The head of Springfield Technical Community College says he will be stepping down next summer.
Nearly a decade after becoming the college's sixth president, Dr. John Cook says he will be departing the role in 2026. No reason for the departure was given.
Since 2016, Cook has overseen STCC and its 650 faculty and staff – all supporting 6,200 students enrolled for the 2025 fall semester.
Speaking with WAMC earlier this year, with more students enrolling after the state made community college free, STCC has been up for the task.
“We've not had to turn anything off, turn anyone away, shut the doors or say ‘We need a little bit more time here’ - that's not the way we've done things at STCC,” he said back in February. “I think that's part of our ethic as an open-access college that has two real names - we wanted to meet that opportunity. And we're a work in progress, no doubt, but we've done pretty well so far.”
A native of Oneonta, New York, Cook has previously served as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Manchester Community College in New Hampshire.
