Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) is a two-year, multi-campus community college in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Founded in 1961, MassBay currently serves more than 8,000 full-time and part-time students on its three campuses, in Wellesley, Ashland, and Framingham. MassBay offers more than 70 degree and certificate programs, aimed at helping students transfer to a four-year college or university or towards direct placement into a career.
Overview
Massachusetts Bay Community College was chartered in February 1961 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as one of the first community colleges in Massachusetts. MassBay opened with temporary campuses in Watertown and Boston, and at the time served just several hundred . In 1973, the College moved to its permanent location in Wellesley Hills, on the campus former Elizabeth Seton High School. In 1990, MassBay opened a second campus in Framingham, which currently houses its health sciences and human services programs. In 2001, MassBay opened its Automotive Technology Center in Ashland. The Colleges currently serves more than 8,000 students who take classes on one of the three campuses or online.
Notable Programs and Partnerships
- STEM Mentor Program: MassBay has partnered with scientists from Sanofi Genzyme, along with computer scientists from MathWorks, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and other regional science, technology, and engineering leaders to offer STEM students professional mentors. The program, which began in 2014, is aimed at increasing the number of women and people of color in the STEM fields. In the programs first two years, 43% of mentees were women and 48% were people of color. The mentors in the program also came from diverse backgrounds; 43% women, 39% people of color, and 25% first in their families to attend college.
- FSU@MassBay: MassBay partners with Framingham State University on a number of initiatives aimed at expanding college access. MassBay and FSU launched its FSU@MassBay program, which offers students the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree from FSU on MassBay's campus in liberal arts or business.The program offers students a low-cost bachelor's degree. Students who enroll full-time and complete their associate degree and bachelor's degree in four years would spend less than $28,000 for the total cost of their education.
- Metrowest College Planning Center: The Metrowest College Planning Center (CPC) is a regional joint college access initiative founded in December 2014 by Framingham State University and Mass Bay Community College through the Department of Higher Education’s Vision Project. The mission of the CPC is to provide outreach, training, mentoring and advising to connect with youth and non-traditional adult learners in the region to help guide them on a path towards higher education. The center's outreach efforts focus on underrepresented, low-income, first generation, students of color and their families.
- Wellesley Symphony Orchestra: Wellesley Symphony Orchestra is MassBay's Orchestra-in-Residence. The orchestra has rehearsed and performed on MassBay's Wellesley Hills campus for more than 30 years, offering free admission to MassBay faculty, staff, and students. By tradition, the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra performs at MassBay's Commencement Exercises each year on the College's Wellesley Hills Campus.
College Leadership
David Podell, Ph.D. is the current president of MassBay Community College. He assumed his position in July 2016, after serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Marymount Manhattan College. He previously served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the College of Staten Island, part of the City University of New York (CUNY). In addition, Dr. Podell has served on the faculty of the College of Staten Island, the CUNY Graduate Center, and Adelphi University. He graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in history. He earned his Ed.M. in Child Development from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from New York University. He also studied at the University of London through Empire State College, State University of New York, and at the Institute for Behavior Therapy in New York.
Past Presidents
John O'Donnell (2011-2015)
Carole M. Joseph Berotte (2005-2011)
Lindsay Norman (1999-2005)
Roger Van Winkle (1983-1999)
John F. McKenzie (1961-1983)
External links
- Official website
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter page
- Official YouTube channel
- MassBay debuting online degree programs MetroWest Daily News, January 2013
- MassBay college focusing on IT job training MetroWest Daily News, December 2012
- Editorial: A new college campus for MetroWest MetroWest Daily News, October 2012
- For public colleges, the best of times Boston Globe, October 2009
- MassBay wraps up $2 million in campus improvements Framingham TAB, September 2009
