From the Desk of the President: Happy 2016—Bay State College Shines in its 70th Year

The New Year is upon us and as we embrace 2016 and look forward to what a fresh new year will bring we are delighted to welcome our students and faculty back to the College this spring term.  For those who are new to Bay State College (BSC) we have been waiting for your arrival with excitement and look forward to learning more about you and how we can best support you in your educational journey.

There is much anticipation about the start of a new year. Does something truly magical happen when the clock strikes midnight on December 31^st?  Is everything wiped clean from the previous 12 months? If 2015 was not all you had hoped for then the idea of a fresh start on January 1^st is extremely reassuring.  When I was a child we used to run out on our porch at the stroke of midnight and bang pots and pans together.  Back then I thought it was just to make a lot of noise and annoy our neighbors but since that time I have learned that it is believed in some cultures to ward off evil spirits and ensure a positive start to the New Year.  More recently I have been encouraged by friends to articulate my hopes and desires for the New Year specifically on New Year’s Day believing that if you put it out there for others to hear, it will come true.  My neighbors appreciate this New Year’s Eve practice much more than my previous one.

Whatever your tradition or ritual may be to start the new year, a New Year’s resolution normally follows and for many learning something new and exciting is a popular resolution. The problem with resolutions is that we do not usually keep them.  When I asked our new students at their orientation this past week how many were here at BSC because it was their New Year’s resolution, no hands were raised in the affirmative.   A good sign!  Research and surveys show that only 8% of people who make resolutions are successful at keeping them.

So it’s best not to look at the idea of pursuing your education as a resolution.  Although numerous New Year’s Eve surveys have shown that learning something new has been in the top 10 resolutions over the past few years, the decision to pursue your education is a much stronger commitment than a resolution, it is a life changing and enduring one.

Pursuing your education at BSC in particular means that you have a clear sense of direction, a chosen career path where there is a great need in the industry for your skills upon graduation.  We are confident that we will be able to support you in fulfilling your professional hopes and desires based on our history of serving our students and employers since 1946.  BSC opened in 1946 to serve the airline industry.  Imagine what it was like back then to look forward to working in what was a new and exciting industry. The commercial airline industry was finding its footing back then with air traffic control, airline routes and passenger pricing only coming into existence around 1938.  When you interact today with ticket agents, airlines customer service, reservationists, etc., know that BSC played a big part in supplying the airlines with those skilled workers at a time when there were very few schools that could do so.

Today BSC is known as the go-to college for many of the top industries in the region such as healthcare jobs at our local and regional hospitals, hospitality careers at our Boston hotels, fashion and retail establishments, marketing firms, public safety and the entertainment industry. We celebrate the milestone of our 70^th anniversary this year and are so very proud to continue the good work of those who founded BSC back in 1946; that of responding to industry needs by preparing BSC graduates for employment in leading industries.

Welcome to 2016, the 70^th anniversary year for Bay State College!  We look forward to celebrating all year long as we support you in pursuing your educational goals and career success.