MWCC President James Vander Hooven joined Governor Maura T. Healey today to launch MassReconnect, her administration\u2019s new program establishing free community college for Massachusetts residents aged 25 and older and awarded $100,000 to each of Massachusetts\u2019 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMassReconnect will be transformative for thousands of students, for our amazing community colleges, and for our economy,\u201d said Governor Healey. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur 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,\u201d said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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,\u201d said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). \u201cThese 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\u2014right 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMassReconnect 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,\u201d said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). \u201cI 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\u2019s FY24 budget.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunity colleges such as MWCC serve as a pathway to enhanced economic mobility for numerous individuals,\u201d Stephanie Williams, MWCC Chief Diversity Executive added. \u201cMassReconnect 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 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,\u201d said Secretary of Education Tutwiler. \u201cBut beyond our students, this program will also strengthen the Commonwealth\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith 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,\u201d said Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education Ortega. \u201cFor all the Massachusetts adults out there who had to put their education on hold or didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth\u2019s 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\u2014in 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.<\/p>\n