WESTFIELD – Dr.’s Elizabeth Preston and William Messner, presidents of Westfield State University and Holyoke Community College, are expecting to lay out plans at 10:30 this morning in HCC’s Frost Building for a new ‘low cost degree’ program, the Mass President’s Transfer Agreement, which would allow students to enroll for the Fall 2015 and receive degrees at both institution for $30,000.
Westfield State has already had a similar agreement in place with Springfield Technical Community College since the fall of 2014.
Governor Charlie Baker has made helping more students obtain a college degree a top priority for his first term, citing online and three-year degree programs, as well as expanded co-op initiatives, as potential vehicles for educating Baystaters better.
Preston believes that the need for a more educated population has been felt at the state and federal level
“The message has been made loud and clear: more college graduates are needed,” she said yesterday. “Regionally, we have worked collectively and with intent to develop degree programs like the $30K degree that will bolster support both programmatically and financially.”
Preston siad that the Mass President’s Transfer Agreement will benefit students in western Massachusetts who think a 4-year degree is out of reach or who face barriers that might prevent them from entering a full-time undergraduate program.
Westfield’s legislative delegation, composed of Rep. John Velis and Sen. Don Humason, Jr., is also expected to be in attendance for the announcement.
For Humason, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from then-Westfield State College in 1989, these programs come at an important time for Massachusetts. “There is no question that improving access and increasing affordability in public higher education is critical to the economy of the Commonwealth,” he said yesterday. “The programs Westfield State, HCC and STCC are collaborating on demonstrate the type of initiative and creativity that will get students to the finish line and provide a college-educated workforce that aligns with the needs of our employers.”
