Springfield College, YMCA Unveil Online Degree-completion Program

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper and YMCA President and CEO Kevin Washington recently signed a five-year agreement for an online degree-completion program, which provides staff, who have earned leadership certification through YMCA of the USA, an opportunity to turn that learning into college credits that can count towards their degree completion at Springfield College. The program’s participants represent the first class of students participating in full online courses at Springfield College.

“This new Springfield College YMCA degree-completion program excites me because I know we need to provide YMCA staff, who are now working full-time, with an opportunity to complete their undergraduate degree,” said Terri Radcliff, YMCA of the USA’s senior vice president for Talent and Knowledge Management. “Having that degree is so important for a YMCA professional at any level, and it’s required to be a CEO, so this program will assist in helping YMCA staff fulfill that requirement.”

The inaugural class of 30 YMCA professionals representing the new degree-completion program recently visited the campus for their new-student orientation. The cohort will begin working toward earning their degrees through the Springfield College online courses starting immediately.

These 30 students each received scholarship funding through a grant made possible by the Harold C. Smith Foundation.

The agreement extends more than a century of collaboration between Springfield College and the YMCA of the USA.