History, Fast Facts, Strategic Plan
History, Fast Facts, Strategic Plan
A look back at the history of Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) since it was chartered in 1961.
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- In 1961, Massachusetts Bay Community College was chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- In 1973, after residing in temporary locations in Boston and Watertown, the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges chose the property of the Elizabeth Seton High School in Wellesley Hills for MassBay’s permanent campus, with a maximum enrollment of 1500 FTEs.
- In 1978, the Board of Regents charged the College with the development of a new mission emphasizing program initiatives in advanced technology and the health sciences.
- In 1983, founding president John F. McKenzie retired and second president, Roger A. Van Winkle, was appointed.
- In 1990, a second campus was opened in a former middle school in Framingham, at 19 Flagg Drive.
- In 1999, the third president, Dr. Lindsay Norman, was appointed.
- In 2001, the Automotive Technology Center was opened in Ashland.
- In 2003, the Recreation and Wellness Center was opened on the Wellesley campus.
- In 2004, the College’s fourth president, Dr. Carole M. Berotte Joseph, was appointed. She became the first Haitian-American woman to lead an institution of higher education in U.S. history.
- In 2011, the College marked its 50th anniversary.
- In 2011, the fifth president of the college, Dr. John O’Donnell, was appointed.
- In 2015, three Massachusetts Bay Community College students were the recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, the largest and most prestigious scholarship for community college students in the country.
- In 2016, David Podell, Ph.D., became the sixth president of Massachusetts Bay Community College.
- In 2024, the MassBay Center for Heath Sciences, Early Childhood, and Human Services, at 490 Franklin Street in Framingham, opens. The Center is the first building ever constructed specifically for MassBay's programs and services.
