Our History
The Bilingual Collegiate Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been in existence since 1974. It was the result of a movement organized by Latino students and community leaders in demand for access to higher education and a support system for the children of immigrants that settled in the Pioneer Valley in the early 1970. Their protests and demands paved the way for the hiring of the first director on August 10, 1974.

The program was first officially housed in the Goodell building in 1975. For seven months the director was seen walking around campus with a box of files until he assembled three desks on the hallway of Goodell. In protest that suitable space had not been allocated, students took over the fifth floor of that building. Negotiations between the students and University administrators led to the official placement of the program in Goodell. Three years later in 1978 the program was moved to Wilder Hall until renovations in Goodell were finished.

Wilder Hall was built in 1905. It is located next to the University Club and across from the Durfy Conservatory. It is also conveniently close to Franklyn Dining Commons, the University Health Services and not too far from the Lincoln Campus Center. Since 1978 the first floor of Wilder Hall has been and is home to the BCP.

The essence of BCP is to engage cultural identity and academics. The staff comprised of academic advisors bilingual in Spanish and English developed mechanisms to deliver services in a culturally sensitive manner and to enhance the academic experience of Latino students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The services included: academic advising, tutorial services, classes in Spanish, financial aid counseling, community education projects, summer programs, SUMMA program-a partnership between public high schools in Springfield and UMass, and the Mainstream program-a preparatory program for college students in need of assistance with math and English.

In 2002 the structure of BCP changed due to administrative and fiscal shifts within the University. The cultural support we provide has strengthened with the addition of two student staffed cultural centers; Latin American Cultural Center and Anacaona Cultural Center. We currently provide a stronger mentoring program for freshmen students financial aid advocacy & some academic advising.

Close to two thousand undergraduates and their families have crossed path with BCP. On October 30, 2004 we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the program. It was a commemorative occasion in the company of two hundred alumni, undergraduates and friends. Our constituents turn every past and future struggle into a satisfactory challenge. We hope to continue serving the Latino and bilingual population in UMass Amherst for 30 more years.