The president of Greenfield Community College, Bob Pura, announced his retirement after 17 years at the helm.
Since becoming president, Pura said, he's seen investment in public education plummet across the country and Massachusetts. He said this is part of a trend that began in 1980, and got worse after the 2008 recession, with some years of reprieve.
But the rural farming community where GCC is based has risen to the challenge, he added, mostly through creative collaboration among schools, area employers and nonprofits.
"We do more with less up here in the northern part of the Valley than many places around the Commonwealth," Pura said. "We would love to have the opportunity to do more with more at some point."
Pura said he hasn't decided what to do next. It was just the right time to leave, he said. He'll stay through the academic year.