Education 4.12.26 - Flipbook - Page 1
| Sunday, April 12, 2026 1
INSIDE:
New Programs Aim to
Make an Impact ................... 4
Students can make a difference in the
environment, music therapy and nursing
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A Complete Care Journey .... 6
University of Maryland specialists form
deep relationships that last for years
Keeping Pace with AI
Freight Train ......................... 8
Current technology keeps curriculum
updated and encourages computer
science and data science majors
University Programs Address
Workforce Needs ............... 10
Colleges create pathways for students to
succeed and land jobs
Area Universities Address
Need for Health Care
Professionals ..................... 14
Curriculum expansion and diversification
lead the way
A Digital Plates Culinary Academy student serves her cuisine at her final buffet testing.
Providing Career Options, All at No Cost
Students at Dignity Plates Culinary Academy learn skills to help them succeed
By Gregory J. Alexander, Contributing Writer
M
any Americans are looking for a fulfilling career –
whether they are a career
changer, lost their job or
recently graduated high school – but
one obstacle stands in their way: the
cost of higher education. With this
in mind, The Franciscan Center of
Baltimore, a nonprofit ministry that
serves close to 1,000 individuals in
need daily with warm meals at its dining center and at homeless encamp-
ments, offers the Dignity Plates Culinary
Academy, a 13-week program culinary
workforce training program, all at no
cost to the students.
Chef April DuBose, Director of
Culinary Education at Dignity Plates
Culinary Academy, who has an associate degree in culinary arts from Anne
Arundel Community College and a certificate in baking and pastry, says that
she wanted to create a curriculum that
would provide the same skills and train-
ing as a degree-based program. “We
intend for the students to receive out
of the program as much as we can
provide in 13 weeks,” she says. This
includes such skills as sauce stock and
soup production, protein fabrication,
knife skills, all types of egg cookery,
plate presentation, buffet/catering production, menu and recipe development,
and more.
Providing Career Options,
continued on page 2
How Schools Support
Gifted and High-Achieving
Students ............................. 15
Structure, mentorship and balance are
key to helping ambitious students thrive
Colleges Partner with
Industry Leaders ................ 16
Collaboration ensures regional employers
can thrive in a changing landscape
Developing
Leadership Skills ............... 18
Colleges are increasingly looking
for student leaders
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