Garrett College plans to continue its expansion of academic majors, workforce training programs, and intercollegiate athletic teams, GC President Dr. Richard Midcap said Monday during the All-College Forum held to kick off each new academic year.
“We continue to evaluate opportunities to grow enrollment and better serve community needs,” said Midcap. “The new programming in these areas all address those twin goals.”
The College, which will launch a new Health & Exercise Science Associate of Science degree this fall, is currently planning for next year’s rollout of a Radiologic Sciences program.
“Our Radiologic Sciences degree program is expected to start with a 15-student degree cohort, with as many as another 15 students in the certificate program,” said Professor Christa Bowser, GC’s chief academic officer and dean of academic affairs. “It will be the only Radiologic Sciences Program in the region.”
GC’s Continuing Education & Workforce Development (CEWD) Division is launching two new programs this year – Marine Technology and Kitchen Cook. CEWD Dean Julie Yoder said both programs came out of discussions with local employers “to identify opportunities to better serve the tourism and outdoor recreation industry,” with each program designed to culminate in “industry-recognized certifications.”
The Marine Technology program was made possible through a sub-award grant agreement, Outdoor Recreation Workforce Initiative, through Frostburg State University. The Kitchen Cook program was funded, in part, through the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund, awarded through the Rural Maryland Council.
“These entry-level training programs provide a starting point toward a career in our four-season tourism and outdoor recreation economy,” added Yoder
Following up GC’s successful launch of women’s soccer last fall, the Lakers are planning to begin men’s soccer next fall.
“Athletics expansion has been a key strategy in our enrollment management plan as it permits us to add full-time students, many from outside the county living in our residence halls,” said Dr. Robert “JR” Kerns, dean of student affairs, whose division also added wrestling to its athletic program offerings in 2018.
Kerns also reported that the College has 22 registered international students, its highest international student headcount since before COVID.
Monday’s All-College Forum also highlighted other noteworthy initiatives since the end of the spring semester, including a complete renovation of the College’s kitchen and café, and the signing of Casselman Café as GC’s new food services provider.
“We’re really excited to bring in Ben Riegsecker and his Casselman team as our new café partners,” said Dallas Ouellette, GC’s dean of business and finance, who negotiated the deal on behalf of the College.
Midcap acknowledged the College’s faculty, staff, and administrators for working together to build a balanced Fiscal Year 2025 budget despite a 19 percent cut in state operating aid.
“It took a lot of hard work, collaboration, and creative thinking to figure out how to build a balanced budget that didn’t impact our ability to serve students and our community,” said Midcap. “That achievement was a testament to our budget managers and to County Government, which stepped up to cover about half of what was cut from our state allocation.”
