Office of the President

Dr.  Cynthia S. Bambara
Dr. Cynthia S. Bambara


Appointed by the Board of Trustees, the president is the chief executive officer of Allegany College of Maryland.

Dr. Cynthia S. Bambara was appointed ACM’s fifth president in 2011. She is the College’s first woman to serve as president.

During her tenure, Dr. Bambara has spearheaded ACM’s major efforts, including the following:

  • Accreditation reaffirmation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. 
  • Development of the partnership-driven and award-winning Western Maryland IT Center of Excellence.
    • Management of the college through a global pandemic, where operations continued without interruption and all academic programs successfully navigated to bring students to graduation.
  • Numerous capital improvements including the complete renovation of the Dr. Robert S. Zimmer Theatre and the Technology Building, the construction of the Western Region Correctional Training Center, and the creation of the Thomas Welcome Center.
  • Creation and expansion of an online LPN to RN program, which has grown from a handful of students to more than 150 students from 16 States.
  • Development of Western Maryland Works at ACM, which transformed a rundown warehouse into a modern workforce training center and makerspace with over $6 million in equipment. 
  • Removal of financial barriers that kept students from joining the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and the attainment of a five star chapter status. 

Dr. Bambara is a veteran community college administrator. She was previously an interim president of Central Virginia Community College and the vice president of Student Success at Lord Fairfax Community College.

She received a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Colorado State University, an M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of South Alabama, and a B.S. in Psychology from Juniata College.

Dr. Bambara received Phi Theta Kappa's Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction in 2016. She was selected as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women in 2024.

She is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Allegany. Dr. Bambara is involved with a variety of organizations, including the following:

  • Allegany County Chamber of Commerce (Past Board Member)
  • Bridges to Opportunity (Steering Committee)
  • Community Colleges of Appalachia (Board Member)
  • Cumberland Rotary Club (Past Board Member and Past President)
  • Greater Cumberland Committee (Executive Committee Member and Education and Workforce Development Committee Chair)
  • Maryland Association of Community Colleges (Past Chair and former Executive Committee Member)
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (Peer Evaluator and Team Chair)
  • Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society (Advisory Board Member)
  • UPMC Western Maryland (Community Advisory Board Member)

 
President's Communication

2024

Employee Communication - March 21, 2024

Student Communication - March 19, 2024

Student Communication - February 27, 2024

Employee Communication - February 26, 2024

Student Communication - February 22, 2024

Employee Communication - January 29, 2024

Student Communication - January 15, 2024

2023

Student Communication - November 29, 2023

Employee Communication - November 27, 2023

Student Communication - November 6, 2023

Student Communication - October 4, 2023

Student Communication - April 12, 2023

Employee Communication - April 12, 2023

Student Communication - March 8, 2023

Employee Communication - March 7, 2023

Student Communication - February 7, 2023

Employee Communication - February 7, 2023

Student Communication - January 10, 2023

2022

Student Communication - November 28, 2022

Employee Communication - November 28, 2022

Employee Communication - October 24, 2022

Student Communication - October 24, 2022

Employee Communication - September 20, 2022

Student Communication - September 19, 2022

Employee Communication - August 18, 2022

Student Communication - August 18, 2022

Student Communication - August 5, 2022

Employee Communication - August 2, 2022

Student Communication - May 3, 2022

Employee Communication - May 2, 2022

Student Communication - April 4, 2022

Student Communication - March 18, 2022

Employee Communication - March 18, 2022

Student Communication - February 28, 2022

Employee Communication - February 28, 2022

Student Communication - February 23, 2022

Employee Communication - February 21, 2022

Student Communication - February 1, 2022

Employee Communication - January 31, 2022

Employee Communication - January 10, 2022

Student Communication - January 7, 2022

Employee Communication - January 3, 2022

2021

Student Communication - December 3, 2021

Student Communication - November 30, 2021

Employee Communication - November 15, 2021

Student Communication - November 10, 2021

Employee Communication - November 8, 2021

Student Communication - October 20, 2021

Employee Communication - October 18, 2021

Student Communication - September 28, 2021

Employee Communication - September 27, 2021

Employee Communication  - September 20, 2021

Student Communication - September 9, 2021

Employee Communication - September 7, 2021

Student Communication - August 19, 2021

Student Communication - August 12, 2021

Employee Communication - August 11, 2021

Employee Communication - July 20, 2021

Student Communication - June 23, 2021

Employee Communication - June 21, 2021

Employee Communication - May 18, 2021

Employee Communication - April 5, 2021

Employee Communication - February 22, 2021

Employee Communication - February 4, 2021

Employee Communication - January 29, 2021

Student Communication - January 18, 2021

Student Communication - January 5, 2021

 

 
Accreditation

Allegany College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education(MSCHE), 1007 North Orange Street, 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801; 267-284-5011. The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. MSCHE offers the Statement of Accreditation Status for Allegany College of Maryland on their website.

The College is also accredited and approved for operation by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), 6 North Liberty Street, Baltimore, MD 21201; (800) 974-0203. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has granted certification to Allegany College of Maryland campus in Bedford county and to the academic programs they offer.

Reports conducted by Allegany College of Maryland for MSCHE are stored with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning.

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