Carroll Community College attendance numbers, as well as the number of buildings that make up the campus, have changed significantly during its 20 years as an independent college.
Carroll Community College is celebrating its 20th anniversary today. On April 14, 1993, the Maryland Higher Education Commission granted Carroll its independence from Catonsville Community College as an institution of higher education, which enabled the college to develop its own programs, governance systems and state and local funding, according to Carroll Community spokeswoman Sylvia Blair.
The college is the youngest of the community colleges in Maryland.
The college's history goes back even further than its 20 years of independence, all the way to 1976. At that time, the facility was a part of Catonsville Community College, which is now known as the Community College of Baltimore County.
Current President Faye Pappalardo has been the head of Carroll Community since 1999, but she has been with the college since 1988 when it was located in the old Robert Moton building on South Center Street in Westminster.
"It was in a small school building with a couple of trailers," she said.
Pappalardo first served as head of student affairs before continuing in that position, but also taking on the role of assistant to the college's first president, Joseph Shields. She gives the first college president all the credit for the school's move to independence, though she personally worked hard to make sure the school earned its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
When she took over as president, her vision was to grow the college.
"The college had gained independence and now my work was really to enhance the college's image," she said.
After she became president, Pappalardo started a capital campaign to raise money for such ventures as the nursing program, library and campus technology needs. The campaign ran for five years and raised $4 million for the college.
Throughout the years, it has been important to her that the students are able to count on whatever the college promises to offer them, she said.
"My promise was no matter what we said we would do, that we had to do it," she said.
Despite the college's physical growth and its increase in course offerings, the county and state funding is a major concern for the college each year, Pappalardo said. It is expensive to hire faculty members, and the school has a roughly $30 million budget to work with.
It can also be tough to keep up with technology needs and make sure there is enough parking for students, she said.
Despite any challenges Carroll Community faces, the president is proud of the school's image. She believes that anyone from the public would say the college is a high-quality institution.
"One that graduates students who are very capable and able to go on to four-year institutions and do very, very well," she said. "No matter where I go, people want to tell me how Carroll has touched their lives."
Because the school has not been around for very long, it is easy to see how it has drastically changed, Pappalardo said. While she remembers just more than 1,000 students when she started, now the school sees upward of 14,000 students each year.
"You can see the tremendous growth over 20 years," she said. "You can see innovations."
The college's growth is largely influenced by the county's high school population. The college is currently experiencing a slight decline in full-time credit enrollment because the public school system's populations are declining.
"However, we make some of it up with the part-time students who come in and with non-credit students," she said.
Because of the economic downturn, there are more students who would like to be full-time students but can't afford it. Carroll is starting an effort to help such students, Pappalardo said.
"Hopefully we can help that out in the fall because we're going to start a loan program for students," she said.
While there have always been clubs at the school, student life has changed quite a bit over the years, Pappalardo said. The school has an active student government association and leadership group, as well as dozens of other clubs.
"We really work to grow our student leaders," she said.
Service learning groups have traveled all around the country and world donating their time to those in need. Other learning opportunities have grown throughout the years, including the chance to go on trips to New York City to visit Wall Street, the Museum of Modern Art and see Broadway shows.
"I firmly believe that not all learning goes on within the four walls of the classroom," she said.
David Bollinger, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Carroll Community College, said he likes the diversity that is seen in the student body. Some students are right out of high school, while others are older and have gone back to school to receive some kind of training.
"I think I'm very proud of the fact that we do not have an average student," he said.
Carroll Community works hard to add new programs and meet the needs of the county, not only through adding programs but also entertainment opportunities. The Scott Center provides social activities for the citizens of Carroll County, Bollinger said.
The college's growth resulted in the building of a dining facility in the K building, which gave students a place to gather and eat lunch.
"It made the college, in my opinion, an attractive all-day stay," he said.
The college holds many fundraising events each year, such as the Starry Night Gala and the Random House Book Fair.
"The money is raised by our college foundation and used for scholarships," he said.
Another way Carroll connects with the community is through business partnerships. The college has put resources together to meet the needs of the businesses, such as training programs.
"It adds to the economic success of the county," he said.
The college has the Miller Center for Small Business, which was created in 2003 through the funding of William E. and Eleanor B. Miller to provide educational services to small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Bollinger said he hopes that county residents understand there are more opportunities offered by the college today than ever before.
"We are changing lives, all for the positive," Bollinger said.
