PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Berkshire Community College staff, community leaders, and students gathered in the quad to celebrate the completion of the new One Stop Enrollment Center.

 

“Berkshire Community College is such an important landmark and institution in the city of Pittsfield and for the entire Berkshires. The way that they are able to provide academic programming for people of all ages and all abilities,” Mayor Linda Tyer said at the ribbon-cutting event Wednesday. “And now with this, the completion of this project, it will be an even more welcoming place for people to come and to learn and to create friendships and memories. And so this is just another example of the amazing work that President Kennedy and her team do every day here at the campus.” 

 

The state awarded BCC $5.5 million to renovate the first floor of the Field Administration building that once housed BCC’s admissions, registrar, and financial aid offices.

 

The open-concept space is now painted with vibrant colors. More importantly, the center allows for more access making the admissions and enrollment process easier for students.

 

“I think this college is a total transformation from what it was several years ago, and the One Stop is ideal for modernizing this college campus and making it easy for students of all ages, all ethnicities, and language barriers…” State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli said. “So I'm very excited and honored to be here today, and it looks beautiful. Every junior in high school, and every guidance counselor…should be coming up here to see what this is. Start here, go anywhere is a real possibility now because of BCC.”

 

BCC President Ellen Kennedy thanked all who made the project possible including the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance team, the architect? Dietz & Company, the general contractors?s from Millennium Builders.

 

Commissioner of Division of Capital asset Management and Maintenance Carol Gladstone added that she hopes the renovation reiterates how important the student body is to BCC.

 

"I hope this says to the faculty and students, that you are important, that we want you to have work that draws on the talents that you bring, and the skills that you learn here, that you stay in this community, and you support and have this community grow and thrive. That's what this is all about. So we hope this does meet that promise," she said.

 

State Rep. John Barrett III said BCC is an important part of the community that improves the lives of many of its residents. 

 

"I'm so proud to be here today with many of the people that I've worked with over the past 40 years. With this institution, the funding that the state has provided through the Baker-Polito administration, the legislature, everybody's played a key part of it," he said.  "But the real ones that have made it all work, and the people who live here in Berkshire County, including the hundreds and hundreds of students have graduated from this institution, it gave them the opportunity they might not well have received without this school." 

 

Faculty members excitedly gave tours to visitors who looked at the transformation in amazement. 

 

Students, who also spoke at the event, agreed that the new building will only make the school more welcoming.

 

Student Government President Maringel Dus said that the renovations made the campus more accessible, and welcoming. 

 

"The new building will be so convenient for us since we will have all the …financial and academic support in the same building that will make it very efficient for us,"  Student Government President Maringel Dus said. 

 

Student Trustee Autumn Bateman echoed this sentiment. She said on a more personal note, the center made education more accessible to her. 

 

"I'm not a traditional student. I love it here. I feel very welcome. This is a community. This is a family, actually. I feel like we're more of a family than students sometimes," she said. "The way the faculty and everybody speaks to each other and we're all on an even heel. I don't feel like there's a pyramid of any kind."