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In an email sent to Academic Affairs leadership and staff on June 16, Provost Fouad Abd-El-Khalick announced that John B. Cook, President of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), will be joining UMass Amherst as Vice Provost for Lifelong, Interdisciplinary, and Digital Programming, effective June 28. Cook succeeds John Wells, who returned to the faculty in the Isenberg School of Management earlier this year after serving as the Senior Vice Provost for Lifelong Learning for eight years.

The complete email can be found below.
 

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that John B. Cook, President of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), will be joining UMass Amherst as Vice Provost for Lifelong, Interdisciplinary, and Digital Programming, effective June 28, 2026. He will succeed John Wells, who returned to the faculty in the Isenberg School of Management earlier this year after serving as the Senior Vice Provost for Lifelong Learning for eight years.

In this role, John will be responsible for our alternative degree pathways and will provide support for all digital and online offerings. He will also support students with non-traditional learning needs and foster partnerships across campus to reinforce our commitment to lifelong learning through flexible, accessible, and high-quality academic programs. 

While serving as president at STCC since 2016, John helped developed novel degree and certificate programs to address critical healthcare shortages in the region and established pathway partnerships and early college programming that increased enrollment. Additionally, the STCC School of Health and Patient Simulation secured accreditation for the SIMs Medical Center, which houses the largest patient array in the Northeast. During his tenure, STCC has improved retention and student success metrics, including degree completion by Pell-grant students, achieved institutional reaccreditations, and launched a new strategic plan. 

Earlier in his career, Cook served as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Manchester Community College, expanding offerings in Health Science, Cybersecurity, and Mechatronics. In addition to also growing online offerings, John was a champion of the Running Start program, a precursor to Early College through the Community College System of New Hampshire, which provides hundreds of high school students with access each year to college credits. Additionally, he served in a series of administrative positions in what was called the College for Lifelong Learning (CLL), then Granite State College (GSC), and now the College of Professional Studies at the University of New Hampshire, culminating as Assistant Dean of Faculty, where he focused on engaging online and adult learners.

John received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Anthropology from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, his master’s degree in Community Social Psychology from UMass Lowell, and his Ph.D. in Education from the University of New Hampshire. 

I want to express my gratitude to Farshid Hajir, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, and Scott Davidson, Associate Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies and Interim Executive Director of Lifelong Learning, and all members of our Flex Learning, University Without Walls, and BDIC teams for the work they have done throughout the spring semester to thoughtfully consider how to best build on our strengths in providing a UMass Amherst education for all students. 

Please join me in welcoming John to the UMass Amherst community. As we look to the future of our innovative educational initiatives designed to serve diverse learners, I am confident John’s deep experience and expertise will help UMass Amherst expand access to high-quality educational opportunities for students throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.

Sincerely,

Fouad Abd-El-Khalick 
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs