Over the past year, I have reflected on my time as dean and provost at Greenfield Community College (GCC). I joined the leadership team at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a moment when GCC’s decade-long enrollment decline had already placed the institution in a precarious position. By fall 2020, enrollment had fallen an additional 16% from the previous year, and every indicator pointed to a crisis.

My primary responsibility was to stabilize enrollment while reducing costs. Two critical issues quickly became clear: an unsustainable number of academic programs and outdated technology. Though it may seem counterintuitive, offering too many programs actually harmed students and the college. With only about 1,400 students spread across more than two dozen majors, many programs enrolled just one or two students. This made it nearly impossible to run the full slate of required courses, often forcing students to transfer or drop out. Closing under-enrolled majors, though controversial, allowed us to concentrate resources on viable programs and strengthen course offerings.

Equally urgent was the lack of modern technology. Nearly every administrative and academic process still relied on paper forms — from course scheduling to graduation audits. These outdated systems often created costly mistakes, including students staying an extra semester to complete overlooked requirements. Working with the president and business office, my team secured significant funding to introduce new digital platforms. We replaced paper with software that tracked progress toward graduation and gave faculty and advisors powerful tools for course selection. We also modernized the curriculum process by adopting a catalog system that replaced months-long paper trails with efficient digital workflows.

Additional measures reinforced these changes. We eliminated remedial math and English classes, streamlined administrative roles, and launched targeted marketing campaigns, and statewide initiatives. These interventions, taken together, began to turn the tide. Within four years, GCC reversed its decline, posting a 13% increase in student headcount the year I stepped down as provost.

This work required difficult choices, but the results speak to the resilience of GCC’s faculty, staff, and students. As the college enters its next chapter, my hope is that its leaders will continue to confront inequities, embrace innovation, and safeguard enrollment and financial stability.

Chet Jordan

Cromwell, Connecticut