Student Services

Located on the Lowell campus, the Asian American Connections Center is dedicated to increasing retention, graduation and transfer-rates of MCC’s Asian-American students. The center’s dedicated staff offers a holistic support system for advising, mentoring, and leadership-development opportunities that reflect the cultural identity of Asian Americans.

A place for students to meet, socialize and study, the Asian American Connections Center features computers for the completion of academic work. To ensure student success, the center strives to create a welcoming, safe and nurturing learning environment where students feel a sense of connection and belonging to the college. Visit the Asian American Connections Center on the ground floor of the Cowan Center, Lowell campus, or call 978-656-3438 for more information.

Academic Arts Center

Opened in fall 2018 following a total building renovation, the Richard & Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center has stood as a multi-purpose facility in the heart of Lowell for nearly 150 years. The AAC is home to MCC’s performing arts programs, including theatre, dance and music. Located at 240 Central St., the Academic Arts Center houses a 190-seat Proscenium Theatre, a 103-seat Recital Hall, a 900-square-foot Dance Studio, a music practice room, and classrooms. For further information, visit: www.middlesex.mass.edu/academicartscenter

Bathroom and Locker Room Use

All students may utilize bathroom or locker room facilities on campus that are designated as gender-neutral or that are consistent with a student’s sincerely held gender identity.  Use of a bathroom or locker room by any student for an improper purpose will result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion.  

MCC Bookstores

The MCC Bookstores carry textbooks and other course materials - plus Apple products, school supplies, emblematic clothing and gifts. Services include textbook rentals, digital books and custom packages, as well as special orders. The Bedford Campus Bookstore is located in the Campus Center (Building 10); the Lowell Campus Bookstore is located in the Derby Building, 88 Middle St.

To order books online for in-store pickup or home delivery, visit: www.shopmiddlesexcc.com  or www.shopmcclowell.com  Orders also accepted through the MCC portal: MyMCC / Blackboard / Launch Follett Discover.  (Payment methods include: MC/Visa/Amex/Discover/MCC Book Advance.)

Cafeterias and Vending Machines

During fall and spring semesters the college has a full-service cafeteria in operation on each campus. Cafeterias are located in the Bedford Campus Center, and in Lowell on the ground floor of the Cowan Center. Hours of operation are subject to change based upon the varying needs of students, faculty and staff. Vending machine services are provided on a year-round basis in most of the college’s facilities.

Childcare

A small number of childcare openings (on a sliding payment scale depending on financial need, as well as for children with childcare vouchers) may be available in Lowell at the Children’s Village at the Mill, located on Market Street next to the Roy Garage. This facility is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Community Teamwork at 978-459-0551 and ask for Child & Family Services.

The MCC Concert Hall

Located on the Bedford campus in North Academic Hall (Building 6), the MCC Concert Hall is known for its excellent acoustics. The 95-seat hall contains a seven-foot Baldwin piano and is the setting of the Middlesex Music Department’s annual A World of Music concert series featuring faculty, students and guest artists.

Parking

Student parking is available in designated lots on the Bedford campus. Validated student parking is available at designated municipal garages in Lowell. Since parking areas can become overcrowded at certain times of the day, students are advised to arrive early and allow extra time to park. Visit the college website for maps and directions to student parking areas on both campuses: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/transportation/parking/.

The collegiate experience at Middlesex, on campus and in the classroom, is open to students of varying abilities and levels of adaptive skills. Supportive faculty and staff, as well as fellow students, encourage all students to participate in extracurricular and class activities. The Disability Support Services (DSS) Office provides services and resources to empower each student to attain his/her highest level of academic success and learning independence.

The DSS Office provides services and/or accommodations to eligible students with documented physical, psychiatric and learning disabilities. Pre-registration advising, tutoring, testing accommodations, and self-advocacy training can augment equal access to those who are otherwise qualified for a post-secondary education. Individualized accommodation plans are developed with disability-support specialists. All information shared with DSS remains confidential. For further information, call 781-280-3630.

Designed primarily to assist adult learners, Links is a tuition-free, start-to-college partnership program between MCC and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Eligible students have the opportunity to earn seven to 10 college or institutional credits in a program designed to provide individual assessment of skills, assistance with career planning, and academic guidance and support, as they begin their college education.

Eligible applicants must:

• Have a GED credential or high school diploma (preference is given to students who have studied in a DESE-funded Adult Basic Education program);
• Be a Massachusetts resident;
• Take computerized placement tests (CPT) at MCC and place into Basic Writing, Algebra I, or both.

Links classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., on the Bedford campus, with new classes starting each fall and spring. The program pays for the seven to 10 credits, course books and college services, including the CPT. For more information, call 781-280-3654.

Related topics: MCC has other resources and services available for adult learners: The Adult Learning Center (see College in the Community ); Credit for Prior Learning (see Transfer Information ); and MILES (Middlesex Institute for Lifelong Education for Seniors) (see Corporate and Community Education and Training ).

MCC’s Multicultural Center is a place for students to meet and participate in educational, social and cultural activities that foster mutual understanding and appreciation of various cultures. The Center has computers for student use and is a vibrant place for study and conversation. The Multicultural Achievement Peer Program (MAPP), Latinos Unidos, African Cultural Club and International Club all meet, host programs and conduct workshops in the Multicultural Center. Professional staff members are available to assist students in developing the skills necessary to assure college success in an environment that is safe, nurturing and welcoming. Visit the Multicultural Center on the Lowell campus (Cowan Center Building, ground floor) or call 978-656-3457 for more information.

Related topic: MCC offers additional resources and services through The English Learner Institute.

Students who have any concerns - from a minor dilemma to a major crisis - are encouraged to contact a personal counselor through MCC’s Personal Counseling and Consultation Services. Personal counselors are licensed mental-health professionals who support and assist MCC students as they cope with personal difficulties that are interfering with their academic progress. Students may discuss issues such as depression, relationship conflicts and stress management. Students may also want to talk about academic concerns, including issues of motivation, patterns of academic failure, time management, and/or test anxiety. Personal counseling is confidential, short-term and free of charge. In cases where students require extended therapy or specialized resources, personal counselors will assist with appropriate community referrals.

Personal counselors also consult to faculty and staff, providing information, training, and support around a variety of issues related to their work with students. While faculty/staff members are encouraged to share their concerns about students with a personal counselor, any information a counselor may have about students will be kept strictly confidential and not be shared.

Appointments for personal counseling are recommended to ensure counselor availability. In Bedford, the Personal Counseling and Consultation Services office is located in the Enrollment Center (Building 9), Second Floor. In Lowell, the office is located in the City Building, Third Floor. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, stop by or call 781-280-3630 (Bedford) or 978-656-3258 (Lowell).

Middlesex Community College supports four collegiate and precollegiate federal TRIO programs, and the state/federal GEAR UP: Massachusetts precollegiate program. The collegiate TRIO programs assist students who are low income, the first generation in their family to attend college, or individuals with disabilities. MCC’s precollegiate student support programs work with students who are low income or are potentially the first generation in their family to attend college.

Collegiate TRIO Programs

The Program for Student Achievement

Established in the fall of 2001, the Program for Student Achievement provides services to eligible MCC students with disabilities in conjunction with the Disabilities Support Services Office. Students may receive individual tutoring, academic and career advising, assistance with transfer and financial aid, as well as opportunities to participate in cultural events. The objective of the program is to enhance academic skills while increasing retention and graduation rates, and fostering a supportive campus climate.

Student Support Services/Student Success Program

Offering 200 TRIO-eligible MCC students comprehensive and coordinated services that significantly increase rates of retention, graduation and transfer to bachelor degree-granting institutions, the Student Support Services/Student Success Program began in 1995. Students receive tutoring in math and writing; academic, personal, career, transfer and financial-aid advising; study skills and other skill-building workshops; culturally enriching field trips and college visits; and computer-assisted instruction.

Precollegiate Programs

TRIO

Upward Bound - is a carefully planned and intensive program of college preparation tailored to meet the specialized needs of students in grades 9-12. This semester-based, credited academic program is designed to assist 50 students enrolled at Lowell High School who are low income and/or first-generation college-bound students.

Educational Talent Search - targets TRIO-eligible Lowell students in grades 6-12 and fosters academic success, high-school completion, parent outreach, college/career awareness, and post-secondary placement. Each year, 725 students are served; approximately 40 percent of Talent Search graduates are placed at MCC.

GEAR UP: Massachusetts

MCC’s GEAR UP: Massachusetts Program is a student-support program for students in grades 7-12, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and managed by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. GEAR UP stands for “gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs” and is a program designed to give low-income students the skills, encouragement and preparation needed to pursue post-secondary education. It also strengthens academic programs and student services at participating schools. GEAR UP serves 375 students annually and has strong objectives that align to the public schools’ adequate yearly progress (AYP), as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Middlesex has a Veterans Resource Center (VRC) on each campus that provides information and assistance to students making the transition from the military to college. Veterans, current service members and family members are encouraged to come in for personalized information about MCC and community-related resources that are available to assist with acclimating to college.

VRC staff offer assistance with information and referrals regarding college resources, educational benefits, scholarships, medical benefits, mental-health resources, career resources, healthy-living assistance, disability-support services, and post-deployment transition issues. Faculty and staff are also offered professional development training to better serve the veteran and military-connected student population. 

The Bedford and Lowell campus VRCs offer an open environment where veterans and service members can connect, share stories, work on assignments and projects, and socialize. Feel free to stop by and meet other students who have previously served, or are currently serving, in the military.

MCC complies with Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act (“Choice Act”) with regard to offering in-state tuition at all public institutions of higher learning (IHLs). In accordance S2248 PL 115-707 Section 103 of The Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018:

Middlesex Community College permits any covered individual* to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a Certificate of Eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 (a “Certificate of Eligibility” (COE) can also include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) website - eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter 31 authorization purposes) and ending on the earlier of the following dates:

1. The date on which payment from the VA is made to the institution.
2. 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and feels following receipt of the Certificate of Eligibility or Statement of Benefits.

*A covered individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or Chapter 33, Post 9/11 GI Bill®.

Middlesex Community College does not penalize Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 students if/when the VA is late in making payments. Middlesex Community College does not have any policies in place that would do any of the following while waiting for VA payments:

• Prevent enrolling
• Assessing a late penalty fee
• Requiring alternative or additional sources of funding
• Denial of access to school resources

In order to prevent outstanding student accounts, Chapter 31 and 33 students are required to:

• Submit a COE or Statement of Benefits by the first day of classes
• Complete the online certification process
• Provide any additional information needed for certification

For more information, call 781-280-3510 or visit: Bedford Veterans Resource Center, Campus Center, Room 206; or call 978-656-3158 or visit: Lowell Veterans Resource Center, Cowan Center, Room 117. In order to be certified to use VA educational benefits every semester, please visit the Advising Center’s website (https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/advising/) for instructions on how to complete the online process.

  ”GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.”