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| Community College of Baltimore County: Coming Together |
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| Written by Ashley McGown | ||
| Sunday, 01 November 2009 00:00 | ||
one you practice and preach daily. Until just over a decade ago, the campuses that compose Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) were individual, unaffiliated institutions, but today, they operate together as a single, three-campus organization. Prior to the merger, all of the locations had built strong reputations of their own. According to Sandra Kurtinitis, president of CCBC, these accomplishments have not been forgotten. She said each institution “served the residents of its respective area with distinction.”  Despite their individuality, all three schools reported to a single board. In 1995, a decision was made that permitted involved teams to pool available resources, like HR departments and budget offices. Still, each school had its own president, and many aspects of operation remained separate. The operating model in place at CCBC today has been further redefined to really bring the three schools together. Under Kurtinitis, the organization is run in a manner that allows each institution to remain distinctive and retain its identity while also taking advantage of potential administrative efficiencies. But the transition didn’t happen overnight; Kurtinitis said the change took place over an extended period of time. “When I arrived in November 2005, the board members made it clear they wanted the new president to finish the job, which resulted in a single, united college,” she said. “To describe the institution, we often use the phrase, ‘The power of one, built on the strength of three.’” A rise in the numbers In the last few years, the Maryland-based institution has continued to grow. The school’s enrollment and full-time equivalency (FTE) are both up roughly 20% from 12 months ago, which means thousands of additional students flocked to its campuses this fall. Several factors have influenced this growth, including the state of the US economy. During times of economic crisis, many community colleges see a spike in their enrollment. However, Kurtinitis said the level of growth CCBC has experienced exceeds that of other institutions in the area. “Our increase far out-strips what anyone else in the state has reported,” she explained. “The economy has impacted enrollment, but it’s not the sole reason we’re seeing growth in our numbers.” The increased number of students is also a result of the hard work the team at CCBC has put forward. Recently, the school’s student services area was restructured in a manner that focuses on ground-level customer service, and the marketing and PR teams are stronger than ever. “The marketing and PR teams are in the same area as the enrollment office now, so they can all communicate with one another more efficiently and work better as a team,” Kurtinitis said. “We have wonderful stories to tell; our team is working hard to tell those stories and raise our visibility.” CCBC has also witnessed success through a promotional message that emphasizes the value a community college can provide. Most people understand that CCBC is significantly less expensive a four-year institution, so the message Kurtinitis and her team are focused on is related to quality. “We offer nearly 100 programs—more than any other college in the state,” she said. “People travel from all over the state to attend the school, which is indicative of the quality and breadth of the classes we offer.” A tall order With a $180 million budget, more than 4,000 full- and part-time employees, and nearly 70,000 students, the executive team at CCBC is responsible for running a huge enterprise. In addition to providing a high-quality education to students, the team has to maintain operations and a steady revenue stream. “All too often, people don’t recognize academic institutions for what they really are—a business,” said Kurtinitis, who has 16 years of experience as a college president. “We’re trying to administer our mission in a way that maximizes every available dollar,” she continued. “We’re creating efficiencies by installing systems that support the work of our faculty and students alike, and we’re doing it in a way that isn’t cost-prohibitive.” When making decisions regarding investments, the team at CCBC always takes its mission into consideration. The projects that have the largest and most positive impact on affordability, accessibility, and academic quality top the priority list. “If you’re dedicated to making decisions based on that simple premise, you look at everything through a lens,” Kurtinitis said. “We have to remember, the only reason we have a job is because we have students to serve, so it’s important for us to use our resources to create state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories.” And CCBC has done just that. Recently, the organization outfitted all of its classrooms with new computers and projectors, and a new phone system has improved communication across all three campuses. The new phone system allows staff on one campus to reach staff on another campus simply by dialing an extension. Additional components scheduled to be installed in coming months will give the institution a single phone number, which is significant because currently there are nearly 200 published numbers someone can dial to get in touch with a school employee. “Once we have the single number established, people will be able to call that, and their call can be routed to the appropriate department,” Kurtinitis said. Looking forward, the future for CCBC is promising. Although the details are still being sorted out, the federal government’s American Graduation Initiative should result in additional revenue for the school. But regardless of how the situation turns out, Kurtinitis and her team are confident that CCBC will continue to grow and serve the residents of Baltimore Country. |