We recently welcomed two dignitaries to campus who were impressed by the multitude of ways we serve not only our students but the broader Massachusetts community.

     In separate visits, I was honored to greet Ed Augustus, secretary of the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and Moises Rodrigues, the new mayor of Brockton.

     I led these leaders on tours of the campus that demonstrated how our work aligns with their goals.

      Secretary Augustus plays a key role in Gov. Maura Healey’s efforts to control rising housing costs. BSU is at the forefront of one such initiative: spurring residential development through the sale of surplus state land.

     The state is working to sell vacant land on Hale Street to a developer through a transaction that will provide rrevenue to the university and help address one of the state’s most pressing challenges.

     Recognizing that the secretary also works closely with cities and towns, we showed him how BSU serves Massachusetts communities through our cybersecurity programming. He toured the Security Operations Center, which provides real-time threat monitoring to municipalities, as well as the Cyber Range, which offers training for municipal staff.

     As the 51st mayor of Brockton and the first person of color to hold the office, Mayor Rodrigues is implementing a platform focused on economic development and excellence in education.

     During his visit, he met with some of the more than 500 Brockton residents who are studying at BSU.

     He discussed belonging during a stop at LGCIE and met with Career Services and Internship staff to explore how our graduates can bring their talents back to Brockton.

    The mayor was also impressed by our state-of-the-art cyber facilities. As he remarked after his tour, “the ‘Brockton-to-BSU' pipeline is real, and it’s thriving.”