Published: 6/5/2017 11:30:15 PM
GREENFIELD — Speaking before 340 graduates Saturday afternoon, Greenfield Community College President Robert L. Pura saw the value of higher education, a resource to society he feels is being threatened by a lack of financial resources.
Since 1980, Pura said, investment in higher education has declined by about 40 percent. He likened the situation to that of a sinking ship.
“Our vessel is leaking, the middle class is sinking and far too many Americans still live on the outskirts of hope,” he said.
As part of his parting words to graduates, Pura asked they “build a better tomorrow” by reinvesting in education. After all, he said, education is fundamental to preparing individuals to take an active role in society.
“The outcome of a strong education is a stronger democracy,” he said. “It is also the bedrock of our liberty.”
Everyone can make a difference toward reinvesting in education, Pura said, offering five suggestions: vote; attend town meetings and advocate for public education; vote for those who support education and vote out those who don’t; work to realign our nation’s values with our resources; and “fight for the schools, colleges and communities that we deserve.”
Of the 340 graduates, themselves products of higher education, 37 percent were among the first in their family to go to college, Pura said. They ranged in age anywhere from 18 to 75.
Both student speaker Brendan Braithwaite and faculty speaker Cristin Carpenter talked about what being a part of the GCC community has meant to them. For Carpenter, who is retiring this year, the care shown at GCC has allowed for more lasting relationships with faculty and students.
“It’s something we all need and give each other, and find it missing when it’s not there,” she said. “Community colleges feel among the most caring, democratic institutions we have in this country.”
For Braithwaite, being a GCC student has been a transformative experience, providing him with a second chance to obtain an education following a high school experience that left him feeling alone and lacking confidence. He was able to raise his grade point average from below a 2.0 in high school to a 3.9 upon his graduation from GCC.
“GCC brings out the best in people,” he said, hoping his classmates would continue to promote the school’s ideals of kindness and compassion.
And, though the future may sometimes look bleak to Braithwaite in the face of challenges, like climate change, he expressed his belief in his fellow graduates to make a difference.
“The people of this community give me hope that together we will overcome these challenges,” he said.