Appointed to the college’s board of trustees in 1995, Robert L. Healy was a trustee during the transition of the community college into a regional college equally serving all three counties. (Submitted photo)
“For the past 13 years, I’ve had the privilege of spending the third or fourth Thursday of each month attending board meetings. I believe, in order to have the best college ever, you have to have the best people ever, and I have had the privilege of working with that group of people. It’s been a good trip,” Healy said.
CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried praised Healy’s contributions, saying, “It always came down to students and how to best serve them. He could always be expected to ask a tough question or provide an insightful comment. Bob always added so much to Board meetings.”
Appointed to the board in 1995, Healy was a trustee during the transition of the community college into a regional college equally serving all three counties. Established in 1958, the college became the College of Southern Maryland in July 2000 with the legislative mandate and financial formulas for the formation of the regional college that brought together the college’s campuses in La Plata, Leonardtown and Prince Frederick.
With Healy’s departure and the appointment of A. Joseph Slater, of St. Mary's County, the goal of equal representation by all three counties on the college’s governing board as planned in the original legislation is now realized.
“When we moved toward becoming a regional community college in 2000, this is exactly what we had hoped to accomplish. This shows the institutional maturation of the board and the college. It’s a really proud moment,” said Healy in June 2007 when the board unanimously appointed James Raley of St. Mary’s County as its chair and MacArthur Jones of Calvert County as vice chair. Both trustees were re-appointed to serve those positions for the next year.
During Healy’s time as a trustee, the college has been recognized with the Silver Level Quality Excellence Award through the Maryland Performance Excellence Award program, as a four-time recipient of the Workplace Excellence Award by the Alliance for Workplace Excellence, as the 2007 Employer of the Year by the Maryland Department of Aging and as the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Partner in Business. Other achievements include a new campus and flagship building in Prince Frederick; funding for a Wellness Center, construction of Buildings B and C, and relocation to the current Leonardtown Campus; and renovations of the Administration Building, Physical Education Center, Science and Technology Building, and construction of the St. Charles Children’s Learning Center at the La Plata Campus.
Healy also approved the college’s first major gift campaign that was launched this past year with a goal of $5 million. He personally pledged a major gift toward the Fund for Excellence which will assist with faculty development and instructional technology.
A veteran political strategist, Healy is a principal and senior director of The Wexler Group, with more than 30 years of experience in commercial investment, energy, international trade and global public policy. A native of Pennsylvania, Healy was awarded a PhD in political science from the University of Pittsburgh. He has been a presenter at numerous international meetings and universities, and has taught courses at American University.