Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to Deliver Keynote Address at Bunker Hill Community College 2024 Commencement
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey will deliver the keynote address at Bunker Hill Community College’s 50th Commencement exercises on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the MGM Fenway Music Hall in Boston.
"Here in Massachusetts, we believe in the transformational power of higher education," said Governor Healey. "Our administration is proud to support our incredible community colleges, including Bunker Hill, with programs like MassReconnect and Early College. I share my heartfelt congratulations to the 2024 graduates of BHCC and look forward to celebrating with you all at Commencement!"
“Governor Healey’s leadership has been transformative for Massachusetts community colleges,” said Bunker Hill Community College President Pam Eddinger. “She understands the key role that Bunker Hill plays in ensuring pathways to opportunity and economic mobility for all residents of our Commonwealth, and the critical role that community colleges play in working with private industry to ensure a skilled and inclusive workforce. We are so happy that she will be our 2024 Commencement speaker.”
BHCC graduates approximately 1,000 students each year from associate degree and certificate programs. Most BHCC alums go on to complete a bachelor’s degree at four-year colleges and universities in the Boston area and across the country. The five largest institutions where BHCC alumni complete their degrees are UMass Boston, UMass Lowell, UMass Amherst, Northeastern University, and Lesley University.
Governor Healey last visited BHCC in March of 2023 to announce the MassReconnect program. Implemented in the fall of 2023, MassReconnect makes community college free to Massachusetts residents over the age of 25 who do not already have a college degree. At the time, Governor Healey touted the program as key to opening opportunity to Massachusetts residents while broadening the workforce pipeline to emerging industries, saying that “more students than ever before will be able to advance or complete their educations and set themselves up for a successful career in in-demand industries like health care, engineering, advanced manufacturing, and tech.”
Maura Healey is the 73rd Governor of Massachusetts. In 2022, she became the state's first woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected to the position.
On her first day in office, Governor Healey appointed the nation's first cabinet-level Climate Chief and created the Office of Climate Innovation & Resilience to coordinate policies across all of state government to address the climate crisis. Governor Healey has also prioritized education and workforce development by making free school meals for K-12 students permanent and creating a free community college program for residents ages 25 and older. She has made historic investments in apprenticeships and other career pathways.
Healey previously served two terms as Massachusetts Attorney General, first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. In her role as the People’s Lawyer, she took on difficult issues impacting Massachusetts residents, including the opioid epidemic, the climate crisis, escalating health care costs, and student loan debt.
In addition to Governor Healey, Bunker Hill’s commencement will feature a student speaker as well as several awards given to faculty, staff, and students. For more information on BHCC’s commencement, visit bhcc.edu/commencement.