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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

. It is the only technical

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

in the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

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

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806) was an American military officer, politician, bookseller, and a Founding Father of the United States. Knox, born in Boston, became a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionar ...

and

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

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 List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

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 An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

and certificate programs. Students may transfer to four-year colleges and universities 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 othe ...

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 Firearms manufacturer, firearm manufacturer headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith (inventor), Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the ...

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

s 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 university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT)-based agency and the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics of Rochester, to bolster its

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

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 is an awareness of facts, a familiarity with individuals and situations, or a practical skill. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often characterized as true belief that is distinct from opinion or g ...

economic and cultural alliance, which covers the region anchored by

and

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

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) is the governing association of community college, State college (disambiguation), state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 sepa ...

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 College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

schools after completing their associate degrees.

References

External links

* {{authority control Community colleges in Massachusetts Universities and colleges in Springfield, Massachusetts Universities and colleges established in 1964 1964 establishments in Massachusetts NJCAA schools Two-year colleges in the United States