College in the Community

The Adult Learning Center provides free instruction for adult learners (age 16 and older) who live or work in Massachusetts.  The program typically meets on MCC’s Bedford campus from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays, September through June. Students are admitted throughout the year on a space-available basis.

Adult Learning Center classes are small and range from adult basic education to High School Equivalency Test (HiSET or GED) preparation. Students complete coursework focused on reading, writing and mathematics skills. Other topics, such as science and social studies, are also covered. Students have access to computer labs with specialized software to supplement classroom learning.

In a supportive environment, experienced and professional instructors help students develop and improve foundational skills, as well as computer, study and job skills. Additionally, the program helps prepare students for success in their next steps, whether that might be in college or further training, at work, and in the community.

The Adult Learning Center is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. For further information, call 781-280-3665 or visit the program’s website at www.middlesex.mass.edu/adultlearning.

The Career Place is part of the state’s network of more than 30 One Stop Career Centers, funded primarily by federal and state resources. Managed by Middlesex Community College, and chartered by the Metro North Regional Employment Board, The Career Place opened its doors in Woburn in January 1997. Each year, the center serves more than 10,000 individuals, providing a broad range of career development services, including resume writing, job-search techniques, skills assessment, referrals to education and training, computer skills development, and assistance with finding a job.

A universal access center, The Career Place works with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds - including unemployment insurance recipients, in-school and out-of-school youth, veterans, dislocated workers, individuals with disabilities, low-income individuals, and those on public assistance - to help them gain self-sufficiency. Since its opening, the center has helped more than 37,000 job seekers enter or re-enter the workforce. During the past 5 years the average hourly wage of job placements has been $25.60.

The Career Place also works with 550 to 600 companies each year in the Metro North and surrounding regions, helping them retain their competitive edge through the recruitment and development of educated and skilled human resources. The center delivers an array of workforce-development services to local employers, such as holding job fairs throughout the year, on-site interviews at the center, matching skilled workers with jobs, professional development workshops to enhance the skills of existing workers, and training staff on new computer technologies.

For more information, call The Career Place toll-free at 888-273-WORK or visit www.thecareerplace.org.

Part of the state network of One Stop Career Centers, the Career Source in Cambridge is funded primarily by federal and state resources, newly managed by MCC since July 1, 2012, and chartered by the Metro North Regional Employment Board.

Career Source serves as a hub of activity focused on connecting job seekers and employers to meet the employment and career-advancement needs of individuals, and the workforce-needs of businesses. Dedicated to providing high quality services within a professional and welcoming environment, Career Source provides counseling, education and technology to support job search, and vital information and recruitment opportunities for businesses.

For businesses, Career Source provides a wide range of services, including recruitment assistance, professional development and networking opportunities, and valuable information on employer assistance and other programs.
Services to job seekers include workshops, individual counseling to help find jobs, choose a career or access training, and opportunities to connect with hiring employers.

Career Source in Cambridge is located at 186 Alewife Brook Parkway, Suite 310, Fresh Pond Mall. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information, call 617-661-7867 ext. O, or visit the Career Source website: www.yourcareersource.com.

The Middlesex Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic in downtown Lowell offers preventive dental hygiene services to the public at a reduced cost. The Dental Hygiene Clinic is a patient-centered teaching and learning environment, therefore appointments may be longer and more numerous than comparable treatment at a private dental office. All treatment is provided by dental hygiene students who are closely supervised by a faculty of licensed dental hygienists and dentists. Patients accepted for treatment are those whose dental status has teaching value and who have the extra time required for treatment. Services available include comprehensive dental hygiene care, oral prophylaxis (cleaning), scaling and root planing, dental radiographs, dental sealants, athletic mouth protectors. and fluoride treatments.  

Appointments must be scheduled in advance, and payment is expected at the initial appointment. MCC’s Dental Hygiene Clinic operates fall and spring semesters. Fall semester hours: Wednesday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m and Fridays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (September through December). Spring semester hours: Tuesday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 2 to 5 p.m., and Friday 1 to 5 p.m. (January through May).

The Middlesex Community College Dental Hygiene Clinic is located in MCC’s Health, Science & Technology Center, 44 Middle St., Lowell. Call 978-656-3250 to schedule an appointment. (Appointments for the fall semester can be made starting the last week of August.)

The English Learner Institute (ELI) is a noncredit program that focuses on helping members of the community develop basic English and other skills - including technology, life and social skills - essential to American culture. Anyone who is a newcomer to the United States, or needs to develop basic English skills, is suitable for this program.

Available at the Lowell campus through the International and Multicultural Office, English Learner Institute programs consist of five different noncredit day and evening courses (offered at a reduced rate) that vary in length, from six to 14 weeks. As part of the ELI, a free program titled Prepare to Attend College (PAC), is offered three times a year. PAC and ELI courses are nonsequential, which allows students to enter at various times throughout the year. For further information, stop by the Multicultural Center on the ground floor of the Lowell City Building, or call 978-656-3267.  

Related topic: MCC also offers resources and services through its Multicultural Center (see Student Services ).      

Selected by the State Secretary of Education to be one of the first charter schools in Massachusetts, Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School provides a precollegiate education for Lowell-area youth in grades 9 through 12 who are under the age of 21 who have left school prior to graduation and those at risk of dropping out. Students earn a diploma upon successful completion of the program. LMACS is an accredited high school with the mission of enabling students to achieve academic, social and career success. This supportive school community identifies, encourages and develops interests and abilities, while acknowledging and respecting each student’s personal and cultural identity. For more information, call 978-656-3165.

Serving the greater Merrimack Valley area, the Merrimack Valley Small Business Center is a program of Community Teamwork, Inc., in collaboration with Middlesex Community College, UMass Lowell and the City of Lowell’s Department of Planning & Development. Founded in December of 1999, the center serves the small-business needs of entrepreneurs from ethnically and economically diverse groups in Lowell and surrounding communities.

The MVSBC is a one-stop resource center that offers one-on-one counseling, entrepreneurship training, seminars for existing businesses, business-plan assistance, and administers a best-retail-practices program. The center has a multilingual staff and is located at 88 Middle St., on MCC’s Lowell Campus. Call 978-322-8400 for further information or visit www.merrimackvalleysmallbusiness.com

Yes, there is a place for you at MCC after graduation! Middlesex alumni are invited to stay involved in the college community through the Office of College Advancement.

Middlesex encourages participation of alumni in college events and programs. We welcome our alumni to serve as career mentors, participate on college committees, and support MCC Foundation initiatives, including the Middlesex Annual Fund and the Student Success Fund. MCC graduates are welcome to attend the college’s One World Series lectures, musical performances and plays throughout the year.   

MCC’s Office of College Advancement wants to stay connected with alumni. To update your alumni record, please visit the Alumni page on the college website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/alumni or go to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/middlesexccalumni.

For further information about MCC’s alumni program, contact Amy Cahill Lee, Director Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, at 781-280-3579 or email: leea@middlesex.mass.edu or Dennis Malvers, Dean of College Advancement, at 781-280-3514  or email malversd@middlesex.mass.edu.

Conference Services

Middlesex welcomes community and corporate use of college facilities. We offer a variety of space on our Bedford and Lowell campuses, including classrooms, labs, conference rooms, computer classrooms,  meeting areas and a concert hall. The Federal Building on the Lowell campus offers a public Assembly Room with a catering kitchen, as well as meeting rooms and classrooms. For information about the use of Bedford campus facilities, call 781-280-3505. For information about use of Lowell campus facilities, call 978-656-3106. Or, visit the Conference Services page on the college website.  

Historic Properties

The Middlesex Community College Foundation has two historic properties: The Middlesex Meetinghouse is located in Billerica near the Bedford campus, and the John Nesmith House is in Lowell. Both properties provide elegant settings for business meetings and receptions, retreats, luncheons and dinners, as well as family celebrations such as bridal and baby showers, rehearsal dinners, intimate wedding ceremonies, receptions and photographs. Special events call for special places. 

For detailed information about MCC’s historic properties, visit us at www.middlesex.mass.edu/historic, www.Facebook.com/MCChistoric or call 978-458-3722.  

The Middlesex Community College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that helps to promote the mission of the college. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is made up of community leaders with representation from the MCC Board of Trustees.

The MCC Foundation’s major fundraising activities include the annual MCC Celebrity Forum, a community enrichment program designed to bring persons of historic and significant renown to the college and community, and the Annual Fund and Student Success campaigns that solicit funds to support unmet needs at Middlesex. For more information about the MCC Foundation, visit our website: www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation.

A number of scholarship awards are offered by the Foundation for students enrolled full time and part time in MCC academic programs. For a complete listing of MCC Foundation scholarships, visit: www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/scholarships.
 
Two historic homes are maintained by the MCC Foundation for college use and benefit: The John Nesmith House in Lowell and The Middlesex Meetinghouse in Billerica, near the Bedford campus. For further information, visit: www.middlesex.mass.edu/historic.

Founded in 1989 and located in MCC’s Derby Building, 88 Middle St. in Lowell, the Middlesex Community College Law Center administers consumer protection, mediation and high school violence-prevention programs with the support of the Massachusetts Office of Attorney General, the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration, and Lowell Public Schools. For further information, call 978-656-3342 or visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/lawcenter.

The MCC Consumer Protection Program

Providing consumer protection mediation to area residents and internship opportunities for MCC Paralegal Studies students to investigate and mediate cases, the MCC Consumer Protection Program at the Law Center opens approximately 1,000 cases annually for the State Attorney General’s Office. The program saves consumers more than $250,000 each year. Call 978-656-3342 for further information.

Middlesex Mediation & Conciliation Program

Middlesex Mediation & Conciliation (MMC) is approved by the Massachusetts Trial Courts to provide mediation services in the District and Superior courts, as well as conciliation services at Lowell District Court. Mediation services are available for private and public disputes on a no-fee or sliding-scale-fee basis. A 45-hour certificate mediation training is provided several times each year and meets the Supreme Judicial Court’s requirements for court-connected mediators. The program was established in 1990.

A new conciliation service started in April 2012. Working in collaboration with the Greater Lowell Bar Association and Lowell District Court, MMC offers free conciliation services to parties at the final pre-trial conference hearing for civil cases at Lowell District Court. Conciliators are experienced attorneys who have participated in an eight-hour training that meets the Supreme Judicial Court’s requirements for court-connected conciliators. For more information, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/lawcenter.

S.C.O.R.E. (Student Conflict Resolution Experts)

The SCORE Program at Lowell High School provides violence-prevention peer mediation training to students, and is administered by the MCC Law Center. Funding is provided by the City of Lowell Public Schools and the college. Call 978-937-8937 for further information.