Massasoit President Testifies on Higher Ed. Building Plan

President Mitchell supports Healey-Driscoll Administration bill proposing investment in public university and college campus facilities.

BROCKTON, Mass (June 4, 2025) – Massasoit Community College President Bill Mitchell testified on June 3, 2025 before the Joint Committee on Higher Education in support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s proposed higher education infrastructure bill (H 54): “An Act to Build Resilient Infrastructure to Generate Higher Education Transformation.”

The BRIGHT Act would authorize up to $2.5 billion in borrowed investments for higher education capital projects by leveraging revenue from the income surtax. President Mitchell testified alongside Ellen Kennedy, President of Berkshire Community College. A recording of their testimony – including remarks from Gov. Healey, administration officials, and higher education leaders – is available from the Joint Committee.

In his testimony, President Mitchell highlighted his background as chief financial officer at Massasoit, where he oversaw the College’s physical plant and work to address a backlog of deferred maintenance needs. He noted a disparity between the 21^st century demands of the Massachusetts economy – including biotechnology, cybersecurity, and climate technologies – and the age and condition of community college classrooms and labs, many of which were built 50 to 60 years ago.

“If an employer or emerging industry needs a workforce trained in an area that would require the creation of some sort of technical training, then colleges are left to their own devices to figure out how to fund that… there is no source of funding to deal with the immediate capital needs,” said President Mitchell. “The BRIGHT act solves this by creating a new source of funds specific to responding to employer demand for lab development and modernization.”

“The presidents of all 15 community colleges are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration and this legislature for making community college free for Massachusetts residents, which allows us to fulfill our mission of providing open, accessible higher education to all,” said President Mitchell. “It is now imperative, however, that we invest in our campus buildings and infrastructure to ensure they can support a growing student body and their evolving needs, and to provide them with the high-quality educational experience that they expect – and deserve – at a Massachusetts public institution.”

Massasoit Community College’s facilities date back to the early 1970s. Several buildings between the campuses in Brockton and Canton need renovations to ensure that the College can better meet the expectations of students and the workforce needs of the region. The College is currently undertaking a $52 million renovation in Brockton to build new science and health science facilities – the first such renovation since the campus was completed in 1978.