Middlesex Community College Lowell Campus

The session detailed the rules for participation, noting that chat would be disabled during the presentation. Key discussion points included reminders about open door days scheduled for November in Bedford and the postponement of the next critical conversation to December 2nd, which will feature an MCC Budget 101 presentation by the CFO. The main topic presented was an analysis of the 2025 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (SESSY). The analysis covered the survey's background, mechanics, and scoring, emphasizing that MCC's scores are benchmarked against 188 peer institutions. Specific findings were reviewed, highlighting the top 10 highest and lowest aspects of student engagement relative to peers, with Support for Learners scoring above average, while Active and Collaborative Learning and Student-to-Faculty Interaction scored notably lower.

This document presents a comprehensive master plan for Middlesex Community College, developed over a 15-month period, focusing on strategic campus planning and decarbonization initiatives for its Bedford and Lowell campuses. The plan emphasizes establishing distinct campus identities while maintaining a unified college approach, fostering innovation and hybrid learning, creating inclusive public spaces, strengthening community engagement, and promoting a healthy campus environment. Key strategies include optimizing existing facilities, decommissioning underutilized buildings, and repurposing spaces to enhance academic programs and student life. A central component is the decarbonization framework, targeting a 50% emissions reduction by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050 through energy conservation, electrification, and renewable energy sources. This roadmap guides incremental investments and changes to ensure efficiency, sustainability, and responsiveness to future needs.

The critical conversation included updates from PLC on important information, a review of executive orders, and Community College budget priorities for Massachusetts for the upcoming year. Key priorities include free community college, Mass Educate, Mass Reconnect, and short-term Workforce training. There was also discussion of the Bright Act, which provides an opportunity to allocate funds for higher education infrastructure needs. The college advancement team is conducting a feasibility study for health and life sciences initiatives. Corporate Education and Training updates were provided, including information on the mass Life Sciences Center and the workforce Capital Grant. The Adult Learning Center and links program continue to serve the community.

The meeting focused on enrollment trends and strategies. Discussions included national enrollment declines, the impact of COVID-19, and the college's efforts to stabilize enrollment through targeted outreach and new programs. Strategies for retaining students and adapting to changing student needs, such as micro-credentials and flexible learning models, were also discussed.

The critical conversation included presentations and discussions on several key areas: cyber security, environmental health and safety compliance, student code of conduct violations, and public and personal safety. The discussion on cyber security covered training, physical security, authorizations, and permissions. Environmental health and safety compliance updates included the announcement of additional health and safety officers, training programs, and a review of documentation structures. The student code of conduct segment highlighted the student assessment and intervention team, small incident reports, and threat assessment. Public and personal safety discussions involved security systems and personnel.