Greenfield Community College has been awarded $56,938 from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to create a new Bridges to Success summer program to support adult students transitioning to college. GCC is excited to provide this unique opportunity to support adult students as they start their academic career. The free summer program will combine career exploration and college success skills workshops with credit bearing classes. Students who complete the Bridges to Success summer program will be better prepared to transition into a college degree or certificate program for the Fall 2019.

According the Department of Higher Education, seventeen percent of all Massachusetts residents aged 25–65 have some college credit but no degree. Most of these individuals are not currently enrolled in college. Many other adults aspire to jobs that require a college degree or certificate but are not yet ready for college-level work. Once enrolled or re-enrolled, adult students persist in their studies and earn credit at lower rates than younger students, most likely due to competing family and job related pressures. The Bridges to Success summer program seeks to address these issues and help adult students overcome obstacles through intense advising and customized resources. GCC will be partnering with the Center for New Americans, The International Language Institute, the Literacy Project, The Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and North Quabbin Regions, the Orange and Greenfield Probation Departments, and MassHire to focus efforts on recruiting adult learners.

The College is currently seeking a candidate who can work with our partner organizations, The Center for New Americans, The International Language Institute of Massachusetts, The Literacy Project, The Opioid Task Force, the Franklin Superior Court Probation Office, and the Probation Department of Orange District Courts, to help shape the transition program for adult students. The program coordinator will recruit and hold informational workshops over the Spring of 2019, and coordinate a summer program on campus in the Summer of 2019. For more details visit https://www.gcc.mass.edu/hr.

Dean of Humanities, Leo Hwang says, "The Bridges to Success program is an exciting way for us to build stronger connections with our partner organizations who are all working to help adult learners in our region. By all rowing in the same direction, we can create services that are customized to support adult learners' needs and help make the transition to college smoother and less intimidating."

For further information, please contact Leo Hwang at 413-775-1221, or

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