Keep in mind that our A.G. will sue anyone that sneezes, but she is looking at the Mt. Ida deal.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2018/04/mount_ida_deal_hit_kids_like_a_ton_of_bricks
There’s an article in the Boston Globe today as well.
There are programs that UMass Dartmouth just doesn’t have such as funeral science, Veterinary, and dental hygiene to name a few. Several students from my local public high school were accepted and set to attend and a contractor friend has a freshman daughter there. To announce this after the application season is said and done is difficult for students to now scramble to find alternatives if they are not into going to what seems there only UMass path that is Dartmouth.
Re: #81
There is a student posting on these forums who was about the matriculate to Mount Ida, which was the least expensive for his/her major (accredited program in interior design); his/her other choices with that major were too expensive (and UMass Dartmouth is out-of-state and does not have the major).
@ucbalumnus I read somewhere that they would offer instate tuition to former Mt. Ida students. Also, they are “offering” automatic admission to the Dartmouth campus, but, it sounds like they plan to meet with students to discuss the potential for some people gaining entrance to Amherst or Lowell. That remains to be seen. I’d be pretty concerned if I was just admitted to UMass Dartmouth because an extra 1,500 kids on campus could be a real issue.
What about all these online universities, the latest I saw a commercial for was “Independence University.” If you’re an independent studier, how much do you really need that university? I can see it now, you put in your credit card, study independently, then after checking off all the boxes, you print out your diploma from your desk top printer.
From their website: <<the college="" offers="" assorted="" degree="" courses="" in="" the="" fields="" of="" medicine,="" healthcare,="" accounting,="" computers,="" business,="" and="" graphic="" arts.="" an="" associate="" is="" estimated="" to="" cost="" $42,430,="" a="" bachelor’s="" $74,790="" master’s="" degrees="" are="" $28,482,="" not="" including="" any="" interest="" on="" loans.="" school="" practices="" policy="" “never=”" bring="" unwelcome="" surprises".="" this="" means="" that="" as="" all-inclusive="" program="" student="" can="" fully="" understand="" true="" costs="" instead="" find="" out="" they="" much="" more="" debt="" than="" necessary="" or="" anticipated.="">>
Wow and I was complaining my daughter’s LAC cost $70,000 per annum. At least she has a campus, dorm, and real, not virtual professors or holograms.
@preppedparent , That is nuts!
@Time2Shine Absolutely was thinking the same thing. S18 was trying to choose between UMASS Dartmouth and another school. We all liked UMD, and it would have been a good fit for him, but he ultimately chose the other school, which was better for him. I am SO glad now that he didn’t choose UMD. Even if only 1/3 of the MIC kids decide to transfer to UMD, how are they going to handle an extra 500 kids on campus? Maybe not all of them will want to live in the dorms, but if a lot of them do, many of those freshman doubles are going to become forced triples. They have several cafes and sandwich shops that have limited, mostly weekday hours, but only one main dining hall. All those extra kids using the resources (library, gym, career center, etc), trying to get on campus jobs, internships, research positions, classes that are more crowded… Unless UMD is under enrolled, that could be a huge problem. Probably most of the students, staff and professors at UMD are wonderful and will welcome these poor MIC kids, but it may still strain the resources. Since this happened before the May 1 deadline, I wonder how many students who were accepted to UMD but were still undecided will now choose other options.
Damage and a sense of betrayal felt by faculty and staff resulting from the closure of Mt. Ida is discussed in the following linked article published by Inside Higher Ed:
I work for the Commonwealth and yes, UMass Dartmouth is underenrolled and has space in their residence halls. They are defenitely two different institutions and I bet they will not get many students from mount ida to enroll there. When I was looking at colleges, back in the day, there was no way I wanted any part of that campus. It was Southeastern Massachusetts University until about 1990.
UMass-Amherst > UMass-Lowell >>> UMass-Dartmouth
@MAandMEmom–I got you beat! I remember the days before the school was Southeastern Massachusetts University. It was called Southeastern Massachusetts Technical Institute, offered very limited degrees, and was housed in an old factory building. My high school graduating class was one of the first, if not the first, to attend at the spanking new and very modern Dartmouth campus with the new name of SMU. I remember visiting a friend at the campus and being quite dazzled. I don’t think they even had dorms yet. I have no idea where it stands in the UMass hierarchy these days, but having grown up in the area, I can attest it’s not a very appealing location to attend college, especially compared to Mt. Ida. I expect the transferees will be an unhappy bunch.
I remember SMTI @MommaJ although I’m too young to have attended that institution. SMTI was created by merging with Bradford Durfee College of Technology in Fall River, a building where I’ve spent much time as my college occupied it for many years.
Oh boy, look at what’s become of Connecticut’s 12 community colleges. From Inside Higher Ed:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/04/25/accreditor-rejects-connecticut-merger-plan
Check out the first slide of this MA Department of Higher Ed presentation. Grim forecast!!
http://www.mass.edu/bhe/documents/Mount%20Ida%20Closure%20Presentation.pptx
@MAandMEmom , grim indeed!!! Copying the text of the 1st slide:
Within 10 years: As many as half of all U.S. colleges and universities will find themselves bankrupt or shuttered. (Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School)
Past 10 years: (Moody’s Investor Service)
5 U.S. college closures per year on average
2–3 mergers per year on average
Forecast: (Moody’s Investor Service)
Tripling of closure rates for small colleges / universities
Doubling of merger rate
In the early 1970’s Boston College and Boston University were facing bankruptcy. There were rumors that Boston College would close. If you follow CC you may have noticed that both are now top schools with very low acceptance rates. They had good leadership and reimagined themselves. They morphed from being mostly commuter colleges to national research universities. Northeastern did the same a generation later although without the threat of bankruptcy.
Decades ago, both New York University and Polytechnic Institute face financial difficulties. These were somewhat resolved by New York University selling its engineering division to Polytechnic Institute (later Polytechnic University). More recently, Polytechnic University had financial difficulties and agreed to become the engineering division of New York University.
Has anyone heard of any NEW colleges opening up in the last 10, 20, or 30 years? Other than online – thinking of traditional non-profits (or publics) with physical campuses… Just curious.
@colfac92 Off the top of my head, all I can come up with is UC Merced and Cal State Monterey Bay. I vaguely knew there was a relatively new college in Nevada, which I had to look up - Nevada State College. It looks like it’s struggling to establish a foothold, though.
I see on Wikipedia that Cal State Channel Islands was established in 2002.
@colfac92 Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts opened around 2000.