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QCC - Southbridge Partnership Brings Higher Education Even Closer to Area Communities

Contact: Karen Hutner
Office of Institutional Communications
khutner [at] qcc.mass.edu
 

Release Date: 
8/25/2020

WORCESTER, MA—August 24, 2020 — Quinsigamond Community College has started a new chapter in the Southbridge community with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Southbridge Public Schools. The partnership will see the college expand its presence in South County as it moves to a larger location within Southbridge Middle High School, 132 Torrey Road. The strengthened partnership will allow QCC to become more embedded in the communities it serves.

QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D. and Southbridge Receiver/Superintendent of Schools, Jeffrey Villar, Ph.D. touted the merits of the partnership, which brings a new level of higher education access to the South County region.

“Being closer to the communities we serve allows for a broader footprint in the region as a whole, and a more comprehensive approach to program development. Southbridge High School is a recognized and central location in the South County area,” President Pedraja said.

"I look forward to building a strategic partnership with QCC. Together I believe we can help the students of Southbridge High School engage in rigorous early college experiences, participate in internships, and pursue other academic endeavors while also supporting the larger Southbridge community by keeping QCC and its high-quality educational offerings in the Town of Southbridge,” Dr. Villar said.

“The Town Council is very excited that Quinsigamond Community College has entered into an agreement with the Town of Southbridge Public Schools and will remain as a fixture in the Town of Southbridge. We believe this partnership will be beneficial to our students and the community,” said Jack Jovan, chairman of the Southbridge Town Council.

QCC officially moved from its Optical Drive location earlier this summer as a way to deliver greater access to the college’s Early College Program for high school students, and for their family members, who can also take advantage of QCC’s academic and workforce development offerings. QCC Southbridge offers access to higher education to not only Southbridge residents, but also to all communities in South County.

In response to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, the College is delivering its instruction and support services remotely throughout the Fall semester, with plans to hold in-person classes once it is safe to do so. More information is available at the College’s Web site, www.QCC.edu.

“This is an exciting time in our college’s history. We have been working with Southbridge and regional leaders to develop a plan to help strengthen the K-12 system, create educational pathways responding to workforce development needs in the community, and expand and solidify the relationship between QCC and the South County region,” President Pedraja said.

“I was truly impressed with the meeting that I was part of when officials at Quinsigamond presented their ideas to Dr. Villar and town officials. We look forward to the opening of the school facility and the programs that QCC will bring to the community,” Mr. Jovan added.  

For more information about QCC, contact Josh Martin, Director of Institutional Communications at 508.854.7513 or jmartin [at] qcc.mass.edu

For more information about Southbridge Public Schools, contact help [at] southbrigepublic.org or ayuda [at] southbridgepublic.org You can also find updates on the district website, www.southbridgepublic.org.

Quinsigamond Community College is the most affordable higher education in Worcester County. As a regional leader in education and workforce development, QCC serves the diverse educational needs of Central Massachusetts by providing affordable, accessible, and high quality programming leading to transfer, career, and lifelong learning.