A big change is coming to students who attend community college in Connecticut.
Starting July 1, all 12 schools will become one institution: Connecticut State Community College.
"Now it's simply one statewide college with multiple campuses across the state and we're given the freedom of movement and choice to the student," said John Maduko, Connecticut State Community College President.
Maduko says this will allow students to take classes across all 12 campuses. These may be courses students need for their degrees or that simply fit their lifestyle.
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"We recognize that a majority of our students work, many of our students rely on public transportation, many of our students are parents," said Maduko. "So, giving students the freedom to plan college around their life, which is a constant, is a game changer. Let's say they had to move, let's say it was a new job, let's say their kids are going to a new school, they had to transfer in between the 12 legacy community colleges so that was a significant barrier."
Maduko says it took a while to get to this point. The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) first reviewed the proposal six years ago back in 2017.
But on June 16, NECHE gave the official stamp of approval, granting accreditation to Connecticut State Community College, which students and staff say they look forward to.
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"From what I heard you can pretty attend any class from any community college," said Geraldo Mejia, a student at Tunxis Community College.
"It's super smart," said Rosemary Harris, Credit Transfer Evaluation Coordinator at Tunxis Community College. "You get to compete with bigger schools. And you're also probably able to have more offerings when a student transfers from a two to a four year."
However, some are finding it difficult to register for fall classes since they're filling up quicker than usual.
"That was hard for me because I'm trying to get all my classes here since I live not even five minutes away, going to the other campuses is not an option," said Aneesia Rivera, a student at Manchester Community College.
Maduko says he understands there will be challenges along the way, but he is confident that faculty and staff will meet students' needs.
"We're going to rally around each other and make sure they're able to achieve their individual goals," said Maduko.
