Holyoke Community College Explained

Holyoke Community College
Image Upright:.7
Motto:[1]
Established:September 9, 1946
July 1, 1964[2]
Endowment:$13.4 million[3]
President:George Timmons
Students:3,550[4] (fall 2022)
Academic Staff:128 full-time faculty
332 adjunct[5] [6]
Country:United States
Coor:42.1945°N -72.6502°W
Colors:Green & Black
Nickname:HCC
Website:www.hcc.edu

Holyoke Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It offers associate degrees and certificate programs, as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges. It was the first community college established in Massachusetts, as it was founded by the city's school board in 1946, while others were subsequently chartered under state jurisdiction after 1960.[7]

HCC is located on a 135acres campus and has satellite locations throughout the Pioneer Valley, including the HCC-MGM Culinary Arts Institute, the only culinary arts program at a Massachusetts college accredited by the American Culinary Federation.[8] [9]

The college participates in the Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership (CDEP) and allows high school applicants to opt for full or part-time coursework to receive both high school and transferable college credit.[10] Enrolled students may also complete certain coursework at Mount Holyoke and Smith College, as both share faculty with the community college.[11] Holyoke Community College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

History

Holyoke Community College's history is unique in that it was not only the first established community college in the state, but was initially managed municipally by the local school board. With funding provided by the GI Bill following World War II, the opportunity was granted to states to provide supplementary education in addition to coursework given through high school. In order to expedite the establishment of this coursework, the Massachusetts General Court passed an emergency act on June 13, 1946, to allow school committees to vote for post-graduate instruction.[12] Following a period of evaluation, the Holyoke School Board voted in favor of establishing the Holyoke Graduate School on September 9, 1946, having admitted 67 students for its founding class.[13] On April 1, 1947, this name was changed to the Holyoke Junior College after a state act was passed allowing municipalities to operate higher educational institutions under this title.[2] [14]

On July 1, 1964, with approval from the state department of education, the school board relinquished control and the college was given its current name, Holyoke Community College.[2] [15] On January 4, 1968, the Holyoke Community College building burned to the ground. Classes continued in various locations across Holyoke. A temporary campus was opened in June 1971 and the current campus opened on February 19, 1974.

In its nearly 75 year history the college has had only four presidents, as of, with founding director Dr. George E. Frost serving until 1975, at which time alumnus and former Speaker of the Massachusetts House Dr. David M. Bartley succeeded him. With Bartley's retirement in 2004, William F. Messner became the third, and with his 2016 retirement the current president, Dr. Christina Royal, became the fourth and the first woman to serve the office.[16]

In October 2019, the college announced it would launch the state's first Cannabis Education Center in partnership with the Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN). The program provides certificate training for patient advocates, budtenders, extraction and laboratory roles, as well as offerings within its culinary program.[17]

Foundation

Following a devastating fire that destroyed the then-refurbished college building (the former Alderman Holyoke High School), the yellow bricks from the former facility were sold off to raise funds for an independent charitable corporation, created by Mayor William S. Taupier. This charity, known as the Friends of Holyoke Community College, was initially founded for the purpose of conducting fundraising to construct new facilities.[18] The idea of rebuilding such a school in Holyoke was left in doubt by the state but after hundreds of letters and phone calls from residents to Governor Volpe, funding was granted for an entirely new campus in the Homestead Avenue neighborhood.[19] The Friends of Holyoke Community College would be renamed the Holyoke Community College Foundation in 1985,[20] a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which fundraises to supplement state appropriations to the college through benefactor scholarships, educational grants, and the annually-awarded Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence.[21] As of 2018, the foundation presided over the largest endowment of any community college foundation in the Commonwealth.[3]

Campus

Buildings on Campus!Abbr.!Building!Year !Uses
BCDavid M. Bartley Centerfor Athletics & Recreation2000Athletics
CCCampus Center1981Admissions, Advising, College Store, Dining Services,Student Engagement
DONDonahue 1974Computer Lab, Library
FPAFine & Performing Arts 1975Leslie Philips Theater, Mac Lab
FRFrost1974Administration, Financial Aid, IT Helpdesk, Student Accounts,Student Records
KCKittredge Center for Business& Workforce Development2006
MRBMarieb1974Health and Life Sciences

Locations

In addition to the main campus on in the Homestead Avenue area of Holyoke, the community college also maintains a number of satellite campuses, generally associated with specific programs, including:[22]

Notable alumni

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Motto from college's seal shown on title page of- Long-Range Plan, Phase I, 1992–1997. ERIC ED 368425. Holyoke Community College.
  2. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20180501160737/http://www.library-tools.org/hcc/archives/exhibits/show/one-community-holyoke/founding-years-of-hcc. May 1, 2018. The Founding Years of HCC. Holyoke Community College. HCC Archives & Special Collections. May 1, 2018.
  3. Holyoke Community College Foundation Annual Report 2017-2018. June 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190619233915/https://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Alumni-Friends/Annual_Report_2018_m.pdf. 2018. 24. With total assets of more than $20 million, including investments of $13.4 million, HCC has the largest endowment of any community college foundation in Massachusetts. The HCC Foundation, like its antecedent, The Friends of Holyoke Community College, exists solely to support students and the mission and programs of HCC..
  4. Web site: College Navigator - Holyoke Community College . en . 2024-07-24 . .
  5. Web site: Fast Facts About HCC. Holyoke Community College. 2017-03-25.
  6. News: Massachusetts state employee salary database 2018. Schoenberg. Shira. January 12, 2018. MassLive. Springfield, Mass..
  7. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20170919141619/https://www.schools.com/community-colleges/top-community-colleges-in-massachusetts. September 19, 2017. Best Community Colleges In Massachusetts. Schools.com. QuinStreet, Inc.. HCC also took the No. 1 spot for its percentage of students who graduated with certificates or associate degrees, and its average net price was the second-most affordable out of all the schools in our survey...Holyoke Community College has to its name a distinction that no other institution in Massachusetts can claim: When it was founded in 1946, it was the only community college that existed in the Commonwealth..
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20180501155942/http://www.holyoke.org/news/grand-opening-of-culinary-arts-institute/ Grand Opening of Culinary Arts Institute
  9. Web site: Accredited Postsecondary Programs. American Culinary Federation. 2017. May 3, 2018.
  10. Web site: High School/Dual Enrollment. Holyoke Community College. 2017-04-29.
  11. The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges . Wyner . Joshua . Deane . KC . Community College Research Center (CCRC), Teachers College, Columbia University . Jenkins . Davis . Fink . John . May 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170611110551/https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/transfer-playbook-essential-practices.pdf . June 11, 2017 . dead . 2016.
  12. An Act providing temporarily for a course of school instruction beyond the regular high school course of instruction for the benefit of veterans and others. 532. June 13, 1946. 541-542. May 1, 2018. Massachusetts General Court, Acts of 1946.
  13. News: Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass.. September 10, 1946. 8. Graduate School Receives Go-Ahead in Board Meeting; Enrolment [sic] of 67 Considered Sufficient to Start Program – Superintendent to Get Teachers.
  14. An Act authorizing cities and towns which provide an extended course of instruction on junior college level for veterans and others to use the designation "Junior College" in connection therewith. 1782. 1947 . May 1, 2018.
  15. News: Building Rite At College Tuesday at 9. 32. Known as Holyoke Junior College when it was controlled by the local school board, the college was taken over by state officials when the area community college was approved for this city. Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass.. December 2, 1964.
  16. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20190502052532/https://www.hcc.edu/library/archives-and-special-collections/hcc-records. May 2, 2019. Holyoke Community College Records. Holyoke Community College.
  17. News: https://web.archive.org/web/20191025120838/https://www.gazettenet.com/CannabisEdCenter-hg-102319-29567794. Holyoke Community College to offer cannabis industry training programs. Voghel. Jacquelyn. Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton, Mass.. October 24, 2019. 2019-10-25.
  18. News: Mayor Forms Corporation to Aid Community College. Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass.. January 27, 1968. 6.
  19. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20171028040352/https://www.hcc.edu/library/archives-and-special-collections. Archives and Special Collections. October 28, 2017. Holyoke Community College. HCC's newly renovated campus burned to the ground on a bitterly cold day in January of 1968. It was the resourcefulness and innovative spirit of the college and community that enabled students to resume their studies in temporary facilities within a matter of days. Later, flooding the governor's office with hundreds of letters and phone calls, the community and college joined forces to insist that the school be rebuilt in Holyoke.. 2017.
  20. Query for "Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc.", Massachusetts Corporation Card File Database, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  21. Web site: The HCC Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20171028040231/https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-hcc-foundation. October 28, 2017. Holyoke Community College. 2017.
  22. Web site: Other Locations. Holyoke Community College. https://web.archive.org/web/20190502052151/https://www.hcc.edu/about/visit-hcc/other-locations. May 2, 2019.
  23. Web site: Anna Maria College. https://web.archive.org/web/20180503223941/https://www.annamaria.edu/faculty-profiles/liberal-arts-sciences-profiles/286-faculty-profile-craig-blais. May 3, 2018. Faculty Profile: Craig Blais.
  24. Book: Public Officers of the Massachusetts General Court 1980–81. August 20, 2016.
  25. News: Brown . Garry . From MLB to TV interviews, Holyoke’s Fran Healy remains pride of the Paper City . 13 February 2024 . . 28 October 2019 . en.
  26. News: 'A tremendous impact’: Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge gave time, expertise as well as money to Holyoke Community College. July 25, 2019. Kinney. Jim.
  27. Web site: HON. LUIS DANIEL MUÑIZ CORTES. https://web.archive.org/web/20180512045421/https://www.senado.pr.gov/Pages/Senators/HON--LUIS-DANIEL-MUNIZ-CORTES.aspx. May 12, 2018. Desde muy joven demostró su liderato siendo el presidente de su clase de cuarto año en la escuela superior Efraín Sánchez Hidalgo. Estudió en Holyoke Community College en Massachusetts. Posee un bachillerato en educación secundaria, en estudios sociales e historia, y una maestría en Administración y en Supervisión Escolar de University of Phoenix.. May 3, 2018. Senado de Puerto Rico. es.
  28. Web site: Henry P. Monaghan. May 4, 2022.
  29. Neal, Richard E. "Biography." Congressman Richard Neal (official website). United States House of Representatives.
  30. Web site: Patricia 'Pat' A. O'Donnell's Biography. Project Vote Smart . November 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20160324231726/https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/25873/patricia-odonnell#.Wuua59OUvOQ. March 24, 2016.
  31. News: Bennett. Sarah. High Art. 7 October 2014. OC Weekly. November 7, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20151003184655/http://www.ocweekly.com/2013-11-07/culture/glassblowing-art-long-beach/full/. October 3, 2015.
  32. News: Cooper. Dan. Artist Joe Peters finds talent, challenge in glass. 7 October 2014. Mass Live. January 11, 2012.
  33. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20170731091041/http://www.reptoddsmola.org/About-Todd.html. July 31, 2017. About Todd. Representative Todd Smola. May 3, 2018.
  34. Web site: Aaron Vega. IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc..

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