In 1966 the Soviets completed the first mission to place an unmanned spaceship on the moon, President Lyndon Johnson committed 250,000 troops to South Vietnam, Martin Luther King led a civil rights march in Chicago, the Ed Sullivan show hosted the Beatles, and Elizabeth Taylor won the Oscar for best actress for her role in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1966 is also the year our college opened its doors to students for the first time. 320 students came through those doors and debated Vietnam and the civil rights movement as they studied hard to fill their educational toolboxes with math and science concepts, literature, art, and philosophy. They dreamed of becoming engineers, mathematicians, scientists, entrepreneurs, nurses, and teachers.

Today, much like our formative years, students still debate wars, work hard, and dream of careers in the twenty-first century. We share the feelings of uncertainty with our former students, but we also grasp the opportunity to be part of the solutions for our future. We work hard to keep education open, accessible, and affordable for all. We embrace all races, creeds, and abilities while moving steadily towards a foundation of excellence for our students. Let me share with you a few of the reasons that I am proud of our 40 years of service to our communities.

Accessibility-three locations & online: Founded in 1966 as a branch campus of Manchester Community College, MxCC became an independent member of the system in 1968, and in 1973 moved it its present 38-acre campus overlooking the scenic Connecticut River valley. We opened our own Meriden branch in 1998 to serve students in Meriden and Wallingford. We have maintained a presence in Old Saybrook to make college accessible to student along the shoreline. Adding online education made many of our courses available to students regardless of location.

Social Benefits: Each year students leave our college to join or rejoin the local workforce. Their added skills translate into higher earnings and a stronger economy. These students will enjoy an attractive 22% annual return on their investment of time and money. In other words, for every year they attend they will earn an additional $5,027 per year. The benefits are not only to our students, but to our economy as well. Middlesex is a uniquely attractive investment for the state and local governments and a recent study by CCBenefits showed that Middlesex's rate of return is a remarkable 24.4%-which means that the state government actually makes money on its investment in our college.

Outstanding Faculty: One of Middlesex's most valued resources is its faculty. Recognized for their service to the local and wider geographic community, Middlesex faculty are the recipients of major awards, fellowships and grants. Our faculty not only prepare students with marketable skills and fluency in verbal and mathematical languages, they also create individuals who respect themselves, others, and their environment.

Corporate and Continuing Education: A key department with the College is our Continuing Education and Center for Business and Industry Services. Connecticut has an historic commitment to education and workforce development, and we support this commitment and the region's economic growth by fostering talent and innovation-key competitive advantages toward economic success.

Meriden Center: As mentioned above, we opened a new learning center in downtown Meriden so that students would have the option of enrolling in credit, non-credit, day, and evening courses close to their homes in Meriden and Wallingford. Area business and industry can take advantage of education and training through this Center as well.

Diversity: The College takes seriously its commitment to provide learning experiences that impart an understanding of principles and core values necessary for understanding diversity. This is seen in training, curriculum transformation, and community networking to support the development of a multicultural perspective.

There are many reasons to be proud, but none are as strong as how I feel about the students themselves. I often find myself humbled and awestruck by their stories, their strength, and their sheer determination to succeed. They have learned to act with courage, conviction, and dignity in their private and civic lives. These are the future leaders and policy makers of our nation who will find the solutions for our future. This is the legacy of 40 years of excellence!

Sincerely,

Wilfredo Nieves, Ed.D.
President