Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 30, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 13 PHOTO | GRANT WELKER strategy in Main South is shiing under Fithian's leadership. "We're presently in a very tenuous relationship with Clark," said Teasdale. "I would argue that [Fithian's] approach is completely different from what prior administrations at Clark University have adopted. It's one that is really fracturing the working relationship of the CDC with Clark." Teasdale said his meetings with Fithian have raised concerns at the CDC and among local business owners about Clark's future expansion. In what Teasdale described as a blunt discussion, Fithian shared plans to broaden Clark's footprint into commercial areas along Main Street to create more student-ori- ented storefronts. "I understand that universities have to update and stay attractive to student bodies in order to remain competitive with the facilities that they offer. Howev- er, I think that really has to be balanced in terms of respecting the interests of the people who are affected by those development decisions," he said, men- tioning concerns he's heard from local merchants about rents rising if Clark redevelops properties along Main Street. e CDC leases a building from Clark at 875 Main St., which Teasedale said may not be renewed because it lacks an activated storefront. In response, Clark Media Relations Manager Angela Bazydlo said the 25-year lease runs until 2026 and renewal discussions have not yet begun. So far, Clark hasn't made any devel- opment plans for Main Street public, but has made moves on the other side of campus, purchasing a $7-million parcel of land on Park Avenue this fall, which expands Clark's footprint by 15%. e decision to buy the land was a no-brain- er, Fithian said, as his strategy will inevitably call for campus expansion, and the vacant plot offers an opportu- nity to do so with low impact on the neighborhood. "Here was a vacant piece of land contributing virtually nothing to the community," Fithian recalled. "We would never get the opportunity again to acquire that much contiguous, unen- cumbered land sitting there, waiting for an opportunity that close to campus." Plans for the Park Avenue land are not yet set in stone, but the university is considering constructing an athletic center with a storefront aspect along the street, Fithian said. "e city matters for our success, and the success of the city depends on col- leges and universities attracting students from around the country and around the world," he said. Changing with the times Fithian's strategy is set against a background of unique challenges in higher education, which have snowballed during the pandemic. Roughly 70% of high school seniors in the U.S. believe higher education is not worth the cost, according to a January 2021 study from Washington, D.C. think tank ird Way. "College and university leaders have a whole range of issues that they haven't had to deal with in the past," said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universi- ties. "We're seeing increasing skepticism with respect to the dollar value of a college degree with [students] more interested in short-term career prepa- ration." Fithian's plan of attack is to integrate skilled-based and career-oriented learn- ing into the liberal arts education. is began with the absorption of the game design, esports, and graphic design programs at Becker College when the Worcester school closed in March 2021. "We talk a lot about the value and importance of interdisciplinarity," said Fithian. "e disruption that we've seen to the economy and to the job market should convince college-eligible or col- lege-bound students that a broad skill set is incredibly important." Clark broke ground this spring on a new Center for Media Arts, Comput- ing, and Design, bringing its visual arts, computer science, and game design departments together under one roof. e center's construction is funded by $100 million in capital financing, which Fithian procured in November, on top of refinancing Clark's $56 million in existing debt. "Anything that colleges can do … to create clear pathways in employment is not a diminishing of the liberal arts cur- riculum, but essential to it," Pasquerella said. Along with connecting STEM and the humanities at Clark, the Becker game design program was ranked second in the nation by e Princeton Review publication, promising to attract students from a broader pool. "I see Clark not only continuing to play a kind of leading role in offering a high quality education to students in the Northeast, but increasingly becoming more of a national university," Fithian said. Fithian's transformative work at Clark has just begun. e newly acquired capi- tal financing will go toward both campus expansion and renovations of existing Clark buildings, but Fithian said the $100 million is a precursor to a larger cam- paign, signaling to philanthropists that Clark is getting serious about investing in its future. 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 Clark enrollment 3,095 3,356 Clark enrollment Source: WBJ Book of Lists and Clark University website (for 2021 number) Clark University campus W During his first two years as president, Fithian has overseen the acquisition of a seven-acre land parcel and Becker College's video game design program. "I would argue that [Fithian's] approach is completely different from what prior administrations at Clark University have adopted. It's one that is really fracturing the working relationship of the CDC with Clark." Steve Teasdale, executive director of the Main South Community Development Corp. PHOTOS | COURTESY OF CLARK UNIVERSITY

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