Bunker Hill Community College

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Mission & Vision

Three separate but cohesive mission statements guide Bunker Hill Community College. The first is a comprehensive, system-wide mission statement for Public Higher Education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The second is a mission statement of general characteristics common to all Massachusetts community colleges. The third mission statement contains the specialized and focused component that identifies Bunker Hill Community College's distinctive characteristics and priorities.

Mission of the Massachusetts System of Public Higher Education

Massachusetts Public Higher Education is a SYSTEM with a distinguished past, increasing and measurable accomplishments, and dedicated to being recognized as having one of the nation's most outstanding array of institutions. It comprises 15 community colleges, nine state colleges, and five campuses of the University of Massachusetts. The system exists to provide accessible, affordable, relevant, and rigorous programs that adapt to meet changing individual and societal needs for education and employment. The public system is committed to continuous improvement and accountability in all aspects of teaching and learning. The Board of Higher Education, together with each respective Board of Trustees, expects all students, faculty, and staff to be held to exacting standards in the performance of their roles and responsibilities.

Mission of the Massachusetts Community Colleges

The fifteen Massachusetts Community Colleges offer open access to high quality, affordable academic programs, including associate degree and certificate programs. They are committed to excellence in teaching and learning and provide academic preparation for transfer to four-year institutions, career preparation for entry into high-demand occupational fields, developmental coursework, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Community colleges have a special responsibility for workforce development and through partnerships with business and industry, provide job training, retraining, certification, and skills improvement. In addition, they assume primary responsibility, in the public system, for offering developmental courses, programs, and other educational services for individuals who seek to develop the skills needed to pursue college-level study or enter the workforce.

Rooted in their communities, the colleges serve as community leaders, identifying opportunities and solutions to community problems and contributing to the region's intellectual, cultural, and economic development. They collaborate with elementary and secondary education and work to ensure a smooth transition from secondary to post-secondary education. Through partnerships with baccalaureate institutions, they help to promote an efficient system of public higher education.

The community colleges offer an environment where the ideas and contributions of all students are respected. Academic and personal support services are provided to ensure that all students have an opportunity to achieve academic and career success. No eligible student shall be deprived of the opportunity for a community college education in Massachusetts because of an inability to pay tuition and fees.

Mission of Bunker Hill Community College

Bunker Hill Community College serves as an educational and economic asset for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by offering associate degrees and certificate programs that prepare students for further education and fulfilling careers. Our students reflect our diverse local and global community, and the College integrates the strengths of many cultures, age groups, lifestyles and learning styles into the life of the institution. The College provides inclusive and affordable access to higher education, supports the success of all students and forges vibrant partnerships and pathways with educational institutions, community organizations, and local businesses and industries.

Vision of Bunker Hill Community College

Bunker Hill Community College empowers and inspires students, faculty and staff diverse in identities, experiences and ideas to make meaningful contributions to our local and global communities. The College embodies a spirit of inquiry, critical thought, inclusive excellence and lifelong learning.

BHCC Institutional Values

Bunker Hill Community College Trustees, Faculty, Staff and Students embody the highest academic and institutional integrity through their commitment to:

  • Access and Success
  • Excellence and Innovation
  • Economic and Social Justice
  • Inclusiveness and Equity
  • Civic Engagement and Service
  • Kindness and Respect
  • Accountability and Transparency

The Vision, Mission and Values statements were approved by Board of Trustees, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and Massachusetts Secretary of Education, October 2014

Statement on Inclusion

The Bunker Hill Community College Board of Trustees endorsed and approved for adoption on June 9, 1997, the American Association of Community Colleges Statement on Inclusion as follows:

Bunker Hill Community College strongly endorses the continued use of admissions policies and employment practices that promote broad diversity in the community college system. The College will be free to pursue standards and policies that allow it to fulfill its diversity mission and vision. The students who are educated will help provide tomorrow's leaders, and their college experience will demonstrate the richness and substance of our diverse, multicultural, and global environment. The College environment will promote understanding and appreciation of others, while encouraging students to grow as individuals.

Bunker Hill Community College reaffirms its commitment to diversity. In accord with this philosophy, the College will evaluate its hiring, admissions, and financial aid policies to ensure diversity and equal access within the institution. The College will ensure that the results of these evaluations conform to the concept of open access - the cornerstone of the College's mission.

Bunker Hill Community College believes that diversity in education is crucial to a democratic society. Community colleges are, in effect, microcosms of our greater society.

As such, Bunker Hill Community College will encourage and enhance the fullest understanding of human rights and responsibilities and will teach the skills that allow its students to effectively participate in a democratic society. The College will be responsible for shaping an environment that mirrors the general culture and creates opportunities for all within the college community to interact with understanding, tolerance, and respect for others. In this way, diversity in education not only serves as a model for the world at large, but it also perpetuates social harmony for the future.

BHCC Statement on Civility

Bunker Hill Community College believes that civility in the workplace and classroom is everyone's right and responsibility. This statement is consistent with the Student Handbook, all collective bargaining agreements, and the College's personnel policies. We understand "civility" to mean respectful language and behavior toward everyone at all times, regardless of the circumstances. These qualities are intrinsic to excellence in teaching and learning, and contribute to the maintenance of a productive workplace and an overall positive campus climate.

Further, we affirm our commitment to behavior that is courteous and respectful in all interactions with members of the BHCC community as well as with members of the larger communities we serve.