Mount Wachusett, Fitchburg State sign housing agreement to board community college students

Photo I Courtesy of Fitchburg State University (From left) MWCC President James Vander Hooven and FSU President Donna Hodge sign their joint institutions' housing program agreement.

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By Mica Kanner-Mascolo

A new housing program will afford students at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner the ability to live on Fitchburg State University’s campus as the two institutions have entered into a residential collegiate housing agreement.

In addition to rooming at FSU, the housing program will allow MWCC students to participate in the university’s student clubs and organizations; participate in intramural sports; attend speaker series and events; and use its recreation facilities and library, according the program’s website.

“This MOU marks more than a housing arrangement. It reflects a shared commitment to access, affordability, and opportunity for the students of North Central Massachusetts. By opening our doors – and our residence halls – we’re creating a seamless pathway for community college students to thrive, connect, and ultimately, complete their degrees,” FSU President Donna Hodge said in a Tuesday press release from the university.

Eligible program participants must be enrolled in at least six MWCC credits, hold a minimum 2.0 GPA, be in good financial aid standing, agree to FSU’s housing contract, have no prior conduct issues at any previous institution, and pass a CORI background check.

The institutions’ most recent partnership comes after the schools signed a transfer agreement in 2022. The agreement allows MWCC students enrolled in associate programs in biology, chemistry, or liberal arts and sciences to take courses at FSU before transferring to the university as juniors, according to a July 2022 press release from FSU.

“There is no other way forward in North Central Massachusetts than for our institutions to work together, for our students’ needs and our regional workforce’s needs,” MWCC President James Vander Hooven said in the Tuesday release. “I see a very strong future for the Mount and Fitchburg State to keep working together.”

Following declining employment rates, MWCC’s student population exploded this past year, with its headcount rising 20.28% from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2024 while its full-time equivalent enrollment jumped 23.17% – the largest jump on both counts of any institution of higher education in Central Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

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