Chesapeake College builds on 6 decades as regional economic, education hub

By Dr. Clifford P Coppersmith

Nearly 60 years after its inception, Chesapeake College remains at the center of regional progress and innovation. The College’s role and mission were highlighted earlier this month when Maryland’s top leaders gathered in our Health Professions and Athletics Center.

College President Cliff Coppersmith, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Gov. Wes Moore, College Board of Trustees Chairman Reza Jafari

Governor Wes Moore held his cabinet meeting on our Wye Mills campus, part of an initiative to travel to every corner of the State. After that meeting, Lt. Governor Aruna Miller and Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, Dr. Sanjay Rai, toured Chesapeake’s skilled trades labs and new mobile welding trailer, to learn about the College’s response to local economic and workforce needs and to meet some of our students. In bringing his cabinet to our campus, Gov. Moore reinforced the college’s role as a regional hub, fueling progress for the Shore. We discussed our shared priorities, like connecting Marylanders to jobs, ensuring student success, and creating an equitable and robust economy.

Open-access institutions and workforce champions like Chesapeake are helping to give Marylanders a hand up to better lives—and that has always been what we’re about. Conceived during the Truman Commission, the concept of the community college is part of the American Dream. As individuals set their own goals and choose their own paths to success, community colleges provide the guidance and knowledge for achieving success.

During a time of rapid change in the 1960s, Eastern Shore leaders joined together to found the College, creating a lasting resource available to all residents of our region. With foresight and a commitment to working together, the founders of Chesapeake created an institution designed to respond to the full spectrum of human interest and ability and to offer something to everyone, from transfer-bound college students to industry professional seeking new certifications to retirees enriching their lives. Though milestones such as the Wye Mills groundbreaking and opening of the first buildings on campus in 1967, and the first Commencement in 1969 would follow, the charter date of December 1965 marks the official beginning of Chesapeake College.

Remarkably, Chesapeake is still the only community college in Maryland with five support counties—a geographical area comprising nearly one fifth of the State’s landmass. We’re grateful for the support we enjoy from our diverse and beautiful counties, our many and varied business partners and the whole of our service community. That support has enabled this institution to endure for sixty years, in-turn supporting Eastern Shore residents in finding meaningful education and employment in a wide variety of political, economic, and social changes.

Even now that community-building and economy-building role continues at Chesapeake, through partnerships with county leaders, local school systems, generous donors, friends, and more. In the past five years, I am proud to say that our faculty and staff have supported students to higher graduation and transfer rates; we recently ranked second in the state among community colleges, based on a study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va. Looking forward, we have ambitious plans to develop cutting edge workforce training facilities, to demonstrate that trades jobs are the “new tech” jobs and help keep Eastern Shore talent right here at home on this beautiful peninsula—not just the “land of pleasant living” but a landscape where we see abundant personal and professional opportunities.

Everyone here at Chesapeake is proud to serve our students and region, believing we are one of the most important resources to residents of the Mid-Shore and watching generations of our graduates serving their communities and giving back every day.

Acquiring skills and achieving academic success are key components of a college experience, but personal growth can contribute just as much to a student’s life.

Our students develop critical thinking skills and learn how to make intellectual and interpersonal connections. Students get to know and collaborate with classmates of different ages, backgrounds and experiences. They consider the biggest challenges facing society today, and they learn to find common ground and work toward a greater good. These experiences can’t be assessed with test scores, grades or certifications. They are, however, critical for people who are able to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

I can’t predict what the next 60 years will bring for higher education. The world will change in ways that we can only imagine now. Chesapeake College, as always, will adapt to those changes and continue to prepare our students for what’s next in their lives as we contribute to the vitality of our community.

I hope you will help us celebrate the 60th birthday of Chesapeake College. We’re planning a variety of events on campus to mark this special occasion and you can learn more about our plans on this website. First up is the dedication of our new mobile welding lab on April 24 at 1:30 pm on our Wye Mills campus. If you can’t visit us then, look for our mobile lab in the service area as we take our skilled trades training into the community, striving as always to meet our students wherever they are.

Dr. Clifford P. Coppersmith is the sixth president of Chesapeake College. April is Community College Month.