Springfield unemployment rate hits 25.3% even as businesses reopen from coronavirus shutdown
“There is a significant amount of dislocation,” said David Cruise, president and CEO of the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board. “Particularly in those service industries that are dependent on customers coming into facilities.” Hard hit were workers at MGM Springfield, which reopened to the general public July 13 after a four-month shutdown. Cruise said MassHire…
UMass to expand online educational opportunities for adults through strategic partnership between UMass Online and Brandman University
The University of Massachusetts and Chapman University System today announced their intent to form an exclusive strategic partnership between UMass Online and Brandman University to expand educational opportunities for adult learners in Massachusetts and across the nation. This partnership, expected to be finalized later this year, will be launched as millions of adults in Massachusetts…
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts COVID-19 Response Fund tops $5M in grants to nonprofits
In its latest round of coronavirus relief grants, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has awarded $725,000 to 26 local nonprofits, according to an announcement Wednesday. The money targets employment assistance, food insecurity, homelessness and foreclosure prevention, and addressing immediate needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the source article at masslive.com
WNEU to Offer Master of Science Program in Construction Management
Western New England University (WNEU) announced the addition of a new master of science program in construction management to the list of graduate-degree offerings. “Construction management is defined as a professional service that uses specialized project-management techniques to oversee the planning, design, and construction of a project, from its beginning to its end,” said Kenneth…
HCC to Begin Virtual Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series on July 29
Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal and Amanda Sbriscia, HCC’s vice president of Institutional Advancement, will kick off a reimagined monthly Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series on Wednesday, July 29. The 2020 Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series, postponed from spring due to COVID-19, will now take place virtually over Zoom on the last Wednesdays of July, August,…
West Springfield OKs Bear Hole conservation plan, preserving 1,500-acre property
The Bear Hole Watershed, 1,500-acre wilderness recreation area surrounded by the populated metro region, is closer to getting stronger protections against development and more than $1 million in a trust fund for its enhancement and maintenance. Read the source article at masslive.com
Baystate Health announces Kindred Behavioral Health as partner in 120-bed, $43 million behavioral health hospital
Baystate Health has selected Kindred Behavioral Health as its partner in a long-sought standalone behavioral health hospital project that was put on pause last year. The plan is to build a $43-million, 120-bed behavioral health hospital from the ground up, opening two years from the start of construction. The new hospital would employ 220 people,…
UMass Amherst Engineering Professor to Join National STEM Leadership Program
Woodrow Winchester, a senior lecturer and director of engineering management in the mechanical and industrial engineering (MIE) department with the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was today named a fellow in the second cohort of the IAspire Leadership Academy, a leadership program aimed at helping STEM faculty from underrepresented backgrounds ascend to leadership roles at colleges…
UMass Freezes In-state Tuition for 2020-21 Academic Year
Responding to the financial hardships many Massachusetts families are facing, the University of Massachusetts board of trustees voted to freeze tuition rates for in-state undergraduate and graduate students for the 2020-21 academic year. Across the Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell campuses, tuition will average $14,722 for the nearly 48,000 in-state undergraduate students before financial aid…
West of the River Chamber of Commerce to Host Virtual Job Fair on Aug. 4
With government-mandated social-distancing restrictions in place, the West of the River Chamber of Commerce (WRC) will hold its annual job fair virtually this year on Tuesday, Aug. 4. “We feel we need to continue to move forward in this new environment and show our business community that we are here, active, and supporting our members…
BusinessTalk with Tricia Canavan
Thom Fox interviews Tricia Canavan, President of United Personnel Services. With hundreds of jobs to fill, United Personnel has not slowed down during COVID. Thom and Tricia discuss the evolving world of work, innovations brought about by the pandemic, and the types of talent WesternMA employers are seeking. Read the source article at BusinessWest
MA Vacant Storefronts Program (MVSP) Webinar
SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, July 30th, 10AM – 11AM The Mass Office of Business Development (MOBD) will be holding a webinar to increase awareness of the Massachusetts Vacant Storefronts Program (MVSP). This program first became available through the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) in 2019, and can be used to help municipalities in their efforts…