Day: January 3, 2025

Horace Smith Fund Announces Scholarship, Fellowship Funds Available

By
Daily News

WESTFIELD — The Horace Smith Fund has scholarship and fellowship money available for graduates of Hampden County public and private high schools.

Graduating high-school seniors and students already in college may apply for scholarships of up to $12,000. Those in their final year of college and previous college graduates pursuing advanced degrees may apply for fellowships of $15,000. Applicants must maintain at least a B average in college and be enrolled as full-time students.

Awards are made based on both academic achievement and merit. Of great importance is a personal written account of why the student feels deserving of financial assistance and their goals in pursuing higher education.

Last year, $297,000 was awarded to 24 individuals. Scholarships were given to 16 graduating seniors from 13 Hampden County high schools. Five scholarships were also awarded to current college students to assist them in completing their undergraduate degrees. Three fellowships were given to college graduates pursuing advanced degrees, who had graduated from Hampden County high schools.

Completed applications must be received either electronically or by mail to the Horace Smith Fund, 16 Union Ave., Suite 2K, Westfield, MA 01085 no later than March 15. Applications are available at local high-school guidance offices, college financial-aid offices, online at www.horacesmithfund.org, or by calling (413) 739-4222.

VOC/GEAR UP Program Boasts 300 College Acceptances, $3.6 Million in Scholarships

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The VOC/GEAR UP program, which serves students in Holyoke at the STEM Academy, William J. Dean Technical High School, and Holyoke High North School, recently hosted two Massachusetts College Application Celebration (MCAC) events for local seniors, resulting in more than 300 college acceptances and more than $3.6 million in scholarships for one year.

More than 160 high-school seniors from Holyoke participated in the MCAC events at Dean Tech on Nov. 21 and Holyoke High North on Nov. 25 and 26. The events offered students the opportunity to engage directly with college representatives, workforce-development programs, and career-focused organizations.

During the events, seniors were able to receive personalized assistance with applying to colleges, completing the Common App, finalizing college essays, and navigating the scholarship and financial-aid processes. Additionally, students had the opportunity to create résumés, undergo interviews, and receive on-the-spot college acceptances, including merit scholarship offers.

The VOC/GEAR UP program announced that this year’s events saw the highest level of participation and success since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 164 seniors from Holyoke participating, 447 applications completed, 312 on-the-spot acceptances, and $3,634,281 offered in scholarships for one year.

“We are thrilled with the success of this year’s MCAC events and the positive impact they had on our seniors as they prepare for their next steps after high school,” a VOC/GEAR UP program representative said. “We are grateful for the support of the principals at Dean Tech and Holyoke High, as well as the dedicated school counselors who worked tirelessly to help organize and prepare our students for this important milestone.”

The VOC/GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness for Undergraduate Programs) program aims to increase college readiness and success for low-income, first-generation students. Through a variety of initiatives, VOC/GEAR UP provides academic support, career exploration, and guidance to help students navigate the path to higher education and beyond.

MountainOne Participates in Williamstown Elementary’s Words Are Wonderful Program

By
Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — Last month, volunteers from MountainOne attended Williamstown Elementary School’s Words Are Wonderful celebration, a week-long effort dedicated to fostering a love for reading, writing, and creative expression. MountainOne’s team presented their storybook, “How to Climb a Mountain,” and graced students with a special guest appearance from Mo the MountainOne Spokesgoat.

Utilizing the school’s ‘buddy reading’ format, 65 sixth-grade students read the storybook to a pre-K, kindergarten, or first-grade student. As the reading session concluded, MountainOne volunteer Ethan Coe tied the story’s themes into real-world lessons on financial literacy.

“We were thrilled to take part in this year’s Words Are Wonderful celebration,” Coe said. “Events like this are exactly why we created ‘How to Climb a Mountain’ — to inspire young readers and to promote financial education. It’s rewarding to see how well the story is received by students of all ages.”

After the reading and discussion, students were invited to meet Mo up close, sharing high hooves and hugs and getting their books signed by Mo. Each student also received an activity packet that included fun financial-literacy exercises and tips on how, with their parents’ or guardians’ help, they can start saving, too.

Itsy Bitsy Franchise Continues to Expand at Holyoke Community College

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Itsy Bitsy franchise continues to expand at Holyoke Community College. For the second year in a row, students in Professor Sheryl Civjan’s “Psychology of Women” class have taken up the college’s Itsy Bitsy theme for a campus-based community service project.

In the fall of 2023, Civjan’s students created the Itsy Bitsy Closet, transforming a storage room next to the college’s Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center into a family-friendly resource room full of donated books, clothes, and other children’s items, all free to HCC student-parents.

This past fall semester, they put together five Itsy Bitsy Stations — containers of children’s books, games, small toys, art supplies, and other items — that student-parents can access to occupy their kids when visiting certain campus offices, including Financial Aid, Admissions, Advising, English as a Second Language, and the HCC Library.

“Some college offices can be difficult to go to for appointments when you have kids. These boxes will give kids something to do while they’re parents are waiting,” said Civjan said, noting that the idea came from staff at Itsy Bitsy Child Watch.

“Students have shared that they are sometimes self-conscious when they are bringing their kids into campus offices,” said Emily Webber, director of Itsy Bitsy Child Watch, a free drop-in service for HCC student-parents. “This is an effort to make the campus feel more inclusive to student-parents and families. Having little play stations helps people feel more welcome. I talked to Sheryl about that, and her students took the idea and ran with it.”

The idea for using Itsy Bitsy as the title for early childhood programs at HCC started in 2020 when, during the pandemic, HCC educators created a series of video interviews for early-education students and professionals (the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast). The theme grew into a title for a new suite of early-education classrooms modeled after preschool and kindergarten facilities (the Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab). The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opened in 2022, followed in 2023 by the Itsy Bitsy Closet and in 2024 by the Itsy Bitsy Stations.

Civjan’s students put together three containers for the HCC Library, each targeting a different age group.

“We found that students who have children don’t always have a safe, comfortable place where they can sit and feel like they’re not intruding on another person’s space,” said Rebecca Hardy, administrative assistant for the HCC Library. “So we wanted to make sure that the students who do have children feel welcome and that their children have things to do to keep them quietly engaged.”

Student Olivia Jolley, whose team prepared boxes for the Admissions Office, noted that the project ties in directly to the themes of the class, and although she does not have children herself, some of her classmates do. “One had a baby a couple of weeks ago, and she’s a single parent,” Jolley said.

Webber said she appreciates the hard work Civjan’s students put into their projects. “I think it’s an ongoing partnership. I don’t know what will come next, but they do amazing things. The Itsy Bitsy Closet has been a great success. Students come by every day. Hopefully this will have a similar impact.”

Six Flags New England Provides Experiences for Guests, Employees

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Peter Carmichael says Six Flags is more than an major employer
Features

The Ride Stuff

Peter Carmichael says Six Flags is more than an major employer

Peter Carmichael says Six Flags is more than an major employer — it’s a source of all-important first jobs as well as leadership opportunities for young people.

While the park’s gates are officially closed this time of year, this is actually considered busy season at Six Flags New England.

It’s just a different kind of busy, said Peter Carmichael, president of the amusement park in Agawam, adding that this is the season for getting the various rides and attractions ready for the official busy season, which starts in early April, around school-break time, and kicks into a higher gear on Memorial Day.

“Every year, we inspect and refresh the entire park,” he explained. “This is when we do all of our annual maintenance and checkups on all our rides and attractions to make sure they’re ready to go in the spring.”

And this offseason, during which the venue formerly known Riverside Park will mark 25 years as part of the Six Flags brand, things are even busier than what would be considered usual, with the park now in the final stages of work on its first new roller coaster in nearly a decade.

It’s called Quantum Accelerator, billed as ‘New England’s first straddle coaster,’ whereby, as that name suggests, riders sit on top of the seat, rather than inside, providing a different sensation and increased thrill, Carmichael said.

The ride, which features two launches and speeds up to 45 mph, will officially launch in late spring, he said, adding that, after his engineers, he expects to take one of the first rides on the new attraction.

In addition to the new coaster, the park is undertaking what Carmichael calls the largest investment in food services in the park’s history — a renovation of the Riverboat Café in the center of the park that will provide everything from additional capacity to new menu items.

“We have dozens, probably hundreds, of leadership opportunities, between teen leads and supervisors and coordinators that are asked to step up, lead our teams, and enhance the guest experience. It’s a great development opportunity for the individual.”

Overall, he said his work comes down to continuing traditions — not just rides, amusements, food, and adding new roller coasters, but also providing first jobs to hundreds of young people each year — the park employs roughly 3,000 seasonal workers each year — as well as leadership opportunities for younger people, experience in fields ranging from accounting to healthcare to culinary arts, and chances to advance within this industry, as he did, as we’ll see.

“What we’re really most proud of is that we tend to be, for many, their first real leadership opportunity,” he said. “We have dozens, probably hundreds, of leadership opportunities, between teen leads and supervisors and coordinators that are asked to step up, lead our teams, and enhance the guest experience. It’s a great development opportunity for the individual.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked with Carmichael, a self-described “rides guy,” about the offseason, the 2025 season to come, the new coaster, and what it all means to one of the region’s hospitality-sector institutions.

 

Speed Thrills

Carmichael told BusinessWest that he’s always been fascinated by amusement parks and the theme-park world, and it has played a huge part in his life, starting when he met his future wife while they were both operating a roller coaster called the Jack Rabbit at his hometown’s amusement park in Pennsylvania.

When he was a student at Penn State working toward a degree in commercial tourism, he sent dozens of letters to amusement and theme parks seeking internships. The park that had just been rebranded Six Flags New England was among the few that called back. Carmichael came north, and his internship, as such opportunities very often do, became a career.

An architect’s rendering of the Quantum Accelerator

An architect’s rendering of the Quantum Accelerator, now in the final construction phases at Six Flags.

“I’d always known, my whole life, that I wanted to work in the theme-park industry,” he said, adding that he got his start as opening supervisor for the Superman: Ride of Steel roller coaster, opened in 2000, which he joked was the most difficult assignment he’s had in his career.

There have been several since he first arrived in Agawam, mostly on the operations side. He eventually earned the title director of Operations in 2008, and stayed in that job for several years before leaving to become park president of Six Flags St. Louis in 2016.

He stayed in that post for two years before getting an opportunity to “come home,” as he put it, and become president of Six Flags New England.

Since taking the helm, he has led the park through the challenging COVID period and its aftermath, and now the latest course of expansion, especially a new roller coaster, giving the park 12 in its portfolio, including the wooden Thunderbolt, opened in 1941 and now one of the oldest rides within the Six Flags family of parks.

Carmichael described it as much more than a blast from the past.

“We proudly reinvest in the Thunderbolt every year — it’s one of the best rides in the region and a point of pride for us,” he explained. “There’s a certain crew and a certain amount of hard work that goes into making sure that you have a good, smooth, fun, and enjoyable ride experience on a wooden coaster, and our team of carpenters treats that like their baby.”

“We proudly reinvest in the Thunderbolt every year — it’s one of the best rides in the region and a point of pride for us.”

As for the new Quantum Accelerator coaster, it is being constructed in an area of the park known as Crack Axle Canyon, on the site of the former Goliath coaster.

A significant investment — Carmichael was not at liberty to get into specifics — the new coaster gives the park its first entry into the emerging straddle-coaster bracket, its first new coaster since the Joker opened in the Gotham City section of the park in 2017, and its 12th coaster overall.

Others include the Wicked Cyclone, originally the wooden Cyclone, which was reconstructed and retracked with steel in 2015; Pandemonium, opened in 2005; Batman: the Dark Knight, unveiled in 2002; Flashback, Catwoman’s Whip, and Superman, all opened in 2000; and Riddler’s Revenge, formerly the Mind Eraser, which dates back to 1997.

Carmichael said the Quantum Accelerator, which has been in the planning stages for several years now, is a good complement to the other coasters and rides in the park, and is seen as a family attraction. And, just as with the premieres of other coasters on that list above, the introduction of the Quantum Accelerator is expected to pique the interest of roller-coaster enthusiasts, generate new visitation, and create some strong word-of-mouth enthusiasm.

“Roller coasters are really one of the cornerstones of our investment strategy,” he explained. “That’s because they can be anchor rides; they are the type of rides that are repeater rides, ones that our guests will be wowed by, they’ll be amused by, they’ll tell all their friends and family, ‘you’ve got to come ride this.’ And there was no better example of that than when we opened the Superman ride in 2000.”

 

Bottom Line

While the park supplies experiences and lasting memories for guests, it provides the same for its employees, said Carmichael, noting that most of them are young, many of them are in their first job, and many others are certainly in their first position of leadership. In each case, work at Six Flags is a learning experience, and one they’ll remember, he noted.

“Because I’ve been at the park so long, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bumped into former supervisors, team leaders, and team members on the midway, and they always seem to have a similar narrative,” he told BusinessWest. “They say, ‘oh my gosh, that was the best time, we had so much fun back in those days.’ I’m really proud to continue the legacy of leadership development that we’ve been able to provide over the last quarter-century.”

That’s just one of the traditions that will continue in 2025 at a regional attraction that has always had the ride stuff.

 

St. Germain Marks a Century of Evolution

By
Banking and Financial Services

Investing in the Future

 

To put 100 years in perspective, Tim Suffish considered his own time at St. Germain Investment Management.

“It’s crazy to think I’ve been with St. Germain now 20-plus years, so 100 is a lot in our industry. That predates Fidelity Investments and big firms like that. But 20 years here … time flies,” said Suffish, senior vice president and head of equities at the firm.

But St. Germain has seen plenty of evolution, not only since it opened in 1924, but in the two decades Suffish has been on board.

“If you go back 50 years, firms like St. Germain tended to be brokers, and it was very transactional,” he told BusinessWest. “And portfolios were very different back then. St. Germain initially had a focus on bank and insurance stocks, seeing that we were just up the road from Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world. That transitioned to being investment managers, managing diversified portfolios for clients, blue-chip stocks based in the U.S., and that was the way we operated through the ’90s.

Tim Suffish

Tim Suffish

“If someone comes in to us at 60 years old and they’ve got a handful of years left until they’re retiring, it’s going to be a different conversation.”

“But then, starting around the turn of the century in 2000, we in the industry have moved more toward being wealth managers,” Suffish explained. “We call it total financial planning — your retirement assets or your brokerage assets or saving for some big event down the road, like your children’s college tuition or saving for a second home, or whatever it is. We get more involved in all aspects of that, both the planning that goes in beforehand, setting expectations for what the returns might be, and the timing to get to that goal.”

In putting the company’s longevity in historical perspective, St. Germain’s website notes it has survived 17 U.S. presidents, six U.S. wars, a global pandemic, and much more … “and yet, we’ve stuck to one maxim across those years: do what’s in the best interest for our clients.”

“We have advisors that are salaried employees. We don’t sell commissioned products,” Suffish explained. “Our advisors can go into the typical client meeting and give what we think is the right advice, and there’s no conflicts of interest where this thing over here is going to pay me more if I put them in it, versus something else. That’s something that differentiates us a little bit from some of the competition out there.”

 

Goals at Any Age

Suffish and the team at St. Germain — including President Mike Matty, who has served in that role for the past quarter-century — have stressed that financial planning and financial management are a process, whether an investor is 25 or 75.

For a new client, the first meeting starts with an exchange of information, as the client learns about the firm’s overall approach and generally conservative philosophy, and the team learns about the client’s financial life: assets, liabilities, income, and expenses.

All that is the starting point for developing a strategy, which considers how assets are managed and allocated, beneficiary designations and how they fit within an estate plan, and more. Once in place, the plan isn’t static, but is reviewed and adjusted as needed, as the markets, the economy, and the client’s own life circumstances change.

“On an annual basis, you’ll come in, and we’ll review the plan and assess whether we are on track to meet your goals,” Suffish said. “And the goals can be five, 10, 15, 20 years away. So at the start, let’s set a plan, let’s set an asset allocation, let’s figure out some stocks or ETFs [exchange-traded funds] or mutual funds that are going to be the right tools to get us to that goal. And then, on an annual basis, let’s review the plan, review the assets, review how things are doing, and see if we’re still on track to be where we want to be in 20 years.”

Mike Matty has been president of St. Germain for the past quarter-century.

Mike Matty has been president of St. Germain for the past quarter-century.

While clients of all ages and stages of life partner with St. Germain, Suffish noted, “we’re in the business of wealth management, and when you look at demographics in the U.S., the wealth tends to be in the 50-plus-year-olds, not the 20-year-olds, so our client base mirrors that. But everybody has different goals when they come to us.”

For example, a young person just starting out at work, opening up an IRA, might want to be very aggressive because he or she can tolerate the volatility that goes along with that strategy.

“But if someone comes in to us at 60 years old and they’ve got a handful of years left until they’re retiring, it’s going to be a different conversation,” Suffish said. “It’s about replacing the income that they’re getting from their current job and their current salary and building a portfolio around that — building it around income and conservative growth.”

In any case, risk tolerance is important to assess up front, he added, and it does tend to diminish as time goes on, and the client gets ever closer to needing investments, rather than salary, to pay the bills. That’s even more critical at a time when Americans are living longer than ever before, and someone may need to fund 30 post-retirement years, or more.

“If you’re retiring at a traditional, 65-year-old retirement age and we’re doing the planning out to age 95, we do have conversations with our clients about longevity and family history and your personal history and your health — that’s all part of it. But just to be conservative, planning out to age 90 or 95 is something that we all need to do.”

 

Expanding Footprint

Again, Suffish said, 100 years is something to be celebrated, and even the firm’s growth in just his 20 years there has been impressive. In those two decades, St. Germain has grown from around seven employees to 50, now operating out of four offices — in Springfield, Northampton, Lee, and Plymouth — along with a satellite office in Mississippi and plans to open another office in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, assets under management have grown from around $600 million 20 years ago to more than $3 billion today.

That’s a lot of investments supporting a lot of goals and plans, and Matty, Suffish, and the rest of the team don’t take the responsibility lightly.

“We’ve been around a long time,” Suffish said, “and it’s because we try to do things right for our clients all the time. It does make a difference.”

Berkshire Bank, Brookline Bank to Form Combined Company

By
Banking and Financial Services

Merger of Equals

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Berkshire Bank, and Brookline Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Brookline Bank, Bank Rhode Island, and PCSB Bank, recently announced they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Brookline will merge with and into Berkshire in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion, or $12.68 per share of Brookline common stock, based on the $30.20 closing price of Berkshire common stock on Dec. 13, 2024.

In conjunction with the planned merger, Berkshire also entered into subscription agreements with investors to raise capital to support the merger. In aggregate, $100 million of Berkshire common stock were issued at $29 per share. The proceeds of the capital raise are expected to support the pro forma bank’s balance sheet and regulatory capital ratios.

Nitin Mhatre, president and CEO of Berkshire Bank, said the merger announcement “marks a transformational milestone in the history of two storied institutions with a strong commitment to serving their clients and communities. The combined organization will be in an even stronger position to deliver exceptional client experience and create greater value for shareholders.”

“Scale and efficiency combined with our shared culture of true community banking is a powerful driver of value for all of our stakeholders.”

Paul Perrault, chairman and CEO of Brookline Bank, noted that “this transaction presents an opportunity to bring together two historic franchises in the Northeast market. By bringing together two complementary cultures and geographic footprints with shared values and client focus, we will be better-positioned to serve our customers, employees, communities and shareholders.”

Berkshire Bank Chairperson David Brunelle added that “this highly compelling combination is a true merger of equals that will create a pre-eminent Northeast financial institution. Scale and efficiency combined with our shared culture of true community banking is a powerful driver of value for all of our stakeholders.”

The creation of a $24 billion franchise with 148 branch offices positions the combined company to benefit from significant economies of scale and capitalize on meaningful growth opportunities through business diversification and improved competitive positioning. Together, the companies will have the scale to enhance investments in clients, employees, and markets, and increase lending capacity.

The combined company promise to preserve and build on the cultures of both Berkshire and Brookline, which include core values centered on respect, teamwork, accountability, and client focus, the press announcement noted, adding that the combined bank will maintain its strong ties with its communities and be better-positioned to elevate its impact through its community banking business model.

The combined company’s board of directors will consist of eight directors from Berkshire and eight directors from Brookline. Brunelle will serve as chairperson of the board of the combined company and the combined bank. Perrault will serve as president and CEO.

The combined bank will be divided into six regions, each led by an experienced local leader who will be responsible for the overall business performance in their market. Three will be from Berkshire and three will be from Brookline. This model will allow the combined company to achieve the efficiencies of operating one bank while maintaining a regional banking structure that enables local market leaders to make autonomous decisions with the support and balance sheet of a larger institution.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the second half of 2025, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and approvals from Berkshire and Brookline shareholders.

Behavioral Health Trust Fund Issues $12.4 Million for Internships

By
Healthcare News

Strengthening the Pipeline

 

 

The Healey-Driscoll administration recently issued $12.4 million through the Behavioral Health Trust Fund to 37 colleges and universities to financially support behavioral-health students completing unpaid internships and field placements.

These grants are for undergraduate and graduate-level students pursuing careers treating mental-health or substance-use disorders, and are part of the state’s efforts to grow a culturally and linguistically diverse behavioral-health workforce in Massachusetts.

“Massachusetts needs more qualified behavioral-health professionals, and our administration is committed to supporting students eager to do this work,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “By investing in students looking to treat those experiencing mental-health and substance-use challenges, we’re investing in the long-term health and wellness of communities across Massachusetts.”

Many behavioral-health degree and certificate programs require workplace-based internships, apprenticeships, or practicum credit hours as a condition for program completion. Required field placements play a central role in helping students prepare to serve as behavioral-health practitioners, but these experiences are often unpaid and often require students to sacrifice paid work. To support students pursing these careers, the funding is going to colleges with behavioral-health degrees that require field placements, with a focus on institutions in geographic areas that are priorities for advancing health equity.

“By lifting financial barriers for students pursuing behavioral-health degrees, we are encouraging a more diverse student body to enter this field, which helps us create a more diverse workforce to meet the needs of residents from various backgrounds.”

“By lifting financial barriers for students pursuing behavioral-health degrees, we are encouraging a more diverse student body to enter this field, which helps us create a more diverse workforce to meet the needs of residents from various backgrounds,” Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said. “We’re proud to launch a program that helps those looking to help others.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh added that “a good internship or field placement can teach a person much-needed skills and help them gain experiences that last long into that individual’s career. I am grateful this funding gives us the chance to support people financially, which not only helps build a more diverse workforce, but also ensures people reach the right behavioral-health services when and where they need it. Building a stronger workforce that does not have to worry about financial limitations means we can help every person and community throughout Massachusetts get the care they need and in a way that truly makes a difference.”

The behavioral-health internship funds are being issued to campuses as grants to be distributed to qualifying students over a two-year period and can be applied to internships being completed in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years. Students at the awarded institutions who may be eligible for the funding should speak with their program advisor and financial-aid office.

“Internships help behavioral-health graduates prepare to serve community members on day one, and these funds will lessen the financial burden of completing these essential learning experiences,” Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega said. “The more we make entering the behavioral-health workforce possible, the more we can create a pipeline of talented professionals prepared to serve residents across the Commonwealth.”

 

Statewide Impact

The Behavioral Health Trust Fund was established by the state with American Rescue Plan Act funds and is managed by the secretary of Health and Human Services. Funds are used for addressing barriers to the delivery of an equitable, culturally competent, affordable, and clinically appropriate continuum of behavioral healthcare and services.

Of the 37 colleges and universities receiving funds, 10 are located in Western Mass.: American International College ($310,000), Bay Path University ($695,000), Cambridge College ($460,000), Elms College ($165,000), Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts ($50,000), Smith College ($260,000), Springfield College ($1,045,000), UMass Amherst ($50,000), Western New England University ($180,000), and Westfield State University ($400,000).

“The experiences and knowledge gained outside of a classroom during an internship can be truly invaluable for individuals aspiring to work in the behavioral-health space,” said state Sen. John Velis, Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. “Yet I routinely hear from students about the very real financial challenges they face while completing an unpaid internship, which oftentimes keeps students from participating in an internship altogether.”

Added Lydia Conley, president and CEO of the Assoc. for Behavioral Healthcare, “as the behavioral-health workforce crisis continues and the need for care throughout the Commonwealth grows, programs such as this one are essential in building a cadre of emerging professionals to provide high-quality, community-based care where it is needed the most.”

Meanwhile, Linda Thompson, president of Westfield State University and chair of the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, called the funding “a strong example of government, education, and the behavioral-health sector partnering to serve a critical need in our communities. Our state universities are eager to assist in filling the gaps that lead to better outcomes for individuals experiencing mental-health challenges, and are committed to working with the governor’s office, health agencies, and legislators to develop a knowledgeable, experienced workforce to ensure everyone who requires mental-health assistance receives the support they need.”