The Next Big Thing
Focusing on C.I. – collaborative intelligence
Editor's Note: This story was first published on MassLive for Outlook 2026, the Springield Republican's annual economic forecast.
By GEORGE TIMMONS, Ph.D.
The next big thing in community college education isn’t a single innovation or technology – it’s a fundamental reimagining of how we work. At Holyoke Community College, we’re discovering that the most transformative force shaping our future isn’t necessarily A.I., but C.I. – “collaborative intelligence,” the deliberate, sustained integration of voices across sectors to solve our region’s most pressing challenges.
Throughout its history, HCC has responded to workforce needs and adapted to demographic shifts. But this moment demands something different. As HCC develops its next strategic plan – “S.P. 3.0”– we’ve spent months engaging faculty, staff, students, and regional business and nonprofit leaders in shaping our institutional direction. That’s collaborative intelligence.
Why does this matter now? Because the challenges facing western Massachusetts cannot be solved by any single institution working in isolation. Free community college in Massachusetts has driven enrollment growth, bringing us an increasingly diverse student population. Thirty-five percent of our students identify as Hispanic/Latine. Nearly one-third have documented disabilities. The average age is 25. These students arrive with extraordinary potential – and significant barriers: transportation challenges, childcare needs, housing and food insecurity, and demands for programs that align with regional workforce requirements.
Our community conversations have revealed opportunities that only emerge through genuine partnership: employer-driven program development that allows us to stand up industry-aligned credentials quickly; transportation systems coordinated across institutions to reliably get students to evening and weekend classes; public-private partnerships that create seamless education-to-work pipelines with paid apprenticeships and internships; and wraparound support models that address housing, childcare, and basic needs holistically.
At HCC’s recent “Shaping the Future” summit, business leaders identified real constraints: small businesses stretched too thin to create robust internship programs, confusion about educational pathways and credentials, and the need for culturally relevant support systems. But they also identified tremendous assets: our region’s commitment to collaboration, our growing recognition that workforce development requires honest conversations about living wages, and our willingness to ask hard questions about equity and access.
Here’s what makes this the next big thing: collaborative intelligence acknowledges that community colleges don’t just serve their communities – they belong to them. HCC’s future must be written with our region, not for it. This means convening employer roundtables where healthcare systems, manufacturers, and technology companies help inform educational offerings. It means creating employment pipelines based on market needs and projects. It is partnering with K-12 districts to build career pipelines starting in elementary school and collaborating with regional nonprofits to provide students with access to resources that support their success outside the classroom.
The traditional community college value proposition – access and affordability – remains essential. But the next evolution is about integration. Students don't experience their lives in silos: they need education that connects seamlessly to employment, support services that address real barriers, and credentials that translate directly to living-wage careers. Creating that experience requires institutions that can move with agility, driven by data and community insight rather than outdated academic constraints.
Our conversations have also revealed urgent questions we must answer together: How do we design partnerships that leverage individual strengths while building sustainable networks to create competitive advantages for western Massachusetts? How do we ensure that targeted jobs pay living wages? How do we increase opportunities for marginalized communities beyond just enrollment to include comprehensive supports and equitable outcomes?
These questions don’t have easy answers. But collaborative intelligence means we’re asking them together and building solutions that draw on the expertise of employers who know what skills they need, community organizations that understand barriers facing students and families, policymakers who can remove systemic obstacles, and educational institutions that can respond with unprecedented speed and relevance.
The disruption isn’t artificial intelligence replacing human connection – it’s the recognition that complex challenges require collective wisdom.
As HCC moves forward, we pledge to be more than just a participant in regional development – we’ll be a catalyst, preparing students not just for their first job but for lifelong success; modeling best practices that position us as a national leader among community colleges, creating programs so tightly aligned with workforce needs that learning and earning happen simultaneously.
This future is within reach. But only if we continue building it together.
PHOTO: President George Timmons
