'Higher education has lost a dedicated leader:' Massasoit president succumbs to cancer
BROCKTON – Massasoit Community College President Ray DiPasquale died on April 4 following a brief battle with cancer, the college announced. Massasoit’s Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer William Mitchell has been appointed as interim president.
DiPasquale served as Massasoit’s seventh president from August 2021 up until his death.
“Higher education has lost a dedicated leader,” said Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega in a written statement from the college. “President DiPasquale's leadership will leave a lasting impact on the institutions and students he served.”
“I am hopeful that all of us who knew President DiPasquale can find strength and inspiration by reflecting on his legacy and by advancing a strong future for Massasoit, a college about which he cared deeply,” Ortega said.
DiPasquale reportedly never planned to attend college after high school but was pushed by his family to attend Arkansas Tech University where he played football on an athletic scholarship. He graduated from there in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science.
Following graduation, he earned a master of science from Northeastern University before starting a 45-year career in higher education.
“President DiPasquale showcased the value of community college and went to great lengths to ensure that all students had a pathway to their dreams. Among many important contributions, President DiPasquale leaves behind a legacy of deep belief in the potential of every individual student. The impact of his work was and will continue to be felt far beyond the Massasoit community,” said Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts secretary of education.
More: Massasoit becomes Massachusetts' first community college to offer Black Studies degree
Before he joined Massasoit, DiPasquale served as president of Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, New York, from 2017 to 2021. Prior to that, he spent 10 years as President of the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), the largest community college in New England. During that time, he served as the Rhode Island Commissioner of Higher Education between 2010 and 2013.
While DiPasquale was CCRI president, the college became reaccredited and turned around its struggling enrollment numbers to nearly set an enrollment record for the college.
“Ray was the embodiment of a passionate, caring leader who sought out leadership opportunities not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others, namely people looking to change their lives through education. I am honored to have had the chance to work with him,” said Tom Carroll, chair of the college’s board of trustees.
Throughout his career, DiPasquale worked in various administrative roles at Middlesex Community College, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and SUNY Brockport in New York. Scholarships in DiPasquale’s honor were created at almost every college he worked at.
Free community college? Here's what free tuition would mean to these Brockton students.
DiPasquale always encouraged civic engagement and spent time as a member of the Springfield School Committee, Springfield City Council and as Chair of the Hampden County Commission. He also ran for Mayor of Springfield in 1991, but narrowly lost that election.
"His untimely passing has deeply shaken the Massasoit community, but we are strengthened by his desire for everyone at Massasoit to continue to advance the mission of the College by focusing on the work we have ahead," Carroll said.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Massasoit Community College loses president after battle with cancer
