CCBC President Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis speaks at the Oct. 9 United Way celebration.
Recently, the CCBC and the United Way of Central Maryland came together to celebrate two special events. Theirs was 100 years of service to the community; ours was the launch of our FY2026 United Way Giving Campaign. The significance of this event—which brought the County Executive, the CEO of United Way, and the college president together—was the celebration of three decades of partnership between two organizations imbued with a community service mission.
United Way is a crucial partner for our college because we share so much in common. Roughly 85% of CCBC’s 55,000 students come from low-income households, therefore meeting the criteria to be considered members of the ALICE population. The acronym ALICE translates into someone who is “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” yet unable to meet their basic needs. The broad mission of both United Way and the community college is the support of this population.
CCBC’s open-door mission welcomes all who wish to seek skills to achieve a better life for themselves, and United Way’s support for these individuals is a direct complement to the college’s work. CCBC now offers a Tuition-Free initiative that enables nearly 95% of our 55,000 students to attend the college tuition free—in whole or in part. But tuition is just one of the challenges ALICE students face. That is where United Way’s special services overlap with the community college mission.
United Way’s 211 hotline, a free, confidential service, connects community members to local resources for essential needs such as food, housing and health care. At our celebratory event, a CCBC student and Baltimore County resident told of using the 211 hotline as she shared her story. Although she was enrolled in a certificate program to qualify as a Behavioral Health Counseling Trainee, life kept getting in the way. The 211 hotline helped her connect with basic needs providers, but when she had exhausted all they had to offer, the college stepped in.
We are proud of the fact that over the last 15 years, CCBC employee donations to the United Way campaign have raised more than $500,000 for the college’s Student Emergency Assistance Fund. The Fund helps students like our speaker with housing, transportation, books, fees, food and other basic needs. It supported her during her crisis, allowing her to continue her studies and keep working toward her certificate. She not only earned the certificate, she is now enrolled in an associate degree program to become a drug and alcohol counselor. She was inspired by watching the struggle of family members who suffer from addiction. We are honored that she chose to share her story with us and glad that she was able to remain at CCBC to work toward a better life for herself and her family.
CCBC—along with our 1,000 community college colleagues nationwide—is more than just a college. We are a touchstone for our students, a way for them to connect with resources that can keep them strong and thriving as they study toward new opportunities for themselves and their loved ones. CCBC and United Way are kindred spirits, joined at the hip, committed to serving people. We hope for another 100 years of partnership to strengthen our community.