NEWS
By Eileen Ambrose | October 29, 2009
Maryland's prepaid college plan ended its fiscal year with a $52.4 million actuarial deficit, but the plan's financial outlook improved in the past six months with the help of a tuition freeze and stronger stock market returns. At the end of June, the plan had $445 million in invested assets and enough money to cover projected obligations for the next 16 years, said Joan Marshall, executive director of the College Savings Plans of Maryland, which oversees the prepaid plan. A year earlier, the plan had assets of $533 million and a $58.9 million surplus.
NEWS
July 20, 2009
No sooner had Gov. Martin O'Malley announced that he would be bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in additional budget cuts to the Board of Public Works for approval than the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees held a rally insisting he spare state workers. The union surely won't be the last interest group the governor hears from before he unveils his cuts, expected to total $300 million at Wednesday's board meeting and to be followed by another $400 million this fall.
NEWS
By EILEEN AMBROSE | July 19, 2009
Maryland colleges are starting to send out fall tuition bills, and signs indicate that more families will struggle to pay. Applications for federal student aid are up. More families are appealing aid packages to get additional assistance. And more parents are being rejected for federal loans. If you are among those who will have trouble meeting the tuition bill, call the school's financial aid office as soon as possible. Aid officers can walk you through your options, from monthly payment programs to potential sources of funds.
NEWS
By Stephen Kiehl | May 3, 2009
Three or four times a week, Nicole Angeli straps on ropes and harnesses and clambers up the 33-foot climbing wall in the Johns Hopkins University recreation center. The 22-year-old senior says her strenuous climbs reduce stress from the demands of classes. But the climbing wall, installed by Hopkins in 2002 at a cost of $100,000, also represents the lengths to which universities go to pamper students - and one reason why college costs have soared in recent years, far outstripping inflation.
NEWS
By Laura Smitherman and Gadi Dechter | January 30, 2009
Gov. Martin O'Malley charted a course for the state through a national recession yesterday, pledging to protect safety net programs, freeze college tuition and eradicate childhood hunger. The Democratic governor laid out the vision in his third State of the State address before a joint session of the General Assembly, which must approve many of his plans. In a 30-minute speech, O'Malley said he "never felt more energized" despite bleak economic times, and repeatedly invoked President Barack Obama's name, drawing applause in the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature.
NEWS
January 25, 2009
The Columbia Art Center will offer "Culinary Kids for Ages 9-12," a hands-on cooking class that teaches children science, math, nutrition, creativity and kitchen safety while they prepare delicious food. Nikki McGowan, owner of Culinary Kids Cooking School LLC, will teach the course. Chefs' hats and aprons are provided. Classes meet from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Feb. 23 through March 30, at the Columbia Art Center, 6100 Foreland Garth. Tuition is $120 for Columbia residents; $130 for nonresidents.
NEWS
By Gadi Dechter | October 12, 2008
Maryland's community colleges are bracing for budget cuts from state and county governments, and educators are worried that tuitions might rise at a time when deteriorating economic conditions are driving more students to the traditionally affordable two-year campuses. Depending on the extent of the belt-tightening, the colleges could respond by increasing tuition or class size, or reducing the number of courses offered at a time of growing student demand, officials said. "This would be a very unfortunate time to cut funding to community colleges, because now is when people are turning to us as a lower-cost alternative to getting started in higher education," said Clay Whitlow, executive director of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges.
NEWS
By Liz F. Kay | September 9, 2008
The pinch of rising food, fuel and other costs is driving more families with children in private and parochial schools to request financial aid, school officials in and around Baltimore say. With price tags that can rival tuition costs at four-year universities, it's no surprise that many families seek financial aid when first applying to a private school. But that's not the population with the greatest rise in requests, schools say. "There are people applying to financial aid who never needed it before," said Matthew Micciche, the head of Friends School of Baltimore.
NEWS
August 25, 2008
Rising prices and an uncertain job market are taking a toll on families struggling to pay for higher education. The tough economic times are reflected in the number of Maryland students applying for financial aid, which jumped 19 percent overall during the first six months of this year. Affordability is a big issue in the choice of which school to attend, and many students are settling on nearby state colleges and universities where tuition and living costs are lower. At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, for example, the freshman class is about 100 students larger this year than last; tuition there is less than half that of a comparable private university.
NEWS
By Jessica Anderson | June 5, 2008
The University System of Maryland regents voted yesterday to freeze tuition levels for in-state, undergraduate students during the 2008-2009 academic year, but some fees, including room and board, will continue to rise. The decision marks the third consecutive year that the board has held down tuition fees. Full-time and part-time undergraduate, in-state students will continue to pay the same amount for tuition in 2009. However, part-time and full-time out-of-state students and graduate students will not benefit from the regents vote.