Letter from HCC's Trustee Chair

When Howard Community College (HCC) first opened its doors in 1970, more than a college was born. A whole new way of thinking was taking root.

From those earliest days, HCC implemented a systematic program that would measure student performance beyond term papers and test scores. Our educators explored ways to determine whether students had absorbed the contents of their courses, and then, using this data, make adjustments to improve their teaching.

HCC's student outcomes assessment program was one of the first of its kind. The concept has gained traction in higher education over the past decades, but HCC faculty and staff were - and still are - leaders among their peers.

Over the decades, outcomes assessment has spread to every facet of the college's operations. In recent years, that mindset adopted the Baldrige principles and in this realm the college has attained its crowning achievement. In April 2007, HCC received the U.S. Senate Productivity Award, Maryland's top award for performance excellence.

It's not about numbers, but the people behind them. HCC's passion is student success, and every performance indicator represents dozens and hundreds of students achieving their educational dreams.

It's also not about making a machine run well, as performance might imply to some, but about always moving ahead and upward. HCC is known around the country for its vitality and innovation. That spirit of entrepreneurialism is reflected in many of the articles in this special supplement.

The culture of the college says, "The quest for excellence is never complete; you always try to improve." That is the hallmark of a great institution. The U.S. Senate Award recognizes what many of us have long known: HCC is a top quality institution in which we can all take great pride.

-Patrick Huddie, Ph.D.

Chair, HCC Board of Trustees