Springfield Technical Community College (STCC, Stick) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is the only technical

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

in the

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. Located on the site of the Springfield Armory National Park, which was founded by

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

and

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

during the Revolutionary War, Springfield Technical Community College now occupies many of the buildings used by the U.S. Armory at Springfield prior to the Armory's closure in 1969. While of the site remain in the hands of the U.S.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

for historic preservation, comprise the college campus. Numerous historic buildings have been repurposed as classrooms, in addition to newer facilities built on-site. STCC offers over 90 associate degree and certificate programs. Students may transfer to four-year colleges and universities such as

Westfield State University Westfield State University (Westfield State) is a public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1839 by Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender, or economic class. Ra ...

, the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

, as well as members of the

Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield The Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield (CCGS) is a consortium of accredited colleges and universities located in Hampden County in Western Massachusetts, in and around the city of Springfield. Formed in 1971, the consortium provides var ...

(CCGS). STCC offers day, evening, weekend, and online classes. STCC is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and other ...

Campus

Founded in 1964 as the Springfield Technical Institute (STI) and located a few blocks to the west at the then Springfield Trade School (now Roger L Putnam Vocational-Technical High School), STCC moved, expanded, and adopted its current name in 1969. Facilities include the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery, the Top of Our City Conference Center, the Ira H. Rubenzahl Student Learning Commons, the SIMS Medical Center, and the

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...

Technology Applications Center. The STCC campus is home to the Western Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Academy.

Springfield Armory

The STCC campus sits on the

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

National Historic Site, founded in 1777, and is managed and operated by the

. The Main Arsenal Building houses the Springfield Armory Museum and the Commandants House houses NPS staff. Other buildings (the oldest dates back to 1807) are used by STCC and the STCC Technology Park. As the only "technical" community college in Massachusetts, STCC aims to continue the legacy of technological innovation at the

site. While of the site remain in the hands of the Park Service for historic preservation, are used by the college.

STCC Technology Park

The STCC Technology Park continues an important role in technology transfer that the Springfield Armory began in 1794. The 15.3-acre site is managed by the STCC Assistance Corporation and is located across the street from the main STCC campus.

STCC Assistance Corporation

The STCC Assistance Corporation (STCCAC) was formed through an act of the Massachusetts General Court to purchase land formerly part of the Springfield Armory site to help the college grow. The Assistance Corporation is governed by its own board of directors.

Academics

Springfield Technical Community College offers associate degrees and certificates in over 90 programs. STCC is home to the only degree-granting Optics and Photonics Technology program in New England. Established in 1976, in recent years the community college has collaborated with a

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT)-based agency and the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, to bolster its

photonics Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Though ...

program, providing modern lab facilities. Citing a high demand for such jobs in the region, the college has also been working towards the expansion of this technician-training program, including a proposed "Photonics Education and Practice Factory" emulating a similar facility completed at MIT in 2017.

Innovation

STCC is a member of the

Knowledge Corridor Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is dist ...

economic and cultural alliance, which covers the region anchored by Springfield, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut.

NACCE

STCC played a key role in the 2002 founding of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).

Student life

Athletics

STCC has advanced to the national championship tournament in men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, golf, and wrestling. The women's soccer team is known for its competitive teams and won the national division 3

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

title in 2005.njcaa.org
/ref> Many students attend STCC as junior college (JUCO) athletes in order to transfer to sport-competitive

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

schools after completing their associate degrees.

References

External links

* {{authority control Community colleges in Massachusetts Universities and colleges in Springfield, Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in Massachusetts NJCAA athletics