Benefits and Value of A Community-College Education
Sep 25, 2014
Dr. Gail Carberry, Quinsigamond Community College
Benefits and Value of A Community-College Education

Gail Carberry, PhD, is president of Quinsigamond Community College, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. She holds Certificate in Small Business Management from Springfield Technical Community College, a BS from Worcester State University and Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the UMass-Amherst, specializing in organizational development, strategic planning and staff development.

Under Dr. Carberry’s leadership, QCC is now a 13,000-student community college – the largest such public college in the state. Carberry, a Worcester native, has served as president of QCC since 2006. She has managed record growth and expansion, including the opening of a Southbridge campus in 2009. In 2012, plans were announced to expand to downtown Worcester, creating a new Healthcare and Workforce Development Training Center and a health-careers campus in the former Telegram & Gazette building on Franklin Street. A new science and technology building is expected to open in early 2016.

Dr. Carberry is also seeking to preserve and protect as much of the state community-college system's independence as possible. The state has been pushing all 15 community colleges to centralize their reporting and accountability to Boston to better align them with workforce needs.

Dr. Carberry serves currently on numerous local, state and national boards, including the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Latino Education Institute, Bay Path Regional/Vocational High School Foundation, National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship, Worcester Educational Collaborative, Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, Central Mass. Workforce Investment Board, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Worcester Business Development Corp. and the Mass. Biomedical Initiatives. She co-chairs the Mayor’s Commission for Hispanic Education Excellence and chairs the Early Education Matters Task Force.