New dean, new division
“Those who know Irma recognize her as a thoughtful leader, a trusted colleague, and a passionate advocate for students." – Jessica Nicklin, provost and vice president of academic and student affairs
Irma Medina of Springfield, an HCC alum and 22-year employee of the college, has been named the inaugural dean of the division of Integrative and Applied Learning.
“For more than two decades, Irma has served HCC with dedication and distinction, championing student success, equity, belonging, and experiential learning,” said Jessica Nicklin, HCC provost and vice president of academic and student affairs. “This is an important leadership role, and I’m delighted to make this announcement.”
Medina, the daughter of a seamstress, was a single mom and working full time as a secretary when she enrolled in night classes at HCC in 1997, taking a bus to college every day from her home in Springfield’s North End. She is a graduate of Springfield’s High School of Commerce, where her best class was typing, she said, and her ambition at the time merely to get a better paying secretarial job.
“That was all I knew,” she said.
Later, Medina transferred from HCC to Mount Holyoke College on a Frances Perkins scholarship. She graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in urban politics and a minor in history. She soon returned to HCC as an academic adviser for the TRIO program, and two years later became the inaugural coordinator of what was then a new transfer program called Pathways, which she led as coordinator for the next 17 years.
In 2023, she was named director of Integrated Learning, overseeing a complement of linked programs that includes Pathways, Honors, Learning Communities, Community Based Learning, and Academic Internships.
This summer, Integrated Learning was elevated to become its own academic division under the new title of Integrated and Applied Learning, with Medina as its first dean.
“Those who know Irma recognize her as a thoughtful leader, a trusted colleague, and a passionate advocate for students,” said Nicklin. “I am confident that her vision, collaborative spirit and unwavering dedication to HCC's mission will continue to enrich our students' lives and strengthen our college community.”
PHOTO: Irma Medina, dean of Integrated and Applied Learning, prepares to open an end-of-the-semester celebratory luncheon at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in April.
