Harford Highlights Grants Update

For FY22, Harford has received 15 grants to date. They cover most departments on campus, involve the creation of several new classes and programs, and are essential to the development of the College. In keeping with the College’s strategic plan, grants will help to develop ways to fund educational opportunities to ensure student success. Harford’s mission is to grow, achieve, inspire and contribute, and grants allow opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to align with this mission through varied coursework, greater exposure to the arts and more in-depth connections and partnerships in the community.

MD Labor – Adult Literacy
The Maryland Department of Labor awarded a $450,563 grant to fund the College’s Adult Literacy program that includes the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, Adult Basic Education (ABE), Pre-GED® and GED® classes, and classes taught at the Harford County Detention Center.

This grant provides instruction and services in basic numeracy and literacy skills, English language acquisition, digital literacy, English literacy and civics, workforce preparation, career pathways, integrated education and training, and high school equivalency classes for adult residents (18 years of age and older) of Maryland.

The program allows students to enroll in classes that teach foreign-born adults 18 years of age or older to improve their English communication skills as well as enhance the reading, writing and math skills of students who did not complete high school.  GED® classes prepare students to take the official examination and earn a Maryland high school diploma and increase readiness for work or job placement and advancement.

This grant will allow Harford to teach 26 Adult Basic Education/Literacy and ESL courses with a maximum of 495 students.

Harford County Cultural Arts Board – Events and Conferencing
Harford received $4,900 from the Harford County Cultural Arts Board (HarfordAB) to support cultural arts at the Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union (APGFCU) Arena, Harford Dance Theater, and the Phoenix Festival Theater for diverse programming that meets the inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) principles of the HarfordAB.

This grant will allow Harford to add three classical and global music shows to the Special Events Series to increase engagement with audiences under the IDEA principles.

M.O.S.T. Faculty Open Educational Resources Mini-Grant – Open Source Textbooks
The University of Maryland’s William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation granted Harford $2,000 for the creation of Open Source Textbook curriculum materials for statistics classes on campus. Associate Professor Jessica Adams is creating a set of supplementary materials for the course “Topics of Introduction to Statistics.” Her learning activities will be designed for use in a variety of classroom formats: face-to-face, online, and hybrid. They will also take into account the many differences in students’ educational backgrounds, interests, and cultural backgrounds. There will be lessons where students can make choices about their projects under a main educational objective.

This grant also pays for professional development opportunities related to the creation of these lesson materials.

MSDE Perkins – Career and Technical Education Programs
Harford received a grant for $244,583 from the Maryland State Department of Education through the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act of 2018. Funds through this program support Harford academic, career and technical skills of secondary and postsecondary students who elect to enroll in career and technical education programs.

MHEC One Step Away – Degree Completer Program
The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) awarded $59,500 to Harford to increase college completion rates by providing funds to identify, contact, re-enroll, and graduate near-completer students. This funding will provide counselor time for outreach to students who have almost completed their associate degree at Harford and give them the support needed to graduate in a semester or two. The counselors provide individualized roadmaps and plans for completion for each student.

Harford County Tourism – Marketing for the AFGFCU Arena
Harford County Government granted $40,000 for tourism-related funding to the Harford Community College Foundation. This grant supports the APGFCU Arena by providing funding for artists and advertisement for programming at the on-campus venue. So far in FY22, the grant has helped bring The Vampire Circus in October by providing funding for artists’ fees and billboard costs.

NSF/NSA GenCyber Camp – Cybersecurity Camp for Middle School Girls
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Security Agency (NSA) presented a grant for $84,266 to cover the cost of providing two weeks of summer camps on Cybersecurity for girls entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grade. The camp comes at no cost to the campers and will help shift them from users of technology to makers, coders, developers and programmers. Along with the camp, this grant offers funding for year-round outreach to campers and local schools. This is the third year of funding for this program that teaches Smart Life, Smart Home, and Smart Play domains and introduces students to women with cybersecurity careers.

MSDE Childcare – Support for Childcare Education Students
Harford received $136,970 from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to provide funding to credentialed child care providers to pursue a college degree in early childhood education, child development, family studies or related disciplines. This funding covers tuition, books and fees for students in these fields who will work in Maryland child care after they graduate.

Maryland State Arts Council – Support for the Arts
The Maryland State Arts Council granted $22,045 for support of the performing arts at Harford. Funding will be for the Special Events Series of 15 to 20 touring productions in the Amoss Center and Chesapeake Theater, prominent artists and unique cultural events at the APGFCU Arena, and performances by the Harford Dance Theatre and Phoenix Festival Theater, both community production companies.

RAMP Supplemental – Additive Manufacturing Capstone Course
The National Science Foundation awarded $39,998 in supplemental funding to the Regional Additive Manufacturing Pathways (RAMP) grant for advanced manufacturing training. The money will be used to build a final, tech-centric capstone course for the program that incorporates student-industry mentoring, self-direction and reflection and an exploration of what it means to build one’s career. Local employers are participating in building the course, which will include the concept of “leveling up” to increase critical thinking and durable or “soft” skills needed in the workplace.

MSDE Affiliate – Interactive Media Production Curriculum
Harford received a grant for $20,000 from the Maryland State Department of Education Division of Career and College Readiness to act as the affiliate partner in supporting instructional practices and a collaborative opportunity that promotes innovation aligned to industry needs for Interactive Media Production, Digital Media Production and Imaging and Graphic Design. The grant will create professional learning opportunities both face-to-face and online.

Harford County Agriculture Project
Harford County Government provided funding to support the Gathering at the Community Table: Celebrating Harford’s Farms and Food initiative. Support for this program over the past three years has led to the creation of the GIS Harford Farm Finder map, the History of Harford County mobile exhibit, three successful public symposia, and the Farmers and Community Partnership of Harford County collaborative. Most recently, this funding allowed for the development of a webinar video entitled Harford County: Rooted in Agriculture. This year, a fourth symposium is planned as well as participation in the United States Department of Agriculture and National Society of Descendants of American Farmers National Caucus, among many other partnership and collaborative activities.

NSF – Division of Undergraduate Education – STEM Curriculum Updates and Research
The National Science Foundation awarded $144,348 over three years to Harford’s STEM Division to coordinate research with Carnegie Mellon University’s Open Learning Initiative (OLI). This initiative addresses the challenge of high failure rates in required or “gatekeeping” STEM courses such as chemistry and higher-level college math. Without passing those classes, students cannot move on into their desired major. This grant aims to help students pass these classes. Harford will drive research efforts, recruit faculty to adopt and customize the OLI courseware, provide access to OLI professional development workshops, collect data and collaborate on research analysis.

Child Care Stabilization – Supporting Childcare Centers affected by COVID-19
Harford was granted funding from the Maryland State Department of Education to cover expenses associated with providing or preparing to provide child care during COVID-19 such as personnel costs, rent or mortgage payments, personal protective equipment (PPE), mental health supports for children and employees or past expenses in this area. The College received $15,000 plus $500 for each licensed program slot.

Hire Harford First Supplemental – Cybersecurity Competition
The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program awarded Harford $52,440 in grant funding to develop and implement a cyber competition component through a new capstone experience within the Information Assurance and Cybersecurity curriculum. The competition will take place during Spring 2022, and students will be able to participate virtually and in person.

Small Business Development Center – Veterans Business Outreach Center
Harford received a consultant agreement from the University of Maryland to provide consulting, training and technical assistance to clients of the Mid-Atlantic Veterans Business Outreach Center. The amount of this agreement is $40,000. One of the hallmarks of this program is the Boots to Business training program.

MSDE Perkins Innovation – Logistics and Supply Chain Curriculum
The Maryland State Department of Education granted Harford $96,535 to support the development of a Transportation, Logistics and Cargo Security pathway to prepare students for high-skill, high wage, in-demand careers in the manufacturing supply chain industry. This will help to prepare a workforce ready to meet current challenges and future demands on the American and international supply chains.