MWCC President James Vander Hooven joined Governor Maura T. Healey today to launch MassReconnect, her administration’s new program establishing free community college for Massachusetts residents aged 25 and older and awarded $100,000 to each of Massachusetts’ 15 community colleges to support the quick implementation of the program this fall. Governor Healey and President Vander Hooven were joined by Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, Senate President Karen Spilka, Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega, and other community college presidents today at MassBay Community College’s Wellesley Campus. During the event, the Healey-Driscoll Administration highlighted the first MassReconnect students at MassBay, celebrating the impact the program is expected to have for students across the state.

“MassReconnect will be transformative for thousands of students, for our amazing community colleges, and for our economy,” said Governor Healey. “It will bolster the role of community colleges as economic drivers in our state and help us better meet the needs of businesses to find qualified, well-trained workers. We can also make progress in breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty by helping residents complete their higher education credentials so they can attain good jobs and build a career path. Our administration is grateful for the partnership of the Legislature to move forward on this critical program that will make our state more affordable, competitive and equitable.”

“Our administration and our community college partners are ready to hit the ground running with MassReconnect this fall semester. We encourage any eligible students who might have been holding off on taking that final step to enroll to do so now to begin this next stage of their education and career,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. “We are also proud to be setting our community colleges up for success by providing them each with $100,000 for implementation of this lifechanging program.”

“In Massachusetts, we know that getting an education is a key to the middle class, supporting a family, building a life, and pursuing a brighter future. In this year’s state budget, we thrust open the doors to those opportunities and countless others, by making community college free for people 25 and over, making nursing programs at community colleges free for all individuals, and setting our state on a path to universal free community college in 2024,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “These proposals are a major step towards the Senate’s Student Opportunity Plan and are crucial to ensuring residents have the tools to build the futures they dream of—right here in Massachusetts. I am deeply grateful to Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary Tutwiler, Commissioner Ortega, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, Senate Higher Education Committee Co-chair Jo Comerford, and Speaker Mariano, for making education a priority in Massachusetts.”

“MassReconnect will create life-changing educational and career opportunities through free community college for qualifying residents at institutions such as Quincy College and at other community colleges across the Commonwealth, including for many residents from historically underserved communities. This program will also help to address key labor shortages, while ensuring that Massachusetts possesses a highly trained workforce that is prepared for the industries of the future,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank the Healey Administration, Chairman Michlewitz and my colleagues in the House, as well as Senate President Spilka and our partners in the Senate, for working to include this transformative program in the Commonwealth’s FY24 budget.”

Governor Healey invested $20 million in MassReconnect for the first year of implementation in her first budget that she signed earlier this month. This funding covers the full cost of tuition and fees and includes an allowance for books and supplies at each of Massachusetts’ 15 community colleges. Additionally, each community college will also receive $100,000 from this funding to support student and community program awareness, staffing, and program administration. Quincy College also received $1.5 million in the FY24 budget to operate a similar program.

“For adults coming to one of the fifteen community colleges across the Commonwealth, MassReconnect removes one of the biggest barriers to attendance: cost,” said Jim Vander Hooven, president of Mount Wachusett Community College and chair of the Community College Council of Presidents. “By making community college completely free for any adult over 25 in Massachusetts without a degree, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is making an historic investment in our state’s workforce and providing hundreds of thousands of adults with a clear pathway to a career.”

“Community colleges such as MWCC serve as a pathway to enhanced economic mobility for numerous individuals,” Stephanie Williams, MWCC Chief Diversity Executive added. “MassReconnect has the potential to create a ripple effect, generating positive outcomes not only for the individuals directly benefiting from it but also for the broader community and the Commonwealth as a whole. As the Chief Diversity Executive, witnessing Massachusetts’ tuition-free program at this juncture is truly thrilling, as it embodies our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Massachusetts residents qualify for MassReconnect if they are 25 or older on the first day of classes, have not previously earned a college degree, are a legal permanent resident for one year as of the start of the enrolled term, complete the FAFSA, and enroll in at least six credits per semester in an approved program of study leading to an associate degree or certificate.

“There’s no doubt that with MassReconnect we will be able to change the lives of each of the students who take advantage of this historic opportunity to achieve their degree,” said Secretary of Education Tutwiler. “But beyond our students, this program will also strengthen the Commonwealth’s economy and our public higher education system, By investing in our community college students, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is investing in the future of the Commonwealth.”

MassReconnect will likely support up to 6,500-8,000 community college students in the first year, which could grow to closer to 10,000 students by FY25, depending on how many students take advantage of the new opportunity. They could include current students, new students, or returning students who did not complete their degree. There are approximately 700,000 Massachusetts residents who have some college credit but no degree. MassReconnect will help bring back these students to finish their degrees, with the additional funding and support they may have been lacking the first time.

“With the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s record-breaking investment in higher education, including the highest levels of support for financial aid and scholarships the Commonwealth has ever seen, we will be able to expand access to higher learning more than ever before. MassReconnect is the centerpiece of that effort,” said Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education Ortega. “For all the Massachusetts adults out there who had to put their education on hold or didn’t have the opportunity to pursue it in the first place, now is your chance to pursue a degree or certificate to advance your career and transform your life and that of your family.”

The Commonwealth’s 15 community colleges are a ticket to economic mobility for many Massachusetts residents, and thus are key drivers of our business and our economic success. Nationally, employees who have earned their associate degree are paid 18 percent more than workers with only a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And these well-paying jobs are just waiting to be filled—in July 2023 there were more than 26,000 unique job postings in the Commonwealth that specifically required an associate degree. MassReconnect will harness the power of our community colleges by allowing workers to earn the training and education necessary for their career growth and reinforcing our pipeline of skilled industry professionals entering the workforce.

There is still time to enroll in MassReconnect and access free community college this fall. Visit mwcc.edu/massreconnect for steps and links to information sessions, the application, and FAFSA support.

Tomorrow, Mount Wachusett Community College President James Vander Hooven will join Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll at a press conference to launch MassReconnect, the administration’s program to provide free community college for Massachusetts residents aged 25 and older. The administration will also be making an announcement about its efforts to support community colleges with implementing this transformative program.

Who: Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, Senate President Karen Spilka, Department of Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega, President James Vander Hooven and other community college presidents, elected officials, MassReconnect students
What: MassReconnect Launch
When: Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 11:00 am
Where: MassBay Community College, Wellesley Hills Campus, 50 Oakland Street Wellesley Hills, MA 02481. Take first driveway on the left and an officer will direct you to media parking lot.
Press: Open

Únete a la Consejo Corazón de Nueva Inglaterra, Boy Scouts of America, mientras reconocen con orgullo a dos líderes comunitarios excepcionales y estimados miembros de la Junta de la Cámara:

Barbara A. Mahoney
Presidente y CEO, Leominster Credit Union

Dr. Richard S. Lapidus
Presidente, Fitchburg State University

Se les presentará el merecido Premio Ciudadano Distinguido.

Fecha: Jueves, 28 de septiembre
Hora: 5:30 pm Recepción, 6:30 pm Cena
Ubicación: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA

Asegura tus boletos o explora las oportunidades de patrocinio: https://commerce.hnebsa.org/event/dcad2023/

Mount Wachusett Community College has received a Career Readiness and Educational Access Grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts. This grant will enable MWCC to expand its Child Watch drop-in program for student-parents to use while they are on campus attending classes, meeting with advisors, participating in study groups, or otherwise working toward their degrees.

The Child Watch program was launched in April 2022 with support from the federally funded Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) project and the federal work-study program. The Child Watch program provides children with enrichment, play, and socialization with peers and the opportunity to see their parents pursue academics, creating a family value tied to academic growth and perseverance.

“By providing childcare for student parents, MWCC will help to increase educational access and equity for parents and create a pathway for parents to earn their degree and obtain gainful employment to support their families,” stated MWCC President James Vander Hooven.

“In its first year, over 50 students utilized the child watch, but this only scratches the surface of the current need,” notes Ann Reynolds, CCAMPIS Advisor at MWCC. “This program has helped our parenting students to stay in school. Childcare is an overlooked basic need for many student parents.”

For many student-parents, access to childcare can mean the difference between earning their degree or dropping out. With many of our parenting students attending part-time or in the evenings, the lack of evening childcare leads parents to take fewer classes and increases their time to graduation. Additionally, parents with unreliable childcare options may miss significant numbers of classes, leading to a decrease in their academic performance and possible loss of financial aid.

In addition to the expanded child watch program, MWCC has a number of programs for parenting students including the Parent Support Group, Family Resource Center, and Lactation Room and hosts the MOC Child Care and Head Start Services at the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education. More information on these programs is available at mwcc.edu/student-parents.

Grants given to eight agencies to tackle rising youth mental and behavioral health issues stemming from COVID-19 pandemic

United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) recently awarded $90,000 in grants to 8 local agencies to pilot youth mental and behavioral health initiatives. The grants are part of a new area of work for UWNCM that seeks to address challenges faced by young people arising from increased isolation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following agencies received grants: Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg/Leominster, Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg, Girl Scouts of Central & Western Mass, LUK Crisis Center, Inc., Montachusett Community Branch YMCA, Mount Wachusett Community Foundation, Pathways for Change, Inc., and Spanish American Center, Inc.

Grants will support a variety of programs serving diverse populations from different perspectives, from providing free behavioral health services for uninsured marginalized youth, to enabling girls to discover art and nature as tools for mental well-being, and using dance movement therapy to support youth who identify as Latino, Black, and Indigenous.

UWNCM first identified a need for increased youth mental and behavioral health services after hosting a community roundtable on the topic in December 2022. Participants, including representatives from local agencies and the health field, noted that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many young people have become isolated and unprepared for healthy social relationships.

The grant program is a new initiative for UWNCM that seeks to begin identifying the most effective ways of delivering services to young people who are struggling with mental and behavioral health. Grants will run through June 30, 2024, and results will be used to create targeted programs going forward.

Pathways for Change, Inc., based in Worcester, received a grant to pilot Males Advocating Change (MAC), a program that will engage middle school, high school and college-aged men to address male violence, particularly sexual and dating violence against women.

Kim Dawkins, CEO/President of Pathways for Change, says, “We are grateful to UWNCM for our recent Youth Mental/Behavioral Health grant. The role of MAC is to raise awareness of the myths about masculinity and play a part in building and expanding young males’ understanding of healthy, non-violent masculinity. These funds will provide critical resources needed to continue our work to engage young males and train them to be leaders in our effort to end sexual violence in North Central Massachusetts.”

Judy Tomlinson, Director of Community Impact at UWNCM, adds, “Youth mental and behavioral health problems are reaching crisis levels in our region. With our new grant program, UWNCM is dipping our toes in the water of a larger issue and learning as we go. We are excited to support a wide variety of initiatives that will use creative methods to support our youth.”

United Way de North Central Massachusetts presta servicios a las comunidades de Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Devens, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Leominster, Littleton, Pepperell, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster y Winchendon.