Clockwise, from back left: Cummings Foundation co-founder Bill Cummings, deputy director Laura Hiller, executive director Joyce Vyriotes, Cummings Properties president Eric Anderson, Cummings Properties CEO Dennis Clarke, Foundation trustee Aisha Francis, Ph.D., and the Honorable Margot Botsford, a Foundation trustee
Boston – The philanthropic arm of Cummings Properties has committed $12.5 million to Boston’s only technical college. In recognition of this gift, the nonprofit institution has added “Cummings” to its name and is now known as Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (BFCIT).
The total contribution from Cummings nearly matches the school’s annual operating budget. According to Dr. Aisha Francis, BFCIT president, the gift will help BFCIT to remain financially accessible to students as well as continue to develop academic programming that meets the evolving workforce needs of the region’s leading industries. With this partnership, BFCIT joins Tufts University, University of Global Health Equity, and Endicott College as a Cummings-named affiliated college.
BFCIT strives to forge technical career pathways for students typically underrepresented in post-secondary education. The majority of those enrolled are first-generation college students and self-identify as students of color. Additionally, 99% of its student population receives financial aid.
BFCIT has a number of programs to prepare students for careers in the construction industry such as energy efficiency, CAD drafting, construction management, HVAC&R technology, and practical electricity. It also has degree and certificate programs for clean tech, life sciences, robotics, and other growing fields.
