Worcester Business Journal

Harrington behavior 20 Harrington Healthcare has grown significantly due to demand for drug addiction services. WBJ >> To Subscribe Central Massachusetts' Source for Business News May 23, 2016 Volume 27 Number 11 www.wbjournal.com $2.00 Shop Talk 8 Q&A with Suzanne Maas, interim CEO of Tower Hill Botanic Garden WBJ's annual list of the 100 largest employers in the region starts with UMass Memorial and ends with the Kennedy Health Center. 100 BY LAURA FINALDI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer $55M & COUNTING Schools using 4 +1 programs to lure students T his summer, a flood of new grad- uates will enter the job market. Among this sea of young job seekers with bachelor's degrees will be Worcester alumni with the added bene- fit of a master's degree. Through accelerated five-year degree initiatives – or 4+1 programs – students are entering the job market with an edge honed by additional education and skills, but the schools also benefit from a unique selling point when mak- ing their pitch to c o s t - c o n s c i o u s parents and poten- tial students. "Jobs are getting more competitive right now, and stu- dents are going to be looking for that edge as they com- pete for jobs in the marketplace. A 4+1 degree program can provide them with an extra line in their resume that could help them stand out," said Thomas Harnisch, the director of state relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "The master's degree can provide some specialized skills and knowledge they may not have had in their bachelor's degree program, and it can come off as more tangible than a bachelor's." Worcester schools have pioneered Worcester State University is marketing its fast- track program for nursing degrees to potential students. BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Digital Editor >> Continued on page 11 months still to go, as the utility prepares for the potential full rollout of a grid modernization plan that could cost up to $830 million. National Grid said cost overruns and lessons learned are part of the very nature of pilot programs, but the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office flagged the pilot, saying it had concerns about excess spending in some parts of the program. Still, the Department of Public Utilities allowed for rate increases to cover pilot costs, subject to further investigation. The attorney general's office has called for an investigation after the end of the pilot into whether National Grid rea- soably and prudently spent the extra money. "Not only has it provided partial information about cost overruns, but it is unlikely that it will be able to provide the department with complete information regarding cost overruns until the com- pletion of the pilot program," said a brief filed by Jamie Tosches, assistant attorney general. After filing a final version of its pilot proposal with DPU in 2011, National Grid launched the Smart Energy U nexpected cost overruns and planned financial contributions that didn't come through caused National Grid to exceed the total budget on its $45.5-million smart meter pilot initiative in Worcester by more than 20 percent with a little over six At the end of its first year, National Grid's two-year smart meter pilot program in Worcester has exceeded its $46M budget by 21%, with an $830-million bill looming >> Continued on page 10 The cost for National Grid's Sustainability Hub at 912 Main St. in Worcester – the physical presence for its Smart Energy Solutions pilot program – skyrocketed from its $50,000 budget to nearly $800,000. 12 P H O T O / E D D C O T E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y William F. Fisher, Clark's dean of graduate studies and associate provost

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