Published: June 24, 2009 11:10 pm      

College bound and close by

Vast majority of county grads headed to ACM, FSU

About two-thirds of students in the Class of 2009 are headed to college in the fall — some as far away as Texas and Utah, according to figures released this week by the Allegany County Board of Education.

But a vast majority of the college-bound — 76 percent — are staying close to home.

“We usually have a big group going to Allegany College and a big group going to Frostburg State,” said Laurie Marchini, a parent and member of the Allegany High School Academic Endowment Fund. “We have more kids going to Allegany College this year. I’m guessing that has something to do with the economy.”

Of 701 students who graduated from high school this year in Allegany County, 443 are enrolling in college, or 63 percent, statistics show.

Last year, 424 of 730 Allegany County graduates attended college, or 58 percent.

Statewide, the percentage of graduates who continue to college is significantly higher — almost 75 percent in 2008, Maryland State Department of Education statistics show.

“I think we’re doing pretty well,” said Jane Dawson, president of the Allegany County school board. “We like to see (students) choose a path into college ... A lot of them go ahead and transfer after they do two years at ACM or FSU. They’ll go to WVU or University of Maryland or somewhere else to finish their degrees.”

This year, local college-bound graduates are enrolling at 60 different schools, including FSU, ACM and other regional schools such as Garrett College, Hagerstown Community College and Hood College in Frederick.

Out-of-state schools include Brigham Young University (Utah), Lipscomb University (Tennessee), The Victoria College (Texas) and the universitys of Alabama, Virginia and Las Vegas.

And a handful of top students are headed to upper-crust institutions such as Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State University, Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University.

Historically, though, most local students go to ACM and FSU.

“Many of our top students do come from the local area,” said Wray Blair, FSU’s associate vice president for enrollment management, adding that the mission of FSU is to serve Western Maryland.

“We have always targeted the local area,” he said. “It’s always been a big part of our enrollment goal.”

FSU enrollment data for fall 2009 wasn’t immediately available, but the number of Allegany County students is expected to be higher, Blair said.

“I think maybe this economy has made that even more so,” he said. “Students everywhere are looking for options that may be a little less expensive and closer to home.”

Though they’re thrilled when graduates attend a college — any college — parents at Allegany High School have been trying to encourage students to think outside the county line.

In the school’s cafeteria, dozens of pennants from colleges and universities across the country show where past graduates have ventured.

“I think going away is part of the growing up process,” said Marchini, who has helped coordinate the endowment’s annual “College 101” workshop, a crash course for students and parents about how to apply for — and pay for — college.

During last January’s event, past graduates now attending colleges and universities beyond the county’s borders spoke about their experiences getting into college, particularly how to find scholarships and financial aid.

“There’s nothing at all wrong with FSU or ACM,” said Marchini, adding that parents have asked them to invite FSU and ACM students to speak this year. “We’ve tried to put kids in front of them who have left the area, spread their wings. The whole idea is to say, ‘You can do it, too.’ If they want to come back after school, that’s great.”

Contact Kristin Harty at kharty@times-news.com.