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    Community College of Baltimore County President Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis Named Inaugural Recipient of the National Collegiate Honors Council Distinguished Leadership Award

    Lincoln, Nebraska — The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is proud to announce that Dr. Sandra L. Kurtinitis, President of the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the NCHC Distinguished Leadership Award, recognizing visionary leadership that has advanced honors education and expanded opportunities for students to pursue academic excellence.

    Established in 2025, the Distinguished Leadership Award honors individuals whose sustained leadership has strengthened honors education and whose commitment to scholarship, innovation, and student success reflects the mission and values of the National Collegiate Honors Council.

    For more than two decades, Dr. Kurtinitis has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to honors education by championing the belief that academic excellence should be accessible to all students with the curiosity, motivation, and determination to pursue it. Her leadership transformed CCBC's long-standing Honors Program into a comprehensive Honors College designed to provide rigorous academics, undergraduate research, leadership development, experiential learning, and transfer opportunities while remaining firmly grounded in the mission of an open-access community college.

    Guided by the NCHC Shared Principles and Practices, the CCBC Honors College was intentionally developed as a college-wide initiative centered on academic rigor, inclusive excellence, interdisciplinary learning, and student success. Under Dr. Kurtinitis's leadership, the institution invested more than $3 million to establish the Honors College, expand scholarships, renovate honors facilities on three campuses, increase dedicated honors faculty and staff, strengthen undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities, and create innovative transfer pathways that prepare students for success at some of the nation's most selective universities.

    Dr. Kurtinitis's commitment to honors education extends well beyond financial investment. Colleagues describe her as an engaged and visible champion for honors students and faculty—one who regularly attends honors events, celebrates student achievements, advocates for institutional support, and remains personally invested in the success of individual students. Her leadership has cultivated a thriving honors community where students are challenged intellectually, encouraged to lead, and supported as they pursue ambitious academic and professional goals.

    Her vision has produced remarkable results. Today, CCBC Honors students transfer to institutions including Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, and Stanford University while earning prestigious scholarships and demonstrating levels of academic achievement that rival those of selective four-year institutions. By pairing high expectations with meaningful institutional support, Dr. Kurtinitis has shown that honors education can flourish within an open-access institution and that excellence and accessibility are mutually reinforcing ideals.

    “As the inaugural recipient of the NCHC Distinguished Leadership Award, Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis exemplifies the visionary and sustained leadership that makes transformative honors education possible,” said NCHC President Dr. Daniel Roberts. “By elevating honors education to a strategic institutional priority at CCBC, she has expanded access to high-impact learning experiences and created meaningful pathways to student success. Her leadership has strengthened not only CCBC, but also the broader higher education community in Maryland and across the nation.”

    Dr. Kurtinitis will be formally recognized during the 2026 National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference, held November 11–14, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana.  In recognition of her achievement, the National Collegiate Honors Council will present a $2,000 grant to the Community College of Baltimore County Honors College in Dr. Kurtinitis' name to support the continued advancement of honors education.

    “I am honored to accept the inaugural NCHC Distinguished Leadership Award,” said Dr. Kurtinitis. “This recognition reflects the Community College of Baltimore County’s commitment to creating an Honors College that inspires intellectual curiosity and provides our brightest, most talented students with an academic oasis for the pure joy of learning. It has been a privilege to help build this opportunity and to watch our students’ passions grow into remarkable achievements as their educational journeys continue beyond our college.”

    About the National Collegiate Honors Council

    Founded in 1966, the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is the premier professional association dedicated to supporting and advancing honors education. Representing colleges, universities, and honors programs around the world, NCHC provides professional development, scholarly resources, conferences, publications, grants, awards, and collaborative opportunities that foster innovation and excellence in honors education. Through its work, NCHC champions educational experiences that challenge students intellectually, cultivate leadership, and prepare graduates to make meaningful contributions to their communities and professions.

    For more information, visit www.nchchonors.org.

    About the Community College of Baltimore County (www.ccbcmd.edu)

    Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, more than 50,000 students enroll at the college’s main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers. CCBC offers the region’s most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction, and transportation. Designated as the “Best Community College” among the Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Reader Rankings, CCBC is also nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies and among the nation’s top associate degree producers.

    CCBC. The incredible value of education.

    Karen Robinson | Assistant Director, Communications

    Community College of Baltimore County

    office: 443-840-5803 | mobile: 443-452-9918

    krobinson3@ccbcmd.edu

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    @ccbcmd

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