Massachusetts is the only state in the country to offer an integrated network of honors programs throughout the public higher education system. There are Commonwealth Honors Programs (CHP) in community colleges and state universities and on the campuses of the University of Massachusetts.
Honors education at our public institutions is an equity issue and critical to our collective aim to serve the Commonwealth by providing access to high-quality affordable education to the highest achieving students in our state.
The students across our honors programs and colleges reflect the diversity of our institutions. Students who are first generation and/or from underserved communities are well supported in the Commonwealth Honors programs and colleges. Our doors are open to transfer and non-traditional students. We provide an intellectually engaging education, including opportunities that inspire these students to realize their potential, and foster and celebrate their accomplishments. The Commonwealth Honors Scholars are the Commonwealth’s future leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and artists.
In June 1997, the Board of Higher Education established a free-standing honors college of distinction at the University of Massachusetts Amherst called Commonwealth College. It has since approved Commonwealth Honors Programs at the following colleges in the public higher education system:
Students interested in seeking admissions or transfer into these programs should contact the college for requirements. Just click on the link to any of the colleges above to locate the program coordinator's contact information or find the coordinator's list here:
| CHP Coordinator | Institution | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Laney | Berkshire Community College | claney@berkshirecc.edu |
| Dr. Ellen Scheible | Bridgewater State University | honorsprogram@bridgew.edu |
| Jenny Shanahan | Bridgewater State University | jshanahan@bridgew.edu |
| Kimberly Newton | Bristol Community College | Kimberly.Newton@bristolcc.edu |
| Donica O'Malley | Bunker Hill Community College | chp@bhcc.edu |
| Kate Martin (CHC Site Visit Coordinator) | Cape Cod Community College | kmartin@capecod.edu |
| Catherine Buell (CHC Budget Officer) | Fitchburg State University | honors@fitchburgstate.edu |
| Emma Downs | Fitchburg State University | honors@fitchburgstate.edu |
| Gregory Halfond | Framingham State University | ghalfond@framingham.edu |
| Jessica Hill | Holyoke Community College | honorsprogram@hcc.edu |
| Perry Beardsley | MassBay Community College | pbeardsley@massbay.edu |
| Jason Mazaik | MassBay Community College | jmazaik@massbay.edu |
| Panteha Sanati-Zaker | Massasoit Community College | psanatiza@massasoit.mass.edu |
| Hannah Haynes | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts | hannah.haynes@mcla.edu |
| Mohamad Junaid | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts | mohamad.junaid@mcla.edu |
| Binnur Ercem | Middlesex Community College | ERCEMB@middlesex.edu |
| Kara Roche | Mount Wachusett Community College | k_roche@mwcc.mass.edu |
| Ginger Hurajt | Northern Essex Community College | ghurajt@necc.mass.edu |
| William Jackson | North Shore Community College | wjackson@northshore.edu |
| Jean Kennedy | Quinsigamond Community College | jkennedy@qcc.mass.edu |
| Jason Laguna | Roxbury Community College | jlaguna@rcc.mass.edu |
| Kimberly Poitevin | Salem State University | kpoitevin@salemstate.edu |
| John Diffley | Springfield Technical Community College | jjdiffley@stcc.edu |
| Mari Castañeda | University of Massachusetts- Amherst | dean@honors.umass.edu |
| Dominick Usher | University of Massachusetts- Amherst | dusher@umass.edu |
| Len Von Morzé (interim) | University of Massachusetts- Boston | Leonard.VonMorze@umb.edu |
| Amy Shapiro | University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth | ashapiro@umassd.edu |
| Jenifer Whitten-Woodring (CHC Chair) | University of Massachusetts- Lowell | jenifer_whittenwoodring@uml.edu |
| Hillary M. Sackett-Taylor | Westfield State University | hsacketttaylor@westfield.ma.edu |
| Juliet Lee | Westfield State University | honors@westfield.ma.edu |
| Nicole Rosa | Worcester State University | nrosa@worcester.edu |
In order to begin a new Commonwealth Honors Program, public higher education institutions must complete and submit the information outlined in the following documents:
Approval Process Guidelines, Revised March 2022 Honors Program Checklist
Connect @MassDHE
