2004 Maryland State Plan for Postsecondary Education

Overview & Synopsis

The 1988 law reorganizing Maryland higher education requires the Maryland Higher Education Commission to develop and periodically update a statewide plan for postsecondary education. The purpose of the plan is to guide the development and improvement of postsecondary educational opportunities in Maryland. On April 27, 2004, a blue-ribbon panel, the State Planning Committee, was appointed by the Governor to advise the Maryland Higher Education Commission in the development of the plan. The Committee was asked to examine enrollment trends, the cost of education, workforce issues, and cost efficiencies, among other issues. The Committee was organized into four subcommittees: (1) A Changing and Growing Student Population; (2) Providing High-Quality, Affordable Postsecondary Education; (3) Meeting Maryland's Economic and Workforce Needs; and (4) Ensuring Maryland's Commitment to Diversity. The subcommittees met throughout the summer and submitted reports to the full committee containing 50 action recommendations to address the issues. Subsequently, the State Planning Committee ranked the recommendations in priority order. All recommendations that had significant support have been incorporated into the 2004 plan. This document is divided into three sections. The 2004 plan for postsecondary education begins in Section I by identifying several guiding principles that set the stage and act as the framework for the development of goals and action recommendations. Trends that will impact the future needs of postsecondary education are briefly discussed. Section II is the core of the plan. The section begins with an action recommendation that calls for development of a comprehensive model to guide policy decisions relating to postsecondary education. This section lays out five goals that are critical to the ongoing development of postsecondary education in Maryland. Section III is a progress report on the goals from the 2002 State Plan for Postsecondary Education. The information in this section, which was provided by the postsecondary education community, details the progress made and the challenges faced in working toward accomplishing the goals from the 2002 plan.