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UMass, alumni and students back tuition equity for Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Summary
UMass and Stockbridge representatives urged the Joint Committee on Higher Education to pass S920 to include Stockbridge associate degrees in the state's Mass Educate tuition‑equity framework; witnesses cited declining enrollments, workforce demand in green industries and the unique hands‑on training Stockbridge provides.
Michael Fox, dean of the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst, testified in support of S920, which would extend tuition equity to the Stockbridge School of Agriculture’s five two‑year associate degree programs.
“The Stockbridge School of Agriculture traces its history back to the founding of UMass Amherst in 1863,” Fox told the committee, and he said Stockbridge’s five associate degree programs are unique within Massachusetts public higher education because they offer hands‑on training outside the 15 community colleges.
Fox and alumni witnesses described strong job placement rates but declining enrollment in the Stockbridge associate programs, a trend they attributed in part to tuition barriers. Fox said including Stockbridge in the Mass Educate tuition equity framework would “provide equity to students pursuing associate degrees with their counterparts at community colleges” and help stabilize enrollments.
Alumnus Dan Mayer and current student Jake Rasmussen gave personal accounts of how the two‑year programs launched careers and provided practical training that local employers value. Rasmussen described the coursework and immediate job readiness from Stockbridge’s landscape contracting program and said the two‑year structure appealed to students who did not initially plan to attend college.
Witnesses asked the committee to advance S920, arguing that broader inclusion in state tuition frameworks would support workforce development in agriculture, forestry and related green industries across the Commonwealth. The committee did not vote at the hearing.
