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Located The Southern Maryland Higher Education Center (SMHEC) was established by Statelegislation in 1994 in response to the expanded role of the U.S. Navy at Patuxent River;to provide on-site and complete access to quality graduate education degree programs ina Region historically underserved by Higher Education institutions; and to support theeconomic development of the Southern Maryland Region. SMHEC presents graduate degree programs in their entirety at its 24-acre campus facilityin [[California, St. Mary's Mary’s County, Maryland. Working with the leadership at the PatuxentRiver Naval Base, public schools administrators, economic development agencies, andthe technology and defense support community, the Center selects academic programsand universities that meet the professional development needs of the Tri-CountyRegion.The Maryland Higher Education Commission approves all degree programs forpresentation at SMHEC. SMHEC is under the guidance of a Board of Governors appointed by the Governor of Maryland. == Degree Programs == SMHEC hosts almost 70 graduate university degree programs and almost 20bachelor completion degree programs, presented in their entirety at SMHEC by elevenuniversity partners in the professional fields of engineering; education;management; clinical and community counseling, and school counseling; criminal justiceand law enforcement; information technology; business administration; engineeringtechnology; technical management; communications; and human resources, financial,health care, marketing, and project management. == Training for Secondary Educators and Heal Care Professionals == A shortage of teachers is a condition the three public school districts in SouthernMaryland]]continually face. Originally founded To assist the need for new teachers and to provide a base continuingeducation and professional development for college teachers, the Center offers 18 master’sdegrees in education, two post-master’s certificates in education and university extension five certificationprograms. Master’s programs in nursing and social welfare, and a completion bachelor’s degree innursing, provide an opportunity for the Region’s health providers to operate further develop theprofessional skills of their workforce in service these fields, and to assure the most recentprocesses and skills are available for the social and health benefits of the technology workers that support Region’spopulation. == Facilities == SMHEC is located on its own 24-acre campus within the local military establishment such as Wildewood Professional andTechnology Park in California, St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The site is six miles northof the [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River]] Naval Base, and even closer to the 250 technology companieslocated in Lexington Park and California. Prince Frederick, the county seat and urbancenter of Calvert County is about 20 miles away, and Waldorf, the [[business center ofCharles County, is about 35 miles away. SMHEC’s Classroom Building One, with 15 classrooms and two multi-purpose rooms,opened in 1995. Classroom Building Two, with 21 classrooms and two multipurposerooms, opened in 2003. A Third Classroom Building and Conference Center is in itsplanning phase and is expected to open in 2010. Each SMHEC campus building has its own unique features, all designed to offer thehighest quality, technologically sophisticated, student service-focused graduate learningand professional training available in Southern Maryland. Ongoing campus expansion isin response to the growing and urgent need for suitable space to meet the high-levelconference and meeting needs of the high-tech economy in Southern Maryland,particularly the Patuxent River Naval Air Systems Command]]Base, and for appropriate facilities to provideprofessional training, and to deliver an expanded program of graduate educationopportunities. == University Partners == SMHEC’s university partners include: * Johns Hopkins University* University of Maryland College Park* University of Maryland University College* George Washington University* The Catholic University* Towson University* College of Notre Dame of Maryland* Coppin State University* Gratz College* Capitol College* Old Dominion University