Higher Education Committee Moves MCC Expansion Forward with Boost of $45 Million

The state Joint House and Senate Committee on Higher Education brought MCC's campus expansion plans one step closer to reality on Thursday, with the release of the Public Higher Education Capital Improvement bill, a dramatic investment in Massachusetts higher education that provides more than $45 million to MCC.

The bill was unveiled today and marks the culmination of literally years of planning for support and expansion of the state's public higher education system.  The bill follows in the wake of Governor Deval Patrick's proposal last October to commit $2 billion in capital investment to the state's public colleges and the University of Massachusetts, the first comprehensive higher-education bond bill since 1995.

Pivotal to the latest bill was Lowell State Representative Kevin Murphy, who co-chairs the joint committee.  "There is a tremendous need for investment in the infrastructure that supports our state and community colleges and the University of Massachusetts," said Murphy.  "I believe investing in our public higher-education system pays dividends not only for our students and their individual well-being, but for the economic health of the commonwealth as a whole."

MCC will receive a total of $45.14 million in the Legislature's spending proposal.  Included in that number is more than $11 million for a new performing arts center in Lowell, more than $10 million for new academic buildings and renovations in Lowell, and another $24 million for new buildings and renovations on the college's Bedford campus.

"This is an historic time for the college," said MCC President Carole Cowan.  "Funding opportunities such as this one are few and far between, so for our legislative delegation to recognize and understand the needs for the MCC expansion plan is extemely rewarding.  Representative Murphy has been in constant contact with myself and the administration at MCC to ensure that our needs were being met in this bill, and that our opportunities for growth for years to come were being addressed."  President Cowan said Senator Steven Panagiotakos, along with Lowell Representatives David Nangle and Tom Golden have been paying close attention to the bill's progress and have committed to making sure MCC's development needs are realized.

Projects within the bill were identified as the top capital improvement priorities by the Board of Higher Education, the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts, and the respective campuses and the Commonwealth's capital facilities agency.