On Monday, Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a roughly $58 billion budget for fiscal year 2025, almost a month after it was due. Included in the spending plan is a provision for commonwealth residents of any age without a bachelor’s degree to attend community college for free. The over $93 million MassEducate program is a successor to MassReconnect, which offered free community college to residents over the age of 25 without a degree. Along with the free tuition, MassEducate offers up to $1,200 in additional funding to students for educational supplies and resources. Ellen Kennedy is president of Pittsfield-based Berkshire Community College, one 15 of community colleges in Massachusetts. She tells WAMC that the new program is already building off the success of its predecessor.
KENNEDY: We're already enrolling students in this program, we already have people coming in for tours and to meet with our advisors. The word is out and it's official today. We're rolling it right out, and are excited to see the interest we're already seeing in this program. So, very excited about the impact this program will have on this fall's enrollment, and then, as we saw last year, we saw a nice bump in the fall last year. We were a week later with the budget, it was approved August 4th, and this year, yesterday. So next, we will probably see an even bigger bump in the spring, but we anticipate a big uptick this fall.
WAMC: Now, is BCC ready for that uptick? Do you think the college has the resources and the staff to take in all these new folks who are trying to get an education?
We have been planning for this in the hopes it would happen, so we have a lot of plans we will now throw into high gear. We have excellent faculty who are are there and ready, and yes, we're not worried that we won't be able to meet student demand immediately.
Now, for folks on the fence who maybe know that they have this access to community college but still don't know whether or not it's the right move for them, what is your selling point? Why should people take advantage of this program?
We're finding that students who participated in MassReconnect last year, and those were individuals 25 and older, some had never gone to college, some were bringing credits from us or from another institution here. And the support systems we provided and we provide helps make these students find find their way through to success. I think they were- We've seen so many people who weren't going to college at all. These weren't people who left other institutions, they weren't going at all, and they engaged with us, and they're interested in transferring to four year institutions or going directly into the workforce. So, the community college world is really set up and structured to support people who are dipping their toe back into higher education or jumping in for the first time, and we want to make sure that people have a positive experience, they have assistance when they're struggling a little bit, and they have excellent teaching with small classes.
Now, are you seeing any trends in this new group of people who are being attracted to BCC through this recently passed legislation?
So far, the a lot of the interest is in our nursing and pre-nursing programs and in business. Those are the ones that are seeing the highest amount of interest at the moment. We'll see what pans out now for the rest of between now and Labor Day. We'll also have some late start courses for students who have to make arrangements for a little while and aren't ready to start right after Labor Day. But that's what we're seeing so far.
Now, when you think ahead into other possibilities to expand or bolster higher public education in Massachusetts, what comes to mind? This certainly seems like a pretty big goal, legislatively, to open up community college to those who have not secured a bachelor's degree before for free. What would the next thing be on your dream wish list?
I think for- That's a great question, Josh. I think we would continue to want to ensure we have enough support to provide for all these students coming in- And you asked that question early on, and and we feel ready for that, but we feel that as the enrollment increases at all 15 community colleges, we have a wonderful program called SUCCESS, which would probably benefit by some additional resources to make sure every student has a coach or mentor to help them navigate this journey to success. So, it's great if we bring people in, it's urgent that we help them get through and into gainful employment, that they have a career ahead of them, that they can provide for family and have personal and professional fulfillment.
Is there anything about this new chapter for public higher ed in Massachusetts I've not thought to ask you that you want to make sure people understand?
I think this is a benefit to the four year institutions. There's a lot of attention right now on community colleges for this and thinking that they're the only ones who benefit. I think our four year public and private partners will see a huge uptick in transfer students. One of the things that has been really the joy of MassReconnect, and I'm sure it'll be similar with MassEducate, is how many people hadn't been going to school or didn't see college as a possibility who discovered just how smart they are and have decided they actually love learning in this environment and want to continue. So. we anticipate a number of people continuing their education and going on and transferring to four year institutions who wouldn't have gone to college at all. So, this is a game changer from that perspective, and I think the Massachusetts economy is so reliant on and desperate for a knowledge-based workforce, and that's the role that we will be leading in this effort.
