Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) is a public

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 ...

Gardner, Massachusetts Gardner, officially the City of Gardner, is a city in Worcester County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,287 in the 2020 census. Gardner is home of such sites as the Blue Moon Diner, Dunn State Park, ...

. Established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1963, it features an open admissions policy for the majority of its academic programs. MWCC offers more than 70 academic programs that allow students to earn either an associate of science degree (A.S.), associate of arts degree (A.A.), or a certificate.

Campuses

The 269-acre (1.09 km2) main campus is located on 444 Green Street in Gardner, Massachusetts. The college also maintains a satellite campus at One Jackson Place, 27 Jackson Road in Devens,

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and at 100 Erdman Way in

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

, and an Automotive Technology Facility on Linus Allain Ave in Gardner, Massachusetts. The college has an additional educational site in Fitchburg,

where dental hygiene and dental assisting students take classes and offer free dental cleanings at 326 Nichols Road in Fitchburg, MA in partnership with Community Health Center of Fitchburg, MA.

Sustainability

The college has been praised for its use of renewable energy, winning the National Wildlife Federation's "Chill-Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming" competition in the spring of 2007. Renewable energy technologies at the college include: Solar PhotoVoltaic panels originally producing 5 kilowatts and upgraded to 97.24 kilowatts in September 2009. and a biomass plant which heats the college by burning waste woodchips. The college also uses a biomass gasification generator, where woodchips are turned into combustible gases, which are used in a gasoline engine, powering a generator that produces 50 kilowatts of electricity. This is a research and development project contracted with the U.S. Department of Energy. Two

Vestas Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Un ...

V82 1.65 MW

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...

s were activated in March 2011 which are expected to generate 97 percent of the college's annual electricity demand.

Service area

Mount Wachusett Community College serves the following 29 cities and towns in North Central Massachusetts: * Ashburnham,

Ashby Ashby may refer to: People * Ashby (surname) * Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England * Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publi ...

* Athol,

Ayer Ayer may refer to: Places * Ayer, Massachusetts, United States ** Ayer (CDP), Massachusetts, the central village in the town of Ayer ** Ayer (MBTA station), commuter rail station * Aller, Asturias, a municipality in Spain known in Asturian as A ...

Barre Barre or Barré may refer to: * Barre (name) or Barré, a surname and given name Places United States * Barre, Massachusetts, a New England town ** Barre (CDP), Massachusetts, the central village in the town * Barre, New York, a town * Barre (ci ...

* Clinton,

* Fitchburg,

* Gardner,

* Groton,

* Hardwick,

* Harvard,

* Hubbardston,

* Lancaster,

* Lunenburg,

Oakham Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

* Pepperell,

* Petersham,

* Royalston,

* Phillipston,

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

* Rutland,

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

* Sterling,

* Templeton,

Townsend Townsend (pronounced tounʹ-zənd) or Townshend may refer to: Places United States *Camp Townsend, National Guard training base in Peekskill, New York *Townsend, Delaware *Townsend, Georgia *Townsend, Massachusetts, a New England town ** Townsend ...

* Winchendon,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

Academics

Early college and dual enrollment

Mount Wachusett Community College offers multiple programs that offer high school/home school juniors and seniors the chance to enroll in college classes prior to their high school graduation. Mount Wachusett Community College 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 ...

. *

Dual Enrollment In the United States, dual enrollment (DE), also called concurrent enrollment, programs allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college or university cours ...

: Dual Enrollment allows the student to focus on courses that will be transferable to most two-year and four-year public and private institutions, while simultaneously completing their high school graduation requirements. Selected students are enrolled in either a part-time or full-time college-level course load depending on their program and course needs. Dual Enrollment students are considered MWCC students and as such will be awarded the same academic support privileges as other MWCC students. Courses are limited and applicants from local high schools are given priority. * Pathways Early College Innovation School: Mount Wachusett Community College partners with the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District to offer an Early College High School opportunity to 20 motivated students with the opportunity to earn their high school diploma and an associate degree simultaneously. The Pathways program covers the cost of course tuition and fees for enrolled students. These students complete their junior and senior years of high school while taking courses at MWCC. Students must fulfill all state and educational requirements to meet high school diploma and associate degree requirements, which also includes passing the MCAS. Admissions are competitive. Applicants are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA from their high school, be at least 16 years old, have a recommendation from their high school, and must be willing to enroll in classes during all available MWCC semesters. * Gateway to College: Gateway to College is a dual enrollment opportunity especially for students who either have not experienced success in the traditional high school setting. The program is for students who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out. Gateway students have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma with the added benefit of receiving free college credits toward an associate degree or certificate through a variety of career-focused pathways. The Gateway to College Program provides tuition, fees, and first-semester books for enrolled students and is funded through Chapter 70 School Choice funds from the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District.

Adult education

An Adult Education program prepares adults without high school degrees to complete their high school equivalency exam (

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

/HiSET). These students are then eligible to continue their education at the college level at Mount Wachusett Community College or any other institution.

Workforce development

The college provides corporate instruction and workforce development training for local businesses. Services include assisting companies with accessing Workforce Training Fund grants and delivering customized training.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

ESL students receive personalized instruction in a computer/media lab at the campus in Leominster, MA. Courses are taught at 4 levels: beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

Continuing education

The college offers noncredit classes for personal enrichment year-round as part of its Lifelong Learning program.

Student services

MWCC students enjoy many support services and resources including free tutoring in the Academic Support Center, subsidized childcare, career planning assistance, disability support, food assistance, counseling, and veteran services.

Mount Fitness

Mount Fitness is the college's 65,000-square foot gymnasium. It is open to the public and offers memberships for individuals and families. Membership fees include group fitness/yoga classes, pool use, and tanning. The facility includes: * Olympic sized swimming pool with 6 lanes * (3)full-size, indoor basketball courts * Outdoor tennis and basketball courts * 200-meter outdoor track * (2) Regulation racquetball courts * Weight training and cardiovascular equipment * On-site nursery

Theatre at the Mount

The college's theatre hosts a sizable community theatre program. Started in the autumn of 1976 (under the name "Theatre North Central"), notably through the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres (EMACT) and New England Theatre Conference (NETC)

TAMY Awards

In 2006, Theatre at the Mount launched the TAMY Award program for high school musical theatre. Modeled after Broadway's

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

, the TAMYs evaluate high school performances within a 50-mile radius of the college based on a number of criteria, including (among others)''Best Actor,'' ''Best Actress,'' ''Best Featured Ensemble'' and ''Best Overall Production.''

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Community colleges in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1963 Universities and colleges in Worcester County, Massachusetts 1963 establishments in Massachusetts