Mount Wachusett college receives $5M to support students facing systemic barriers

Photo I Courtesy of Mount Wachusett Community College Mount Wachusett Community College's TRIO SSS team members

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As Mount Wachusett Community College bolsters its support services amid a decade-high enrollment surge, the Gardner school has received more than $5 million to support the academic success of low-income students, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.

MWCC’s $5.07-million grant is provided through three U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Student Support Services Program grants, which will see the community college receive $1.01 million annually for five years, according to a Friday press release from MWCC.

“We are thrilled to continue providing TRIO SSS services at MWCC,” MWCC President James Vander Hooven said in the release. “Since 1978, MWCC’s TRIO SSS Programs have served thousands of students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees, and build meaningful careers.”

The school expects 420 students will be supported per year by the two federally funded TRIO SSS programs: MWCC’s Visions and STEM programs.

Both initiatives are designed to boost college retention and graduation rates through an inclusive and empowering educational environment. The programs offer a range of services including tutoring, academic advising, financial aid assistance, and transfer counseling.

“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transforms students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education nonprofit that works with grant awardees, said in the release “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”

The college’s Visions program received the bulk of the TRIO SSS funding, having been awarded $740,936 per year, totalling a $3.7-million grant. The program supports 300 low-income students, first-generation students, and/or students with disabilities who major in non-health services fields.

The STEM program, also known as the RX Program, received a grant of $1.36 million, which will be dispensed in $272,364 increments per year. The initiative offers services to 120 students annually who major in health sciences fields including biology, nursing, paramedicine, and dental hygiene.

“This renewal is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our TRIO teams and the students we serve,” Gaurav Khanna, MWCC director of the TRIO SSS programs, said in the release. “We are honored to continue providing high-impact services that help our students navigate the college journey, overcome obstacles, and achieve lasting academic and personal success.”

With 2,873 full-time enrolled students in fall 2024, MWCC is the sixth largest college or university in Central Massachusetts when ranked by full-time or FTE enrollment, according to data collected by WBJ’s Research Department.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.