MA Governor Announces Plan to Modernize Colleges

A new $2.5 billion plan will modernize public universities and colleges across Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey announced January 1st, 2025. An Act to Build Resilient Infrastructure to Generate Higher Education Transformation, known as The BRIGHT Act, will modernize the UMass system, state universities, and community colleges. It will create approximately 15,000 construction-related jobs, Healey said in a statement.

The $2.5 billion bond bill represents the largest proposed investments in capital improvements in Massachusetts’ public higher education system in decades, Healey said. The governor announced the bill at Bridgewater State University after touring the school’s “Cyber Range” where students learn cybersecurity skills.

“Our public university and college campuses have suffered from historic underinvestment since they were built in the 1970s. We refuse to kick the can down the road any longer when it comes to educating our kids and training our workers of tomorrow,” Healey said in a statement. “With these transformative infrastructure investments, we will give students a cutting-edge education in our affordable public universities and colleges, create thousands of good-paying jobs for our workers and keep our state economically competitive for years to come,” Healey said.

The bond bill “will leverage Fair Share surtax to unlock significant new funding for capital improvements,” officials said. The investments will help modernize campuses, including new labs, classrooms and improved mental health facilities in Massachusetts’ public higher education system.

“This bond bill meets the moment. Enrollment at our two and four-year institutions is surging after years of declines,” Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega said in a statement. “This historic investment will transform our public campuses and ensure students and faculty have the absolute best environments to learn, grow and thrive.”

UMass President Marty Meehan said that he looks forward to working with state officials and legislators “to secure this critical funding which will help us continue to provide world-class facilities for our students and faculty, pursue our sustainability and energy efficiency goals, and address our deferred maintenance backlog for the long-term fiscal health of the university.”

Healey said the planned improvements will include the following:

• Infusing new resources into proven programs that address deferred maintenance, modernize and decarbonize facilities, and construct major capital projects.
• Creating labs, classrooms and training facilities that meet the needs of today’s research and applied learning methods, such as web development, robotics and automation, advanced manufacturing, construction management and building trades.
• Improving facilities for student health, mental health, wellness, and safety.
• Encouraging regional secondary and higher education partnerships that strengthen the workforce.
• Incentivizing technology capital projects, such as improvements in online or hybrid workspaces.
• Continuing the successful Workforce Skills Capital Grants program.
• Supporting housing development by providing for higher education institutions’ costs associated with the disposition of land and buildings.

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services