Academic Programs

Dunbar principal Charlotte Brown yesterday defended her surprising dismissal of boys basketball coach Paul Smith, who led the Poets to three state titles in his three seasons at the school.Brown, who began advertising for Smith's position on July 1, notified Smith of her intentions in a letter he confirmed receiving on Aug. 9, the day before Brown began interviewing other candidates.Smith, who says he wants to avoid any stigma the firing might cause, was 69-10 at Dunbar. Last season's team returned just one starter but won 17 of its final 19 games after a 4-4 start.

Once sleepy places in July and August, Baltimore-area independent schools and their campuses now buzz all summer with activity -- and nearly as many youngsters as during the school year.They are home to camps specializing in sports from wrestling to water polo, activities from art to etiquette, and academic programs that try to catch kids up, keep them from slipping behind or push them a step ahead.As camping has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry nationwide, private schools have found a niche, providing supervised, enriching activities while opening campuses to a broad audience and generating cash.

A little more than a year after groundbreaking, the first classrooms are ready to open at the Higher Education and Applied Technology Center near Aberdeen, part of a state and county project designed to foster high-technology business and education.Classes will begin Sept. 5 at the 10,285-square-foot academic building off Route 22, the first piece of a project that includes more classroom buildings and several manufacturing and office complexes on a 150-acre tract next to Interstate 95.On Wednesday, about 300 elected officials, representatives of Maryland colleges and universities, and others gathered at the site to mark the HEAT center's official opening.

The Anne Arundel Community College board of trustees voted unanimously last night to cut four academic programs from the curriculum.Effective this fall, students will not be allowed to sign up for manufacturing, engineering, and systems engineering degree programs. The systems engineering certificate program was also cut from the school. Students already in those four programs will be permitted to complete them.College officials said they decided to target the four programs that were eliminated because they were among the most expensive per student and have had low enrollment in recent years.

College administrator named to state panelDr. Diane. K. Troyer, vice president of academic affairs and student services at Harford Community College, was appointedrecently to the Maryland Higher Education Commission's Student Transfer Advisory Committee.Ms. Troyer, chief academic officer of Harford Community College, provides the academic and administrative leadership required to achieve excellence in instruction, academic programs, and services. She is responsible for curriculum, instruction and student services.

Sudbrook Middle School will reopen in 1994 with three academic magnet programs, but the Baltimore County school board this week eliminated a proposal for a fourth concentration -- in physical education and athletics.Board members said they killed the physical education proposal because it might be interpreted as existing for the sole purpose of attacting black youngsters to the Pikesville-area school and because including four magnet programs seemed like too ambitious a beginning.The board also gave its initial OK to a proposal for a 1994 magnet program in mathematics, science and computer science Parkville High School on the northeast side of the county.

College CutsIn his March 28 letter, Andrew J. Miller of Baltimore says the proposed educational performing arts facility at College Park is responsible for reductions in academic offerings at the University of Maryland System.We at College Park especially know the pain that cutting academic programs causes.College Park itself eliminated 32 programs, seven departments and one college in one of the most comprehensive academic reorganizations in the country. More is on the table.Is the capital budget forcing the university system to cut academic programs?

Moving to streamline the University of Maryland system, the Board of Regents yesterday cut an estimated $9.4 million in programs but bowed to pressure and spared academic offerings on several campuses.Among those saved were physics and chemistry majors at Towson State University, theater and social work at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and computer science at Coppin State College,Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg initiated the restructuring last fall, saying the system, which has absorbed a $123 million loss in state funding since 1990, needed an overhaul.

Drug CostsOne of the largest culprits in health care cost escalation has to be the pharmaceutical industry. Last year, legislation to hold down drug costs was defeated due to superior lobbying by the drug industry.It promised faithfully to curb prices and of course did not. They hide costs behind the old research and development screen and buy full page newspaper ads to cover up and proclaim how innocent they are. I wonder how much more our prescriptions will cost to pay for such ads.Recently, I purchased three prescriptions -- 20 Pepcid pills at a cost of $57.14; 10 Cipro 500mg pills at $33.38 and a tube of Santyl 15 gm at $35.60.

A chart in Dec. 12 editions of The Sun suggested that all graduate programs in management and accounting at the University of Baltimore would be eliminated by the University of Maryland Board of Regents. In fact, only the post-baccalaureate certificate programs in those fields will be discontinued.The Sun regrets the errors.COLLEGE PARK -- The University of Maryland Board of Regents yesterday unveiled a landmark cost-cutting proposal that would eliminate or restructure nearly 100 academic programs at campuses across the state, ranging from computer sciences to nursing and philosophy.