News around campus and beyond
McDaniel College and Carroll Community College (Carroll) have signed a new dual admissions agreement that will offer students who transfer to McDaniel directly from Carroll a clear pathway to a bachelor’s degree after completing an associate degree at Carroll.
Carroll Community College President James D. Ball and McDaniel College President Julia Jasken along with Rosalie Mince, provost at Carroll, and Wendy Morris, acting provost and dean of the faculty at McDaniel, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Nov. 16, 2022, during a ceremony held at Carroll.
“Carroll and McDaniel are collaborating to provide students more opportunities to achieve their dreams,” said Ball. “Both of our campuses attract students who seek quality higher education experiences. This new agreement provides an affordable and seamless pathway for our students to access the baccalaureate at a nationally ranked institution.”
The agreement, which goes into effect for students planning to enter McDaniel for the fall 2023 semester, established a collaboration between McDaniel and Carroll that encourages Carroll students to graduate with an associate degree prior to transferring to receive guaranteed admission to McDaniel.
Students transferring from Carroll can apply to the dual admissions program after completing 30 credits at Carroll, and McDaniel will accept all Carroll Community College coursework for transfer up to 64 credits as agreed upon by a McDaniel advisor.
Students will have access to an advisor or academic dean at McDaniel for academic advising to ensure alignment with their proposed transfer program. The McDaniel advisor will collaborate with the Carroll advisor to coordinate the degree and the McDaniel transfer requirement.
This dual admissions agreement provides a pathway to accomplishing one of the objectives laid out in McDaniel’s five-year strategic plan. “Become more transfer-friendly” is an important objective as part of Goal 1.2, build student success structure and programming to increase retention, persistence, and graduation rates.
“In addition to receiving guaranteed admission to McDaniel, I am also excited to announce the creation of a dedicated scholarship fund to be used specifically for Carroll students who are transferring to McDaniel through this dual admissions agreement,” said Jasken.
McDaniel College has received a new accolade in recognition of its affordable programming in relation to its peers. The award comes from Colleges of Distinction, a resource whose cohort of schools is selected based on the quality and breadth of hands-on experiences in lieu of the popular rankings model.
On the heels of a nationwide conversation about college tuition and student debt, the Affordable Colleges of Distinction award aims to guide cost-conscious students and parents through the often-opaque world of college financing. McDaniel stands out among the other Colleges of Distinction as one with manageable financial costs and notable outcomes.
“How to pay for college is a near-universal question at the top of new students’ minds,” says Tyson Schritter, chief operating officer at Colleges of Distinction. “McDaniel has demonstrated to us that its students are graduating with manageable debt and careers that help them thrive.”
Fewer than 150 institutions have been selected as Affordable Colleges of Distinction. “Our calculations look at a number of factors related to cost,” says Schritter. “It’s important for us to remember that not all students are coming from the same socioeconomic background, and so we have incorporated weighted variables that adjust for family income relative to net price.”
Colleges of Distinction’s methodology is informed by institutional data published by the U.S. Department of Education. Those on the list showed low net prices that were directly proportional to student household income.
Beyond net price, Colleges of Distinction also took into account the graduates’ median debt and mean earnings data. These were then controlled for each school’s location, size, public/private affiliation status, and percentage of Pell grant recipients, altogether earning McDaniel College a spot among the most affordable.
“Our Affordable Colleges of Distinction are not just those with a low sticker price; they exemplify a solid return on a student’s investment,” Schritter continues. “McDaniel College has shown us that an engaging, real-world education doesn’t have to break the bank.”
McDaniel College has named Mark Carter ’86 to its Board of Trustees.
Carter, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the college, serves as president and CEO of Up To Date Laundry, one of the largest health care laundries in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Since being named CEO in 2011, he has led dramatic changes while overseeing the company’s vision as a premier provider of commercial laundry services for the health care industry. He recently expanded the Baltimore-based company by opening a second location in East Baltimore, which has provided additional employment opportunities for that community. Carter is also an active member of the Textile Rental Services Association.
As a student at McDaniel (formerly Western Maryland) College, he was involved with the men’s lacrosse team and was a member of the Gamma Beta Chi fraternity. He earned The John A. Alexander Medal, which is awarded to a member of the graduating class with the best record in athletics. Carter also served as an assistant for the men’s lacrosse team after graduation from 1988-1991.
In addition to his degree from McDaniel, he graduated with an M.B.A. from Frostburg University in 1996.
Carter lives in Glenelg, Maryland, with his wife, Nancy Hutchinson Carter ’86, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the college.