Hello, GCC,

As promised in the last edition of From the Desk of the President, I wanted to share the legislative priorities that were discussed at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) National Community College Legislative Summit in Washington DC earlier this month. Our contingency, in which I was joined by Trustee Judith Roberts and Student Trustee Michael Hannigan, was fortunate to spend personal time with both Congressman McGovern and Senator Warren. While there was a general sentiment in Washington that very little will be passed this year, given the amount of tension between the two political parties, we continued to stress the needs of students and our institutions.

Not to be confused with our federal legislative priorities, Massachusetts Community Colleges (MACC) has put forth their legislative and budget priorities for the Commonwealth’s legislative session as well.

On February 12 I attended the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness legislative briefing here in Greenfield. I do not think you will be surprised to learn that homelessness is an increasing issue both regionally and nationally. We were presented with some very stark county-wide statistics as well as the legislative priorities around this pressing issue.

While February 13’s snow day was an unfortunate error in meteorology, I wanted to assure you that Pour Things Coffee, the traveling barista that was going to be on campus Tuesday has been rescheduled. They will now be here March 7, from 9-12 with all of your favorite coffees, teas and pastries.

Finally, as mentioned at a Welcome Bites session a few weeks ago, Shannon has set up monthly open office hours, if you would like to meet with me 1-1. The dates are as follows:

Tuesday, February 27

Monday, March 25

Wednesday, April 24

Wednesday, May 15

 and you are welcome to sign up here. 

SENSE Survey

In fall 2023, new students at GCC participated in the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE). A national survey for community colleges, the SENSE asks students about their impressions, behaviors, and experiences during their first few weeks at the institution. Understanding early engagement is important, as it can affect student success and retention.



Below is a preview of the SENSE results that will be rolled out to campus in the weeks ahead.

• 89% of new students agree or strongly agree with the statement, “The very first time I came to this college I felt welcome”
• 82% report that they never skipped a class during the first three weeks of the semester, 14% report skipping one class, and 4% indicated that they skipped two or more classes during that period.

At the All-College meeting on Monday, February 12, the Behavioral Intervention Team was able to share more about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the team's operations. The GCC BIT website was reviewed, as was the form to report a student concern.

After the BIT presentation, community colleagues made a presentation about the opioid epidemic and how to use Narcan. Chief Vanasse then shared more about GCC's plan to have Narcan available on campus. These presentations can be viewed here.

Mindful Mondays is a series designed for faculty and staff at GCC to focus on self care and building connections! They are sponsored by Human Resources and the Department of Community Engagement. This semester we will feature four workshops. They include:

Monday February 26, noon, C208- Mandala. Presented by Ronit BenShir

Monday, March 25, noon, C208- "Anda Dego" Presented by Abdou Sarr

Monday, April 22, noon, Dining Commons- Beyond The Brain: Soul Exhaustion and Soul Care Presented by Sara Gaer

Monday, May 20, noon-4 p.m.- The Human Library (in collaboration with the GCC Library Staff)

You will receive an email about this series AND can find more information (including registration) on the HR page. Registration is strongly encouraged.

Attention Hiring Managers and Supervisors

Are you hiring a full or part-time Temporary Employee, Work Study Student or Intern?

To ensure the College is compliant with Federal and State labor laws, bargaining unit agreements and workers’ compensation, individuals are not permitted to perform any work until an appointment letter or temporary contract is signed and all new hire paperwork has been submitted to Human Resources.

Please verify with HR the employee has completed the appropriate paperwork before any work begins. If you have any questions on the process or which paperwork is needed, please submit a ticket to HR HELP DESK

We would like to thank everyone for their patience during the HR process improvements.

Intergenerational Programming Opportunities

Contributed by Holly Fitzpatrick, Associate VP of Academic Strategy

The Department for Community Engagement invites you to participate in upcoming programs designed to build intergenerational bonds. In partnership with the Greenfield Public Library, we will be sponsoring our third intergenerational book club on Thursday, February 22 at 5 p.m. We are reading "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig. You can register here.

Additionally, we kicked off a series of intergenerational conversations on Valentines Day with a viewing of the film "The Great Disconnect." Starting February 28 we will host bi-weekly intergenerational conversations in East 103 from 3-4 p.m. This program is co-sponsored by Student Leadership and Engagement. Refreshments will be served. Contact Judy Raper at raperj@gcc.mass.edu with questions!

Program and Course Overview – Spring 2024

Contributed by Judy Raper, Associate Dean for Community Engagement

As of 2/15/2024 there are a total of 1476 students enrolled at GCC. This includes 164 Early Entrant/Dual enrollment students and 162 non-matriculated students. Students are enrolled in 48 different majors. The largest Associate in Arts program is Liberal Arts/General (200), the largest Associate in Science program is Nursing (67) and the largest certificate is Pre-Nursing (231). Seventy-eight of our current students have a concurrent major in addition to their first major with the Management certificate having the most students with twenty-seven.

Looking at sections and credits we currently have 291 credit-bearing sections with a total of 11,726 credits and 3,646 seats filled. The maximum seat counts for these courses is 5583 giving a fill rate of 65%. Not included in this number are the MAT 003 and several Human Development courses that are zero-credit.