Building Opportunity Together: Learning Locally, Leading Regionally

Building Opportunity Together: Learning Locally, Leading Regionally

Sep 21, 2026 7:00 AM

FSU President Dr. Shadow JQ Robinson and ACM President David R. Jones '92/M'94 recently penned a joint op-ed discussing their partnership and the vision behind the theme Learning Locally. Leading Regionally. The op-ed was published in the Cumberland Times-News on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.

For us, the work we do is personal.

We understand the value of education, hard work and opportunity. We also know that while talent might be equally distributed, opportunity is not. For many students, especially in rural communities like ours, the path to opportunity is not always clear. Where you begin, the resources available to you and whether you have someone helping you navigate the journey can make all the difference.

That is why we believe so strongly in the work Frostburg State University and Allegany College of Maryland are doing together through the Maryland Statewide Transfer Intensive. Our partnership is about creating clearer, more intentional pathways for students to continue their education and complete their degrees.

Our partnership also offers an important lesson: When institutions stop thinking of themselves as separate destinations and begin thinking more intentionally about their shared mission, our students benefit. And if that mindset can help create a clearer path from community college to a university degree, what else might be possible if we applied it more broadly across our communities and region?

That question is at the heart of Learning Locally. Leading Regionally.

Our region has extraordinary assets. We are home to ambitious students, innovative entrepreneurs, dedicated educators, successful businesses and strong communities. Through the partnership between ACM and FSU, we have an opportunity to demonstrate what can happen when two institutions look beyond traditional boundaries and work together to strengthen the communities they serve.

The opportunity before us is to connect those assets more intentionally and create stronger pathways from K-12 to college to career, from one institution to another and from campus to community.

College towns can play an important role. Stronger connections between campuses and communities can make downtowns more vibrant, connect local businesses with our institutions and help young people see our region as a place to continue their education, build careers, start businesses, raise families and put down roots.

That is the vision behind Learning Locally. Leading Regionally.

We are already beginning to see that vision take shape. This fall, banners throughout downtown Cumberland and on Frostburg's Main Street will carry the logos of ACM and FSU alongside the message Learning Locally. Leading Regionally., reminding us that our campuses and communities are connected. We also saw that connection in action through the second annual College Fest, which brought together students from both institutions and the surrounding community in a celebration of college life and regional pride.

But higher education cannot do this work alone. Businesses, local governments, nonprofits, K-12 schools, philanthropists, alumni and community leaders all have important roles to play. The future of our region will be shaped not by any one institution or organization, but by how well we work together.

That spirit recently brought ACM and FSU together with the mayors of Cumberland and Frostburg for the first in a series of conversations about what this vision could mean for our region. We came together to ask an important question: What if we thought of our region not as a collection of separate communities and campuses, but as one connected college community?

The work FSU and ACM are doing through the Maryland Statewide Transfer Intensive has shown us the value of that approach. When institutions collaborate, students benefit. When pathways are clearer, opportunity expands. When we focus on connection rather than separation, we can accomplish more together than we can alone.

The future of this region depends on our ability to create and connect opportunities for the people who live here.

Frostburg, Cumberland and the many communities and institutions across our region are not competing for a future one at a time.

We are building it together.

For us, that is what it means to learn locally and lead regionally.

Sincerely,

Shadow JQ Robinson, PhD
President, Frostburg State University

David R. Jones '92/M'94
President, Allegany College of Maryland