Carroll County Community College is set to join six other Maryland community colleges to form the Maryland Education Alliance to offer greater coursework and opportunities in healthcare.
Carroll County Community College will be the seventh Maryland community college to join the Maryland Education Alliance (MEA) to diversify educational offerings and student opportunities. Carroll joins Anne Arundel Community College, Cecil College, Chesapeake College, College of Southern Maryland, Harford Community College, and Prince George’s Community College (PGCC). Together, the seven community colleges serve ten counties in eastern, southern, and central Maryland.
The MEA agreement provides students another flexible option to pursue their academic interests, among the many existing in Maryland. The program is student-centered, focusing on expanding educational opportunities to Maryland’s residents through sharing resources. For example, 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.
According to a press release:
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.
The press release continues to describe how the collaborative will operate:
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.