Commissioner Visit
Mass. higher ed chief makes first HCC visit
Noe Ortega, the new Massachusetts commissioner of higher education, seemed quite at home during a visit last week to the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center at Holyoke Community College. Not long after he set foot in the room, a 1-year-old boy named Isaiah began handing him blocks and toys.
"I have to tell you," Ortega had said moments before, "I got my start in education as a toddler teacher."
The child watch center, a free drop-in service for HCC student-parents, was one of the many stops Commissioner Ortega made March 22 during a tour of the college. Accompanied by HCC President Christina Royal and a coterie of students and staff, he also visited the Thrive Student Resource Center and Food Pantry, Homestead Market (the first campus store in Massachusetts to accept SNAP benefits), the Center for Life Sciences, and El Centro (HCC's bilingual student support and service center).
"I really want to get a sense or what the student experience is when they come to HCC," Ortega said during the tour. "What are the things that greet them, that make them feel like they are part of an environment where they're going to thrive and be successful."
The visit to HCC was part of the commissioner's orientation tour of state colleges and universities. He was hired as the state's higher education commissioner in August after serving as education secretary in Pennsylvania.
"The commissioner had the opportunity to hear students talk about their college experiences and aspirations; faculty and staff highlighted the points of distinction that make HCC notable; and he toured spaces that show the investments and innovations we've made to support a rigorous academic experience and support for basic needs," said President Christina Royal. "Above all, the commissioner had a chance to see the heart and soul of what makes HCC so special - how we prioritize student success wrapped with lots of encouragement and support."
After the campus tour, Commissioner Ortega sat down to talk to President Royal and other college administrators. Later, he joined students, faculty, staff, and trustees for a lunchtime discussion.
"The commissioner and I talk about HCC frequently," said Royal. "However, nothing is more impactful than being on campus interacting with students, staff, and faculty, or, as he said, 'breaking bread with our community.' I left work that day feeling grateful that the commissioner now knows HCC personally and will be an even stronger advocate for us and all the community colleges in Massachusetts."
See more photos of Commissioner Noe Ortega's visit in our Facebook photo album ...
PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega, seconf from left, visits the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center during a tour of HCC. (Above) Commissioner Ortega, second from right, with his HCC tour guides: HCC student senator Alicia Beaton, President Christina Royal, HCC student Samya Robles, and HCC student senator Carissa Batura.
