Quincy College board meeting notes: 24.03.07

A Quincy Votes! member attended this meeting. While care has been taken in their creation, these notes are not official meeting minutes and may contain errors or omissions.

On March 7, I attended a meeting of the Quincy College Board of Governors. The meeting was held in the College Conference Center, with some members attending by Zoom. 

The public can attend, but only by Zoom. The link is provided on the agenda for each meeting. The public can also submit comments to the board, per the agenda:

Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 7 of the By-Laws of the Quincy College Board of Governors, anyone wishing to address the Board of Governors during the Open Forum must notify the Board of his/her intention to do so in writing, by regular mail, electronic mail, or in hand to the Office of the President not less than 48 hours prior to the posted start time of the meeting. 

Quincy College presently has 13 members on its Board of Governors who are all appointed by the mayor. The board is only required to meet quarterly but there are various subcommittees that meet as well. There are two college campuses, one in Quincy and one in Plymouth that has expanded significantly. At least one governor must be from Plymouth. 

First, a few words about Quincy College. According to a 1949 article in the Patriot Ledger, a need was identified for affordable post-secondary education for graduating seniors from high schools on the South Shore. After much discussion over several years, the Quincy School Committee in 1956 was offering college-level evening classes. It was organized along the same lines as the only other two municipal junior colleges,Holyoke Junior College, and Newton Junior College. Interestingly, Holyoke Junior College subsequently became part of the Massachusetts Community College System and Newton closed its doors. It is believed that Quincy College is the only municipally controlled junior college in the entire country. At its inception, the college was regarded as an entity that would be self-supporting, with no burden on taxpayers. It has undergone periods of leadership challenges, accreditation issues and fiscal crisis. Now, all Quincy College employees, including those teaching and working in Plymouth, are City of Quincy employees who participate in the City employee health care system and the city retirement system. It is not a self-supporting entity.

On March 7, the meeting was quite long and comprehensive. It far exceeded the items listed on the agenda.

The governors approved an Associate Degree program for Fire Science Technology. A previous program sat dormant until now. It was unclear what the curriculum would be.

Various labor negotiations and contract issues are coming up. The president’s contract is up for renewal. A chief of staff position will be filled to provide continuity of leadership as there has been a void in the past when the president’s position has been vacant.

There was a fair amount of discussion of the Pathways to College Program. Quincy high school students can earn college credits by attending classes at the high schools taught by Quincy College faculty. This is very similar to programs offered by community colleges in the Commonwealth as well as private colleges and universities. However, in most programs, the high school students attend classes on the college campus in order to participate in college classes with college students. The Quincy College program is supported by the Quincy School Committee. There are academic counselors to assist the high schoolers with participation in the program. The program is now open to students in 9th through 12th grades.

The board also heard about the Quincy College Dual Enrollment Program, where instructors at the college will go to any participating high school and teach classes that will presumably assist the students in getting college credits. The college has formed partnerships with 18 different high schools, where they provide instruction onsite. 

It was announced that Quincy College recently became a member of the state MassTransfer program, potentially allowing a student who completes an AA degree to transfer those credits to a four-year public educational institution at Massachusetts state colleges or universities. It is also a member of PACE, the Partnership to Advance Collaboration and Efficiencies, along with Massachusetts’s nine universities and 15 community colleges.

The provost provided statistics on participation in the baccalaureate programs. The accreditation of the nursing program was also discussed. An overview of additional certificate programs was provided, including Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Substance Addiction Assistant, etc. 

College representatives pointed out that its service area includes 232 cities and towns in the commonwealth and that 80% of its employees live within that service area.

There was discussion regarding funding issues. Because Quincy College is not part of the commonwealth’s community college system, it and its students are not eligible for funding for a number of scholarships, programs, and services. For example, it was noted that students need emotional support and other services that are traditionally provided by public community colleges. There have been suggestions that the college consider incorporation into the state community college system. The Patriot Ledger reported on November 13, 2013, that Quincy College was seeking more independence from the City. Mayor Koch refused to consider complete separation and maintained that the College would remain as a city department. In 2021, the City Council passed a resolve asking that the Board of Governors consider joining the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, which lacks a South-Shore-based community college in its portfolio. This was met with resistance by Mayor Koch and others. Holyoke Community College successfully made that transition.

Quincy College has used CARES Act money from the federal government to pay for some of its programming over the last several years, but that will soon run out. Regulators have expressed concern that the college will not be able to fund the programs.

The college has decided to use the services of Eric Mason, Quincy’s Chief Financial Officer, to explore strategic financing. There were some concerns about compensating him, about his job description, and about dividing his work time for the college versus the city. Regulators have been concerned about the level of control by the city in the affairs of the college. Mr. Mason has already begun work and described his vision to the board.