President Fifield to Retire From Bunker Hill Community College
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
After more than 16 years of guiding unprecedented institutional growth and dramatic transformation, Bunker Hill Community College President Mary L. Fifield will retire effective June 30, 2013.
During her tenure, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) increased enrollment by 117 percent to become the largest community
Under her leadership which fostered a culture of decision making based on data, the College carried out a comprehensive assessment of student learning outcomes; changed traditional classroom instruction into learning communities which earned BHCC the top award for excellence in academic programming from the New England Board of Higher Education; gained national recognition as a data-driven institution among 52 Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges; and was given the national award from the Association of Community College Trustees as the top community college out of 1,100 institutions for providing opportunities for people of color and women.
A strong proponent of strategic planning, Fifield created cyclical large-scale planning events involving hundreds of business, civic and government leaders joined by faculty, staff, student leaders, alumni and trustees. This resulted in College goals with budgeted action plans to ensure they were accomplished. Such shared planning led to dozens of strengthened partnerships and mutually beneficial initiatives with high schools, community-based organizations and businesses. An agreement between the College and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership (MACP) is one example of collaboration that created a new "Learn and Earn" Program providing BHCC students with paid work experience and mentoring in high demand fields at some of Greater Boston's leading companies. On campus, Fifield established programs such as the Student Emergency Assistance Fund to help students facing short-term financial crises and initiated new degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and other emerging fields.
Reflecting on Fifield's immense influence on the College, her civic involvement and uncompromising commitment to students, Board of Trustees Chair Jeanne-Marie Boylan said, "Due to her leadership, business and community leaders as well as hundreds of faculty and staff are directly involved in initiatives that are changing the lives of thousands of students every day. These efforts have resulted in the highest retention and numbers of students graduating in the College's history."
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).