PRESS ADVISORY

 College Presidents, County & State Officials to Unveil Study Showing Wide-ranging Economic Benefits
 of Maryland Community Colleges
Report Demonstrates High Investment Return for Taxpayers, Students

Thursday, August 14, 2003
11:30 a.m.

 Roland Powell Convention Center
Coastal Highway at 40th Street, Ocean City, Maryland
(Location of 2003 Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)
Conference, August 13-16)

            Presidents from Maryland’s 16 community colleges will be joined by Tony Kinkel, executive director of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, and a variety of county and state officials, in unveiling the findings of a study on the socioeconomic benefits of the state’s community colleges to both taxpayers and students of the colleges.

Among the study’s key findings:

  • Maryland’s 16 community colleges help to pump some $5.6 billion annually into the state’s economy.

  • Residents receive a return of approximately $15 on each state and local dollar invested in the community colleges’ operations.

  • Students of Maryland’s community colleges significantly boost their earning power and enjoy an average return of 24 percent for each dollar spent on tuition and fees.

The study is being released in conjunction with the summer meeting of the Maryland Council of Community College Chief Executive Officers and the 2003 Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) summer conference. Among those participating in the briefing will be Marilyn Praisner, the current president of MACo and a county councilmember from Montgomery County; State Delegate Norman Conway, chair of the House Appropriations Capital Budget Subcommittee; and Alan Newberry, the chief executive officer of Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury.

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Media Contact: Steve Simon (Montgomery College), 240-567-7952 (office); 240-461-0333 (cell phone)

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