The Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield

The Cooperating Colleges of Greater Springfield is an educational consortium composed of the eight public and private colleges in the Greater Springfield area: American International College, Bay Path College, Elms College, Holyoke Community College, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, Western New England University, and Westfield State University. Founded in 1971, the organization fosters the sharing of programs, talents, and facilities, to bring to this area the educational resources of a university while retaining the initiative and vitality of independent institutions.

Through cooperative planning at the presidential level and the functioning of committees from different administrative levels, CCGS aims:

  • to enrich the educational offerings, cultural events, and social activities of the colleges,
  • to offer a wide variety of programs and fields of study to students at each institution,
  • to effect fiscal economies and to eliminate unnecessary duplication through joint planning, and
  • to develop into an economic and educational resource to the Greater Springfield community.

Examples of the different levels on which the colleges meet and cooperate are committees composed of the presidents, the deans of faculty, the deans of students, the librarians, and the continuing education directors, among others.

I. Academic Exchange
Cross registration has been established so that in each semester or term, any CCGS student attempting at least six semester hours in a degree program in the day division may enroll at another college for any regular term course in the day division that is not offered at his or her own institution, as long as the desired course is not over subscribed. This cross-registration policy does not apply to continuing education (evening, weekend, summer, and online) courses at STCC. The last day for CCGS students to register is the last day of add/drop. The student is billed by his or her home institution. Study at the host institution is scheduled as part of the student's normal credit load, and all records for such academic achievement are kept by the registrar of the student's home college. Grades earned in CCGS exchange courses will be reflected on the transcript of the home institution and calculated into the QPA.

This cross registration includes an Army ROTC program, and an Air Force ROTC program. For more information on the Army ROTC program, call Western New England University at 782-1345 or the University of Massachusetts at 545-2321; for information on the Air Force ROTC program, call the University of Massachusetts at 545-2451. The academic deans also sponsor faculty development conferences.

II. Libraries
All students and faculty of CCGS colleges have immediate access to the full library collections of all eight colleges, numbering 1,174,420 volumes at last count, thus greatly expanding the opportunities for independent study and research. The Cooperating Libraries of Greater Springfield (part of CCGS) also include the Springfield City Library, the Western New England Law School Library, and the Baystate Medical Center Library. The CLGS librarians have compiled a union list of serials, listing periodicals available in all libraries. A valid STCC l.D. is required in order to borrow materials from any CLGS library. For information on the libraries, see http://www.wmclgs.org/

.Ill. Student Affairs
The Student Affairs officers meet to discuss, among other issues, jointly sponsored educational, cultural, and social programs. The member colleges open some of their extracurricular events to all CCGS students. Events scheduled at individual institutions may be publicized among the member colleges; in this way, programs which a single institution might not be able to attract are made available.

lV. Career Services
The Career Services officers of the College Career Centers of Western MA (CCCWM) institutions annually present a career fair or series of fairs, for the students and alumni of the member colleges. For more information, contact Pamela J. White, Director of Cooperative Education, Career Services and Transfer Affairs at 755-4464,or email PJWhite@stcc.edu.