WYE MILLS, MARYLAND — Chesapeake College, the regional community college that serves Talbot County, has won two federal grants totaling more than $1.3 million to help students stay enrolled and finish their programs and to move nursing students into jobs, the college announced Oct. 22.
The larger is $745,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for nursing education, program retention and the transition into the workforce, and the college says it can be renewed each year for up to four years. The college says the money will cover program improvements, more advising and retention grants for students. Amber McGinnis, the college's director of development, said in the announcement: "This grant will help our students enter and complete the challenging RN nursing degree program, move into employment and transfer into bachelor's degree programs."
The other is a $559,968 Strengthening Institutions grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a program known as Title III. Chesapeake College appears on the department's list of fiscal 2026 Strengthening Institutions awards. In its description of that project, the college lists a faster start for new students, with quicker transcript evaluation and credit posting; two new navigators to guide students through their programs, one of them for adult career changers; a health professions advisor to help students finish prerequisites for programs with specific credit requirements; outreach to area employers and help navigating skilled-trades programs; and new registration software to speed transcript review and credit transfers.
The college says problems outside class, such as a job loss, medical issues, housing insecurity or car trouble, can create barriers for students. "These issues can pile up, particularly on our part-time adult students," Caroline Wood, the college's vice president for student success and enrollment management, said in the announcement.
Talbot is one of the five counties the Wye Mills college serves, along with Caroline, Dorchester, Kent and Queen Anne's. In fiscal 2026, 621 of the college's 3,007 credit students lived in Talbot County, according to the college's institutional facts page.
Grants Specialist Anne Shepard led the college's effort to win the Title III grant. Spring priority registration for veterans and returning students opens Nov. 16, according to the college's calendar.
Source: Chesapeake College
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
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