Published: May 07, 2008 10:06 am         

ACM President Retiring

ACM president witnessed multitude of changes over the years

CUMBERLAND - Don Alexander has seen a multitude of changes during his 28 years as president of Allegany College of Maryland.

When Alexander became president in 1980, ACM was a community college with 1,853 students and an operating budget of $3.8 million. Today, ACM is a regional and statewide institution with an operating budget of $26.6 million and an enrollment of 4,527 in addition to the 12,106 students enrolled in continuing education and work force training courses.

An increase in the popularity of community colleges; the development of precomprehensive, continuing education and work force training programs; and an increase in cooperation between community colleges and four-year institutions in both the public and private sectors are some of the occurrences Alexander has observed throughout his career.

"We have added a number of new instructional and letters of recognition programs since 1980," said Alexander, who will retire June 30. "We have also added two Pennsylvania campuses and student housing."

Alexander, Maryland's longest serving community college president, expects the demand for continuing education and work force training classes to continue to increase due to the constant advances in technology. Providing customized work force training is one of ACM's economic development efforts.

"We need to teach people to always keep up with technology in their disciplines," said Alexander.

In the next 20 years, Alexander expects more technology programs to be added at ACM. Recently, ACM partnered with Penn State University to offer a nanotechnology program.

"I've also enjoyed working with Dr. (Jonathan) Gibralter at Frostburg State University on a number of initiatives," said Alexander.

The continuation of ACM's athletic prestige depends upon the commitment and ability of future personnel, according to Alexander.

"We've been fortunate to have great athletic teams, and that's great for school spirit and that's great for the community," said Alexander. "The key element in fielding a top-notch team are the coaches and the talent of the student athletes, not money. If a top-notch team were something that could be bought, all the wealthy community colleges would have one."

One of Alexander's concerns is the affordability of a college education.

"The state of Maryland has gotten an F on that," Alexander said. "I have a big fear about the ability to afford a college education."

When Alexander began his career, the funding formula for community colleges was 50 percent state, 28 percent local and 22 percent students. The local funding has stayed about the same; however, the state and student portions have shifted.

For the most part, community colleges are controlled at the local level, explained Alexander.

"We have been fortunate to have local control," he said.

While the state controls certain standards, the ACM Board of Trustees is responsible for setting most of the policies.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed working with every board," said Alexander.

Alexander has also valued his relationship with the faculty.

"The relationship has always been good. We've always had open communication here -we might not have agreed all the time, but we've always had a very positive relationship; we have shared the same goals," said Alexander. "I love the faculty. I admire them. They work hard and they insist on quality - I'll miss that relationship."

Contact Jennifer Raley at jraley@times-news.com.