The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) was one of three stops for Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot during an April 13 visit to Southern Maryland.
Kicking off his afternoon itinerary, Franchot toured the new Center for Trades and Energy Training located at the College of Southern Maryland’s Regional Hughesville Campus. Providing the tour was CSM Vice President of Continuing Education and Workforce Development Dr. Dan Mosser, who was joined by CTET Director Bruce Posey, as they explained the building’s LEED features to Franchot and visited the Administration and MCET offices, labs and classrooms. Elected officials accompanying Franchot were Charles County Commissioner Ken Robinson and Calvert County Commissioner Steve Weems.
Also during the visit, Franchot officially recognized the many contributions of CSM President Bradley Gottfried with a proclamation thanking Gottfried for his leadership during the last decade as he prepares to retire from the college in June.
Following the tour and recognition, Franchot held a student roundtable with five students enrolled in CSM’s Social Entrepreneurship Course and the instructor Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute Director Tommy Luginbill.
In the Social Entrepreneurship Course, students are working with social impact organizations on real-world problems to gain experience solving social and environmental challenges. Skills learned include collaborative teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication.
Students who shared their experiences about the class and the organizations with which they are working over the semester were: Kaelyn Ching and Jordan Johnson talking about their work with Farming4Hunger, George Rada talking about his work with Circle of Angels and Nicholus Steward on his work with DigiTouch.
Franchot’s other stops during his visit to Southern Maryland included a presentation in Indian Head of the Bright Lights Award for Charles County to Mike Steele, founder and owner of Motobriiz. Founded in 2013, Motobriiz harnesses the power of the wind to naturally and automatically oil motorcycle chains. The Bright Lights Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship celebrates innovation in the private and nonprofit sectors that strengthens Maryland’s economy, generates jobs and tax revenue and develops ways to better deliver services and products to the marketplace. After visiting CSM’s Regional Hughesville Campus, Franchot traveled to McKay’s Fine Foods & Pharmacy in Charlotte Hall to meet with company owner Tommy McKay and purchase some Southern Maryland stuffed ham.
For photos from the CSM tour and student roundtable, visit http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/frachottourct.
