McCurdy to step down as Baltimore City Community College president on Dec. 31

The president of Baltimore City Community College is stepping down at the end of 2026.

Debra McCurdy, who has led the city’s two-year college since 2019, emailed faculty and staff on Friday evening announcing her plans to vacate the position on Dec. 31.

“Over the past several months I have given a great deal of thought and had numerous conversations about my tenure and service as the president of Baltimore City Community College,” she wrote. “As I reflect on the years, I am humbled and grateful to have been invited to serve in this capacity when the college was facing a very critical time and the call was for change and realignment.”

The community college’s board will communicate a transition plan to the campus community in the coming days, McCurdy wrote, to “maintain the forward movement and momentum.”

Earlier this summer, a legislative audit found that BCCC gave out over a quarter-million dollars in financial aid funds to fictitious students. And despite national trends of growing community college enrollment, the student body size at Baltimore’s community college has fallen for nearly 20 years.

The community college’s main campus sits on a pocket of land in Northwest Baltimore, up the road from Mondawmin Mall and Coppin State University. Founded in 1947, the college offers 30 associate degree programs and, according to the U.S. Department of Education, enrolled about 3,700 students last year. Two-thirds of the student body are Black, and 48% received Pell Grants, which aqre awarded to students with exceptional need.

There was also talk last year — led by University of Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke, who also served as chair of the community college’s board — of consolidating BCCC under the University of Baltimore, a proposal that blindsided faculty. The backlash and potential conflict of interest led Schmoke to resign from his board position; he plans to retire from UBalt June 30.

BCCC also ratified their first union contract this year, with employees earning a 9% raise and new protections.

McCurdy wrote she came to the decision to retire “with a great deal of heaviness and thought,” and thanked the faculty, staff and executive team for their support.

“I believe the perspectives and voices from many faculty and staff rang loud and often pushed us to reexamine priorities, direction and decisions; thank you for joining me at the table of engagement,” McCurdy wrote. “I am grateful for the opportunities, Board support and the extraordinary experience that Baltimore City Community College posed; I will always cherish and reflect on the many collegial relationships that were built as we continued to place our students first, persevere and pursue our greatness.”

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