These happy graduates in white were clustered around the entrance sign to Curry College, making it the perfect photo opportunity for me to commemorate my visit. Apparently, it was my week for campus tours– as I hit three colleges in just seven days. By the time I reached Curry College’s main campus, located a mere eight miles from downtown Boston in Milton, Massachusetts, I’d endured a two-hour, stress bomb of a drive, but that’s Boston traffic for you. (Curry also has another smaller location in Plymouth on the South Shore on the way to Cape Cod).
Despite the slow going, I arrived safely to meet my host, Jay Gonzalez, Curry’s new President. Jay is the 15th president of Curry and the first Hispanic leader of the institution. Before he took on this job, he served as partner at Hinckley Allen, where his primary practice was representing cities, towns, and civic entities in financing and developing capital projects and other governmental programs. Quite the resume!
Curry is a true residential college, with 85% of its first-year students living on campus amongst 131 acres of rolling hills, with the magnificent Blue Hills Reservoir just steps away. This was actually my second visit to Curry; the first time included a wonderful hike through Blue Hills. As we strolled across campus, Jay seemed to know most of the students we met, despite his having served Curry for less than a year.
Curry students have the option to enroll in more than 90 majors, minors, and concentrations…plus Master’s programs in education, criminal justice, and business. Curry was recently highlighted in the news for “The Curry Commitment,” a job guarantee program for full-time undergraduate students that is the first of its kind in Massachusetts. This four-year program prepares students to enter the workforce by integrating career readiness and experiential learning opportunities into the undergraduate experience, with a bevy of services and support designed to enable graduates to launch their careers as quickly as possible.
Here’s the impressive Curry Commitment: Students are required to participate in the program for all four years of their undergraduate experience and commit to program requirements, but any graduate who does not receive a job offer or is not accepted into graduate/professional school within six months of graduation is eligible for one of the following:
- The student will have his or her student loans paid for up to 12 months while continuing to work with a career advisor;
- The student will be provided a paid internship in an organization aligned with his or her field of study for up to 12 months while continuing to work with a career advisor;
- Tuition will be waived for six credits of graduate studies at Curry College in a program to which they have been accepted.
The Curry Commitment is just one of the special things about this distinctive community. But wait … here’s one more!
He is small, fluffy, and loves attention. His name is Alexander Graham Bell but he likes to be called “Graham,” and he is Curry’s official Community Resource Dog (CRD on his business card). On December 16, 2023 President Gonzalez took to Instagram to announce this new “hire,” and the eagerly-awaited Golden Retriever arrived on campus February 4th, 2024. Since then, he has received tons of attention, accolades and treats from faculty, staff, and students alike.
It’s safe to assume that both Graham and Jay have great job security in the years ahead!
