>>> HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENT CHRISTINA ROYAL HAS
BEEN CHOSEN AS FOR AN ASPEN NEW PRESIDENTS FELLOWSHIP, ONE OF
ONLY TWO COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS CHOSEN FROM
MASSACHUSETTS.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN RECENTLY WITH ROYAL, WHO SPOKE
ABOUT THE PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP AND HER VISION FOR HCC AND THE
STUDENTS SHE SERVES.
>> THE ASPEN INSTITUTE IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED
ORGANIZATION WHICH REALLY FOCUSES ON LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT AND THEY'VE DECIDED THAT WITH ALL OF THE SHIFTS
WITHIN HIGHER EDUCATION, AND THE NUMBER OF PRESIDENTS THAT ARE
RETIRING, THAT THERE'S A NEED TO REALLY INVEST IN NEW PRESIDENTS
AND SO THEY'VE CREATED AN INAUGURAL COHORT CALLED THE NEW
PRESIDENTS FELLOWSHIP AND I WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF 25 NEW
PRESIDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS.
>> FROM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, OUT OF A PRETTY BIG FIELD.
>> YEAH.
>> OVER 100 APPLICANTS FOR THE POSITION AND GRATEFUL TO BE
SELECTED AS ONE OF THOSE.
>> AND YOU'RE ONE OF JUST TWO THAT WERE SELECTED FOR
MASSACHUSETTS AS WELL CORRECT?
>> CORRECT.
>> SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE THINGS THAT YOU'LL BE
WORKING ON WITH THE OTHER PRESIDENTS AS YOU MOVE FORWARD.
>> SO WE'LL BE FOCUSING ON A LOT OF THE CORE CHALLENGES THAT
COMMUNITY COLLEGES FACE AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR MAIN
PRIORITY IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT NATIONAL TRENDS, IT'S FOCUSING
ON RETENTION, COMPLETION, AND ALSO CLOSING THE EQUITY GAP OR
THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
>> OKAY.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THERE'S SO MANY
EXCITING PROGRAMS, AND I THINK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING
LIKE A DIFFERENT VIEW OF WHAT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS NOW BECAUSE
OF THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS.
PHYSICALLY SO MUCH MORE FOR ATTRACTIVE FOR STUDENTS AND
FAMILIES WHO DON'T WANT THEIR KIDS TO BE SADDLED WITH THAT
DEBT.
I'M SURE YOU'RE SEEING THAT ON CAMPUS.
>> WE ARE AND I WOULD ALSO SAY WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT THE
VALUE OF A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN ANY REGION, BUT ALSO,
PARTICULARLY IN OUR REGION, THAT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST
AFFORDABILITY WHEN YOU THINK OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
WE ARE BOTH FOR AND OF THE COMMUNITY AND SO THAT REALLY
MEANS THAT WE HAVE PROGRAMS THAT SERVE THE YOUTH, WHETHER IT'S
OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS AND CAMP PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS, OUR
PARTNERSHIPS WITH EARLY EDUCATION.
ALSO THEN OUR WORK WITH THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND FOCUS ON EARLY
COLLEGE AND DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PROVIDING DEGREE OFFERINGS TO BE ABLE TO
MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR LOCAL EMPLOYERS BUT FOCUSING ON ADULT
LEARNERS WHO ARE LOOKING AT CAREER CHANGES.
>> WHICH IS VERY BIG RIGHT?
SO MANY PEOPLE GO TO COLLEGE, SO MANY YEARS AGO AND THEY SAY I
DON'T LIKE WHAT I'M DOING.
I WANT TO BECOME A NURSE.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE MAYBE STARTED COLLEGE AND DIDN'T FINISH SO
THEY WANT TO COME BACK AND MAKE THAT CHANGE.
OTHER PEOPLE HAVE STARTED IN A CAREER.
THEY WANT TO LOOK AT EXPLORING OTHER FIELDS.
SO THE ADULT LEARNER MARKET IS ALSO GROWING.
>> OKAY.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT OF THE SOME OF THE THINGS, THE CHANGES THAT
YOU'VE OVERSEEN SINCE YOU'VE TAKEN THE REINS.
>> IT'S BEEN A BUSY COUPLE OF YEARS.
WE STARTED OUT OPENING THE CULINARY ARTS CENTER, OUR
CULINARY ARTS INSTITUTE IN DOWNTOWN HOLYOKE AND THAT'S OUR
SECOND PRESENCE IN DOWNTOWN HOLYOKE.
WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO INVEST IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
AND ALSO, WE OPENED THE FIRST FLOOR OF OUR CENTER FOR LIFE
SCIENCES BUILDING AND THAT RENOVATION AND ALSO OUR CAMPUS
CENTER GRAND OPENING AND BE ABLE TO RE-PURPOSE AND RENOVATE THE
SPACE THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR CAMPUS CENTER WHICH IS THE HUB
FOR STUDENTS.
WE LAUNCHED OUR LATINX STUDIES PROGRAM SO THERE'S AN ASSOCIATE
DEGREE OPTION FOCUSING ON LATIN STUDIES, WHICH IS A PERFECT AREA
OF STUDY FOR OUR REGION, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT
50% OF HOLYOKE, THE CITY OF HOLYOKE, IS LATINX.
>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT YOU'LL BE
WORKING ON WITH THE OTHER PRESIDENTS, WHAT ARE SOME OF
YOUR TOP PRIORITIES OR AREAS THAT YOU MIGHT NEED A LITTLE
ADVICE ON?
>> SO ONE OF THE CORE AREAS IS LOOKING AT EQUITY.
AND I LIKE TO THINK OF EQUITY AS SUCCESS FOR ALL.
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT EVERY STUDENT, REGARDLESS OF THE
BACKGROUND THAT THEY COME WITH, ARE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT
COLLEGE.
AND WE KNOW THAT THERE IS WHAT WE CALL AN ACHIEVEMENT GAP WHICH
MEANS THAT OUR WHITE STUDENTS ARE SUCCEEDING AT A HIGHER RATE
THAN OUR STUDENTS OF COLOR AND SO THERE'S A REALLY CONCERTED
EFFORT TO LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN REDUCE AND ELIMINATE THAT
GAP.
THAT GAP EXISTS BECAUSE OF A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR
UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCE AND THERE CERTAINLY
IS A HIGH CORRELATION TO SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND SO
BEING ABLE TO REALLY LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THE
FULL LEARNER AND REALLY EDUCATE THEM AND SET THEM UP NOT ONLY
WITHIN THE CLASSROOM, BUT OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM, AS
WELL.
>> HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THE DUAL-LANGUAGE PROGRAMS AND THE
EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP THAT
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?
>> THE DUAL ENROLLMENT AND EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAMS ARE VERY
EFFECTIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
HOLYOKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THERE IS A HIGH REPRESENTATION
OF MINORITY STUDENTS IN THAT DISTRICT.
AND SO BEING ABLE TO START OFF BY GIVING THEM THE MENTORSHIP,
GUIDANCE, WRAP-AROUND SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THEIR
ACADEMIC PURSUITS IN GETTING A COLLEGE DEGREE OR STARTING
TOWARDS A COLLEGE DEGREE WHILE THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL IS VERY
POWERFUL IN BRIDGING THAT CHASM THAT EXISTS FROM THE TIME THEY
GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL TO WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT GOING TO
COLLEGE.
WE WANT THEY MEAN TO GET AN EARLY HEAD START IN LIFE BY
GETTING THEIR CREDENTIAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FROM THE TIME THEY
GRADUATE, BUT ALSO TRYING TO BRIDGE THE EXPANSION THAT
THEY'RE HAVING IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR WHEN THEY GO TO COLLEGE
BECAUSE IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR A LOT OF
STUDENTS.
THERE'S A LOT OF STRUCTURE IN A HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, AND
THEN THEY GET TO COLLEGE AND COLLEGE FEELS LIKE A VERY
DIFFERENT WORLD SO WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE
PREPARED, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY CAN HELP MAKE THAT
CULTURAL SHIFT, AND THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE RESOURCES THAT
ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM TO HELP SUPPORT THEM WHETHER IT'S
TUTORING OR ADVISING SUPPORT, EARLY PLANNING OF MAYBE THEM
THINKING ABOUT WANTING TO TRANSFER TO A FOUR-YEAR
INSTITUTION.
SO WE REALLY LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SERVICES AND
SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED AND THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF WHAT WE OFFER.
>> AND WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT KIDS WHO DO WANT TO TRANSFER TO
A FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION, THERE ARE SO MANY PARTNERSHIPS THAT
THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES HAVE, INCLUDING HCC.
HOW DO YOU HELP THAT STUDENT WHO WANTS TO BE AN ACCOUNTANT MAKE
THAT TRANSITION TO A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE?
>> HAVING THEM COME IN AND REALLY THINK ABOUT ALL THE
POSSIBILITIES FOR THEIR LIFE AND PART OF WHAT WE DO IS HELP THEM
TO DREAM BIGGER, IS TO REALLY THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE POTENTIAL
THAT THEY HAVE IN THEMSELVES, HOW THEIR SKILL SETS CAN
TRANSLATE TO HAVING SUCCESS IN VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND THEN
HELPING THEM NAVIGATE THAT PATH.