Running head: MASSASOIT MISSION 1

Massasoit Community College: A Purely Student-Centered Mission

John G. Ferreira and Sharon Medeiros

Bridgewater State University

MASSASOIT MISSION 2

Massasoit Community College: A Purely Student-Centered Mission

When the authors discussed what the mission of Massasoit Community College (MCC) is

with diverse members of the institution’s administration and staff, the answers were each stated a

little differently, but always carried the same core message. The message given was that MCC is

an easily accessible institution that exists to help anyone achieve success in their personal

academic and career goals. Further, all MCC staff consider the specialized needs of each member

of the diverse student body, and provide as much effective help as possible to facilitate

successful outcomes (N. Agganis & K. Pryles, personal communication, October 5, 2018; D.T.

Henry, personal communication, October 5, 2018; J. Lynch, personal communication, October 2,

2018; P. Naughton, personal communication, October 2, 2018; D. Tracy, personal

communication, October 5, 2018). That core message was not only voiced for the institution as a

whole but is integrated into each individual department’s mission the authors examined

(Appendices A, B, C, D, E, and F) (“Massasoit Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1) (“Massasoit

Statement of Values”, n.d., para. 1) (“Massasoit Trio Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1) (“Career

Services Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1) (“Massasoit Libraries Mission Statement”, n.d., para.

1) (“Massasoit Office of College Communications Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1).

Institutional Mission

Massasoit’s institutional mission is a simple statement composed of two sentences

highlighting the diverse learning community and supportive staff who are committed to student

access and success (Appendix A) (“Massasoit Mission Statement”, n.d., para.1). Following the

mission statement is a list with short descriptions of the college’s six values/commitments to

students: commitment to student success, access and affordability, diversity and inclusion,

excellence, community, civic engagement and regional economic development, and

MASSASOIT MISSION 3

sustainability (Appendix B) (“Massasoit Statement of Values”, n.d., para. 1). None of the staff

knew the exact wording of the mission, but all preached three core principles: access to higher

education for anyone, student success facilitated through wide-ranging services, and supporting

the specialized needs of all members in a diverse student population (N. Agganis & K. Pryles,

personal communication, October 5, 2018; D.T. Henry, personal communication, October 5,

2018; J. Lynch, personal communication, October 2, 2018; P. Naughton, personal

communication, October 2, 2018; D. Tracy, personal communication, October 5, 2018).

Creating the Mission

Jim Lynch, Director of the Office of College Communications at MCC, stated that the

previous mission statement was less student focused, and the committee wanted to “sharpen that

pencil” to include supporting students as the keystone of the mission (personal communication,

October 2, 2018). Both Lynch and David Tracy, the Vice President of Student Services and

Enrollment Management, indicated the college is currently gearing up to refresh the strategic

plan with the new president. The mission statement might be rewritten based on this process

(personal communication, October 2, 2018; personal communication, October 5, 2018).

Massasoit has a ten-member Board of Trustees that needs to accept any edits to the

mission statement and values. Once accepted, the mission statement is presented to the

Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) for final approval. Former Massasoit President

Charles Wall presented the current mission statement to the Board of Trustees in April of 2015,

which was then approved by the BHE in June of 2015 (“Massasoit Board of Trustees”, n.d., para.

1). Tracy discussed that the college hasn’t refreshed the strategic plan in four years which allows

for the college community to come together and collaborate on direction of the institution’s
MASSASOIT MISSION 4

future including creating a new mission statement. He wants all employees to know and love the

mission statement (personal communication, October 5, 2018).

In Publications

Glimpses of MCC’s mission in practice can be observed throughout the institution’s

various publications. In MCC’s student handbook, under the “Printing and Copying” section,

students learn about their $15 printing voucher per semester, allowing them printer access for

free. The handbook also describes MCC’s “Academic Forgiveness” program that allows grades

of C- or lower for matriculated students to be expunged from their records once the student has

had a semester successfully achieving passing grades. Such a program could help students

successfully achieve their academic and career goals in the future by having a higher GPA and a

more desirable college transcript. The student handbook also has a section about “Multicultural

Outreach” discussing how MCC desires and pursues having a student body from different

cultural backgrounds so that the student body reflects the diverse, local community the campus

serves (Massasoit Student Handbook, 2017).

An MCC overview brochure does not explicitly print the institutional mission statement,

but discusses with potential students how the institution takes pride in providing an “affordable,

accessible education that responds to the needs of our students.” (“Massasoit Community

College Brochure”, n.d., para. 1). The brochure discusses facilitating success in each student’s

personal academic and career goals (“Massasoit Community College Brochure”, n.d., para. 1). A

volume of MCC’s Alumni newsletter contains a commencement/farewell speech from a former

interim president, where he discussed how MCC students come from the local community to all

over the globe, and from a variety of different stages of life and past academic achievements.
MASSASOIT MISSION 5

The former president stated how MCC welcomed all of them, and in the future will continue to

welcome anyone to the college (Mitchell, 2018).

Staff and Administration Opinions

During interviews, the authors gained insight into how staff feel about the current

institutional mission and how they witness it being carried out on campus. Lynch believes the

statement is on target by being student-centered. He believes with the new strategic plan in

process, some adjustments will be made to reflect the specialized needs of some of their diverse

student populations, such as non-traditional students. Non-traditional students have additional

resource needs than just face-to-face interventions, which must be realized by MCC’s staff as a

whole. However, he shared how the staff truly reflects the mission. The staff’s sole purpose is

making sure students have what they need to become successful. Many, if not all, who work at

Massasoit share a view of being there to help students in any way, including helping students

find classrooms and resources and overcome any hurdles. “The staff live the mission when they

are here” (personal communication, October 2, 2018).

Tracy discussed how the mission statement changed to reflect the change in student

demographics. Massasoit now holds a much stronger commitment to diversity, which is written

into the mission and values. Massasoit is seeing an increase in the amount of non-traditional and

first-generation students enrolling. Statements, language, resources, and services need to reflect

the changes. Sustainability has come to the forefront, both environmental and financial

sustainability of the institution (personal communication, October 5, 2018). Lynch highlighted

the accessibility to community college is important. Part of accessibility is the affordability of

MCC’s tuition, which is kept stable; even slight tuition or fee increases are taken seriously and

are a last resort (personal communication, October 5, 2018).

MASSASOIT MISSION 6

There were negative critiques of the mission in practice as well. D.T. Henry, Director of

the Trio Program, believes what is said in the mission statement and statement of values is good,

however, there needs to be a review of operational hours, specifically at night, to look at what

services are provided. The institution is predominantly 8am-5pm with not enough services being

offered to evening students. With one of the values being a commitment to excellence, Henry

believes the college can do better in providing students who take courses at night more services

(personal communication, October 5, 2018).

Departmental Missions

Each department at MCC is part of a specific divisional organization (Student Services,

Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, etc.). MCC currently has formal mission statements

at the institutional level and departmental levels, but not at the divisional level (D.T. Henry,

personal communication, October 5, 2018). However, MCC’s divisional makeup is currently

being reorganized into a different organizational structure; upon completion of the reorganization

process, formal mission statements for divisions will exist (D. Tracy, personal communication,

October 5, 2018). The mission of a varied set of MCC departments will be explored. The

missions will be compared for similarities.

Common Themes and Goals

The missions from the following MCC departments were examined: Trio Student

Support Services Program (SSSP), Career Services, Libraries, and the Office of College

Communications. A common goal of all four missions is to align with the core principles of the

institutional mission. (N. Agganis & K. Pryles, personal communication, October 5, 2018; D.T.

Henry, personal communication, October 5, 2018; J. Lynch, personal communication, October 2,

MASSASOIT MISSION 7

2018; P. Naughton, personal communication, October 2, 2018). A couple of departmental

mission statements even explicitly mention reflecting or promoting the institutional mission.

A common theme of all four mission statements, which is also a core principle of the

institutional mission, is effective student access to resources through “comprehensive support

services” (Appendix A, C, D, E, and F) (“Massasoit Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1)

(“Massasoit Trio Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1) (“Career Services Mission Statement”, n.d.,

para. 1) (“Massasoit Libraries Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1) (Massasoit Office of College

Communications Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1). Staff members from several departments

described their mission to be giving help and offering services to students at the time and place

they desire through direct or online processes (D.T. Henry, personal communication, October 5,

2018; J. Lynch, personal communication, October 2, 2018; P. Naughton, personal

communication, October 2, 2018).

Another common theme of all four mission statements was the commitment to excellence

in service, which is a core value of MCC (Appendix B) (“Massasoit Statement of Values”, n.d.,

para. 4). The four mission statements all describe excellence in some form whether it be

discussing constant improvement or “fostering a culture of communication” or encouraging

lifelong learning (Appendix C, D, E, and F) (“Massasoit Trio Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1)

(“Career Services Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1) (“Massasoit Libraries Mission Statement”,

n.d., para. 1) (Massasoit Office of College Communications”, n.d., para. 1). Naughton discussed

how a department’s mission statement at MCC is written to be “aspirational”; the statement

describes the model department that the staff are working towards making a reality (P. Naughton,

personal communication, October 2, 2018).

MASSASOIT MISSION 8

Trio Program

Trio SSSP has a mission statement that touches upon striving for continuous quality

improvement for a program that facilitates increased retention and success achievement for

students from groups at-risk of not succeeding. The mission statement is two paragraphs long,

with the department’s principles successively described (Appendix C) (“Massasoit Trio Mission

Statement”, n.d., para. 1).

The department’s mission is lived by constantly looking for more effective practices, and

by creating new processes that allow for better student access, such as allowing for online video

conferencing advising sessions. The staff helps in any way possible for students to achieve

success, anything from bringing in successful Trio alumni to instill hope in current members or

driving students without cars to career fairs. The department not only lives the institutional

mission, but strengthens it. Trio understands the resources required for its specialized cohort so

well that the department’s retention and successful outcomes statistics are higher than the

institution as a whole. Trio strengthens the mission by being a model of practice to achieve

better access and success for a diverse student body (D.T. Henry, personal communication,

October 5, 2018).

Career Services

The mission statement of the Career Services department states the mission in one

sentence, and then describes how the department lives its mission. A lot of the statement is very

pragmatic, explicitly discussing the goals of the department and major duties the staff is

responsible for and services offered (Appendix D) (“Massasoit Career Services Mission

Statement”, n.d., para.1).

MASSASOIT MISSION 9

The work of the Career Services staff does live up to both the departmental and

institutional missions. Kathy Pryles, the Director of Career Services, and Nicholas Agganis, a

Career Services Professional at Massasoit, discussed the institution’s value of diversity through

the lens of Career Services. They provide different levels of services to different types of

students, for example, students with reading and writing skill deficiencies may need additional

help with resume building, job searching, etc. (personal communication, October 5, 2018).

To accommodate students, Career Services brings in various companies from all over the

country, including companies having a culture that Massasoit students are looking for. Along

with different backgrounds, students have different career goals, and the staff at Career Services

does their best to help all students reach their goals. Career success is a learning process for both

employers and the student body. Many non-traditional students are experiencing the “new

employment process” when changing careers or finding a job for the first time in decades (N.

Agganis & K. Pryles, personal communication, October 5, 2018).

Libraries

Patricia Naughton, the Director of Libraries, discussed how the Libraries Department

revised its mission statement in the last six months; the revision happened not only as part of the

current institutional strategic plan creation process, but also so the department understands what

their current work represents and what goals the staff are working towards. Over the years, the

departmental mission statement of Libraries has been made simpler to just be the core

aspirational, but realistic goals of the department; the goals align with the current needs of the

students served and core mission principles and values of the institution (P. Naughton, personal

communication, October 2, 2018).

MASSASOIT MISSION 10

Upon examination, the new mission statement is an excellent single sentence listing the

department’s major services and goals, and also explicitly stating that they reflect the

institutional mission. The departmental mission statement uses some of the same exact language

as the institutional mission statement allowing for proof that the department’s practices and goals

do align with the institutional mission (Appendix A and E) (“Massasoit Mission Statement”, n.d.,

para. 1) (“Massasoit Libraries Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1).

Naughton shared the many ways the Libraries Department’s work fulfills the

departmental mission. The department has internal goals to add more services and resources to

the library in Middleborough, which is the smallest of the three MCC libraries. Further,

Naughton communicates to the library staff to always be “student-driven” in their work. As a

result, they are constantly looking for better ways to easily streamline processes for students. Her

employees organize their time to be more devoted to students, for example, the library is open a

half an hour before school even starts (personal communication, October 2, 2018).

College Communications

The Office of College Communications’ mission statement is a brief statement discussing

that their mission is to promote the strategic mission of Massasoit Community College by

showcasing student success and positive social and cultural experiences through a variety of

publishing mediums (Appendix A and F) (“Massasoit Mission Statement”, n.d., para.1)

(“Massasoit Office of College Communications Mission Statement”, n.d., para. 1). Upon

examination, the mission statement does align to the institutional mission by reflecting upon the

three core principles of access, student success, and diversity. The statement accomplishes the

reflection by discussing the promotion of student success, publishing to a variety of mediums for

access, and mentioning cultural experiences (Appendix A and F) (“Massasoit Mission

MASSASOIT MISSION 11

Statement”, n.d., para.1) (“Massasoit Office of College Communications Mission Statement”,

n.d., para. 1).

The Office of College Communications lives its mission by allowing instant access of

college communications to students wherever they may be through the use of digital mediums.

Communications from all MCC departments are reviewed by the Office of College

Communications to make sure the messaging’s voice does uphold the mission of MCC. The

staff work twelve-hour days to make sure that communications to students and other stakeholders

are received in a timely fashion. The staff learn about the needs of the students to better serve

them by going to their events and even interacting with them in the cafeteria (J. Lynch, personal

communication, October 2, 2018).

The Future of the Institutional Mission

MCC students have to deal with the societal stigmatism of community colleges. MCC

students and applicants feel stereotyped as individuals who were not intelligent enough or

academically successful enough to be accepted at four-year colleges. MCC needs to focus the

mission statement in the future making it clear that community college is an appealing higher

educational option, for such reasons as tuition savings (D.T. Henry, personal communication,

October 5, 2018; J. Lynch, personal communication, October 2, 2018; D. Tracy, personal

communication, October 5, 2018). Even though the mission statement does not currently

reinforce the benefits and specialized services of MCC, the institution has created

communication campaigns, such as the “Massasoit Voices” brochure, discussing why individual

current students chose MCC over four-year institutions (“Massasoit Voices”, n.d.).
MASSASOIT MISSION 12

Conclusion

Mission statements of associate’s or community colleges usually are very direct,

containing lists of offered programs and mentions of transfer education and vocational training

(Hirt & Robbins, 2016). MCC’s mission statement is brief and direct, but contains grand,

aspirational goals of granting educational access to anyone, and helping any type of student

(part-time, lifelong learners, low income, busy parents, etc.) achieve any academic or career goal

desired. It’s a purely student-centered mission that the staff practices and is passionate about.

Without Massasoit and its mission, there would be individuals in the local community who

would never go to college, and never successfully achieve their academic and career goals

(Appendix A; J. Lynch, personal communication, October 2, 2018; D. Tracy, personal

communication, October 5, 2018).

MASSASOIT MISSION 13

References

Hirt, J. B., & Robbins, C. K. (2016). The importance of institutional mission. In G.S. McClellan

& J. Stringer (Eds.). The handbook of student affairs administration. San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass.

About Trio (n.d.). Massasoit Community College Website. Retrieved from

https://www.massasoit.edu/students-and-parents/student-services/trio/about/index

Board of Trustees (n.d.). Massasoit Community College Website. Retrieved from

https://www.massasoit.edu/about-massasoit/board-of-trustees/index

Career Services (n.d.). Massasoit Community College Website. Retrieved from

https://www.massasoit.edu/students-and-parents/student-services/career-services/index

College Communications (n.d.). Massasoit Commuity College Website. Retrieved from

https://www.massasoit.edu/about-massasoit/president-office/college-

administration/office-of-college-communications/index

College Mission (n.d.). Massasoit Community College Website. Retrieved from

https://www.massasoit.edu/about-massasoit/college-mission/index

Library Information (n.d.). Massasoit Community College Website. Retrieved from

https://library.massasoit.edu/libraryinfo

Massasoit Community College Brochure (n.d.). Brockton, MA: Massasoit Community College.

Massasoit Community College student handbook: 2017-2018. (2017). Massasoit Community

College Website. Retrieved from https://www.massasoit.edu/Assets/documents/student-

handbook/student-handbook.pdf

Massasoit Voices Brochure (n.d.). Brockton, MA: Massasoit Community College.

MASSASOIT MISSION 14

Mitchell, W. (2018). Put your passion into action: Interim President William Mitchell’s 2018

commencement address. The Associate, 13(1), 14-15. Brockton, MA: Massasoit

Community College Office of College Communications.

MASSASOIT MISSION 15

Appendix A

Massasoit Community College Mission Statement

Massasoit Community College is a dynamic, diverse learning community that supports

all students in their education, leading to a career, transfer to four-year institutions, and

the pursuit of lifelong learning. Faculty and staff are committed to student success and

strive to offer accessible and innovative programs with comprehensive support services to

prepare students for membership in a global society. (Massasoit Community College,

n.d.-e, para. 1)
MASSASOIT MISSION 16

Appendix B

Massasoit Community College Statement of Values

Commitment to Student Success

“We are committed to engaging students as active learners by providing a range of curricular and

extra-curricular opportunities to explore, develop, and achieve educational and personal goals”

(Massasoit Community College, n.d.-e, Commitment to student success, para. 1).

Commitment to Access and Affordability

“As an open-enrollment institution of higher education, we are committed to providing

access to a relevant, affordable education that positions and supports students from all socio-

economic backgrounds to achieve their academic and professional goals” (Massasoit Community

College, n.d.-e, Commitment to access and affordability, para. 1).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

“We strive to reflect the diversity of our community in our student body, faculty, staff,

and trustees by creating an inclusive environment that ensures equitable treatment for all”

(Massasoit Community College, n.d.-e, Commitment to diversity and inclusion, para. 1).

Commitment to Excellence

“We are a catalyst for innovation, creativity, academic excellence, and the open exchange

of ideas, fostering high expectations and inspiring students, faculty, and staff to reach their full

potential” (Massasoit Community College, n.d.-e, Commitment to excellence, para. 1).

Commitment to the Community, Civic Engagement, and Regional Economic Development

We value our role as both a leader and an integral part of the academic, civic, and

economic fabric of the region we serve. We strive to generate and maintain reciprocal

relationships with education, community, and business partners to develop programs that
MASSASOIT MISSION 17

meet the needs of our students, the community, and the regional workforce. (Massasoit

Community College, n.d.-e, “Commitment to Community”, para. 1)

Commitment to Sustainability

We value the three spheres of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. We

demonstrate our commitment by striving to reduce our ecological footprint; making

sustainability integral to our decision-making; and preparing our students to address the

critical environmental, social, and economic challenges of the 21st century. (Massasoit

Community College, n.d.-e, Commitment to sustainability, para. 1)

MASSASOIT MISSION 18

Appendix C

Trio Student Support Services Program (SSSP) Mission Statement

The Trio Student Support Services Program’s mission is to continuously improve

the quality and efficiency of services provided in order to maximize the

opportunities of eligible students. The goal of Trio SSSP is to increase the college

retention and graduation rates of its participants and facilitate the process of

transition from one level of higher education to the next. Trio SSSP is designed

for students who have the academic potential to succeed but whose background

and/or extenuating life circumstances place those students at additional risk of not

fulfilling their educational goals. Our mission will be realized by providing

comprehensive support services that assist students in reaching their full potential

for learning. (Massasoit Community College, n.d.-a, Mission, para. 1)

MASSASOIT MISSION 19

Appendix D

Massasoit Community College Career Services Mission Statement

The mission of Career Services is to provide comprehensive career development services

to our students and alumni. We seek to empower individuals in achieving their career

goals through collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, employers, and members of

the business community. We fulfill our mission in a positive and professional manner by

promoting career development as a life-long learning process with emphasis on career

skill building and post graduation employment.

Career Services assists students and alumni secure full or part-time employment

through resume writing and job-search workshops. It also maintains a current list of full

and part-time job openings and arranges interviews. (Massasoit Community College,

n.d.-c, Our mission, para. 1)

MASSASOIT MISSION 20

Appendix E

Massasoit Community College Libraries Mission Statement

“The Massasoit Community College Libraries reflect the mission of the College by providing

resources, comprehensive services, and a learning environment which foster the pursuit of

lifelong learning of the College and surrounding communities” (Massasoit Community College,

n.d.-f, Library mission, para. 1).

MASSASOIT MISSION 21

Appendix F

Massasoit Community College Office of College Communications Mission Statement

Our mission is to promote the strategic mission of Massasoit Community College and to

foster a culture of communication among internal and external stakeholders. Through a

variety of mediums, we display the programs, services, and events that contribute to the

educational success of our students and provide positive social and cultural experiences

for our community. (Massasoit Community College, n.d.-d, College communications,

para. 1)