Montgomery College (MC) is providing a $500 tuition scholarship to Montgomery County residents who are spring 2023 graduates from a Montgomery County high school and are taking at least six MC credit hours this fall. The $500 “Raptor Ready” Scholarship can only be applied to fall 2023 tuition and fees, and the application must be completed by Tuesday, Aug. 1. The first 1,500 eligible applicants will be considered, with others added to a waitlist. Additional information below, courtesy of Montgomery College:

Montgomery College offers a $500 tuition scholarship to help 2023 spring Montgomery County high school graduates jump into their academic program in fall 2023. The $500 scholarship will be applied to fall 2023 tuition and fees at Montgomery College. The program is for spring 2023 Montgomery County high school graduates who are Montgomery County residents who register for and attend at least 6 credit hours at Montgomery College in the fall 2023. The scholarship cannot be used for any other semester.


Montgomery College has earned the number one spot in the state of Maryland in Niche’s community college rankings for 2023. The school was also ranked 77th out of 906 eligible colleges across the country, putting it in the top 15% nationwide.

The Best Community Colleges ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. The list includes public junior colleges, public technical schools, and all other public 2-year colleges. This year’s rankings have reduced the weight of ACT/SAT scores to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process.


Per Montgomery College:  The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area which includes Montgomery College released a set of recommendations Tuesday to help focus efforts to reduce gun violence in the United States. The recommendations were developed as part of The 120 Initiative, an effort established by the Consortium in June 2022, and named for the average number of victims who die each day due to suicide or gun violence.

The initiative engaged more than 100 experts in a wide range of areas such as public and mental health, gun violence, polarization, business sector engagement, citizen advocacy, education and technology. The College was represented by Professor of Psychology Andraè L. Brown, Professor of Criminal Justice Sonia Pruitt, and Professor of Political Science and History Karl Smith, and are all named as contributors to the report. Prof. Brown is a speaker at “The120 Initiative Regional Conference on Gun Violence Reduction,” convening today in Washington, DC.


Montgomery College (MC) and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will host a virtual forum in Spanish at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19 for parents and students to learn more about how to get help paying for college.

This event is targeted to Spanish-speaking families who have questions about options available for high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The virtual event will also discuss the Maryland Dream ACT (MDA) and will answer questions live and submitted in advance. Participants can submit their questions and register here.


Per Montgomery College: The Rolling Raptor EduKitchen is a 26-foot-long mobile food lab that arrived at Montgomery College in October. It is equipped with the most cutting-edge culinary equipment and technology to serve as a business lab that facilitates experiential learning experiences for students within the Hospitality Management Program. Its design enables students to develop a food truck business/ concept, fabricate and test out products to be served, cost out and develop menus, operate the food truck in a real setting (e.g., golf courses, breweries, City of Rockville events), and finally evaluate the success of the concept based on customer feedback and financial gains or losses. 

“The Rolling Raptor creates an unprecedented opportunity for students to gain real-life entrepreneurial experiences throughout their studies at Montgomery College,” said Jana Anderson, Hospitality Management Program coordinator and associate professor at Montgomery College. “The mobile food lab allows students to bring the products and business ventures they develop in the classroom to actual customers in real-life settings. It also creates an opportunity for the Hospitality Management Program to partner with local businesses such as True Respite Brewing Company in securing locations for the Rolling Raptor.”


Per MCPS: Due to a  recent change in a Maryland law, students will not be charged to participate in dual-enrollment programs. Montgomery College will refund students who have paid tuition for college courses taken this fall. Students taking college courses during the remainder of this school year will not be charged tuition, but may be responsible for other college costs, such as textbooks or fees. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, all eligible students may take approved college courses at no cost. FAQ Below:



“Together we can change society in the ways that matter most: reducing poverty, increasing economic and social mobility, and producing students who are ambitious and deeply engaged in society,” President Williams said, delivering his inaugural address. “As we prepare students for post completion success, we need mentors and local business leaders to meet us there—to amplify the impact we already have. As we bring more innovation and technology into our classrooms, we need direction from small business owners, industry leaders, and economists about what kinds of job skills are needed.”

Greetings were provided by elected officials Christopher Van Hollen Jr. U.S. Senator, Maryland, Jamin B. “Jamie” Raskin U.S. Representative, Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, Benjamin F. Kramer Maryland State Senator, District 19, Marc B. Elrich Montgomery County Executive, Gabriel I. Albornoz President, Montgomery County Council.


Recently approved Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation expands full-day pre-K access so that all children are ready to learn and excel in kindergarten. As a result, MSDE has created a mixed-delivery system of public and private early childhood programs to support families and their young children. A mixed delivery system requires that approved PreK Expansion programs in child care-based centers be staffed with a state-certified teacher compensated with an entry salary that matches the local school system. While many community-based programs employ child care teachers with bachelor’s degrees and several years of preschool teaching experience, these child care teachers are not state teacher certified. MC’s new certification program will address the certification requirement for MSDE’s expanded mixed delivery system for early childhood education programs.

MSDE grant funding will allow the alternative certification program to be provided at no cost to qualifying program participants pursuing certification. The target audience for the MC Early Childhood Alternative Certification Program is early childhood educators with bachelor’s degrees working in approved nonpublic nursery schools or selected candidates that meet qualifications from the local school system. Completers of the MC ECACP will be certified as pre-K to third grade teachers in the state of Maryland.


Dr. Williams’ work in higher education has focused his energies on improving access for students, as well as retention, graduation, and post-completion success. He has paid special attention to mitigating institutional, societal, and racial inequities, strategically creating programs and policies that support historically underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. He has years of experience designing, managing, and enhancing institutional and statewide programs and initiatives that have yielded positive student outcomes.

The inaugural ceremony on October 19 will include:


The committee consists of two members appointed by the County Executive, one by the Montgomery College Alumni Association and two by the County Council. The current Council representatives on the committee are Kenneth Jones and Althea Lloyd-White. The terms are for two years.  The Nominating Committee was established by state law and has no limit to the number of terms members can serve.

The committee reviews applications for vacancies on the Board of Trustees of Montgomery College and submits recommendations to the Governor, who makes the appointment.  Approximately three committee meetings are held each year. Meeting dates and locations are arranged at the convenience of the entire committee. In the past, the committee chairperson has requested that committee members also attend several Board of Trustees meetings.


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