Worcester Business Journal

Worcester Business Journal www.wbjournal.com 2016 Economic Forecast 29 E D U C AT I O N Colleges and universities that were once strictly regional are casting a wider net, recruiting well beyond New England limits. In 2016, UMass Medical School will admit out-of-state students for the first time. Programs are becoming more flexible in general, allowing for distance education, more transfers from school to school, and increased part-time options. Colleges seek greater reach, affordability, workforce readiness BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer W hile the recession brought professionals back to school to continue their education in droves, a rosier economic picture has dimin- ished the swell somewhat. But the recession had lasting impacts on higher education in particular. Emphasis on affordability, flexibility and value suggests the ball is in the student's court. Here's how the industry will cater to its pros- pects in 2016. Innovation in recruiting, programming Workforce preparation Continued emphasis on affordability Tuition freezes have been popular in recent history and will likely continue. The University of Massachusetts system is getting the squeeze from the legislature and Gov. Charlie Baker to roll back a 5-percent tuition and curriculum fee hike approved by trustees in June. Locally, a group of Central Mass. colleges banded together in March to offer four-year degrees to students for a maximum of $30,000. n The Patrick Administration was methodical about creating community college and vocational school programs that prepare middle-skills workers for jobs that require more than a diploma but less than a bachelor's degree, and the Baker Administration so far has taken a similar approach. Programs connecting high school and college students to high-demand industries continue to roll out. M ount Wachusett Community College in Gardner has been awarded a $2.25-million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to spear- head a project designed to increase the number of minorities and disadvan- taged students pursuing careers in health care. The program, known as the Workplace Diversity Pipeline Program, will create a high-school-to-college pipeline for students who plan to enter the healthcare field. The program will offer counseling, coaching, field trips, speaking pro- grams and dual-enrollment courses to 120 students from Fitchburg High School, Leominster High School and the Leominster Center for Technical Education. Two cohorts of students entering the ninth grade this year and next year will graduate from high school prepared to enter Mount Wachusett's Pre- Healthcare Academy. By the end of their second semester at MWCC, students will have complet- ed 15 college credits. By earning dual enrollment college credits, students can complete a healthcare certificate pro- gram within the first two years of col- lege and an associate's degree within three years of entering college. The grant was received following a "rigorous grant process," according to U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas. M ount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) has part- nered with Clark University in Worcester to facilitate transfer opportunities for MWCC students, the community college in Gardner announced. The agreement applies to eligible students enrolled in MWCC's associ- ate's degree program in Liberal Arts and Sciences, and who wish to pursue a bachelor of arts degree. "We are delighted to partner with Clark University to expand transfer options for our graduates," MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino said in the statement. He explained the new partnership opens new opportunities for students and demonstrates the schools' shared commitment to mak- ing quality education accessible and affordable. "Part of Clark's mission from its earliest days as an undergraduate institution has been to serve the edu- cational needs of the young adults in Central Massachusetts," Davis Baird, vice president for academic affairs and provost at Clark, said in the statement. "We are very pleased to participate in this new transfer agreement with T O P E D U C AT I O N S T O R I ES O F 2 0 1 5 Mount Wachusett leads healthcare diversity project MWCC, Clark form transfer-student agreement P H O T O / S A M B O N A C C I The residence halls in the middle of Clark University's Worcester campus.

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