Towson U. considers foothold at Harford Community College

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Bel Air, Md. (Map, News) - Towson University might establish a satellite campus at Harford Community College.

That plan would benefit both schools and their students, officials said. About 2,000 Towson students have permanent addresses in Harford County, and 25 percent of the community college’s graduates transfer to Towson to finish their last two years.

“More of my students go to Towson than any other school,” said James LaCalle, president of Harford Community College.

During a meeting with Towson President Robert Caret in February, LaCalle suggested the idea of a Towson building on the west side of HCC’s campus.

“It was just an idea I was entertaining, but he was very interested in it, and the more and more people I have discussed it with, the more positive feedback I have received,” LaCalle said.

LaCalle speculated that a Towson extension at Harford could be built within three years if all went well. Though LaCalle said the cost of such a project has not been discussed, it would likely be funded by having a builder construct the proposed 50,000- to 60,000-square-foot building, with Towson paying for the construction through rent — the same plan used by Harford County Public Schools to get its new administration building constructed, LaCalle said.

“We would be able to offer a full range of programs,” Caret said. He said this would allow HCC students to transfer to Towson and receive a degree without ever leaving Harford County.

“It certainly will help alleviate the traffic jam on Interstates 95 and 695 in the mornings,” said Bel Air resident Robert Parrott, 52, who recently graduated from Harford and will attend Towson in the fall.

“It would save me a lot of money in gas,” said Candis Butler, 20, of Belcamp. Butler is graduating from HCC and will commute to Towson in the fall.

Aberdeen resident Mark Schlottman, 48, who followed the same path a generation ago, said he would have taken advantage of a Towson satellite if one existed when he went to college.

“I could have stayed at home and worked more,” said Schlottman, a hardware sales representative who paid for his own education.

“The one disadvantage that I can see, though, is that you don’t get the full flavor of university life,” he said.

mplum@baltimoreexaminer.com

SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY

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206 days ago: Parents, students are ready for spring visits to colleges

315 days ago: Students praise floating classroom, lessons learned in faraway lands

315 days ago: On the voyage to global learning

322 days ago: Navigating a lucrative career

343 days ago: Year-round commitment builds leaders

364 days ago: Career schools a growing part of upper-level education

364 days ago: Specializing in careers at technical schools

399 days ago: Growing and aging gracefully

399 days ago: Two centuries at the heart of Baltimore

468 days ago: Citigroup exec Flaherty to chair JHU board