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[PDF Download of Speech]
Maryland Transfer Advantage Program: Signing Ceremony
Wednesday, January. 31, 2007, 10-10:30 a.m.
Stamp Student Union, Prince George's Room
Anne Arundel Community College and the College of Southern Maryland
C. D. Mote, Jr.
University of Maryland
First, I would like to offer my congratulations to the Presidents. Dr. Bradley Gottfried was just appointed president of the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) in July of 2006 so he is a relative new-comer. And congratulations to CSM on its role in Project Graduation, a community-wide program that received the Governor's Crime Prevention Award in December for its dedication to reducing crime and making Maryland a safer place.
Congratulations to Dr. Martha Smith, President of Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), on the AACC's Paul S. Sarbanes Center for Public and Community Service. The Center was included on the first President Bush's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its outstanding community outreach. It was one of only two community colleges of 492 institutions nation-wide on the list!
Today we are here to recognize the importance of the Maryland Transfer Advantage Program (MTAP). As the flagship university, we are pleased to form a partnership with Anne Arundel Community College and the College of Southern Maryland. This program will help more students move on to complete the bachelor's degree that is so critical to success in today's information-based economy. The growth in the demand for higher education in the Washington Metropolitan area is expected to be as much as 60 % through 2010. According to the Maryland Higher Education Commission 62% of Maryland students who pursue higher education within the State enroll first in community colleges. Only about 28% of these students transfer directly to Maryland's public four-year schools.
The Maryland Transfer Advantage Program provides an opportunity for the University to work proactively on behalf of student success. In 2005, we launched MTAP by developing relationships with Montgomery College and Prince George's Community College. We are very pleased to continue expanding this critical relationship now with Anne Arundel Community College and the College of Southern Maryland, and we hope to replicate it in each county.
We have been excited about the numbers of students transferring here from AACC and CSM. In FY 2005, approximately 577 AACC students and 224 CSM students transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park. Our hope is to increase these numbers by getting students connected as early as possible and to help increase their success here at UMCP. And that is why MTAP is so important.
Indeed, the Maryland Transfer Advantage Program is a win-win. For admitted students, they become part of the Maryland family at the very beginning of their academic careers at the two-year colleges. The program is a bridge to a clear, unbroken path toward a four-year degree at the University of Maryland. For the State of Maryland it keeps the best and brightest minds in the State's higher education system, increasing the chances that these graduates will contribute to the State and local economies at a high level for years to come.
Thank you to all who worked so hard on this. Congratulations again.
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