Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 13, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 13 "Drastic times require drastic steps," UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins said of the decision to go online, the first Central Massachusetts college to do so. For other colleges, instructors who weren't used to teaching online had to quickly learn the technology and tailor their curriculum to work outside the classroom. QCC trained more than 160 instructors for online technology, with only 20% to 30% of its courses normally having an online component, President Luis Pedraja said. "It's been a challenging few weeks," Pedraja said. "To redo it in an online format takes a lot of dedication." at challenge doesn't end with instructors. Many of QCC's students are low- income, and less likely to have a computer or reliable internet connection allowing them to keep up with a course. e college's bookstore has shipped laptops to some students and posted locations of internet hotspots to give them a connection, Pedraja said. Nearly 30 tutors have been working to lend tech support to students as well. Enrollment in flux e fall semester could look a lot different on local campuses – if the semester can even be held in person. College officials said they can't know at this relatively early stage what will be possible nearly five months from now, if all the social distancing efforts will be relaxed in time for school to start. Even long before then, campus visits normally taking place over April vacation to give high school seniors one last look before committing won't be taking place. "It's really impossible to say at this point," said Andrew Palumbo, the assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid at WPI. WPI canceled its summer courses in Asia early in March and brought back home students who were working on academic projects abroad. By April, people on campus are normally asking about how numbers for the incoming fall class are looking, Palumbo said. is time, he has no answers for them. May 1 is the traditional deadline for students to commit for the fall, but WPI is working individually with students who may need more time. State universities have pushed their deadlines back to June 1. "Parents and students are going to need more time to digest what's happening," said Jinawa McNeil, Fitchburg State's director of admissions. Even high school counselors, who McNeil said Fitchburg State typically views as an extension of their own outreach efforts, are largely helpless these days. Massachusetts high schools are closed at least through May 4. Fitchburg State is keeping another important factor in mind: If families are giving far more consideration to costs of attendance, that should work in its favor. "If we go into a recession, families are going to make decisions with finances in mind first," McNeil said. At Worcester State University, the school's annual Congratulations Day for prospective students and their families typically brings 1,000 people to meet counselors, faculty and the president and to tour campus. "Students tell us time and time again that their campus visit was a major factor in their decision to attend Worcester State," said Joseph DiCarlo, the school's dean of enrollment and director of admissions. is year, though, the event was moved online into three 45-minute sessions. e first session, on April 4, had 130 students participating. Local admissions officials aren't making any predictions on how enrollment would look in the fall. Aer all, colleges largely haven't even decided how to handle graduation ceremonies unable to be held in person in May but may instead be done in some way online or at another time. "Uncertainty is the word across the board," Palumbo said. If an economic recession brings more people to campuses for a new degree or job retraining, colleges are working to be ready for that, too. QCC is already working to develop its workforce training capabilities, which could include holding courses in the evening at high schools, or in a hybrid format with some courses online. Fitchburg State counts itself fortunate it has already grown its online MBA program and has grown three of its online graduate programs to nearly 200 students. A business administration degree completion program is entirely online. "In that sense we're ready," said Alberto Cardelle, Fitchburg State's provost and vice president for academic affairs. MWCC has similarly focused more on online learning and is now looking at where and when it may want to or be able to offer courses this fall, particularly if it's to a less traditional student body. "We're looking at all of it," Scales said. At UMass Medical School, enrollment could vary but one thing likely won't: e school will fill its allotment of 162 seats. It normally has a list of applicants far longer than that, Collins said. "I'm not worried about enrollment management," he said. Potential students The coronavirus pandemic has shuffled colleges' spring admissions period, with commitments typically due from incoming students by May 1. A look at how many applicants Central Massachusetts college received for the fall 2018 semester: Note: MCPHS also has campuses in Boston and Manchester, N.H. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Andrew Polumbo, Worcester Polytechnic Institute W Worcester Polytechnic Institute........................................................................... 10,584 Clark University, Worcester ..................................................................................... 7,687 College of the Holy Cross, Worcester ................................................................................................................ 7,054 Framingham State University ................................................................................ 5,706 Dean College, Franklin ............................................................................................ 4,854 MCPHS University, Worcester ................................................................................. 4,355 Assumption College, Worcester .............................................................................. 4,178 Worcester State University .................................................................................... 4,076 Becker College, Worcester ...................................................................................... 3,916 Fitchburg State University ..................................................................................... 3,234 Anna Maria College, Paxton .................................................................................... 3,177 Nichols College, Dudley .......................................................................................... 2,435 UMass Medical School Chan- cellor Michael Collins

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