Good evening, Chair Luck, Vice Chair Lynch, and members of our Board of Trustees. It is my privilege to come before you this evening to share my CEO comments.
I’d like to begin with a quote I deeply appreciate from John Schaar, the late University of California at Santa Cruz professor that reads, “The future is not a place we are going to, but a place we are creating.” This concept excites me! It speaks to our ability to learn by doing and to chart our own path. It speaks to our capacity to acknowledge the past, but not be ruled by it; to recognize our environment, but not be constrained by it; and to embrace our abilities, but not be frightened by them. My point? Change is hard. But failing to evolve is far worse.
When I arrived as President of FCC in July 2022, the question posed to me was, “What is your vision?” My chosen approach was to first listen, learn, and then lead. This process is not static, but rather iterative; a process of gathering, reflecting, and acting, on information. This dynamism requires decisive action and clear direction.
In today’s world, with the cacophony of messages, day and night, FOCUS is paramount. Since we last met, the College hosted our annual Spring Convocation where I shared newspaper headlines filled with the realities, challenges, and pressures facing the higher education sector. There are also state financial reforms and proposed economic initiatives aimed at addressing a budget shortfall exceeding $2 billion. And yet, despite this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment, I am encouraged because FCC is focused on creating the right conditions for learning, growth, performance improvement, and organizational regeneration.
On campus, I’m often heard saying, “Under the right conditions, all students can learn. It is our job to create the RIGHT conditions.” RIGHT conditions require FOCUS! Amidst the many milestones and celebrations throughout our College’s nearly 70-year history, stark decisions have been made—and will continue to be made—to position FCC for the future and ensure we are serving our students at the highest level! One such decision was the closure of the Carl and Norma Miller Children’s Center, announced on January 30th.
This decision repurposes the building for in-demand workforce development programs in allied health fields such as Certified Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy, and Dental Assistant. This shift in focus, to meet critical workforce needs, in no way diminishes the invaluable service provided by the Children’s Center employees to our student-parents, FCC parent employees, and community members. Two things can be true at the same time.
Our core mission is teaching, learning and workforce development AND we recognize the opportunity to identify creative ways to serve and support student-parents. The Children’s Center is not the only way to accomplish that aim. In today’s environment, seldom can a single organization solve the challenges of providing affordable, quality, early childhood education. The systems that contribute to the problems we see are complex and strategies that tackle the issue will require cross-sector collaborations and sustainable funding models. As THE community’s college, FCC remains committed to being a collaborative partner with those leading the way. We recognize the challenge and continue to be solutions-oriented while also focusing on what it is we do best—teaching, learning, and workforce development.
Since 1986, FCC’s commitment to early childhood development is demonstrated through the nearly 400 individuals who are now alumni of that program offering. We are clear about the WHAT…student development and support. HOW we accomplish this is evident in the myriad of partnerships FCC continues to develop and maintain with vested stakeholders. Per the Board’s Ends policy, you hold me accountable, as President, to provide all Frederick County residents and others who choose to enroll at the College with the education, workforce preparation, skills, abilities, and personal growth necessary to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world, all while demonstrating prudent use of the College’s resources. This is the core business of FCC, and I maintain an unwavering commitment to our students’ success. THIS is my focus.
We know that challenges outside of the classroom, such as childcare, prevent some our students from achieving their goals. This is not simply an issue for FCC, Frederick County, or even the State of Maryland, this is a national crisis. The landscape for on-campus childcare is shifting. Research shows that on-campus childcare centers alone, do not solve the problem. Many are cost-prohibitive, have limited capacity, and serve only a small fraction of the student-parent population. Locally, the 2024 Frederick County Child Daycare Market Study revealed a need for more innovative solutions and the development of cross-sector partnerships. The operational costs of running the Children’s Center have consistently exceeded revenue, making it financially unsustainable for some time now. We were faced with a choice: be ruled by the past and continue to incur financial losses during a period of increasing fiscal pressures, or strategically repurpose our resources to address the current and emerging workforce needs in service to our students and the vibrant employer base of Frederick County. We chose the future.
Change is never easy, and we acknowledge the concerns of those who depend on the Center. But, again, two things can be true at the same time. We are committed to supporting all students—including student-parents—and we are also committed to securing a future that enables FCC to thrive in a rapidly changing world. While we understand the emotional impact of this decision, I want to express my deep compassion and empathy for those affected.
... I am grateful for the genuine interest and concern being expressed, and I invite those who wish to make a meaningful difference to channel their support through the FCC Foundation. By doing so, we can transform their concerns into impactful contributions—whether through time, talent, or financial resources—that directly benefit our students and help ensure their success. FCC remains the most affordable institution of public higher education in Frederick County. And while childcare is a critical need for some of our students, childcare is just one of the many financial and non-financial challenges our students must navigate. Based on the delegation of authority granted to me and in alignment with the Ends and all Executive Limitations policies, I made the decision to close the Children’s Center.
Our shared focus is on the future of FCC and the more than 15,000 students we serve. Together, we will continue to make bold, strategic decisions that strengthen the College and position our beloved students and this amazing community for success in an ever-evolving landscape. Tonight, you will hear a budget proposal that illustrates how we are investing in programs aligned with the core mission of the College.
For FY26, we are prioritizing safety and well-being, aligning resources for student success, and becoming more future-ready in the world of work and technology. I look forward to sharing more details during that portion of the agenda. Chair Luck, this concludes my comments.
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Repurposing the Frederick Community College (FCC) Children’s Center
1/31/2025
Last night, FCC President Annesa Payne Cheek, announced to 19 employees and 50 families with 69 children enrolled, that effective May 16, 2025, the Carl and Norma Miller Children’s Center will permanently close after 30 years of service to the College and community. Currently the Center’s parent patrons include 20 FCC student-parents, 12 FCC employee-parents and 18 parents who are members of the general community.
Last Spring, a plan was developed and shared with employees and parent patrons of the Center, that from May-Aug 2025, necessary heating/ventilation/air-conditioning (HVAC) upgrades and minor renovations would be performed for the building. However, increasing fiscal pressures at both the state, local, and now federal levels, coupled with the urgent need to prioritize mission-critical areas in the College, led to the difficult realization that the Center’s ongoing financial losses could no longer be sustained by the College.
From FY20 through FY24, the net income loss of the Children’s Center totaled $1.3M. And if including the FY23-FY24 Frederick County subsidy of $250K provided “to optimize student utilization of the Children’s Center, with the intent to make quality, on-site childcare more affordable, as well as to remove traditional barriers to FCC enrollment and course completion for student parents”, the net income loss still exceeded $1M.
Childcare services are an auxiliary unit of community colleges, intended to be financially self-supporting. For this reason, many colleges are unable to sustain such operations as a sole owner-operator. Additionally, the Children’s Center, serving infants through age 4, has never operated at the full capacity of 83 children, thus revenues are not sufficient to cover expenses.
The FCC Board of Trustees’
Ends Policy acknowledges that the College’s focus is to provide all Frederick County residents and others who choose to enroll at the College, with the education, workforce preparation skills, abilities, and personal growth necessary to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world, at a cost that demonstrates the prudent use of the College’s available resources. “This is the core business of FCC”, said President Cheek. She continued, “And in today’s financially austere environment at the federal, state, and local levels, any operation that sustains repeated financial loss must be critically evaluated. I continue to articulate the need for FCC employees to embrace decision-making informed by data and evidence, and though challenging, the evidence that informed this decision was clear.”
Board of Trustees Chair Ted Luck acknowledged, “The Board delegates operational matters of the College to the President and we support President Cheek's decision on the closure of the Children's Center.”
Looking ahead, the Children’s Center building, constructed in 1994 with an expansion in 1997, will be repurposed to support workforce training, starting in the Fall Semester of 2025. The facility will house FCC’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Phlebotomy, and Dental programs—currently located on the Monroe campus. President Cheek noted, “This strategic move will not only increase cohort sizes in these high-demand fields but will also foster stronger collaboration and synergy between these programs and those in the state-of-the-art Linganore Hall healthcare training facility on the Opossumtown campus.” She continued, “The vacated space at the Monroe campus will be redesigned to meet the evolving workforce training needs of Frederick County, ensuring we continue to respond to local demand.”
While childcare remains a pressing issue across the country and for many in the Frederick County communities, including the College’s student- parents, current realities dictate the prioritization of activities that more directly align with the College’s core mission. Recognizing this, various community resource organizations and other childhood education centers are connecting with the College to offer empathy and support to employees for employment and the families for childcare services after May 16
th. “While the financial realities are disappointing, we are tremendously grateful for the dedicated staff who have made the Children’s Center a cornerstone of our campus community over the years”, said Fred Hockenberry, FCC’s Executive Director of Auxiliaries, Procurement, and Special Projects.
FCC is moving forward with a future-ready mindset, despite the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of today’s environment. The rising demand for healthcare services and other sector priorities in our community underscores the urgent need for well-trained professionals. In response, the College is leveraging its resources and expertise to not only meet the current workforce needs but to position itself for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This is the collective mission of FCC, to ensure the community has access to needed skilled professionals, and students receive the education and training necessary to more equitably participate in our society, economy, and democracy.