Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me today. It is a great honor to be here with you, not because I see so many friends of the O’Malley/Brown Administration, though that’s nice. But it’s an honor because of the work each of you does and the missions that each of your institutions have taken on.
Maryland’s community colleges are on the front line, fostering a strong economy, a mobile workforce, and a healthy tomorrow. I’ve known since my time on the Board of Trustees at Prince George’s Community College that Maryland’s community colleges are successful in large part because of the leadership and advocacy of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges and its executive committee.
Thank you Margaret Myers and Murray Koy for expanding opportunities on the Eastern Shore and realizing that creative potential is not confined just to books of theory and social science. Thank you Drs. Pannell, Smith and Eaton for the partnerships you have helped us strengthen in your communities as Maryland prepares to welcome new opportunities and new neighbors because of the BRAC decision.
In the short time we have together today, I’d like to give my perspective on two fronts: (1) the arrival BRAC and the demands it’s placed on our workforce and (2) what that means for Maryland’s community of higher education – especially Maryland’s community colleges.
First, though, let me start by stating a simple, bold fact – a fact that I emphasize in all of my public remarks: Maryland is the strongest state in the Nation. We are strong because we have chosen to invest in ourselves – the human capital and public infrastructure.
From our investment and from our commitment to the ongoing progress of our state, we can proudly proclaim that this is the greatest state in America. Because of you, we’re the best educated state in America; We have the most diverse workforce in America – a workforce that, each day, is opening the doors to new opportunities in biotech, medicine, and the life sciences.
We enjoy what some feel is the highest quality of life in the country: nationally-recognized public schools; thousands of acres of open space; the ocean, the Bay and the mountains…
Maryland is an enviable state to live in and a prosperous state to work in and this Administration is committed to building greater prosperity and wider envy. We’re continuing the work to not simply sustain, but to improve our quality of life.
Were we not so committed to a brighter future and ongoing progress, we wouldn’t face the same opportunities from BRAC that we do now. In many states, BRAC is a dirty, four-letter word, often followed with job loss and moving vans. Yet, partly because of our proximity to Washington and our strong partnerships with Federal agencies, BRAC is a a gift-bearing acronym.
By 2011, BRAC will help create 60,000 new jobs in Maryland and will bring 28,000 new families to our communities and neighborhoods. In all, Maryland is the largest BRAC-gaining state when measured on a per capita basis, and only Florida will gain more direct jobs than we will.
Still, with the opportunities of new jobs – well-paying and highly-technical jobs – we face challenges. The most pressing, perhaps, lying in our ability to prepare the trained and skilled workforce to fill many of the jobs coming to our communities.
Based on past BRAC experiences in Maryland and in other states, we expect that seven out of 10 new jobs will be filled by Marylanders. And while many states would see nothing but opportunity in such job creation, Maryland enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in America – a workforce challenge that emerges from our strength.
Our challenge is to build that workforce, to grow Maryland’s competitive community of technical and professional employees, and to do that, we are looking to you.
There is a statistic I read earlier this week: one out of 13 Maryland workers are enrolled in at least a course at one of the State’s 16 community colleges. That makes you the largest suppliers of workforce training in the State and I’d like to say thank you for that.
Still, we hope you can do more – we’ll stand with you, we’ll give you the support you need. As we did last year and as we promised to do during the campaign.
Last year, we passed a budget that increased the state’s commitment to community colleges by 17 percent, the largest percentage increase in anyone’s memory. And this year, we’re looking forward to keeping our promise.
As we all know, success isn’t measured simply by dollar signs and we’re not going to prepare a workforce for the future by simply investing dollars in your programs: We need to invest in ideas; We need to invest in communities; We need to invest in people – students, professors, administrators; We need to invest in preparation and readiness.
Last month, I presented the BRAC Action Plan to Governor O’Malley, an action plan that will serve as our blueprint for our success and readiness. And in that plan we lay out several of the substantive steps we are taking or will soon begin to prepare not just for the arrival of new jobs and new Marylanders, but also steps to prepare for a brighter future and steps to meet the high expectations of our new national responsibility.
We’ve set goals – goals that require action and new ideas. And we are working toward those goals:
Partnering with the General Assembly, we’re going to create the BRAC Higher Education Fund to provide grants and assistance to institutions that are looking to develop BRAC-related programs.
We need to build additional outposts for learning that will compliment the good work being done at the HEAT Center, at Harford Community College and at Cecil College, so we’re funding feasibility studies to assess the higher education needs of communities surrounding Aberdeen Proving Ground.
You are leading by example. You are developing world-class programs: Harford Community College has developed a new program of Engineering Technology; Prince George’s County will shortly open a new $25 million High Technology Center; And Cecil College is partnering with county public schools to compliment and enhance STEM programs.
As I close, let’s not forget that simple fact I stated earlier: Maryland is the greatest state in the nation. We are a state of strong communities which are built from the investments in our human capital and workforce. And you – Maryland’s community colleges – are our strongest investment in that human capital. You are Maryland’s bridge to a new economy, a national economy, and a BRAC-ready economy.
We made a promise, Governor O’Malley and I, when we were elected. A promise to make progress and build on our strengths to mold a stronger state. That’s a promise we intend to keep for you and for every Marylander…
On behalf of Governor O’Malley, thank you for your leadership and your vision. Thank you for expanding new opportunities to new Marylanders. And thank you for standing with us in a commitment for continued progress.
Thank you very much.