Five Colleges, Incorporated: Legislative Breakfast 2007

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Legislative Breakfast Explores Five Colleges’ Impact on Regional Economy

State Senator Stan Rosenberg speaks to a legislative breakfast group that includes (L-R) Mount Holyoke President Joanne Creighton, legislative aide Robert Judge, Smith President Carol Christ (back to camera), Smith Art Museum Director Jessica Nicoll, Hampshire Government Affairs Director Robert Riddle and State Representative John Scibak. Photo by Fred LaBlanc.

The impact of Five Colleges on the transportation, tourism and telecommunications of the region was the focus of a legislative breakfast on November 30 sponsored by State Representative John Scibak, Five Colleges and Mount Holyoke College. With legislators from Agawam to South Deerfield participating, Smith Art Museum Director Jessica Nicoll discussed how Museums10 brings millions in tourist dollars to the region; UMass Transportation Manager Al Byam explained how the Five College bus service is annually responsible for more than 1 million passenger trips, and Five College IT director Donna Baron described how the Five College Fiber Optic Network offers opportunities for underserved towns to gain broadband Internet access. The legislators-who included representatives Ellen Story of Amherst, Stephen Kulik of South Deerfield, Rosemary Sandlin of Agawam and John Scibak of South Hadley as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg of Northampton and an aide to Senator Michael Knapik of Westfield-each received economic impact statements from the five institutions and Five Colleges, Inc.

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