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April 1, 2023

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

Education Ed Notes

Chesapeake College Refocuses on Workforce Training, Changes Program for 55+

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With a renewed focus on the mission to provide workforce training and the need to balance multiple priorities with limited resources, Chesapeake College has made the difficult decision to discontinue administration of the Institute for Adult Learning. The IAL membership program was developed 20 years ago to provide enrichment and education opportunities to adult learners over age 55.

Through a unique collaboration with IAL members, Chesapeake expanded educational services to the vibrant senior community of the service area.  The College will continue to serve this and other populations with a variety of credit, non-credit, and personal enrichment offerings.  Fortunately, since the IAL was first established at Chesapeake, other local community organizations have developed programming for seniors.   Dave Harper, Vice President for Workforce & Academic Programs commented, “There are more educational opportunities for the over 55 population now, and we’re pleased that this group has a variety of enrichment options on the Mid-Shore.”

With service demands increasing and the landscape of higher education changing, the resources and administrative support required to sustain the IAL program must be refocused toward maintaining traditional academic programs and expanding workforce training programs.

Harper continued, “It has always been an important part of Chesapeake’s mission to prepare residents of the service area for both (1) 4-year college and university transfer and (2) direct entry into the workforce.  County and state leaders, local business leaders, students, and families increasingly ask that we rebalance our programming to include a full complement of workforce training.  Our current Strategic Plan acknowledges these requests and motivates us to fulfill the full mission of our College and to—especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic—support regional economic recovery as our students seek better lives for themselves and their families.”

He added, “A renewed focus on workforce training also reflects a national trend among two-year colleges, which are committed to providing career preparation for post-high school students and to supporting the full spectrum of human growth and potential.”

Mr. Harper emphasized that Chesapeake College continues to serve area seniors in several ways.

Seniors receive a tuition waiver for Chesapeake’s credit classes and can register for non-credit personal enrichment courses. Chesapeake will also continue to offer classes at area senior centers. Class topics include fitness, music, computers, foreign languages, and art. The College will also continue to build upon Personal Enrichment options available to all age groups.

For more information about personal enrichment at Chesapeake or senior center offerings, please contact Lois Thomas at lthomas@chesapeake.edu or PACE@chesapeake.edu.

Chesapeake’s Smith Appointed Vice President

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Karen Smith

Chesapeake College named Karen Smith — an internal candidate with both corporate and education experience — as the new vice president for administrative services. In her role as vice president, Ms. Smith will oversee finances, facilities, public safety, and auxiliary services.

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Karen to her new role.  Over many years she’s demonstrated outstanding budget management skills as well as effective leadership.  She represents an excellent addition to the Chesapeake College senior leadership team as we face challenges and opportunities in an incredibly dynamic time,” said Chesapeake College President Clifford P. Coppersmith.

Ms. Smith joined Chesapeake College in 2003 in the financial services division. Chesapeake’s director of budget and procurement services for 13 years, Ms. Smith has also been serving as the interim vice president since November. As interim vice president, Ms. Smith provided leadership during the pandemic and is overseeing the transition back to normal campus operations. She leads the preparation and presentation of Chesapeake’s annual budget request for the five support counties.

“I look forward to working with our faculty, staff and students and the entire college community as we continue our work on implementing the college’s current strategic plan,” Ms. Smith said. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Chesapeake College community and will continue to work to enhance and build upon our strategic priorities.”

Ms. Smith, an Illinois native, earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in business administration from Salisbury University. She is a graduate of Shore Leadership and the Academy for Advanced Leadership.

A Tilghman resident, Ms. Smith and her husband Dave moved to the Eastern Shore in 1998. Ms. Smith has volunteered with the Tilghman Waterman’s Museum, Tilghman Island Fire Department, and Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief & Rescue.

About Chesapeake College

Founded in 1965 as Maryland’s first regional community college, Chesapeake serves five Eastern Shore counties – Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. With more than 130,000 alumnae, Chesapeake has 2,300 students and almost 10,000 people enrolled in continuing education programs.

UM SRH and Chesapeake College Offering COVID-19 Testing Until June 23

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University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, in partnership with Chesapeake College, will continue offering free COVID-19 testing but the testing day will move from Mondays to Wednesdays, ending on June 23. Testing takes place at the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center building, located at 1000 College Circle in Wye Mills.

COVID-19 testing is available by appointment only from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on June 2, 9, 16 and 23. To schedule an appointment for a free COVID-19 test, individuals should visit www.umms.org/shore/coronavirus/testing-locations and follow the link to “Schedule a free COVID test online. People do not need to have symptoms or a doctor’s order to schedule a COVID test, but must bring a photo ID to their appointment. Turnaround time for results is typically 48 to 72 hours. Patients can access to their results via My Portfolio, UM SRH’s online health portal, but a nurse also will call all patients who test positive as well as those who test negative and have not accessed their results through the online portal.

UM SRH and Chesapeake College first partnered in August 2020 to offer community-based COVID-19 testing, and during the height of the pandemic, conducted more than 500 tests weekly, with approximately 10,000 COVID-19 tests administered since that time.

About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care.  Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

Chesapeake College to Resume In-Person Activities

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In response to improved statewide Covid-19 metrics and the easing of many pandemic restrictions, Chesapeake College will re-open to the public on June 1.

“We’re excited to welcome our students and members of the community back to our Wye Mills Campus and the Cambridge Center. It’s been a difficult year for everyone, and we’re so happy to have reached this point,” said Chesapeake President Clifford P. Coppersmith. “The health and safety of our students and employees continues to be our top priority, and we’re pleased that conditions allow our safe return to campus. Scientific data and health expert recommendations support our return to in-person operations.”

Like educational institutions across the country, Chesapeake suspended in-person activities and operations switched to remote in March of 2020. In the months that followed, small groups of employees returned to campus with a small number of labs and training classes conducted face to face. In-person activities increased this spring, with additional face-to-face classes and some intercollegiate athletics competition. On May 17, Chesapeake entered Phase Blue of its five-level status plan in preparation for the Phase Green full re-opening.

Many students will return to campus for the first time in 14 months on May 26 for Commencement. Two in-person, outdoor graduation ceremonies are planned for the day with each graduate allowed to bring four guests. The ceremonies will also be livestreamed for those who do not attend in person. Graduates from both 2020 and 2021 were invited to participate.

Masks are no longer required indoors or out at Chesapeake. Though Chesapeake is not requiring students or employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Dr. Coppersmith said both groups are strongly encouraged to get the vaccine. Those who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue masking when on campus. As of June 1, Chesapeake will no longer require quarantine procedures for students, faculty or staff.

Summer classes — which begin June 14 — are all online, so the summer provides a good opportunity for the college to transition to normal, on-campus operations.

Staff will be available to provide in-person admissions and registration services to students by appointment. For appointments, please call 410-822-5400, ext. 2240. Based on student feedback, many services will also continue to be accessible remotely. Those remote services include admissions, advising, registration, financial aid services and testing.

Both Sodexo food services and the Barnes & Noble bookstore will also resume on-campus services on June 1. The Todd Performing Arts Center will remain closed for the time being, but other facilities on campus will be available for community rentals.

For more information about Chesapeake’s re-opening, please visit www.chesapeake.edu.

UM Shore Regional Health Offers COVID-19 Vaccines at Chesapeake College

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Through a partnership between University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) and Chesapeake College, COVID-19 vaccinations will be offered by appointment on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in the College’s Eastern Shore Higher Education Center on the Wye Mills campus, beginning Wednesday, April 7.

The vaccines are provided by UM SRH and administered by hospital personnel and volunteers, including nurses, former nurses and pharmacists. At this time, vaccine eligibility for Maryland residents has been expanded to include those in the 2B tier; for details, visit “Vaccine Phases” on this link: https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/vaccine.

“This really opens the gates to a much broader range of people who can now get vaccinated and help protect themselves, their family members, co-workers and friends from COVID-19,” Kevin Chapple, UM SRH’s regional director of pharmacy services. “We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to get vaccinated quickly, safely and efficiently, close to home.”

To register for a vaccine appointment at Chesapeake College, visit www.umms.org/coronavirus/covid-vaccine/get-vaccine and follow the instructions to complete the registration form. Vaccine appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first served basis. No walk-ins will be allowed.

“We’re pleased that our partnership with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is expanding to further care for our community,” said Chesapeake College President Clifford Coppersmith. “In addition to serving as a Covid-19 testing site, our centrally located Wye Mills campus will also be a convenient site for Shore residents to receive Covid-19 vaccinations. Providing a location and support for this vaccination site is another way Chesapeake College is helping the region recover from the pandemic.”

Relief and Recovery: Grants Available to Train for New Career

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Like much of the country, the Eastern Shore suffered negative economic impact from the Covid-19 pandemic this year. Job loss, reduction in work hours and shuttered businesses have left workers searching for new opportunities.

That’s where the scholarship partner in Workforce Investment Act (WIOA) assistance is helping displaced workers find hope for economic recovery and a bright future. The Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board (USWIB) is located on Chesapeake’s Wye Mills campus, and has a strong partnership with the college to prepare dislocated workers for their next career steps.

The USWIB has been assisting workers displaced by COVID-19 economic fall-out since state restrictions went into effect in March.

A federal Employment Recovery Dislocated Workers Grant of $496,000 was awarded to the USWIB in the spring to assist displaced workers. Since March, the USWIB has worked to secure more than $1.6 million designated specifically to help displaced workers in our region seek career training opportunities at Chesapeake.

Joanne Gannon, the facilitator who works directly with clients who seek assistance, said that with the destabilizing effects of the pandemic, it is an especially difficult time to manage loss of employment. In this global crisis, she said, entire industries suffer causing ripples down to the local level.

As a result, many displaced workers decide to change careers and need guidance.

“We can help eligible clients identify fields that would match their skills and talents. We can determine if there are any skill gaps and then map out a plan for a new career,” Gannon said.

Assistance can include federal and state funds for workforce training, certifications, and job skill attainment. WIOA also partners with Chesapeake College to access institutional scholarships dedicated to workforce training.

Applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements to receive training grants, but many have been relaxed in the pandemic. As of late November, 168 people applied for and were approved for assistance, with 67 already enrolled in training classes.

Scholarship recipients are enrolled in a variety of programs including Certified Nursing Assistant, truck driving, early childhood, welding, dental assistant, phlebotomy, surgical technology and radiographic technology. Most of Chesapeake’s classes have been running online since March, but some skilled trades and health care labs are offered face-to-face.

The programs eligible for WIOA funding are aligned with regional employer needs, so students who complete these programs (many in less than one year) are preparing for existing job opportunities in the region. With courses offered in a variety of formats, and many taking place on nights and weekends, these programs are convenient for working adults, as well as currently displaced workers.

For more information about training assistance and the application process, please email uswib2020@gmail.com or Joanne Gannon at jgannon@chesapeake.edu

Chesapeake will host an online information session about career training and funding options on January 28 from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm. For information about the session, please contact Marci Leach at mleach@chesapeake.edu

Please note: Many of our faculty and staff are currently working remotely. We remain available to assist with your needs, and are monitoring our email and phone messages—responding as soon as possible during normal operating hours. For the most current information regarding our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit our website at www.chesapeake.edu/coronavirus. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this unprecedented situation.

Equity: What We Can Do as a College by Dr. Cliff Coppersmith

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The current extraordinary situation in which the world finds itself in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by police officers in Minneapolis has generated a social movement demanding law enforcement reform across the United States, and a broader call to address the larger social problems of race and equity in America.

Dr. Cliff Coppersmith, president, Chesapeake College

The crisis as it manifests itself locally on the Eastern Shore, and throughout the state of Maryland, underscores our continuing mission as a comprehensive community college.

We are the college of first choice for our service region and must assure equity of access as well as equity for completion for all students who attend Chesapeake College — regardless of color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

With the challenges presented by the pandemic in forcing the adoption of distance learning we must do everything in our power to mitigate the inequities in access to computer technology and internet access that affect much of our service region across all the communities we serve.

We must provide for all people who come to Chesapeake the opportunity to reach their potential, accomplish their goals and become contributing members of our society.

Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. voiced on many occasions that education is the key to lifting the individual from poverty to prosperity, and from ignorance to knowledge and understanding.

We must do our best to facilitate individual success through short-term training, professional and skilled trades, and college and university-bound transfer education.

We also must play the role of shining a light on the cultural, social, economic, and political realities of our day to provide that broadening engagement for all people who come to Chesapeake College to learn.

For our part, the College will engage in introspection regarding our role in providing equity and effecting meaningful change in our region in the coming weeks and months.

We will recalibrate the aspects of our strategic plan that deal with diversity and equity in instruction and services, and will work with our community advisory committee on concrete steps we can take as a College to address inequities in our local African American communities and wherever else these issues exist.

These topics will be addressed within departments as well as at the executive level in an upcoming leadership retreat. Input
and action items will be shared with our Board of Trustees. I have been committed to diversity since my arrival in 2018. We must do more.

We are living in difficult times that challenge us every day. It pains me to say that there are no easy answers as we look to the future. But I do take comfort in my faith in America, in my hope for the future, and the sure knowledge I have of the gifted and dedicated staff and faculty with whom I work every day at Chesapeake College.

We can solve many of these problems at our level, in our neighborhoods and our communities. I encourage all of you to get involved in making those differences every day — at home, in the civic organizations in which you serve, and both within and beyond your social circles.

With the unwavering support of our Board of Trustees and amongst all of our faculty, staff, and students, we will make a difference.

Dr. Cliff Coppersmith is president of Chesapeake College.

Non-traditional Tradition: Chesapeake’s Top Grads Will be Honored in Virtual Ceremony

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WYE MILLS — This year, the two winners of the John T. Harrison Award — the highest student honor at Chesapeake College — will be lauded in a non-traditional, virtual commencement on May 20. The winners, Jonathan Cook and Sheryl Leavell, are also taking non-traditional paths to their careers.

Jonathan Cook, 23, a Worton native, was homeschooled. He has worked at Dixon Valve in Kent County since he was 16 years old.

He worked part-time at the company as he earned an associate’s of arts degree in liberal arts and sciences, plus a certificate in theatre and performance studies.

He also worked as an office assistant for the TRiO Program at Chesapeake. He holds a 3.93 grade point average.

Cook has siblings who attended Chesapeake and had good experiences, but when he entered the college, he wasn’t sure of his path.

At Chesapeake, Cook discovered new interests which he may use to forge an exciting career path in the future.

He was an active member of Chesapeake’s Peake Players theatre company as a performer and production assistant. He participated in multiple performances and played the male lead in Chesapeake’s Fall 2019 production “Dangerous Liaisons.”

“When I started my first theatre class, I was petrified at the idea of getting on stage,” Cook said. “In his classes, he (Dr. Thompson) creates a great low-stress environment in which to learn. I ended up loving the class and auditioned for a show.”

In addition to his part-time jobs, Cook worked with Dr. Thompson on theatre productions and also assisted Richard Peterson, executive director of the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College.

Both mentors showed Mr. Cook the possibilities of combining his interests in technology and theatre.

“This really opened my eyes to all goes into any performance behind the scenes. Lights and sound, for example, are critical to every kind of event. Computers are used so much in production, and someone has to write the programs,” Cook said.

Most immediately, Mr. Cook would like to find work in the IT industry so that he can gain some hands-on experience. He plans to eventually earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

A graduate of North Caroline High School, Sheryl Leavell, 25, of Greensboro, briefly attended Chesapeake in her late teens. She later enlisted in the United States Air Force where she trained as a dental assistant and achieved the rank of senior airman. When her service was completed, Leavell returned to Chesapeake to pursue a degree in elementary education.

“I’d never been a great student, so I carried that with me into college the first time,” Leavell said. “In the military, I learned how to focus, and learned that focus and persistence are what you need to get results. When I came back to college with that experience, I started having some success and could start to believe in myself.”

Leavell holds a 3.8 grade point average and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She is also an active member of Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society and participated in service projects at Talbot Interfaith Shelter.

Career inspiration, Leavell said, came from Education Professor Deanna Reinard.

“Dr. Reinard has not only been my advisor but a great mentor. She’s helped broaden my knowledge on various aspects of teaching and the world,” Leavell said.

She will transfer to Salisbury University in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree and plans to become an elementary school teacher.

Leavell said she believes her personal experiences will make her a better teacher and enable her to encourage her students as they tackle challenges.

Leavell and Cook are among the 325 graduates receiving certificates and associate degrees this year.

Chesapeake’s virtual 2020 Commencement will stream on the college’s Facebook page (@Chesapeake College) and YouTube channel at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 20. For more information, visit www.chesapeake.edu/commencement2020.

After Coronavirus: Chesapeake College’s Cliff Coppersmith

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For a variety of interesting reasons, Chesapeake College’s Cliff Coppersmith was extraordinarily well prepared for COVID-19. The first being that he had done a significant amount of scholarship work during his academic career, including a considerable emphasis on how pandemic illness wiped out close to 90% of Native Americans in the 17th Century. Coupled with a military intelligence background and the fact that many of his wife’s family was living in Italy in the early developing stages of the coronavirus crisis, Dr. Coppersmith uniquely qualified to take action in his leadership position at the Wye Mills community college for the Mid-Shore.

In our interview, Dr. Coppersmith outlines what his school has taken during Maryland’s stay-at-home order, how the College’s operating budget looks like going into summer classes, and his forecast on how Chesapeake might open back up in the fall.

This video is approximately ten minutes in length. For more information about Chesapeake College please go here. 

Mid-Shore Counties OK Level Funding for Chesapeake College

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Mid-Shore counties voted Monday night to provide level funding to Chesapeake College for the next fiscal year.

The college initially had sought a 3 percent increase over this year’s funding, but the COVID-19 pandemic has county governments tightening belts in anticipation of lower revenues.

Clifford Coppersmith, Chesapeake College’s president, said the proposed budget reflected the college’s strategic plan and touched briefly on effects of the pandemic.

Dr. Clifford P. Coppersmith, Chesapeake College president

“We are doing everything we can to maintain the college and our workforce,” Coppersmith said.

With the campus closed for social distancing, the college moved all instruction online that could be, he said, and plans for summer courses to be online as well.

The college also is preparing for distance learning for the fall semester if required.

Coppersmith said the college had been working on plans to improve its workforce education and training programs and would be ready with those courses when the economy is ready to go again.

In its initial budget process before the pandemic, the college had called for a tuition increase of $3 per credit hour, but that increase has been rescinded, he said.

Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties allocated a total of $6.5 million to the college for Fiscal Year 2020, which ends June 30. Four of the five counties voted unanimously Monday night to provide the same funding for next year; Dorchester County did not have a quorum on the call.

The total funding from the Mid-Shore counties is divvied up based on the ratio of student enrollment. If Chesapeake College students, for example, came equally from each county, the counties each would fund 20% of the total $6.5 million.

Talbot County Council President Corey Pack said Talbot had budgeted about $1.65 million for the college for next year. The county also has put about $50,000 for the college in its contingency fund, representing the 3 percent increase the college had sought.

If the economy and tax revenues are better than expected, the county council could vote to allocate that money to the college.

Caroline County officials said that county would be allocating about $7,000 more than last year due to changes in the enrollment ratio.

Queen Anne’s County Commission President Jim Moran said that county’s share would be about $1.88 million.

Queen Anne’s was the only county to support the 3 percent increase, with Moran noting the county would be paying less next year as a result of enrollment changes.

Kent and Talbot county officials said those counties were planning on flat county budgets for FY21 as well,

“We’ve done that with all our departments,” Kent County Commissioner Ron Fithian said in the conference call. “We’re letting everybody know it will be the same as last year.”

The counties also unanimously approved the college’s total operating budget of about $23.1 million by category and nearly $400,000 from the counties for maintenance and repair costs.

Tina Jones, the college’s chief financial officer, said the counties provide about a third of the college’s total budget with other sources, including tuition, providing the remainder.

With a bad economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, college officials said Chesapeake could see increased enrollment, which means additional revenue from tuition, but also higher instructional costs.

Approving the total budget by category allows the college to make decisions based on enrollment, revenues, and expenses without having to return to the five counties for approval, Jones said.