It has been more than a year since Maryland Governor Wes Moore named former Montgomery College (MC) administrator, Dr. Sanjay Rai, to serve as Secretary of Maryland’s Higher Education Commission. Rai served as Acting Secretary for 13 months before he officially took on the role last month. He has spent more than 30 years in higher education which included serving 20 years at MC. He wore a number of different hats there that included Dean, Vice-President and Provost and Senior Vice-President of Academic Affairs.
Rai is proud of the many achievements he made at the College. Some of those included closing the achievement gap between students of color and white students and developing a cybersecurity program. He also worked with IT businesses in the region to develop training programs at the College that would benefit the companies’ future workforce.
Montgomery County also is a hub for life sciences. Rai helped the College establish a biotechnology program, and on the non-credit side, the College offers a program called Bio-Trac. It provides advance training to graduate and post graduate students in areas such as gene editing.
Rai told MCM he hopes to bring his vast experience and successes to the entire state:
Student Struggles
A nationwide study released last month addressed a troubling trend among college students. The ‘Healthy Minds’ study found the number of college students suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder more than doubled between 2017 and 2022. It now stands at 7.5% up from 3.4% during that time period. The study found the pandemic, gun violence, and campus unrest has played a role in the increase. Rai said Colleges and Universities across Maryland have “done a remarkable job in responding to mental health issues.” Rai said most schools offer mental health services such as counselors on campus. However, he said students encounter other problems such as homelessness and hunger. Rai said schools are addressing those issues as well.
Safety On Campus
School safety is another concern. Rai said the Moore administration provided the Maryland Higher Education Commission $25 million to improve campus safety across all Colleges and Universities in the state. The schools will review their security gaps. The Commission will then review those proposals and provide money to improve campus safety so students will have an ideal learning environment.
Campus Protests
As for campus protests, Rai explained colleges should be a place for respectful debate and disagreement. “We believe in inclusion. That means inclusive campuses, inclusive pedagogy, inclusive classrooms, and the opportunity to discuss various topics,” Rai said.
However, Rai explained there is no room for violence or threats on campus. He said dissent should never lead to disorder.
