Overview
Massasoit Community College (MCC) is authorized by Section 5 of Chapter 15A of the Massachusetts General Laws and operates under the direction of a board of trustees, the members of which are appointed by the Governor. The board is responsible for operating under the regulations promulgated by the Commonwealth’s Board of Higher Education; this includes setting policies, approving budgets, monitoring quarterly performance, and participating in the approval of internal audits. The president of MCC is the administrative head of the college and reports to the board of trustees. The president is supported by the provost / vice president of academic and student affairs; the vice president of administration / chief financial officer; the vice president of human resources; the vice president of corporate and community education; the chief advancement officer; the chief of staff / associate vice president of strategy, planning, and innovation; the vice provost for student affairs / dean of students; the vice provost of academic affairs; and the executive director of communications, public relations, and marketing.
MCC is a member of the Massachusetts public higher-education system, which consists of 15 community colleges, nine state universities, and five University of Massachusetts campuses. MCC is an accredited public two-year institution and the largest of the 15 Massachusetts public community colleges, with three locations (Brockton, Canton, and Middleborough) in Plymouth and Norfolk Counties. Students come to MCC from more than 130 cities and towns.
As of fall 2018, MCC had 6,995 students enrolled for credit courses and 2,637 students enrolled for non-credit (community education or workforce development) courses. As of fall 2019, MCC had 6,637 students enrolled for credit courses and 2,529 students enrolled for non-credit courses. The college currently has 115 full-time faculty members, 423 part-time faculty members, 269 full-time staff members, and 229 part-time staff members.
According to its website,
Massasoit Community College is a dynamic, diverse learning community that supports all students in their education, leading to a career, transfer to four-year institutions, and the pursuit of lifelong learning. Faculty and staff are committed to student success and strive to offer accessible and innovative programs with comprehensive support services to prepare students for membership in a global society.
MCC received appropriations from the Commonwealth in the amounts of $21,174,138 and $21,887,604 for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, respectively.
MassTransfer Program
The Commonwealth’s public institutions of higher education have partnered with the Department of Higher Education (DHE) to develop the MassTransfer Program, which includes the MassTransfer Block, the A2B Degree Program, and the Commonwealth Commitment Program. The A2B Degree Program and the Commonwealth Commitment Program have course pathways for different degrees.
DHE’s “MassTransfer Policy Guidelines” describe the MassTransfer Program as follows:
MassTransfer seeks to provide a broad population of students with straightforward and understandable options toward the completion of associate and baccalaureate degrees, clearing the way for student access and student success in Massachusetts’ public higher education system.
MassTransfer has two main purposes:
- to provide community college students who complete approved associate degrees under MassTransfer with the benefits of the full transfer and applicability of credit, guaranteed admission, and a tuition waiver (each benefit based on the student’s final grade point average) to linked baccalaureate programs; and
- to provide any student in the Massachusetts public higher education system the intermediate goal of completing a portable transfer block (“MassTransfer Block”) which satisfies general education/distribution/core requirements across institutions (with the receiving institution able to add no more than six additional credits/two courses).
A2B Degree Program
Students who complete their associate’s degrees at one of the Commonwealth’s 15 community colleges, and transfer to a state university or UMass campus within one year of graduation from community college, receive guaranteed admission (space permitting in the major and college) and transfer of credits. In addition, they are not required to pay application fees or submit application essays and are eligible to receive tuition waivers.
Commonwealth Commitment Program
To provide students of the Commonwealth’s public higher-education institutions with additional financial incentives to complete their bachelor’s degrees in a timely manner, DHE, in partnership with those institutions, has implemented the Commonwealth Commitment Program. In this program, students commit to completing their associate’s degrees within two and a half years, transferring to a state university or UMass campus, and completing their bachelor’s degrees within two more years. They must also maintain full-time continuous enrollment and earn a cumulative 3.0 grade point average. In return, they receive a tuition freeze while enrolled and a 10% rebate of tuition and mandatory fees in addition to the benefits of the A2B Degree Program.
| Date published: | April 20, 2021 |
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