HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Howard County Executive Calvin Ball confirmed that he will become interim president of Baltimore City Community College, returning to the institution he left eight years ago before becoming county executive.
"To return to an institution that holds such a special place in my heart is a full-circle moment," Ball said in an Instagram statement. He said he plans to bring the same focus on collaboration and public service to BCCC as his time leading Howard County comes to an end.
Ball will succeed BCCC President Debra McCurdy, who is stepping down at the end of the year, The Banner reported.
Before becoming Howard County's first Black county executive in 2018, Ball worked at BCCC overseeing a program designed to help students complete their associate degrees. He holds a doctorate in education with a focus on community college leadership.
BCCC, Baltimore's only two-year college, enrolls about 3,700 students and offers 30 associate degree programs. Ball will inherit an institution whose enrollment has declined nearly 20 percent since 2019 and whose operations a recent state audit criticized, according to The Banner.
The audit found that BCCC awarded about $264,000 in financial aid to 145 fictitious students and spent more than $500,000 on electronic equipment that remained unused.
Faculty and staff unions welcomed Ball's selection while calling for action on vacant positions, financial management, student recruitment and contract negotiations, The Banner reported.
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