a cap on how many credits can be transferred.

Now Korba, a chemistry and music major, is retaking classes she already passed once. It will add a year to her studies, plus at least $20,000 in tuition and fees.

“It just feels like a waste of time,” said Korba, 23, of Sonora, California. “I thought I was supposed to be going to a CSU and starting hard classes and doing a bunch of cool labs.”..

'Waste of time': Community college transfers derail students - ABC News (go.com)

The Hill: Community college enrollment plunges nearly 40 percent in a decade

Community college enrollment has plummeted by nearly two-fifths since 2010, a staggering decline in a sector with the potential to offer the greatest value in American higher education. 

Enrollment in public two-year colleges dropped from 7 million in fall 2010 to 4.5 million in fall 2022, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. 

Entire story at:
https://thehill.com/homenews/3950897-community-college-enrollment-plunges-nearly-40-percent-in-a-decade/

Recent enrollment data for Montgomery College can be found at:
https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/_documents/offices/institutional-research-and-effectiveness/2022-fall-enrollment-summary.pdf

**********

Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD posts on Montgomery College's dropping enrollment as MCPS enrollment increased.  

Montgomery College Dual Enrollment Is Tuition Free for 2022-2023—and Beyond

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students enrolled in Montgomery College (MC) dual enrollment classes recently got good news—their tuition is free for the current academic year, and beginning in the Fall of 2023, dual enrollment students will not pay any costs associated with attending college while still in high school.

An Oct. 7, 2022, memo from Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury detailed that students will not be required to pay any portion of tuition for college (this new legislation includes WDCE classes as well as credit classes) courses they are enrolled in at MC, regardless of their financial status.

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, students may sign up for college courses through dual enrollment at no cost to student or their families.  This includes all college tuition, fees, required textbooks, and instructional supplies.

The MC-MCPS partnership offers several unique dual enrollment programs for students:

• The Early College program allows MCPS students to earn a college degree, attend college courses on MC's campus, and experience college life in 11th and 12th grade while completing their high school diploma requirements. 
• Jump Start to College enables students to be admitted and enrolled in individual college courses at MC, earning college credit while still in high school. Qualifying MCPS students may take one course or a pathway of courses that allows them to continue at MC or transfer credits after HS graduation.
• The Middle College programs provide MCPS students at Northwood, Clarksburg, and  Northwest High Schools an opportunity to earn a college degree in Business, General Engineering, General Studies, or Cloud Computing and Network Technology while still attending their home high school. Students may also participate in the Virtual Middle College at any MCPS high school, including the MCPS Virtual Academy.

Any student who wishes to apply to participate in the Early College (10th grade students only) or Virtual Middle College (8th grade students only) programs for fall 2023 must submit an MCPS Interest Form by the November 11, 2022, deadline. Students can find the link to the Interest Form on MC’s dual enrollment page.

Montgomery College Dual Enrollment Is Tuition Free for 2022-2023—and Beyond | Montgomery College, Maryland

Enrollment decline: A struggle for DC-area community colleges - Montgomery College is down almost 19%;

The number of students enrolling in community colleges nationwide, including in the D.C. region, continues to decline, and it is leaving these institutions struggling to boost student numbers...

Enrollment decline: A struggle for DC-area community colleges | WTOP News

Nassau Community College president quits - three days after faculty leaders submitted a "letter of discontent"- takes job in as president of Montgomery College in Maryland, also a community college.

 By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.com  @Scraigo

Updated December 17, 2021 8:15 PM

The president of Nassau Community College resigned Friday, three days after faculty leaders submitted a "letter of discontent" to the school's Board of Trustees requesting his removal.

Jermaine Williams, president since July 2019, will become the president of Montgomery College in Maryland, also a community college.

Williams' time with the Nassau County college was marked with difficulty between himself and the faculty, said Faren Siminoff, president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers.

"He was not a very responsive person. We spoke, but he didn't hear," Siminoff said in an interview.

The faculty leaders sent the letter to the Board of Trustees on Tuesday, asserting that, "The student leaders, faculty and staff have lost faith and trust in the college president. … We call for his immediate removal as Nassau Community College President."

The letter added, "Our constituents report that morale across campus is at the lowest point in decades."..

...The three-page letter said Williams' administration failed to correct health and safety issues such as mold infestation, air quality and unsafe passageways. It cited a textbook policy that left students without textbooks for weeks during the fall 2020 semester. And it questioned the administration's spending of millions of dollars in COVID/Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund money...

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2464330989625/nassau-community-college-president-quits-takes-job-in-maryland

Maryland State Police Arrest Montgomery County Man On Child Pornography Charges

December 3, 2021

(GAITHERSBURG, MD) – Troopers arrested a Montgomery County man early this morning after a Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Investigation developed evidence of possession of child pornography.

The suspect is identified as Kevin Lewis Long, 51, of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Long is charged with possession of child pornography, obstruction of justice, hindering a law enforcement investigation and tampering with evidence in a criminal investigation. He was transported to the Montgomery County Detention Center, where he is awaiting an initial appearance.

Beginning in January 2021, law enforcement initiated an investigation into the distribution and possession of child pornography online. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement identified Long as a recipient of child pornography. On Nov. 17, Maryland State Police, along with Homeland Security Investigations and the Montgomery County Police Department served a search warrant at Long’s residence. The subsequent forensic investigation by Maryland State Police investigators revealed multiple child pornography files on the suspect’s electronic devices, leading to the suspect’s arrest this morning.

The Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit coordinates the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This is a combined law enforcement effort involving police departments across Maryland that is made possible in part due to grant funds provided by the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim Services and by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Task force investigators focus on identifying those involved in child pornography via the Internet and other related crimes that victimize children.

The investigation continues …

###

CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, msp.media@maryland.gov

https://news.maryland.gov/msp/2021/12/03/maryland-state-police-arrest-montgomery-county-man-on-child-pornography-charges-3/

Montgomery College: Fall 2021 Many fall classes will be fully online

 

Summer 2021

Most summer classes are fully online. Students in certain programs may have some on-campus classes. 

Fall 2021

Many fall classes will be fully online, but classes that focus on hands-on skills and learning experiences will meet on campus. Most lab sections are scheduled on-campus for the fall semester.

Please review your schedule carefully. If a building and room are assigned for the lab section, it will meet on campus. Some sections also have a section note that the lab will meet on campus. Classes that meet on campus are marked with a campus building and room number in the course schedule.

• Many remote lecture and discussion sections are scheduled just prior to or after the on-campus lab. There is not time to travel to or from campus between these adjacent section meetings. Campus spaces will be available for students to complete remote coursework when they are on campus for in-person classes.
• Wi-Fi will be available in designated on-campus parking lots and parking garages for your convenience. Those locations will be identified later this summer. 
• If you start a class online, it will remain online. Classes will not switch from online to on-campus in the middle of the course.
• Check the course schedule throughout the summer to look for more on-campus courses. Courses will be added as enrollment demands and conditions improve...

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/coronavirus/students/index.html

Fall 2021: Montgomery College Fall Semester will begin with most classes fully online.

 Fall 2021: The fall semester will begin with most classes fully online. Students in certain programs may come to campus for some face-to-face classes. Fall course offerings will be posted April 19. Priority registration opens April 26 and general registration opens May 3. 

https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions-registration/search-the-class-schedule.html

Montgomery College President's Resume Released as finalist for job in Nevada

https://nsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Pollard-CV.pdf

Montgomery College classes to stay virtual into fall

Due to uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to begin planning early, Montgomery College announced on Thursday that its classes will largely remain virtual through the fall semester.

In a message to the school community, Montgomery College President DeRionne Pollard wrote that it is important to make the difficult decision now.

“Because of the complexity of class scheduling, student registration, and financial aid processing, and assignment of faculty to thousands of class sections, the College must make operational decisions earlier than some other institutions,” Pollard wrote...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/montgomery-college-classes-to-stay-virtual-into-fall/

#MontgomeryCollege will remain remote for spring 2021.

#MontgomeryCollege will remain remote for spring 2021. Read President Pollard's full statement at https://t.co/GRtGtRmYvg pic.twitter.com/McDKSOzlCh

— Montgomery College (@montgomerycoll) December 16, 2020

Montgomery College Releases Details of Fraud Scheme Perpetrated in September 2019 Including Independent Audit Findings, Net Losses of $1.7M

 

• October 1, 2020
• In September of 2019, Montgomery College (MC) was the victim of a targeted cybersecurity attack from entities outside the College. The intrusion, classified as cyber fraud, allowed funds to be stolen and placed in a fraudulent bank account. In a memorandum issued this morning to MC employees, students, and constituents, College officials outlined the total loss of the crime, additional details of the crime, the independent financial auditor’s findings, and several of the additional control measures the College has taken to ensure attacks like this are dealt with accordingly.
  
  The financial audit for the fiscal year 2020, which ended June 30, has now been closed. Clifton Larson Allen (CLA), the certified public accounting firm hired to perform our annual financial statement audits, issued its opinion September 30, 2020.
  
  The original amount of loss was $2.8 million—an amount that was invoiced by a legitimate vendor. Appropriate controls were adhered to by MC’s staff in multiple departments to verify the legitimacy of the invoicing. However, criminals manipulated a process that allowed the diversion of payments to a fraudulent bank account.
  
  Because the College acted quickly, $1.1 million—39 percent of the loss—has been recovered. The College has worked diligently with law enforcement agencies and its bank to pursue the perpetrators and restore the funds. The College immediately took action after the incident, completing a thorough internal investigation and working tirelessly with the FBI, banking partners, accreditors, and Montgomery County’s inspector general. The College communicated the fraud incident to both the internal College community and to local media.
  
  Several new internal controls were put in place immediately following the incident, including fraud awareness training, which was delivered to almost 300 employees at the College over three months. The College’s cybersecurity training, which also strengthens employee vigilance around attempted intrusions, has been taken by more than 2,000 employees in the last 13 months. The College continues to provide trainings that strengthen employees’ skills at fraud detection in an effort to protect the institution from future attacks. In addition, the College hired a separate accounting firm, independent of CLA, to perform an audit of its financial controls as well as an audit of vendors and contracts management. This audit concluded in August 2020 and provided additional recommendations for financial controls and vendor management.
  
  The College’s net loss of $1.7 million represents 0.5% of the College’s fiscal year 2020 budget. The financial loss did not and is not preventing the College from continuing standard operations. As of this time, MC has no new information from the FBI related to its criminal investigation. These types of investigations can take several years and are sometimes connected to wider networks of fraudulent activity. There is no evidence that any College employees were involved in the fraud scheme and MC employees remain the most valuable assets in fraud prevention.
  
  Although the College was a victim in this fraud scheme it is taking this opportunity to affirm the longstanding commitment to sound financial practices and to any improved protocols that might grow out of the investigations. The College is still hoping to recover more of the stolen funds through ongoing investigations. Given MC’s strong fiscal stewardship, it is able to manage this loss within the budget and will not ask the county or state to make up for the lost funds.
  
  This experience has been a lesson in the sophistication that criminals have developed around fraudulent incursions and a reminder that Montgomery College and its stakeholders must all remain vigilant.

NPR: How one community college is grappling with the pandemic, reckoning on race

How will the fall of 2020 look for students, families and schools as the pandemic reshapes the education landscape? Community colleges, which educate about 40 percent of U.S. undergraduates, were already stretched thin. Now, their enrollment is expected to increase as students and workers change their plans. Hari Sreenivasan reports on how Maryland’s Montgomery College and its students are coping.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-1-community-college-is-grappling-with-the-pandemic-reckoning-on-race

NEW MONTGOMERY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP ALLOWS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES TO TAKE FREE SUMMER COURSE

A new Montgomery College scholarship will allow eligible 2020 Montgomery County Public Schools High School Graduates to take a summer course for free.

The Raptor Ready Scholarship will provide tuition and fees for one course during the second summer session, beginning July 11. The student will also receive coverage for technology or educational supplies. Supplies can only be purchased at a Montgomery College bookstore. The coverage cannot exceed $530.

1. In order to apply, students must meet certain requirements. These include:
2. The individual must graduate from a MCPS High School in the spring of 2020.
3. The individual must be a Montgomery County resident...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/new-montgomery-college-scholarship-allows-high-school-graduates-to-take-free-summer-course/?fbclid=IwAR3StcHVV8LZzuSF_pqhFwGRhNvsPbsJYdPoUdDlRv8E5FX0QZMJkkYL_4E

Montgomery College plans to start fall semester online

Montgomery College plans to start its Fall 2020 classes online, then reintroduce in-person instruction “if conditions improve,” President DeRionne Pollard said in a statement on Tuesday.

Summer Session I classes, which start June 8, will be done through distance learning “with both live and self-paced sessions,” Pollard’s statement says.

Summer Session II, which start July 11, will be offered through “either distance learning or structured remote teaching format.”

Colleges and universities shut down in-person classes this spring and have relied on distance learning instead as the coronavirus spread and governments imposed restrictions on group gatherings...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/montgomery-college-plans-to-start-fall-semester-online/

2019 Maryland Higher Education Commission Data Book: Montgomery College Enrollment, Outcomes, Remediation Rates

https://mhec.maryland.gov/publications/Documents/Research/AnnualPublications/2019DataBook.pdf

The Universities at Shady Grove has only 2,000 Undergraduate Students

https://shadygrove.umd.edu/sites/default/files/u80/USG%20At%20A%20Glance%20-%20Executive%20Flyer.pdf

Montgomery College Loses Money in Fraud Scheme

Montgomery College sustained a “financial loss” after falling victim to a fraud scheme, the school announced Thursday afternoon.

College and law enforcement officials were mum on details Thursday, but said the incident will not interrupt student activities or operations at the college.

Officials did not specify what happened or disclose how much money was lost. A news release from the college said the crime occurred “earlier this month,” but Marcus Rosano, director of media relations for the college, declined to give a specific date.

Rosano said preliminary investigations show no student or employee data were compromised.

The college’s news release said local authorities and investigators at the Baltimore Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/police-fire/montgomery-college-loses-money-in-fraud-scheme/

UPDATED: Montgomery College Enrollment Continues Dropping as MCPS Enrollment Increases

UPDATED as of 2023 Montgomery College Enrollment - See Below

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MCPS Schools at a Glance

As Montgomery County Public Schools enrollment has been increasing, Montgomery College's enrollment has been dropping.

Montgomery College is currently asking for a budget increase from what has been proposed by the County Executive.   But missing from any discussion of Montgomery College's budget request is data on the College's downward enrollment trend.

MHEC Data Books

When asked about Montgomery College's current Fall 2018 enrollment, Montgomery County Councilmember and Education Chair Craig Rice responded that Montgomery College has 54,335 credit and non-credit students.

The enrollment data from the 2019 Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) data book shows Montgomery College's Fall 2017 enrollment as 22,875.  If that enrollment held to the Fall of 2018, that would mean that 31,460 Montgomery College students were enrolled in non-credit classes.

That puts the majority of Montgomery College students as taking non-credit courses.

The "college" component of Montgomery College has been in a decline and has not picked
up additional students, even as MCPS enrollment has steadily climbed.
What's going on at Montgomery College and will our elected officials discuss the downward trend in our community college's enrollment? 


Montgomery College Enrollment with links to MHEC Data Books on enrollment and other data on Maryland colleges.

Fall 2009     26,147

Fall 2010     26,015

Fall 2011     26,996

Fall 2012     27,453

Fall 2013     26,155

Fall 2014     25,517

Fall 2015     25,320

Fall 2016     23,916

Fall 2017     22,875

Fall 2018     21,720 (Page 14 of Council packet)

Fall 2019     21,260

Fall 2020     20,037

Fall 2022     17,137

Recent Montgomery County Council discussion of Montgomery College's Capital Budget request.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2019/20190321/20190321_EC1.pdf