{"id":13320,"date":"2020-06-30T10:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/?p=13320"},"modified":"2020-06-24T10:52:11","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T14:52:11","slug":"on-community-colleges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/on-community-colleges\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Columnist | “On Community Colleges” by The Honorable Stephen Brewer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

On Community Colleges
\nby The Honorable Stephen Brewer<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"\"

Stephen Brewer, State Senator Ret., Mount Wachusett Community College<\/p><\/div>\n

This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the most creative and compassionate qualities of our society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout her history, our nation has answered the call to face great challenges. I am confident that we can utilize our great creative and collective spirit to address the challenges before us now. While we do, I am also hopeful that as Lincoln said, we can \u201csummon the better angels of our nature\u201d in the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The best social program is having a job, and we all must obtain the skills necessary for a new economy that enables us to adapt as effectively and efficiently as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have always been impressed with the mission of community colleges. The high cost of education has forced many people, especially those students who are economically disenfranchised, to either incur debt that will compromise their future, or to forgo a college education and training altogether.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Community colleges are an accessible, valuable, and logical pathway to the job market, or continuing to a four-year degree. Compelling evidence shows us that Massachusetts community colleges offer high-quality educational opportunities that are affordable and won\u2019t leave you combing gray hair while you make your final student loan payment!<\/p>\n

When I retired from a long career in public service, I was thoughtful about what I wanted my \u2018second act\u2019 to include. After having helped procure funding for a $40 million science wing for Mount Wachusett Community College, I was inspired by the working happening for and by the residents of North Central Massachusetts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Working arm in arm with three Chambers of Commerce, Heywood Healthcare, dozens of private sector employees, as well as the municipal leaders of the communities in the region, the college operates in real-time to tailor its curriculum and training opportunities to each community\u2019s specific needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The three campuses of Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Leominster, and Devens provide a diverse balance to the needs of each geography. I have witnessed faculty, staff, and administrative teams ground their work in student-centered philosophy. We are all here for the students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has unwittingly brought to light this team\u2019s tireless work to push forth the college\u2019s mission in a safe, creative, and technologically accessible manner. It has been an enormous undertaking with an incredibly tight turnaround time.<\/p>\n

Everything from the 2020 Commencement Ceremony, the Food Insecurity Programs, the Civic Engagement Programs, Veterans Programs, and the over 120,000 hours of volunteerism in the region, make me proud to advocate on behalf of such an important beacon for the Commonwealth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It can not be understated how important it is that the institutions serving community college students respect the dignity and worth of those often neglected by our society. We must take action in our individual lives to reflect on how we can each be better, demand that the systems and structures of our society change to best serve the under-represented, and elevate the voices of the historically unheard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, Mount Wachusett Community College may not have the budget for expensive and glamorous marketing and communications campaigns. Despite this, I hope you\u2019ll take to heart my endorsement of this college. Mount Wachusett provides students with an opportunity- regardless of age, wealth, status, or background. I am so grateful to have found a purposeful encore to my time in public service and will continue to champion these opportunities to all who will listen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

What is a Guest\u00a0Columnist?<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
\n
\n

Being a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber provides members with many opportunities to gain valuable information and connections. We are always on the lookout for valuable content that would be on interest to our members and communities. In an effort to provide an avenue to more easily access the vast array of the knowledge and expertise that our members possess, we are now offering exclusive Guest Columnist articles for the benefit of our members. As a membership based organization, submissions will only be considered from members at the Business Choice level and above.<\/p>\n

This is a great opportunity to position your business as a thought leader and expert. Columns should not be self-promotional or sales oriented ,and should consist of content that would be useful to businesses, including tips, answers to important questions and any insights that would be helpful to fellow members. By participating, members have the chance to better inform, educate and aid in the development of other members and the North Central Massachusetts region.<\/p>\n

Please contact David Ginisi, Marketing and Communications Manager, if you are interested in participating: DGinisi@northcentralmass.com | 978.353.7600 x240<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the most creative and compassionate qualities of our society.\u00a0 Throughout her history, our nation has answered the call to face great challenges. I am confident that we can utilize our great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGuest Columnist | "On Community Colleges" by The Honorable Stephen Brewer » North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/on-community-colleges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guest Columnist | "On Community Colleges" by The Honorable Stephen Brewer » North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/on-community-colleges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ncmchamber\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-30T14:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"394\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"3mediaweb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ncmchamber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ncmchamber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3mediaweb\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"3mediaweb\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/68c63432035005c372b1d978cfefbdea\"},\"headline\":\"Guest Columnist | “On Community Colleges” by The Honorable Stephen Brewer\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-30T14:00:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":801,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Chamber News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guest Columnist | \\\"On Community Colleges\\\" by The Honorable Stephen Brewer » North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-30T14:00:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png\",\"width\":960,\"height\":394},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/on-community-colleges\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guest Columnist | “On Community Colleges” by The Honorable Stephen Brewer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/nccc-yoast-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/nccc-yoast-logo.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ncmchamber\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ncmchamber\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/groups\\\/North-Central-Massachusetts-Chamber-Commerce-8253188\\\/about\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/68c63432035005c372b1d978cfefbdea\",\"name\":\"3mediaweb\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"3mediaweb\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.northcentralmass.com\\\/es\\\/author\\\/3mediaweb\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Guest Columnist | \"On Community Colleges\" by The Honorable Stephen Brewer » North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce","description":"On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/on-community-colleges\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"Guest Columnist | \"On Community Colleges\" by The Honorable Stephen Brewer » North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce","og_description":"On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the","og_url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/on-community-colleges\/","og_site_name":"North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ncmchamber","article_published_time":"2020-06-30T14:00:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":394,"url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"3mediaweb","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ncmchamber","twitter_site":"@ncmchamber","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"3mediaweb","Est. reading time":"4 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/"},"author":{"name":"3mediaweb","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#\/schema\/person\/68c63432035005c372b1d978cfefbdea"},"headline":"Guest Columnist | “On Community Colleges” by The Honorable Stephen Brewer","datePublished":"2020-06-30T14:00:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/"},"wordCount":801,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png","articleSection":["Chamber News"],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/","name":"Guest Columnist | \"On Community Colleges\" by The Honorable Stephen Brewer » North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png","datePublished":"2020-06-30T14:00:17+00:00","description":"On Community Colleges by The Honorable Stephen Brewer This is a time in our history of enormous economic and cultural transformation that will summon the","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Guest-Columnist-Stephen-Brewer-banner.png","width":960,"height":394},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/on-community-colleges\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guest Columnist | “On Community Colleges” by The Honorable Stephen Brewer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/","name":"C\u00e1mara de Comercio del Norte Central de Massachusetts","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#organization","name":"C\u00e1mara de Comercio del Norte Central de Massachusetts","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/nccc-yoast-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/nccc-yoast-logo.jpg","width":1200,"height":600,"caption":"North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ncmchamber","https:\/\/x.com\/ncmchamber","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/North-Central-Massachusetts-Chamber-Commerce-8253188\/about"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/#\/schema\/person\/68c63432035005c372b1d978cfefbdea","name":"3mediosweb","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"3mediaweb"},"url":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/author\/3mediaweb\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}