President's Update

DRAGON COUNTRY! New data from the 2026 PACE Campus Climate Survey show that Howard Community College’s overall campus climate scores are consistent with peer community colleges nationwide, with strong performance in student focus, supervisory relationships, and teamwork.

Administered by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State University, the PACE Campus Climate Survey was conducted in March 2026 in accordance with Maryland SB 813. The survey was completed by 306 employees across all campus constituency groups. See all the reports in our employee portal at: Research - Employee Surveys.

HCC has administered annual climate surveys for decades; the PACE instrument marks the college’s first externally benchmarked assessment under the new legislative framework. HCC’s mean score of 3.768 out of 5.0 is consistent with the full PACE national database (3.867), medium-sized community colleges (3.853), and Maryland peer institutions (3.835). HCC’s score also compared favorably when the same data was disaggregated into their four climate subcategories: Teamwork, Supervisory Relationships, Student Focus, and Institutional Structure.

The survey helps to identify areas for improvement. The Institutional Structure climate factor, measuring communication, information sharing, organizational clarity, and administrative processes, scored 3.249 institution-wide; below the average for HCC’s peer institutions in the PACE database. HCC has set 3.5 as its near-term benchmark.

We plan to facilitate institution-wide discussions to gather ideas for improvement and align improvement efforts with existing MSCHE accreditation working groups. Thanks to all employees whose participation provided a statistically reliable picture of campus climate and uses that picture as a baseline for measurable progress.

Registration is now open!
All fitness levels are welcome – run, jog, or walk your way to the finish line. The $25 registration fee includes:

• Race shirt

• Finisher medal

• Weekly wellness newsletters starting in August

• A 90-day complimentary Columbia Association family membership

Bonus for employees: Your registration counts as an employee giving contribution, so you’ll automatically be entered into the monthly prize drawings!

👉 Register at: howardcc.edu/challengerace

We Need Volunteers!

Help cheer on your colleagues and support scholarships! Volunteers are needed on race day to help along the course and keep the energy high. Morning snacks will be provided.

👉 Sign up to volunteer: Volunteer Form

For questions, contact the development office at foundation@howardcc.edu or 443-518-1970.

Thank you for your support!

No Days Off: The Grind Behind HCC Softball’s Success | Inside the Dragon’s Lair

Ryan Record sits down with women’s softball standouts Madison Falby and Gianna Peluso to discuss their history-making season, team chemistry, and the discipline it took to dominate both the diamond and the classroom.

• Mary Barton; Continuing Education (07/01)

• Anne Johnson; Office of Development (07/15)

Mindful Foot Transit

When walking to your car after a late meeting, have your keys in hand and your phone out of sight before you leave the building, not after you're already in the lot. Looking down at a screen in a parking garage is the single most common way people lose awareness of who's around them. Head up, keys ready, scan the lot as you approach.

Prevent Energy Drain

Monitors, printers, lab equipment, and shared kitchen appliances pull power around the clock when nobody's there. A simple "last one out" habit, powering down what doesn't need to stay on before a long weekend, adds up fast across a building the size of any of yours.