Governor Patrick Unveils $2 Billion Higher Education Bond Bill, Includes $42 Million in MCC Projects
Governor Deval Patrick on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious 10-year, $2 billion Higher Education Bond Bill, making a dramatic capital investment in the state's public colleges and universities, including an historic investment in the future of MCC.
The Governor's legislation includes authorization for new building or renovation projects at every one of the Commonwealth's community and state colleges and at each of the University of Massachusetts' campuses. Specific projects in the bills were identified as the top capital improvement priorities by the Board of Higher Education, the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts, the respective campuses and the Commonwealth's capital facilities agency.
"This administration is committed to providing our students the highest quality public education possible so that they are prepared to compete with their peers across the country and throughout the world," the Governor said in a press statement. "If we ask our students to put forth their best effort to succeed, then we must be willing to invest in the tools to help them - their laboratories, their classrooms, and their libraries."
For MCC, the bond bill earmarked $24 million for a new general academic building on the Bedford campus, $10.1 million for a new general academic building on the Lowell campus, and $7.2 million for a performing arts center in Lowell.
President Cowan called the bill "historic," and said it will help chart MCC's growth and expansion for more than a decade to come. She praised Governor Patrick and the local state delegation - State Senator Steven Panagiotakos, and Lowell representatives Kevin Murphy, David Nangle and Tom Golden - for putting public higher education on the front burner at the state level.
"Clearly, the Governor and our local delegation realizes the critical role that public higher education is going to play in the economic advancement of our state," Cowan said. "Their commitment to bringing real changes to the infrastructure of public higher education is remarkable. This dedication of resources to help expand and enhance our campuses is going to dramatically impact the educational opportunities for our students."