By Daniel M. Asquino | MWCC President
Mount Wachusett Community College has always been committed to providing an environment that presents students with every opportunity to succeed. As we begin the new academic year, you have likely noticed some examples of this commitment throughout the Gardner campus, at our satellite campuses and even in cyberspace.
Our priorities this year will continue to emphasize academic success, distance learning, civic engagement and service learning. In addition, we are continuing to actively pursue the possibility of establishing dorms at the Gardner campus and/or in downtown Gardner and remain quite interested in developing a “university college” concept here at MWCC, which would create greater transfer opportunities for students interested in continuing on for a bachelor’s degree. We are also working to create more international education opportunities for students to travel abroad and discover the world.
Over the summer, the college invested $1.35 million in improvements at the Gardner campus, including library renovations, a resurfaced track, new front and back patio surfaces and safety improvements to restore masonry on the building’s façade. Granted, some of the renovations may lack the “wow” factor, such as the new heating and ventilation system in the library, but they are essential maintenance projects that ensure safety and comfort.
Staying on top of facility needs becomes increasingly important as the college accommodates a growing number of students, not only on the Gardner campus, but at our satellite campuses as well. Overall, enrollment this fall is up approximately five percent over last year. In Leominster, enrollment has jumped by 20 percent, and the programs at the Devens and Burbank campuses continue to thrive and grow. Last year, the college reached its all-time high enrollment of 10,180 credit and non-credit students. We hope to continue that pace this year.
Nearly one quarter of our students now take at least one course online, and our college is among the top leaders of the state and community college system in providing online courses. We are going to continue to move in this direction by providing faculty with the resources they need to add even more courses online and enhance their on-campus courses with online components. In other technology improvements, we recently became one of the first colleges in the nation and the first in Massachusetts to offer a package of communication tools to students through the adoption of Google Apps. In addition to email using the MWCC domain, Google Apps also provides students with free access to other features, including shared calendars, spread sheets, instant messaging and word processing.
We want to create the perfect campus environment for our students. I am always interested in learning what else we can do to provide an optimal experience for you. If you have a suggestion, please do not hesitate to contact me at my office or by email at dasquino@mwcc.mass.edu. It is our goal to ensure that all MWCC students succeed in their academic programs. Faculty and staff understand the sacrifices many of you make to juggle course work, jobs and perhaps family duties. If you or someone you know needs academic support or are experiencing other difficulties, please let your academic advisor, a professor, or another…(Rest of statement lost)
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