Megan McIlroy, The Examiner
2007-05-21 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Sadie Gregory will take over as the interim president of Coppin State University on June 6 (current President Stanley F. Battle is leaving to become chancellor at North Carolina A&T State University). Since 2004, Gregory has been the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Previously, she served as the interim vice president of Academic Affairs at the Richmond (Va.) School of Health and Technology and the dean of Virginia State University’s School of Business. Gregory holds a doctorate in economics from Howard University, a master’s in economics from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s in economics from Virginia State University.

Q Gov. Martin O’Malley has set additional capital funds for historically black colleges and universities in the state system. What is needed at Coppin?

A We really need to grow the campus to accommodate the student population and to be more competitive. We recently increased our enrollment of nursing students by about 50. We leased some space off-site to accommodate them. Instead of having so many students on the waiting list, this growth in facilities allows us to accommodate them. It’s extremely important to accommodate students in nursing as well as education because of the workforce shortage.

Q Coppin trains many teachers and health care professionals — two fields that are experiencing shortages in the state. Do most graduates in these programs stay in Maryland?

A Our students prefer to stay in Maryland. Many of them grew up in Maryland, and they are part of the community from the standpoint of their development. But even more than that, when they come to Coppin, a college whose mission is so integrated into the community, it pretty much reinforces the need for our students to be able to give back to the community. Many of them want to stay in Baltimore.

Q Is Coppin’s partnership with Rosemont Elementary School in Baltimore City part of the giving-back mission?

A Regionwide we have a severe shortage of teachers and the different school systems nationwide are competing to recruit these teachers. Universities are aligning themselves closely with schools to try to offer support and be an integral part of the system before the kids get to college. We’re looking at [being] a part of the [students’] development long before they come in as freshmen. At the same time, the partnership allows us to be involved with the students from the time they go to kindergarten. When you ask the kids at Rosemont Elementary School, ‘What would you like to do?,’ they say, ‘Oh, I’m going to college.’ It’s already in their minds that that’s what you do — that’s the next step.

Q Coppin has one of the lowest graduation rates in the University System of Maryland — about 23 percent— according to USM data. What are you doing to address that?

A One platform is called Tegrity [see accompanying story]. We are doing things like that to supplement [the curriculum] because a number of our students have other responsibilities. They are not all full-time students who live in the resident halls and do nothing but study. Additionally, we are looking at what we can do in terms of strengthening our tutorial support. We are also looking at our advisory structure to help students make [course] decisions in a timely matter. We have also strengthened our counseling center.

Q A state audit of the college recently revealed Coppin has failed to collect about $5.4 million owed by students. What is being done to address this?

A Our [current] president has something that will be coming out [today] on that. I think the president’s response should come first.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

» Mary Carter Smith, the late radio personality, storyteller and folklorist known as “Mother Griot”

» Victorine Adams, Baltimore political activist

» Elnora Fullwood, co-founder of the Fullwood Foundation, which provides scholarships to college students.

» Stephanie Ready, television sports reporter

» Maryland State Senator Phillip C. Jimeno, D-31

» Maryland Delegate Marshall T. Goodwin, D-40

» Bishop Robinson, former Maryland Commissioner of Public Safety

» Patricia Schmoke, ophthalmologist and wife of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke

Source: Coppin State University

FAST FACTS

» Founded: 1900, as a training program for black teachers.

» Total enrollment: 4,104

» Percentage of students from Baltimore County and City: 70 percent

» Popular programs: business, health, public affairs and education

» Majors offered: 53

» Tuition and fees: $5,155, in-state; $12,928, out-of-state

» Student-faculty Ratio: 17-1

» Financial Aid: More than 80 percent of Coppin’s students receive merit-based or need-based aid in the form of scholarships, grants and loans

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com

The Examiner's series offers an indepth look at colleges and universities around the state.