CSM Celebrates Dedication of CE Building

LA PLATA, Md.—The College of Southern Maryland celebrated the dedication of the expanded La Plata Campus’ Community Education (CE) Building with a ceremony on Nov. 20. The original 11,785-square-foot CE Building was completed in 1968, one of three structures on the college’s new campus. The new CE Building has 48,000 square feet with 18 classrooms, as well as specialized rooms for certified nursing assistant and geriatric nursing assistant programs, veterinarian tech, criminal justice, geography and a Macintosh computer lab.

“Today we celebrate a wonderful building that’s dedicated to providing the highest level of education service for our community,” said CSM Board of Trustees Chair Michael Middleton. “The College of Southern Maryland is quite a game-changer for thousands and thousands of people in our community every year. As a trustee, I will tell you that our commitment to the college is to provide relevance and excellence in education. It is a straightforward mission.”

“You will always have the support of the Southern Maryland delegation. We think that this facility is a focal point for our region. It is exactly what we needed years ago to pull us together [as an economic region],” said Maryland Del. Sally Jameson. “We often hear about ‘bad’ things we do in Annapolis: ‘You’re spending too much money,’ ‘You’re not taking care of this, that or the other.’ [The money spent on the CE Building] is good money. This is money that I believe is appropriately spent. Certainly our future in this region will depend on how we continue to ensure that our young people and those with additional need for training are able to come here.”

“The economic impact of CSM is tremendous, not only for our students and their families, but also for our community as a whole. Students see a 15.2 percent average rate of return on their CSM educational investment. The average income at the career midpoint of someone with an associate degree in the CSM service area is $48,000—35 percent more than a student with a high school diploma. The economic impact we have to Southern Maryland is $249 million,” said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried.

“It wasn’t that long ago that, along with many of you, I was given a [mallet] to help take down one of the walls in the old CE Building,” said Charles County Commissioner Ken Robinson. “Later today, we will have scissors to cut the [dedication] ribbon and in a couple of months a shovel to break ground on the new campus in Hughesville. Over the last 10 years, the image, perception and importance of community colleges has changed across the nation. I cannot think of any institution that has helped change that image more than the College of Southern Maryland.”

Kimberly Briscoe-Tonic, owner of the Briscoe-Tonic Funeral Home along with her husband Tony, told guests that the college’s Small Business Development Center was instrumental in the opening of their business, which was awarded the 2010 Small Business of the Year during the Leading Edge Awards. “We counted more than 90 man-hours that the College of Southern Maryland SBDC spent to help us get to where we are now—you have changed our lives,” Kimberly Briscoe-Tonic said.

Recent completer of the Medical Assisting Program, Megan Goodwin of Waldorf, said that when she lost her son unexpectedly, she gave up on her aspirations to work in the medical field. A friend encouraged her to go back to school to get the training she needed to get back to the work she loved. “I had some great instructors and wonderful classmates that kept me going,” Goodwin said. “As much as we are celebrating the dedication of this new building today, we should also celebrate the dedication of CSM faculty who go the extra mile for their students.”

The CE Building will be the new home for the Social Sciences and Public Services Division, Human Services and Teacher Education (SOC) Division, the Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), The Corporate Center and CSM’s Planning, Institutional Effectiveness and Research Department. The dedication ceremony included two plaque unveilings.

A wing of the CE Building is named “The Proctor Family Wing in Honor of Steve and Carolyn Proctor,” in recognition of the bequest of $250,000 to the CSM Foundation by Gregory S. Proctor Jr. and Dianne Proctor as a tribute to his parents, for whom education was a priority.

“It’s an honor for Dianne and me to be able to honor my parents in this way. Education has always been a big deal to them and they have had an impact on many generations of students,” said Proctor Jr. “CSM provides both an excellent academic and social education, and for many folks in our community CSM is their only option to achieve a college education. We want to reach out to students for whom finances might be an impediment to education. Our hope is that first-generation college students will benefit most from this.”

The Neale Chaney Slater Lecture Hall is named in memory of the son of CSM Alumnus and Foundation Director Austin “Joe” Slater Jr. in recognition of the $100,000 planned gift to the CSM Foundation that provides scholarships for future generations. The Neale Chaney Slater Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2006 as a tribute to Neale, who had attended CSM as a student in the Fire Safety program and was a Maryland State Police Cadet. He is fondly remembered by many as an exemplary leader and top student with an innate ability for leadership that others could model.

“Following the tragic loss of our exceptional child, the CSM Foundation has helped bring meaning to us and continuing value to others through much-needed scholarships to worthy students,” said Joe Slater.

The project architect is Grimm and Parker Architects and the general contractor is Dustin Construction. The project cost $16 million with funding from state and county governments.

To view photos of the building and the dedication ceremony, visit csmphoto.zenfolio.com/cededication. For information on CSM, visit www.csmd.edu.