You are here
QCC Southbridge to Introduce Early College Program in 2021
Contact: Karen Hutner
Office of Institutional Communications
khutner [at] qcc.mass.edu
Release Date:
1/4/2021
WORCESTER, MA—January 4, 2021 — Quinsigamond Community College Foundation, Inc. has received a one-year $20,000 grant from the George W. Wells Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee to support an Early College Program in Southbridge High School.
“It’s exciting. Thanks to the Grant, QCC Southbridge will be starting early college course offerings at Southbridge High School in the spring of 2021,” said Christina Hebert, director of Educational Partnerships K-12 & Early College Initiatives.
QCC will offer two programs for Southbridge juniors and seniors - a First Year Experience course that assists students with career and academic planning, and an Introduction to Microcomputer Applications course that focuses on basic working knowledge and hands-on experiences in word processing, spreadsheet processing, relational database processing, and presentation software. Tuition and books for 40 high school students will be paid for through the Grant. Students who enroll in the courses and finish with passing grades will receive an official QCC transcript.
In late summer, QCC Southbridge moved to its current location within Southbridge High School bringing a new level of higher education to Southbridge students, their families and the South County region.
“Our thanks go out to the George W. Wells Foundation for their support and dedication in helping to educate our youth. Early college programs provide an equitable access to higher education for students and gives them a jumpstart to college. The positive, long-term effects of these programs cannot be overstated,” QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D.
QCC has an Early College Program with 29 partner schools and since its inception in 2018, 42% of those Early College students have enrolled at the College within one year of taking early college courses.
“We’ll be holding a parent “Information Night” to introduce the program to parents and the Southbridge community in the near future,” Ms. Hebert said.
For more information about QCC, contact Josh Martin, Director of Institutional Communications at 508.854.7513 or jmartin [at] qcc.mass.edu
# # # #
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.