President Ellen Kennedy
In 2012, Ellen Kennedy was named the seventh President of ½ûÂþÌìÌà (½ûÂþÌìÌÃ), the first community college in Massachusetts. Under Kennedy's leadership, ½ûÂþÌìÌà completed a $34 million renovation of its main classroom buildings, walkways and roadways; installed the Gene Dellea Community Turf Field while addressing environmental issues; secured funding and oversaw the construction of a One Stop Enrollment Center; developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan with planning for the 2022-2027 plan underway; and garnered nearly $21 million in grant funding, including a $1.9 million Title III Strengthening Institutions and renewals of TRiO Grants from the U.S. Department of Education.
The College was recently selected by Achieving the Dream (ATD) as one of seven community colleges in the nation for a Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work grant.
Under Kennedy's leadership, ½ûÂþÌìÌà has expanded its Teaching and Learning Innovation Center; partnered with Greenfield Community College on several shared positions; introduced a Writing Center; expanded offerings including an online Cannabis Industry Certificate – as well as certificates in Human Services, and Addiction and Recovery. Most recently the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education approved the College's request for a Mechatronics major. She supported the Nursing program doubling in size. The College's Hospitality and Culinary programs are being re-launched to address the workforce needs of Berkshire County's tourism industry, and the College's Workforce Program has been realigned to address both Governor Baker's Berkshire Blueprint and the 1Berkshire Blueprint 2.0. ½ûÂþÌìÌà has been a national leader in sustainable practices, from energy to composting, often ranking in the top five nationally of institutions participating in Recyclemania, a challenge that celebrates waste diversion efforts that ensures more waste is recycled or composted.
Previously, Kennedy served as ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the College, she served as the Interim Chief Operating Officer of National Patient Safety Foundation, the Director of Development at WFCR – Public Radio for Western New England, the Chief Advancement Officer for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and President of the MCLA Foundation. She began her career in Administration and Finance at North Adams State College, where she was actively engaged in changes to the College's mission, name, mascot, and facilities.
Kennedy holds a BS in Business Administration from MCLA, formerly North Adams State College, an MBA from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and an Ed.D. from Northeastern University.
President Kennedy was named the 2014 Woman of Achievement by the Berkshire Business and Professional Women, received a distinguished Alumna award from MCLA, and was named to the Hall of Fame for her high school, St. Mary's in Lynn, Mass. She was an inaugural recipient of Berkshire Magazine's The Berkshire 25, a group of leaders, doers, creators, and community stalwarts who help make the Berkshires a dynamic place to live and work. Kennedy received the "She Knows Where She's Going" award from the Gladys Allen Brigham