Mass. Higher Ed Committee tours UMass, addresses food insecurity

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The Joint Committee of Higher Education kicked off a tour of colleges Friday at UMass Amherst.

Members joined Mass-Tech Collaborative before joining students for a presentation addressing food insecurity and the universities commitment to local farmers.

The committee is touring campuses across the commonwealth to experience these institutions firsthand. 22news spoke with State Senator Jo Comerford about the months-long initiative, “We are doing a statewide tour to look at the agriculture industry, everything from fishing to cranberries, which also has an intersection with UMass to food production and so we’re visiting farms and food system operators throughout the commonwealth.”

Following Friday’s tour, members traveled to Greenfield Community College to learn more about the Health Occupations Simulation Lab. The committee will continue to tour colleges throughout the commonwealth to get first-hand experience of these institutions during the upcoming winter and spring months.