Legislature Honors Bunker Hill Community College for Ex-Offender Initiative

News provided by

Aug 22, 2013, 04:16 ET

BOSTON, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts House of Representatives recognized Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) with a special citation for the College's three-year commitment to provide training for those working in the state's ex-offender and reentry programs.

In an August 14 ceremony at the College, Representative Eugene L. O'Flaherty, who represents Charlestown and Chelsea, presented the citation, which praised BHCC for "giving people a second chance by giving them employment opportunities." Dean of Professional Studies Bogusia Wojciechowska accepted the award on behalf of the College.

The Bunker Hill Community College Reentry Collaborative was established in 2010 by BHCC Professor Arthur M. Centanni and David Sullivan, director of reentry services for the Massachusetts Parole Board. The collaborative, housed in the BHCC Department of Legal Studies and Public Safety, is composed of members of the Department of Correction, the Massachusetts Parole Board and other private and public organizations. Since its founding, the collaborative has provided training for more than 400 individuals who assist ex-offenders in reentering society.

"When [ex-offenders] are provided an opportunity for employment, that gives them the ability to start making the right decisions," said O'Flaherty, chair of the House Judiciary Committee. "It's in our collective best interest to make sure they have the skills and ability to move themselves forward."

Media Contact:
Karen M. Norton, Executive Director of Integrated Marketing and Communications
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: (617) 228-2177; Email: [email protected]

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls more than 14,000 students on two campuses and at three satellite locations. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-seven percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls more than 800 international students who come from approximately 100 countries and speak more than 75 languages.

SOURCE Bunker Hill Community College