Towson’s business analytics doctorate program hits another wall as Maryland AG office rejects approval
By Gabriel Donahue, editor-in-chief
The Office of the Attorney General Thursday rejected the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s approval of Towson University’s proposed business analytics Ph.D. program, which the historically Black university Morgan State has claimed to be duplicative of its business administration Ph.D.
Patrick B. Hughes, chief counsel for opinions and advice for the office, wrote to the Commission that the approval was “of no legal effect” since only seven of the 12 commissioners were present for the vote on June 14, according to the Baltimore Sun. The seven commissioners voted 4-3 to approve the program.
The Commission’s Assistant Secretary for Academic Affairs Emily Dow previously denied the program, saying it was “unreasonably duplicative of two specific concentrations” of Morgan State’s business administration Ph.D., The Towerlight reported.
Dow said the duplication “may cause demonstrable harm” to enrollment in Morgan State’s business administration program.
Towson appealed the denial, prompting the special meeting in June wherein the commissioners overturned Dow’s decision. Morgan State’s president David K. Wilson requested state legislators step in after that vote.
The Commission then asked for guidance from Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office, which said that the vote was essentially illegitimate, the Baltimore Sun article stated.
In an email Friday, Towson echoed a statement from the University System of Maryland, which said, “the Attorney General has only determined that the voting process at MHEC was flawed, this is not a statement about program duplication.”
Towson said it is awaiting next steps from the Commission. The university did not say what the denial means for the students enrolled in the program, as the rejection comes less than two weeks before the start of the fall semester.
The approval of the program caught the attention of advocates for historically Black colleges and universities and several state senators.
Maryland HBCU Advocates wrote to the Commission in a letter on Aug. 9 requesting Towson’s program be suspended “pending a prompt but thorough review by the new MHEC Commissioners.”
It references the 2021 settlement of a 13-year-old lawsuit that alleged the state allowed predominantly white institutions to duplicate the academic programs of HBCUs unreasonably.
Among other points, the group said its conclusion was supported by “MHEC’s apparent failure to adequately appreciate that this was its first opportunity to demonstrate good faith institutional respect for the spirit, the letter, the integrity and the enforceability of that settlement.”
Similarly, Sen. Charles Sydnor tweeted Friday that the Commission “did not follow the law and the decision could not stand.”
For now, “MHEC is currently reviewing all guidance received by the Office of the Attorney General,” spokeswoman Rhonda Wardlaw said in an email Friday.
Gabriel Donahue
Gabe Donahue has held numerous positions within The Towerlight. He started as a writer before becoming the News Editor, and now he serves as Editor-in-Chief.
