As you know, not long ago the Greenfield Community College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to recommend Yves Salomon-Fernandez to the Board of Higher Education as the college’s new president. We, the entire Franklin County community, are fortunate that our brave college has attracted such a visionary leader. She is a leader whom we can all learn from.
Some background: I’m a proud member of the Board of Directors of the GCC Foundation. I do this because I believe that democracy is dependent on an educated citizenry, and I believe in democracy. So when we, members of that board and alumni, were invited to meet with each of the five finalists, I jumped at the chance.
While speaking with the five finalists, four realizations became apparent:
1. Bob Pura has set the stage brilliantly. He is a beloved leader, but the system he and his co-leaders have built is not dependent on him. GCC is an institution where there is a true leader in every seat.
2. The GCC system is built on clearly understood values of inclusion, respect, showing up and follow through.
3. GCC’s reputation is deep and wide. Each of the finalists understood, and was attracted by, the unique community that GCC represents and serves. Each recognized that educational opportunity is based on the values that GCC holds dear.
4. We, our little college, in the most rural and the most economically challenged county in the commonwealth, had attracted five world-class candidates to compete for this very important job.
To the trustees, bravo. From the start, this whole recruitment process — open, inclusive, well communicated — has been such a testament to our proud college. That you recommended, in unison, such a brilliant and emotionally prepared leader speaks so clearly about the health and the strength of this very special institution. In fact, this whole recruitment process helped me to step back and appreciate just how special GCC is, and how special this place is that we call home.
One of the reasons that I love living in Franklin County is that it is a community of people who care deeply about community itself. From farmers markets to street fairs, from fundraisers to protest marches, examples of people supporting each other are pretty easy to find. A sense of engaged citizenry is palpable in city and town alike. I admit to feeling swells of pride when visitors notice that, “Gee, where I live, people don’t treat each other with such friendliness and respect.”
Nowhere is this love of community more obvious than at GCC. For we live in a community that values its community college. We live in a community that supports its community college.
Stop and think for a moment about the people that you know, or know of, whose lives have been transformed by GCC. Then, just for fun, ask the people you meet today who they know whose lives have been enriched by the caring support that they got from GCC.
As Bob Pura has written, “Changing the downward spiral of poverty into a widening circle of hope, rebuilding the middle class and increasing the opportunities for social and economic mobility can only happen with the strengthening of our collective commitment to public education.”
This is why I support GCC so unconditionally. This is why I support the GCC Foundation’s annual fund, which is open for business today. I encourage every reader to support the college now at: bit.ly/2JX2yhx.
Yes, Franklin County is truly a great place. And a really significant part of what makes us great is our collective commitment to a truly world-class community college, and to our collective willingness to share and support each other.
Mitch Anthony is a resident of Greenfield.