A ceremony for Holyoke Community's College's fifth president came nearly a year after the board of trustees selected him.
Family members, students and dignitaries packed the Leslie Phillips Theater to celebrate Dr. George Timmons.
"I'll be honest, sometimes I pinch myself,” Timmons said while on the stage. “The tremendous responsibility of this role, of leading this institution, is not lost on me."
Timmons was picked to lead HCC in April of last year. Before that, he served as provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia Greene Community College in Hudson, New York.
He was also a dean for the School of Liberal Arts at Excelsior College in Albany, among other roles in higher ed.
For nearly a year, he's helmed HCC following the retirement of Christina Royal, leading the school of nearly 6,700 students, including 2,100 considered to be full-time equivalent.
A hub for many in the region seeking certifications or an associate's degree in the arts or in science, state leaders like Massachusetts Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler praised the work Timmons is already doing.
He pointed specifically to how the school has welcomed a number of students taking advantage of MassReconnect — a scholarship program covering full tuition and fees for residents 25 and older seeking an associate's degree.
"I know that President Timmons is also focused on helping students overcome their barriers to success, including housing and food instability,” he said. “And under his watch, the college has already grown enrollment, while successfully implementing MassReconnect and other growth-focused initiatives."
In an interview with WAMC beforehand, Timmons said HCC has seen "double-digit enrollment growth" over the last two semesters, following the launch of MassReconnect and other programs last year.
He also spoke at length about the support services offered at the college, which was founded in 1946 as Holyoke Junior College - specializing in offering education to those who were already working elsewhere full-time.
"We offer a hope to our students, we offer a pathway to a better life,” Timmons said. “We offer support in the many services that we provide - we recognize as a community college, where it was so much more than about just going to courses, that we have what we call wraparound services that are also so critical to our students being successful."
Also speaking with WAMC was Assistant Commissioner for Academic Effectiveness with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Dr. Robert Awkward.
Awkward was among those who reviewed Timmons’s candidacy in 2023 and said even over Zoom, it was apparent he was a great fit.
“His command came across without him being commanding, his humanity, his warmth, his care for students was unquestioned – it was clear that was his first and foremost. So again, as I said, I thought, ‘Wow…wow.’”
Student Alicia Beaton, who placed the ceremonial medallion on Timmons during the inauguration, says the same effect has carried over into his work on campus.
“He is amazing - he's very for the students, very out there for everyone, really. I love seeing him walk around campus, talk to the students, faculty, staff,” Beaton told WAMC. “He's come to some of the student senate meetings and it's just a pleasure to have him around. He's doing a fantastic job.”
A first-generation college graduate with ties to the Springfield and Hartford region, Timmons says he embraces the values of HCC, including its commitments to innovation and inclusion.
During his speech Friday, he invoked the college’s first president, George Frost, describing him as a figure known to approach individuals and encourage them to pursue a college degree.
“Allow me to be the next George - to approach you directly with a call to join me in this important work of increasing access and advancing student success,” Timmons said.
