Contact information: 413/775-1207
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Contact: Kathy Maisto
Phone: 413/775-1207
E-mail: maisto@gcc.mass.edu

Media contact: Liz Carroll
Marketing & Publications
413/775-1420 | carroll@gcc.mass.edu

Release date: April 22, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GCC and MCLA collaborate to offer 4-year degree

In an agreement signed today by Greenfield Community College President Robert L. Pura and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts President Mary K. Grant, students at Greenfield Community College will be able to earn a baccalaureate degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in English and psychology, plus teacher licensure in elementary education, from MCLA, a public four-year college in North Adams. "This means that students can continue to pursue their academic goals without leaving the GCC campus,” says GCC's President Pura. "Not only does this provide for increased access, but those involved have created a program at the highest level of academic excellence.”

"This is a wonderful collaboration that truly benefits the students looking to transition from an associate's to a bachelor's program in these essential programs,” says MCLA President Dr. Mary K. Grant. "As public institutions, a key part of our mission is to ensure students have access to quality higher education opportunities, and this collaboration contributes to us meeting that goal.”

The academic collaboration will begin in Fall 2005 when MCLA will bring two evening courses to the GCC campus. An English and psychology class are being planned for the fall that will meet two requirements towards this degree program. The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies degree at MCLA is an approved program meeting the Massachusetts Department of Education requirements for elementary education licensure. MCLA will guarantee transfer credit from GCC's Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts/Education. Added benefits to this agreement will be on-site advising by MCLA staff, courses offered through MCLA on GCC's campus, and assistance with admission and financial aid processing.

Graduates of this program will be in strong demand in the teaching market, according to Ellen Barber, Chair of the Education Department at MCLA. "The students enrolled in this program will receive a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies and teacher licensure in elementary education. They will also have the option of completing additional coursework towards a bachelor of science in education. The result is a broader background that will provide a content-based approach, which is what the ‘No Child Left Behind' legislation is looking for,” says Dr. Barber.

The collaboration was prompted by students' need to pursue higher education closer to home and work, says GCC's Larry Dean, Title III Coordinator and, formerly, Transfer Coordinator. "We continue to hear our students say, ‘I wish I could get a bachelor's degree at GCC,' because of the convenience of coming here,” says Dean.

"Most of our students are working part-time if not full-time,” agrees Kate Finnegan, Coordinator of the Education Department at GCC. "So in order for them to advance in their educational journey, they need a very responsive program that's close by and allows them to take courses part-time. The MCLA campus in North Adams is wonderful, but it's a substantial commute over the mountain, as is the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst. It adds an incredible amount of time and challenge to getting a degree when you have to add the commute in.”

The program is also a boon to students who do not plan a career in teaching. Any students wishing to pursue their bachelor's degree at MCLA may enroll in the program and start their bachelor's degree work at GCC. "If someone chooses not to pursue the teacher licensure portion of the program, they have that option,” says Denise Richardello, Vice President of Enrollment and External Relations at MCLA. "Students have the option to pursue the courses in interdisciplinary studies in English and psychology at GCC and then come to MCLA in North Adams to fulfill remaining requirements.”

GCC and MCLA are ideal partners, says Richardello. "We're similar institutions in terms of our size and our emphasis on strong student services. We're both very student-focused, and the faculty are very interested in providing for students.”

Greenfield Community College has enjoyed a long-standing transfer relationship with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. "Part of the reason we are so thrilled to be working with MCLA,” confirms Finnegan, "is that every student who's gone to MCLA has reported back favorably. They like its size and the strong advising component.

"Collaborations like this are the future,” continues Finnegan, "and we are thrilled to have GCC act on its vision and be so well met by MCLA in our efforts to create something that we have long wanted to do, which is to offer the bachelor's degree here at GCC.”

For more information, please contact Kathy Maisto, GCC Transfer Coordinator, at (413) 775-1207 or maisto@gcc.mass.edu.