The Possibilities and the Promise

For 60 years, Montgomery College has remained steadfastly committed to its open door mission, providing unlimited economic opportunity, unrivalled educational value, and individual promise to every citizen. But today, spiraling enrollment and declining public resources put that promise at risk.

Last semester alone, 2500 students did not enroll at Montgomery College because there were no scholarships available or the classes they sought were full. A statewide study shows that the capacity crisis in higher education will grow exponentially over the next decade and that this growth is predominantly among the most economically challenged and ethnically diverse students in the region.

The Promise

To ensure affordable access to quality higher education, the Montgomery College Foundation has launched a campaign to ensure that all who wish to go to college can go to college. The Campaign for Montgomery College and the future of our county focuses on three areas most central to guaranteeing access and quality for all area residents seeking higher education.

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The Possibilities

“In the world of entrepreneurship, we have a saying—‘A live wire is useless without connections.’ Montgomery College is an idea factory. But those ideas need connections and the faculty need our help. And it doesn’t take much at Montgomery College prices to provide the juice that will power the next great discoveries. ”

Access

Requests for financial aid from needy students now exceed $5 million a year. To respond even modestly to current student economic need would require an endowment of more than $80 million. With financial support of alumni, friends, parents, and businessmen and women, the College can substantially narrow that gap, helping to ensure than no student will ever be denied college because of inability to pay.

A Place to Learn

The shortage of classrooms and laboratories is severe and worsening. The state and county are working to address a portion of the $500 million need for renovation and new construction money. But today’s students can’t wait. The College seeks to raise $10 million to expand the Homer Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education on the Rockville Campus, renovate the abandoned bakery on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, and construct a new Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences to house College and University of Maryland classrooms and laboratories on the Germantown Campus.

Excellence

Open admission at Montgomery College has never meant open standards. Private support and innovative corporate-college partnerships can create programs which bring exceptional value to students, take advantage of the distinctive advantages of this entrepreneurial economic community, and build on our diverse cultural environment. Gifts to Innovation Funds support additional faculty positions, reward outstanding teaching, and allow industry experts and professionals to bring their talents directly to students. An Academic Innovation Endowment will ensure that faculty can remain current, develop new curricula in response to industry and social change, and engage in collaborative ideas with industry and university partners to better serve students, the community, and area business.

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Keeping the Promise, Imagining the Possibilities...

“Montgomery College is our community’s college. Every one of us must now be part of protecting its future. ”

Montgomery College has given hundreds of thousands of talented, ambitious, and hopeful young people the chance to begin their college journey and go on to rewarding careers. Help keep the promise and be part of what’s possible.

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