Page 15 - BusinessWest August 19, 2024

about 30 in all, included elected officials, business leaders, union representatives, administrators, financial-aid officers, faculty, and others.
“I’ll be honest — I’ve spent my entire life in higher education, but I never guessed this would be so complicated. People had all different perspectives on it, and that’s what these committees should be — we shouldn’t be all monolithic thinkers,” she said.
“Some people wanted to cap the total; other people wanted the students supported up to the total cost of attendance at a com- munity college, which can be $20,000 a year. Others thought it should only be for students in particular majors — high-demand fields. Some thought if they already had an associate degree, they shouldn’t get another. All voices were brought to the table, and we had great conversations.”
Cook said the college presidents, through the Massachusetts Assoc. of Community Colleges, had a strong voice in the process.
“It was a great lift last year to help launch MassReconnect, and now, the universalness of MassEducate will further add to that. And we’re excited,” he said. “I’ve said before that MassReconnect was a game changer. But MassEducate is historic.”
While many graduating high-school seniors will still prefer to attend a four-year college right from the outset, time will tell how many will pivot to a debt-free first two years before entering the workforce with an associ- ate degree or transferring to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“We have some very robust early-college pathways, and we work close- ly with a couple of different high schools to put credits in high-school stu- dents’ hands,” Cook added. “So it’s just natural to have them know there’s a no-cost avenue to continue on with STCC.”
The committee Schutt participated in discussed whether MassE- ducate should cover only tuition and fees, but the final bill that passed also included books and supplies for those who qualify based on family income.
“We talked a lot on the committee about the opportunity cost of educa- tion. Tuition and fees are not the only cost,” she explained. “Transporta-
“I’ve said before that MassReconnect was a game changer. But MassEducate is historic.”
JOHN COOK
tion, childcare, all the things that we face every single day, those don’t go away because you have free tuition. So that was the motivation behind helping with book costs.”
Schutt expects some prospective students will hear about MassEdu- cate too late this summer to meet the requirements for the fall semester, and as a result, she feels enrollment increases won’t happen all at once.
“Students found out about this two weeks ago, they haven’t started the FAFSA process, and it’s challenging to get enrolled for the fall because of the steps they have to take to be eligible to enroll in this program. My gut says we’ll see a much more significant uptick in the spring, and then, next fall, we’re going to see the full effect.”
Timmons agreed. “Given the cyclical chain of events, we’ll probably see a greater impact in the spring and in subsequent years. You’ll see a significant bump as people know about it and have time to apply to FAFSA and MASFA again.”
Cook, like Timmons and Schutt, is gratified with the outcome of the bill, and grateful for the legislators who supported it.
“We saw some real champions out this way, and we saw a willingness by the House and the Senate to negotiate to this point,” he told Business- West, adding that, because of the success of MassReconnect, “we really
FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR ALL!
No matter your age or income: community college is now free* in Massachusetts!
The MassEducate and MassReconnect programs allow eligible* Massachusetts residents who have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree to attend Holyoke Community College for free.
Scan the QR code to learn more!
hcc.edu/freecc
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