Higher Education

The following bills passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the session that ended in April go into effect today: SB 119, Chapter 11 Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Washington Deputy Medical Examiners - Investigative Fees Establishes fees through the state budget to change pay for investigations performed by specified medical examiners. HB 722, Chapter 253 Washington County Delegation Washington County - Code of Public Local Laws - Compilation and Legalization Legalizes the 2007 edition of the Code of Public Local Laws of Washington County, being Article 22 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland, published under the direction of the Washington County Commissioners; and making provisions for the publication, sale, and distribution of the Code of Public Local Laws of Washington County.

At a Maryland Public Policy Institute-sponsored forum in Annapolis this legislative session, Anirban Basu of Towson University made the point that, while bad, Maryland's economic straits are not nearly so dire as they are in many other states across the nation. What consistently explains Maryland's relatively good fortune, Basu says, is that extra spending on colleges over the past eight years has been the foundation upon which our economy has grown. Some of Gov. Robert Ehrlich's most severe cuts in these troubled times are in higher education, and at the same MPPI forum, former state economic chief James Brady defended these cuts.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Shepherd College's head-count and full-time enrollment increased for the fall semester, according to figures released by the State College and University Systems of West Virginia. Head-count enrollment, which includes all full-time and part-time students, increased by 6.75 percent. The college's head-count enrollment for fall 1996 is 3,845, up 243 from last fall's enrollment of 3,602. Full-time equivalence enrollment increased 3.51 percent to 2,956, up 100 from last fall's 2,856.

The Washington County Delegation elected a vice chairman and quickly approved five other pieces of local legislation Thursday. Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr., R-Allegany/Washington, was unanimously voted vice chairman on a motion by Del. Robert A. McKee, R-Washington. Del. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, was elected chairman last fall. Lawmakers also voted to submit five bills for the commissioners. The legislation would: Create a second deputy state's attorney position by replacing one of the assistant state's attorney positions.

When it became evident in August that Gov. Rick Perry of Texas was to be a contender for the White House, he became an object of study. Accounts of him presiding over large prayer meetings and his acts as a governor became regular events in the media. The question quickly raised was whether he was really qualified to be a president, or was he just another flash in the pan, such as Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann. With more exposure, we will get a more complete reading of his merits for the high office, but the following assessment of his management of higher education in Texas will add a portion for consideration.

SMITHSBURG -- Mitchell Belella of Smithsburg has received a $1,500 scholarship from Delcan Corp. This is the second Delcan scholarship Belella has received. Belella is a sophomore at McDaniel College who is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in business administration. He maintained a 3.06 grade-point average in his freshman year while he competed for the college in varsity basketball. Belella, a St. Maria Goretti High School graduate, spent his first summer in college as a camp counselor passing on his knowledge of basketball to participants at the Mid-Maryland Sports Camp.

Hagerstown Community College student Nouhoun Barry of Hagerstown recently won the Helen and Gene Kline Scholarship for the fall 2012 semester. Barry, 22, has a 4.0 grade-point average and is majoring in engineering science. Originally from Burkina Faso in western Africa, Barry became interested in engineering as a small child. He came to the United States two years ago to pursue his education and will graduate from HCC in the summer of 2013. Barry's future plans include earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering at the University of Maryland or the École de Technologie Supérieure, an engineering school in Montreal.

On Monday, his first day as executive director of the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, Mark Halsey said he sees the potential for more “blended learning” at the local campus. Blended, or hybrid, learning is a mix of traditional classroom interaction and electronic communication, he said. Students work more on their own on course material, then use classroom time to talk and build upon lessons, rather than always hearing a lecture. Halsey comes to USMH from Virginia Tech University, where he was the director of finance and administration for distance learning.

ANNAPOLIS He's been a member of the Maryland General Assembly longer than some of his legislative colleagues have been alive, and after nearly 32 years as a lawmaker - and despite the occasional rumor to the contrary - Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Washington, is ready for four more. "I like my job," he said Wednesday. "I get up in the morning looking forward to it. " He recently made it official by filing for re-election. And so far, he has no opposition. First elected to the House of Delegates in 1974, Munson served four terms in the House before successfully challenging former Sen. Patricia Cushwa in 1990 for the seat formerly held by her husband, the late Victor Cushwa, D-Washington.

I appreciate Ruth Callaham's letter of support. I would like to address her question as to the funding for my educational goal that proposes tuition exemptions for higher education programs for Washington County students. As Callaham and the readers know, education has always been, and continues to be, one of my primary interests. I believe it should be of primary interest to every citizen of Washington County. Education affects every citizen in some fashion. It affects your tax bill, whether or not you have children in the system.