Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | July 27, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 15 Brazil. He says the school's academic philosophy starts with a question most institutions never ask. "Rather than ask what subjects we teach, we asked who we want students to become by the time they graduate," Williams said. "From there, with that graduate profile, we work backward, developing not only strong academic knowledge, but the skills students will need long aer they've forgotten individual lessons." at means an emphasis on critical thinking, collaboration, and what Williams calls fluid intelligence, which he describes as the ability to perform when the answer isn't obvious. e school's schedule includes daily academic studios, structured time for reflection and teacher support, and a flexible Friday for community and long-term project work. e burden of establishing the right culture falls on the adults, he said. "Culture and community starts on day one," Williams said. As for whether competitive athletes will take academics seriously enough, Williams said early signals from stu- dents and families are encouraging. "We haven't had somebody who's come in and said, 'I'm not worried about the academics, I just want to know what the coaching is,'" he said. "Families are very invested and interest- ed in what our academic program is." NIL, redshirting MAI is focused on middle- and high school-aged stu- dents. Masters has designed a program for middle school- ers that still allows them to explore multiple disciplines, noting the increas- ing focus on the potential negative impact of young athletes specializing in only one sport. "At the middle school level, we're what we're calling club-friendly," Mas- ters said. "We've set up our schedule so that middle school students can play multiple sports, and then go back and play for their club team." e school's launch comes at a moment of significant upheaval in the rules governing college athletics. Matheson said the emergence of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, while a long-overdue correction to a system where college athletes received no compensation, has a nar- rower impact than headlines suggest. "All of that NIL money is all going to go to basically men's basketball players, a little bit of women's basket- ball players, and then the overwhelm- ing majority is going to go to men's football players," he said. Chris Masters echoed measured view, acknowledging that NIL is part of the conversation MAI expects to have with its students, but with appropriate con- text. He said the school wants to make sure athletes understand a $20,000 NIL deal at one college shouldn't drive a four-year enrollment decision. "Let's not make a four-year decision against a 40-year decision," he said. Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education At Quinsigamond Community College mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities are some of the ways we help bridge the gap between education and employment. By connecting students, employers, and industry professionals, we're building a stronger workforce for Central Massachusetts. Together, we can create career pathways, develop skilled talent, and meet the evolving needs of our region's employers. Developing Talent. Supporting Industry. Strengthening Our Region. Today's workforce challenges require tomorrow's talent. Join us in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. QCC.edu/WD EDUCATION F O C U S Name, image, and likeness deals Football, men's basketball, and base- ball together accounted for a majority of college NIL deals from January 2025 to present. Sport % of NIL deals Football 39.7 Men's basketball 9.8 Baseball 9.8 Women's basketball 6.6 Softball 5.6 Women's soccer 4.5 Women's volleyball 4.1 Other 19.1 Source: NCAA W Baseball will be one of nine sports offered at Masters Academy International in Stow. PHOTO | COURTESY OF MASTERS ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL

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