Berkshire Community College President Ellen Kennedy says she intends to retire at the end of the academic year in spring 2026. The Pittsfield-based institution is the first community college established in Massachusetts, and along with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, it is one of only two public colleges in the westernmost region of the commonwealth. It offers associate degrees and certificate programs to its roughly 2,000 students. Kennedy, who began at BCC in 2012, says she timed her departure ahead of the development of a new strategic plan and preparations for a 2029 self-study required by the New England Commission of Higher Education, the body that offers BCC accreditation. She spoke with WAMC.
KENNEDY: Well, this is also a very interesting time in the world, maybe, but particularly right now, focused on higher education as a lot of things are changing, both with the Department of Education at the national level, as well as our opportunity to offer free community college, which has changed so much about the community colleges in Massachusetts and how many students, the programs we're offering, and the ways that we're offering them, so I think it's an ideal time for someone to come in and be able to navigate the campus through, I hope, not too much troubling waters, but it will be an interesting time to provide leadership, that's for sure.
WAMC: Referring to this crazy time we're in, obviously, to take away the politics of it all in a very nuts and bolts level, there's a lot of concerns about federal funding for higher education in Massachusetts. How much is that- Do you think it'll going to be a pall cast over whoever comes in next?
We were fortunate that some of the proposed changes that were going to affect higher ed, particularly around the Pell Grants, the way that many students who have need are able to fund their higher education, didn't come to pass because we had some strong supporters at the national level who helped to keep those changes from taking place- Those are the kinds of things that we'll all have to be working really hard to ensure that we keep talking about the roles that all of higher ed plays. We're focused right now on community colleges, but this impacts all of higher ed. So, I think we're all in this together to try to make sure we continue to both demonstrate but also explain how the impact of community colleges, of any higher education can open doors, can strengthen local economies, can strengthen our national economy.
Now, looking back over your tenure, can you talk to me a little bit about what you think are the best representative examples of what Ellen Kennedy brought to Berkshire Community College? The things that you're going to say, these were some things I'm going to look back and say, I'm happy I did that.
Oh gosh, Josh, I'm thrilled with the people who have decided to join the college and who have brought their best thinking and their good work to this place. I think the college, it's always evolving, and it's always been a gem in the Berkshires and all of higher education, in my opinion. We have strong teaching here, we have excellent wraparound services to support our students. We've been able to, we navigated, I think, with strength, the COVID epidemic and that the impact that had, and our faculty just embraced the opportunity to re-engage, or engage even more deeply into some of the different ways of providing higher education. So, I'm really pleased and proud of all the work that's gone into transforming the campus, I'm proud of all the work faculty and our staff put in to ensuring that every student has every shot at success, and that we're always recognizing we can improve, and we're willing to have those tough conversations with ourselves and to take feedback and to act on it.
Part of this is that you're talking about the role higher ed serves in Berkshire County- Give us the sort of the synopsis of that. If you had to explain to people why this is important, how would you best describe that after your time spent in this role?
I think the secret sauce of community college is its connection to its local community, and its ability to get in and speak with people to learn where things are headed and what the needs are of our local economy and on a social level, all the different ways in which a community flourishes, you often find community colleges at those various tables and in those meetings, and I think that that's- We've been a great example of that, and we've developed programs to meet immediate needs. Our medical coding program is growing incredibly fast, and that's a completely online program. We've doubled the size of our nursing program to meet the needs of Berkshire Health System and all of our long term and independent living, all of the ways – schools – all of the ways, it's so amazing where nursing fits in, and we continue to grow that program and strengthen the results of our students. We’re doing a mechatronics program. When there was a need for cannabis, we developed a cannabis certificate. We have a theater technology certificate. So, we just are constantly iterating to make sure that what this county needs, we're working really hard to provide. Our workforce team is doing excellent work. We're about to launch an HVAC program within the next year to meet that need. We're doing a lot of community health worker, phlebotomy, all kinds of certificate programs that lead to immediate employment. And there's a high need for all of our programs that we're offering in those areas. So, I think that's what I was referring to. It's that quick, nimble way that community colleges can meet the moment.
Let's turn to challenges. You led the college through the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which obviously, many leaders I've spoken to have identified as one of the great challenges of the past decade. What other things have you faced since 2012 at BCC that you've overcome?
I think we have mirrored the county for a long time in seeing a decline in our enrollment, and finding ways, as I said, to meet the moment, to identify ways that would attract students to either begin or continue their education. Oftentimes students start and life interferes, and they step away and then they don't have opportunities to come back. And I think that's why the free community college has been a real game changer in bringing back so many students, many of whom had some credit, but no degree, and they're coming back. Our valedictorian this past year was someone in that way, who had started, left, and returned to complete his degree and had such success, he's back to complete an engineering degree. So, I think from a challenge standpoint, a lot of our challenges have been resolved. I also would say the pandemic was a horrible experience, and many of our employees lost beloved family members. It was a really difficult time when you set aside the pain and the tragedy and the problems with that, it also was a real moment of coming together as a campus, of meeting the needs of our students and each other in really important ways, and it allowed us to do things in a matter of weeks and months that might have taken a decade to get to if it were not for the pandemic. So, it was also a huge moment of opportunity, and I think some of the things we put in place then have incredibly impacted the work that we're doing now.
And lastly, looking ahead with the remaining months of your tenure at BCC, what are you trying to get done and get in place before you depart at the end of the 2026 school year?
We're just getting into the second year of completely free community college with everyone and where – and as I said, we see an additional growth – so, just making sure that the college continues in this positive direction. We've been very fortunate. I don't know if it's Massachusetts, if it's Berkshire Community College, but our faculty searches have been very successful. We've brought in some wonderful new faculty who are joining a very talented team. So, we want to continue to help them integrate into the campus, I think, continuing to grow the programs that are needed by this county. We're working all the time on that and have things happening in that area. So, I'll be very busy, and I know the campus, in addition to all the work they're doing, will be really focused on thinking about, how do we see ourselves, and how do we portray ourselves to people who might be interested in the role of president at Berkshire Community College, and what do we want to share? What is our story and where are we headed? So, kind of supporting that that conversation happens on a campus-wide basis without me, so that they can speak honestly.
