Our Mission
Mount Wachusett Community College transforms students by providing access to affordable, high-quality, innovative, civic-minded, and relevant education and training opportunities. With a focus on community, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion with a racial equity lens and value the dignity and worth of all individuals and believe opportunity and access to education transforms lives.
Our Vision
Mount Wachusett Community College aspires to be a model community connected, student-ready institution providing affordable, inclusive, equity-minded transformative learning experiences dedicated to enriching student’s academic, personal, and professional lives through an array of degree and certificate programs, campus engagement, and customized student support.
Our Core and Shared Values
Learning is at the center of our core value system. While the themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion are among our highest priorities as we develop culturally responsive practices, creating knowledge and skills through teaching and learning is the core of what we do. The following core values hold true to our vision and shape how we carry out our mission:
Community
MWCC values community by developing shared and inclusive learning environments that cultivate personal and academic growth and interpersonal relationships. By cultivating and nurturing a welcoming environment of trust and belonging through collaboration and partnerships, we meet the education and workforce training needs of our community and build strong innovative partnerships that support the economic vitality of the region.
Diversity
MWCC understands that diversity is not an outcome and recognizes that diversity goes beyond race and even beyond demographics. We value the creativity and insight that emerges from multiple perspectives and we recognize the importance of diverse representation and thought in achieving our goals.
Equity
MWCC will work towards achieving equity (different from equality) in educational outcomes, disrupting and dismantling oppressive systems and rebuilding imbalanced social systems. We acknowledge that inequity is a consequence of intentional design and if we want to create equitable outcomes, we must focus on changing underlying systems, not just adding new programs or services.
Inclusion
MWCC recognizes that inclusion is more than intentionally creating environments and space in which individuals and/or groups feel “safe”*, welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. We view inclusivity more than just collaboration, rather as a tenet of mutual respect and shared governance, authentically and intentionally bringing traditionally excluded voices into processes, activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power and opinion.
*Note that we put the word “safe” in quotes. This is because people with some identities or personal experiences rarely feel safe in any room/space, and it’s important to acknowledge that and consider what safety means from a position of social, cultural, historical, and institutional power.
Institutional Collaboration and Collective Impact
MWCC believes a collective willingness to collaborate with empathy, respect, trust and transparency is essential to teaching, learning and creating a sense of belonging for all. We work and communicate collegially, creating working and learning environments which are conducive to the open exchange of ideas. In addition to collaboration a collective impact approach is premised on the belief that no single department, person, or program can tackle or solve the increasingly complex social problems we face as a society (i.e., oppression, racial injustice, etc.)
Continuous Improvement and Transformative Action
MWCC is committed to inquiry, professional development, and reflection. We adjust our practices and embrace new tools and methods to provide equitable opportunities and outcomes. We are willing to make mistakes, and learn from both our mistakes and successes, in order to take purposeful action and propose transformative solutions.
Institutional Integrity
MWCC maintains public trust by being honest, fair, transparent, and equitable. We honor our commitments to our students, staff and communities by holding ourselves and others accountable for supporting the vision, mission, and priorities of the college.
Student Success and Achievement
MWCC believes student success and achievement is as much about the student experience as it is about the education, and neither exists in a vacuum. We take a holistic approach to defining and supporting student success and achievement determined by the goals of each individual student.
Goals
These five goals define and drive the strategic initiatives of MWCC:
- Equity and Inclusion in Opportunity, Access, and Affordability.
- Equitable and Inclusive Student Success and Achievement.
- Equitable and Inclusive Pedagogy, Facilitation, and Academic Programming.
- Regional and Economic Development Leader.
- Institutional Capacity Building for Equitable Decision-Making and Inclusive Engagement.