Campus News

June 29th, 2026

Midcap completes Presidents Council chair term

Development of MACC’s new strategic plan key 2025-26 achievement

Annapolis, MD – Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president, completed his term as chair of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) Council of Presidents on June 30th.

“It was an interesting experience,” said Midcap of chairing the Council, which is comprised of the presidents of Maryland’s 16 community colleges. “It forces you to step outside of the narrow scope of your individual college’s interests and consider what’s best for the whole. I’m definitely glad I did it.”

Midcap said MACC executed several major initiatives during the past year, including developing a new, five-year strategic plan for the Annapolis-based advocacy organization. The plan – titled Collective Impact: MACC’s Strategic Direction, 2026-30 – laid out four overarching goals during the plan’s lifetime:

• Secure sustainable and predictable funding to support operating and capital needs for community colleges;
• Capitalize on strategic partnerships to address workforce development needs;
• Improve internal and external communication and engagement;
• Enhance collaborative partnerships, including seamless coordination with four-year institutions and state agencies.

“I think the presidents and the MACC staff did a very nice job of zeroing in on what will enhance access and student success over the next five years,” said Midcap, who also served this year as vice president of MACC’s Board of Directors. “The thing I like most about the plan is that it has clear targets and an assessable structure.”

Midcap credited the MACC staff, led by Executive Director Dr. Brad Phillips, with making his year as chair “a lot easier than I expected.”

“We have a highly professional and goal-driven MACC office,” said Midcap. “They not only implement the objectives of the presidents, they help guide us in prioritizing and strategizing on how to meet those objectives.”

Midcap was succeeded as Presidents Council chair by Dr. Jim Klauber, Hagerstown Community College’s president. Klauber was vice chair of the President’s Council this past academic year.

“Jim will do a great job,” said Midcap. “A lot of this role is advocating with state legislators to help achieve priorities that support our students. Jim is an attorney and former state legislator in South Carolina who’s been a college president in three states, so he knows how to operate effectively in that environment.”

MACC was formed in 1992 to serve as the unified voice of Maryland’s 16 community colleges. Phillips, as executive director, acts as a liaison for community colleges with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), the University System of Maryland, and other relevant state and federal organizations.

MACC also has a significant government relations role, maintaining relationships with the Maryland General Assembly, the office of Governor Wes Moore, and other state departments and agencies. It has in recent years taken on a significant grants-management role, serving as the grant recipient for a host of federal and statewide grants in the cybersecurity field that support training at the 16 community colleges.

Midcap, who has been Garrett College’s president since 2017, will continue to serve on MACC’s Executive Committee as the immediate past chair. He has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2021.