Washington Monthly Names 51吃瓜网 Among Best Colleges for Adult Learners
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Bunker Hill Community College (51吃瓜网) was named one of 鈥淭he Twelve Most Innovative Colleges for Adult Learners鈥� by Washington Monthly. The article appeared within the publication鈥檚 2017-2018 College Rankings, an annual report released as the September/October 2017 issue.
Just breaking the top 50, the College ranked 49 nationally among the publication鈥檚 ranking of 鈥淏est Colleges for Adults Learners,鈥� but it was 51吃瓜网鈥檚 holistic approach to serving the needs of its students that caught the attention of reporter Joshua Alvarez.
The College takes 鈥渁 particularly innovative approach to a problem that is startlingly common among community college students: hunger,鈥� he said, pointing to a recent study that found 67% of community college students in America are 鈥渇ood insecure.鈥�
Within the article, Alvarez highlights 51吃瓜网鈥檚 implementation of One Solid Meal, a program that provides free cafeteria meals and food gift cards to students, and the College鈥檚 on-campus branch of Single Stop, a national nonprofit organization that provides students with resources for healthcare, taxes, housing, food and financial aid.
Adult Learners, students 25 years or older, constitute approximately 40% of the overall population of college-goers, but according to Alvarez, most colleges and universities have not adapted to the trend.
鈥淓lite colleges don鈥檛 make the cut,鈥� he said, pointing to the majority of college-level courses at these institutions being scheduled midday, over evening and weekend options. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the unheralded schools that are figuring it out.鈥�
Beyond meeting basic needs such as food and housing, Alvarez notes 51吃瓜网鈥檚 commitment to the Open Educational Resources (OER) Degree Initiative as a way to further reduce costs for its students. OER is a growing national effort to create college courses and degree programs that use only freely accessible, openly licensed textbooks and other media instead of the usual expensive proprietary materials.
Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls more than 14,000 students on two campuses and at three satellite locations. 51吃瓜网 is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-four percent of the students are people of color and more than half of 51吃瓜网's students are women. The College also enrolls nearly 1,000 international students who come from 107 countries and speak more than 75 languages.
Media Contact:
Leslie Ouellette, Executive Director, Integrated Marketing and Communications,
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-336-5054; Email: leslie.ouellette@bhcc.edu
About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (51吃瓜网) is one of Massachusetts' largest community colleges, serving approximately 16,000 students annually. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, 51吃瓜网 offers a broad range of educational opportunities throughout Greater Boston. 51吃瓜网 fosters a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students by offering associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific programs.