Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • January 27, 2020 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Sean Teehan steehan@hartfordbusiness.com W hen Mark Scheinberg stepped on stage ear- lier this month in the main auditorium of his East Hartford school, the words projected on the screen behind him were also emblazoned on excited-looking faculty members' sweatshirts. Goodwin University. Until that January morning, the school he founded in 1999 was called Goodwin College. But with the addition of master's degree programs in nursing, pub- lic health and organizational leadership, it was time for Goodwin's name to reflect a higher stature, Scheinberg said. "In our case, there was no one out there doing those sorts of master's degrees that weren't calling themselves a univer- sity," Scheinberg said in an interview. "This could be a real game-changer." Goodwin's shift from a college to a university isn't wholly unique, especially among smaller schools looking to gain greater notoriety as the higher-education industry faces significant headwinds, including a de- clining customer base and exceed- ingly high costs. The University of St. Joseph in West Hartford shed its col- lege tag in 2012, and a spate of small colleges in Massachusetts, including Lasell University, have done the same in recent years. Adopting the more prestigious- sounding "university" tag has multiple benefits, school officials and industry experts say. Universities can use the rebranding to re-introduce their institution to prospective students, and it can be particularly impactful with international recruit- ment. Many non-U.S. students hail from countries where "college" refers to what the U.S. calls "high school." But even though universities are generally thought of as offer- ing more programs than colleges, the definition of what a university actually is varies from state to state. In Massachusetts, for example, a university must have at least two unrelated doctoral programs, while Connecticut's Department of Higher Education (DHE) doesn't actually distinguish between the two. So, if Goodwin was located 27 miles north across the Massachu- setts border, it could not call itself a university. (Scheinberg said Good- win is considering adding doctoral programs in the future.) "In terms of the regulations and statutes that exist, these higher- education institutions are just called 'higher-education institutions,' " said Sean Seepersad, director of the DHE's academic- affairs division. The only thing that could bar a Connecticut school from calling itself a university would be if it's small enough to irk the regional accredi- tor — the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). NECHE President Barbara Brit- tingham said her organization doesn't specifically define what a university is either, and handles college-to-universi- ty conversions on a case-by-case basis. NECHE has never told a school under its purview it can't call itself a university, she added. "The Commission [oversees] a small number of places that are very small," said Brittingham, adding that schools with fewer 200 students fit this cat- egory. "I think if one of those wanted to change to a university the Commission might want to have a conversation." Goodwin's evolution Scheinberg bought Goodwin in 1981. Back then it was known as the Data Institute Business School, a tiny for-profit institution. He rebranded it as Goodwin College in 1999, and in 2004 it received NECHE accreditation. Now it's a private, nonprofit, career- focused institution that offers certifi- cate programs in addition to associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. Goodwin's current enrollment is about 3,400 students, the school said. Scheinberg and other administrators say that size plus the number of four- year and master's degree programs it offers means "university" more accurately describes the school than "college," especially in Connecticut. As part of the new university designation, Goodwin will break up its five academic departments into three schools: the School of Nursing and Health Professions; the School of Business Technology and Advanced Manufacturing; and the School of Ap- plied Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Additionally, becoming a university could encourage more corporations to enlist Goodwin for employee training and degree programs, Scheinberg said. Four higher-ed institutions that offer master's degree programs currently operate in Connecticut as colleges: Albertus Magnus College, Charter Oak State College, Connect- icut College and Trinity College. Why change? Colleges often rebrand as universi- ties to showcase expanded program- ming, new facilities or sometimes just to get their names out there, said Anne Callahan, principal and co-founder of Boston marketing firm Kor Group Ltd., which serves higher- education clients including College of the Holy Cross and New England Law. Even though institutions mak- ing the change essentially just swap "college" for "university," changing signage, letterheads and anything else that refers to the school by name can be an expensive process, Callahan said. Goodwin said its rebranding pro- cess could cost up to $1 million, but there are no plans to raise tuition to coincide with the name change. "It's almost like a global rebrand, ev- erything has to be changed to reflect the university's name," Callahan said. FOCUS: EDUCATION Higher Stature More U.S. colleges are converting to a university. Here's why. Faculty at Goodwin University, including President Mark Scheinberg (center), celebrate the school's new "University" designation. Anne Callahan, Principal and Co-founder, Kor Group Ltd. Goodwin University President Mark Scheinberg. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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