GREENFIELD — When you ask Greenfield Community College President Yves Salomon-Fernández how her first year at the local community college has been, she replies, “Wonderful!”
Salomon-Fernández said she spent most of her time getting to know the college and its staff, faculty and students, Greenfield and the communities that surround it, and the people — everyone from other educators, to parents, to residents, to business people and social service providers.
“It was also very important for me to understand the legacy of GCC so I can better prepare for the future,” she said.
Salomon-Fernández said she has been looking at the college’s past accomplishments, the challenges it has faced and in some instances continues to face, as well as its aspirations.
“It’s tremendous as an undertaking, but necessary for the strategic planning process,” she said. “This is an exciting time for higher education and for our community. There are a lot of external forces encouraging us to evolve even more than we have to this point.”
Salomon-Fernández was hired a year ago as GCC’s 10th president. In May, she was inaugurated during a ceremony under a tent on the main campus. At that time, everyone from local legislators to the college’s former President Robert Pura told her she belongs at GCC.
She told people that day that “every season, every day, the quarter-mile drive to the building is simply glorious,” and she said she still feels that way.
Salomon-Fernández said as the college evolves, it is taking a closer look at demographics.
“The demographics at Greenfield Middle School, for instance, are not what the adult population looks like here in the area,” she said. “We’re working with superintendents throughout the county so we can better respond to students’ needs.”
Salomon-Fernández said she is impressed with student activism in the area from both high schoolers and college students.
“They want to live more equitable, just and racially balanced lives,” she said. “They want us to acknowledge who they are, and we want to empower them. We also want to support our adult students — we have a lot of them who want to change careers or just start college for the first time.”
Salomon-Fernández said GCC is learning ways to help with the adult working population that is returning to school to re-skill and transform their skills.
“We want to help them compete and thrive,” she said.
The college president said GCC embraces multigenerational learning.
“We see an older, retired population coming in to learn or help, and they are so vivacious and have so much to give,” she said. “They’re really getting involved.”
She said GCC is helping to build resiliency across the county.
“We’ve always been part of the fabric of the upper Pioneer Valley,” she said. “We are strengthening it and adding a little more color that resembles a mosaic. I’m incredibly proud of the school, and of our faculty and staff. They are modeling what cool, active leadership looks like.”
Salomon-Fernández said staff and faculty are evolving with the college, and they are elevating it to be the institution is needs to be in the mid-21st century.
“They’re creative, imaginative problem solvers,” she said. “I’ve been encouraging that and will continue to do so. They make it easy for me to do my job as president.”
Salomon-Fernández said she never imagined feeling so fulfilled in a job, but in the last year, she has learned what a “dream job” really is.
“It’s this,” she said. “I look forward to every day here.”
She said the students are incredible, from those fresh out of high school, to veterans, to single mothers.
“They give me hope, inspire me,” she said. “They make all of us want to push harder. There’s lots of hope here. They’re just awesome.”
Salomon-Fernández said she has been really lucky to have Robbie Cohn chair the board of the college.
“He cares, he knows, he supports GCC,” she said. “He and his wife, Mary, made sure my transition here went smoothly. He is an advocate for equity, for meaningful racial integration.”
She said as she starts her second years, she will be pushing for an equity agenda in this “extraordinary rural area.” She’s glad Cohn will be part of that as well.
“I, social service providers in the area, local legislators and county leaders all want the same thing,” she said.
Salomon-Fernández said from the moment she stepped on campus for her first interview, she knew it was the place she wanted to be.
“It’s even better than I thought,” she said. “Juices are flowing and we’re cooking up some innovative stuff. We’re not afraid of hard work, so we’ll get it done.”
The college will continue to expand its senior mentoring program, and Salomon-Fernández said the school is currently re-envisioning its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration by planning an intergenerational event that will include everyone from young children to older residents, engaging all of them.
She said there are also new academic programs that have either begun or are on the horizon, like the new adventure education degree that expands the outdoor leadership program.
“We’re also working on evolving our liberal arts program, and our STEM Department is cooking up lots of great things,” she said. “We’re making a difference every day. There are no bad days.”
As she looks into the future, Salomon-Fernandez said she sees more of what she has experienced in the last year.
“Five to 10 years from now,” she said, “we’re going to be soaring high.”
Reach Anita Fritz at
413-772-0261, ext. 269 or afritz@recorder.com.