Lt. Governor Brown Announces 2010 BRAC Higher Education Grant Recipients
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (December 17, 2010) – Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, chair of the Governor’s Subcabinet on Base Realignment (BRAC), announced 11 grants to nine institutions through the BRAC Higher Education Fund. This is the third and final year for the grant program, which was created through legislation championed by Lt. Governor Brown during the 2008 session. To date, 39 grants have been awarded to 19 colleges, universities and community colleges totaling more than $3.7 million. This year’s grants total more than $865,000.
“Base Realignment in Maryland means jobs. BRAC has started and will only accelerate in the New Year, which means we must continue our commitment to developing the nation’s most highly-skilled and highly-trained workforce pipeline,” Lt. Governor Brown said. “Our renowned colleges, universities and community colleges have provided a national model for building a competitive and innovative economy workforce. Through the investments we’ve made together on campuses and in students across our state, I’m confident that Base Realignment will help us pull through the final days of this recession more quickly than our neighbors in other states. The BRAC Higher Education grants have been some of the most important investments we’ve made.”
The grants awarded today will help Maryland’s network of public and independent colleges and universities, as well as the state’s community colleges, develop academic programs to prepare the BRAC workforce. BRAC will create 60,000 new jobs across Maryland, most of which require specific skills and training. Maryland is poised to gain more jobs per capita because of the 2005 BRAC law than any other state.
The 2010 grant recipients include a Master of Science and Associated Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Supply Chain Management at Towson University and Cybersecurity Training at Anne Arundel Community College, among others. The full list of grants awarded today includes the following programs:
- Computer Information Systems and Cybersecurity Training (Anne Arundel Community College, $90,000)
- Engineering Technology Software Skills Certificate for the BRAC Workforce (Cecil College, $40,971)
- Government Contracting and Logistics Degree Program for the BRAC Workforce (Cecil College, $51,441)
- CCBC Cybersecurity Training Institute Virtual Laboratory (Community College of Baltimore County, $87,218)
- Maryland Center of Academic Excellence Collaboration Cybersecurity Virtual Resource Lab (Capitol College, $80,475)
- Medical Laboratory Technology Program (Frederick Community College, $90,000)
- Online Graduate Courses in Information Assurance (Johns Hopkins University, $89,949)
- Plus Two Electrical Engineering Programs (Morgan State University, $85,913)
- Meeting BRAC Educational Needs in Cyber Forensics (Stevenson University, $92,488)
- Expanding the Reach of the IT Programs (Towson University, $73,844)
- Master of Science and Associated Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Supply Chain Management (Towson University, $85,728)
Every Maryland institute of higher learning is eligible to apply for the BRAC Higher Education Fund grants, including two- and four-year public or independent colleges or universities, Maryland research institutions, Maryland Regional Higher Education centers, and Maryland private career schools. The Maryland Higher Education Commission administers the grant program.
The BRAC Higher Education grants have helped fund a variety of successful programs and projects, including the Capitol College Cyber Battle Laboratory (CBL). The new lab provides hands-on experiences to increase the Information Assurance (IA) knowledge of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in IA and related programs, middle and high school students, and area professionals working in the field. The CBL has increased the number of Capitol graduates who are educated in securing information systems and well-qualified for positions with BRAC agencies. In addition, as part of a partnership with Maryland Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) the college will coordinate high school and middle school visits to the lab.
As dictated by legislation passed in 2007, Lt. Governor Brown chairs the BRAC Subcabinet and leads the O’Malley-Brown administration’s efforts to prepare the physical infrastructure and human capital to ensure a smooth BRAC transition. Brown also leads the administration’s higher education and economic development portfolios.
