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BUSINESS ALLIANCES WIN HCC FINALIST STATUS IN NATIONAL COMPETITION

BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College’s business alliances, which have captured international attention, have won the college finalist status in the prestigious national Bellwether Award competition.

HCC, one of ten finalists in the competition’s Workforce Development category, was selected for three business alliances, particularly one with the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center and the Connecticut Department of Labor that resulted in the creation of the Metal Manufacturers Education and Training Alliance (METAL). Winners will be chosen at the 2005 Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando Jan. 29-Feb.1.

Housatonic Community College believes that recreating America’s community colleges begins with forming better alliances with all possible partners,” the college said in its application. “Flexible training partnerships with Bridgeport’s Metal Manufacturers Education and Training Alliance (METAL) and with the International Association for the Management of Technology (IAMOT) have met industry’s needs and our quality standards.”

This is the second consecutive year in which HCC has achieved finalist status in the competition. Last year, the college achieved this status for its Community College Strategic Planner, which uses regional and national industry and occupational data and projections to provide region-specific projections of student enrollment and demographics, as well as future occupational requirements of the region.

HCC’s business partnerships have won the college international recognition. The Voice of America, which reaches 93 million listeners worldwide, has broadcast a segment on them and posted the text of the segment on its website. The partnerships were also the subject of several articles in Internet magazines with international reach.

“During this time of wrenching economic change, HCC has been a steadfast innovative partner,” said Michael McCarthy, Executive Director of METAL, in support of Housatonic’s candidacy for the award.   “Among its many contributions was playing a pivotal role in securing funds to create our organization, a consortium of metal manufacturers created to enable this manufacturing cluster to compete more effectively in the rapidly changing global economy.”

Last year, he noted, HCC played a lead role in putting METAL members in touch with a global group of technology experts to access state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, products and marketing approaches. That resulted in two officials from IAMOT joining the METAL board.

“Housatonic’s close involvement with the business community shows how valuable the involvement of education and government can be in the survival of American manufacturing,” said Kevin Nunn, President of the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center. Acting on its own, using its own creativity and resources, Housatonic has made a tremendous difference for the state’s businesses.”

“It’s a difference that shows how Housatonic Community College has recreated itself, in partnership with our varied alliance partners, to adapt to the changing business and education landscape.”

The Bellwether Awards are an integral part of the Community College Futures Assembly, established in 1995.  The Assembly, sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida, focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that other colleges might find worthy of replicating. 

The awards are given annually in three categories to colleges with outstanding and innovative programs or practices. They have been compared to football's Heisman Award because the contest is competitively judged and is an award given by peers in community colleges. Winners in each of the three categories will be announced at the 2005 Assembly.

With an eight-year old campus in the heart of Connecticut’s largest city, Housatonic is one of the country’s fastest-growing public community colleges. Since it moved to the new downtown campus in 1997, Housatonic’s enrollment has increased 77 percent. According to the most recent statistics released by the Washington D.C- based American Association of Community Colleges, Housatonic was the Northeast’s second fastest-growing community college and its fastest-growing in terms of full-time students.

In response to increased enrollments and changing workplace needs both regionally and nationally, Housatonic has increased the number of programs offered from 43 to 63 since moving to its new campus.

The college is located in downtown Bridgeport a block from the Arena at Harbor Yard.