Day: June 26, 2020

STCC Announces Program and Budget Decisions Due to COVID-19 Impact

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Responding to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will restructure academic departments and discontinue some programs with low enrollment.

Geraldine de Berly, Vice President of Academic Affairs, announced the restructuring plan and listed seven programs to be discontinued in a campus e-mail. The program discontinuations will affect approximately 95 students, but those individuals will be able to complete their degree or certificate at STCC. Across an academic year, about 7,000 students enroll at STCC in about 90 different programs.

The decisions were made by the college in anticipation of projected budget shortfalls in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

“It is regrettable that STCC is not immune to the fiscal difficulties that have befallen higher-education institutions,” de Berly said in the e-mail. “These unprecedented times have required hard decisions, and the loss of programs, as well as skilled and talented faculty and staff, is most dismaying. We recognize the considerable contributions and commitment made to the STCC community, and genuinely wish there was different news to share.”

STCC will reduce 21 positions through retrenchments and layoffs, in addition to early-retirement incentives. Some of the retrenchments are a result of restructuring and program closures.

John Cook, STCC president, said the restructuring plan will not change the college’s mission, and in fact reaffirms the imperative to continue as the most affordable and accessible option for many families. STCC is the only technical community college in Massachusetts with health and STEM programs serving significant populations of African-American, Latinx, and first-generation college students.

STCC’s Division of Student Affairs has worked diligently to provide quality services and student support in a remote environment during the COVID-19 crisis, said Vice President of Student Affairs Darcey Kemp. Some of the many services being provided remotely include academic advising, the Career Development Center, assistance with food insecurity and housing, disability services, testing and assessment, tutoring, as well as support to veterans.

Like other community colleges, STCC has experienced a steady decline in enrollment since peaking in 2010 during the Great Recession. The decline is linked to a number of factors, including the previously low unemployment rate, as well as smaller high-school graduating classes.

“We will continue to offer the most affordable pathway for students who seek a smart start and transfer, or look to enter critical workforce and career fields that include manufacturing and healthcare, with programs that include nursing, medical assistant, and respiratory care. Our two middle names are vital, and STCC prides ourselves on making the dream of higher education possible,” Cook said. “The college has made extremely difficult decisions necessitated by the fiscal impact of the pandemic, but we are resolved during these unprecedented challenges.”

Cook added that STCC will work closely with the local legislative delegation, as well as the Baker-Polito administration, regarding funding and support of community colleges. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, community colleges have been accustomed to adjusting operating expenses and limited budgets each year in support of students.

In light of fiscal considerations, departments have been restructured within the School of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies and the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and programs to be discontinued include automotive technology, biomedical engineering technology, biotechnology, civil engineering technology, cosmetology, dental assistant, and landscape design and management technology

STCC will work with students enrolled in the discontinued programs to develop an academic plan to complete their program of study. Students will be supported by an academic or faculty advisor and can consider migrating to related programs. For example, a student studying civil engineering technology may consider architectural building technology. Course offerings will continue beginning fall 2020 through program completion. Administrators are also considering moving some of the discontinued programs to STCC’s Workforce Development Center, which offers non-credit classes that meet employer demand across the region.

Due to COVID-19, STCC this fall will offer on-campus low-density labs using social-distancing protocols combined with online instruction. The college is known for its state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment in STEM programs, as well as a nationally recognized patient-simulation facility used by students in its health programs.

Bay Path Launches Risk Management Cybersecurity Degree, Scholarship Program

By
Daily News

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University is expanding its focus in the rapidly growing area of cybersecurity — and helping to bring more women into it — with the introduction of an undergraduate major in risk management. In addition, the university will offer scholarships to women looking to obtain degrees in cybersecurity. Made possible by Strada Education Network, these scholarships will help offset the cost of fall 2020 enrollment in cybersecurity programs.

The term ‘risk management’ applies to the forecasting and evaluation of risks alongside the identification of procedures to avoid or minimize their impact. This new program concentration will include coursework in data privacy, project management, crisis management, and incident recovery.

“Bay Path’s risk management degree is designed for women who enjoy collaborating to proactively identify risks and guard against cyberthreats,” said Beverly Benson, program director for Information Technology and Security at the American Women’s College of Bay Path University. “This degree will enable women to combine valued skills and insights like problem solving, creativity, collaboration, communication and leadership, and essential technical knowledge to develop and implement risk-management strategies for an incredibly exciting and rewarding career.”

With nearly 80% of the organizations surveyed for the 2019 Marsh Microsoft Global Cyber Risk Perception Survey ranking cyber risks as a top-five concern, but only 11% feeling adequately prepared to assess and address those threats, the need for risk managers in the cybersecurity sphere is more important than ever. Within those responding organizations, the majority of board members and senior executives responsible for their organization’s cyber risk management reported that they had less than a day in the last year to spend focused on cyber risk issues.

“In time, with training and experience, high-paying jobs in cybersecurity are available, especially for women,” Benson said. “Bay Path is working to ensure women students get desirable internships in cybersecurity to close the experience gap and position them for better starting salaries.”

For more information on Bay Path’s undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs, including focuses in risk management, digital forensics and incident response, and information assurance, visit www.baypath.edu.

Asnuntuck to Offer Information Sessions This Summer

By
Daily News

ENFIELD, Conn. — Asnuntuck Community College has scheduled several virtual information sessions with the Admissions and Financial Aid departments during the summer.

The sessions will be held on Tuesday, June 30 at 5 p.m.; Monday, July 13 at 5 p.m.; Wednesday, July 22 at 3 p.m.; Tuesday, July 28 at 5 p.m.; and Thursday, Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. Prospective students need to attend only one of the sessions.

Participants will be able to learn about the admissions and financial-aid process. The June 30 and July 13 sessions will feature information regarding Connecticut’s community-college debt-free scholarship, Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT), during the 60-minute session. Students must apply and be registered for a full-time schedule of courses by July 15 to be eligible for PACT. It is free to apply to the college.

The sessions will also include time for questions and answers. To register for a session and learn how to register for classes, visit asnuntuck.edu/admissions/how-to-enroll. Registration for the fall semester is now open.

Time Is Running Out to Nominate a Healthcare Hero

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Since the phrase COVID-19 came into our lexicon, those working in the broad healthcare field have emerged as the true heroes during a pandemic that has changed every facet of life as we know it.

And over the past several months, the world has paid tribute to these heroes, and in all kinds of ways — from applauding in unison from apartment-complex windows to bringing hot meals to hospital and nursing-home workers; from donating much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to people putting hearts on their front lawns and mailboxes to thank first responders, healthcare workers, postal workers, and others.

BusinessWest and its sister publication, the Healthcare News, will pay tribute in their own way, by dedicating their annual Healthcare Heroes program in 2020 to those who are have emerged as true heroes during this crisis. The deadline for nominations is July 17.

Healthcare Heroes was launched by the two publications in 2017 to recognize those working in this all-important sector of the region’s economy, many of whom are overlooked when it comes to traditional recognition programs. Over the years, the program has recognized providers, administrators, emerging leaders, innovators, and collaborators.

For 2020, the program will shift its focus somewhat to the COVID-19 pandemic and all those who are working in the healthcare field or helping to assist it at this trying time. All manner of heroes have emerged this year, and we invite you to nominate one — or several — for what has become a very prestigious honor in Western Mass.: the Healthcare Heroes award.

Here are some examples of those who have become real heroes:

• Doctors and nurses;

• Emergency-room personnel, including doctors, nurses, orderlies, techs, triage, receptionists, and others;

• EMTs;

• Police and firefighters;

• Nursing-home personnel, everyone from frontline providers to administrators;

• End-of-life care providers;

• Administrators leading the efforts to battle the pandemic;

• Behavioral-health practitioners helping people and families navigate this crisis;

• Individuals and groups from our community who have stepped up to help healthcare workers with everything from hot meals to PPE;

• Companies that have pivoted and commenced production of materials such as PPE to help those in healthcare confront the pandemic;

• Scientists working behind the scenes to develop a vaccine or new types of PPE; and

• Truck drivers delivering supplies to hospitals and other providers.

These are just a few examples, and there are myriad others. In truth, everyone who goes to work in a hospital, nursing home, assisted-living facility, or other healthcare facility, thereby risking their own health, and perhaps their life, is a hero.

In many respects, all these heroes will be honored at the Healthcare Heroes event, now scheduled for this fall at the Springfield Sheraton. And to honor all of them, we want to bring to the podium a number of individuals and groups that represent everyone who has become a hero in these trying times.

To assist those thinking of nominating someone for this honor, we are simplifying the process. All we desire is a 400- to 500-word essay and/or two-minute video entry explaining why the group or individual stands out as an inspiration, and a truly bright star in a galaxy of healthcare heroes. These nominations will be carefully considered by a panel of independent judges, who will select the class of 2020.

For more information on how to nominate someone for the Healthcare Heroes class of 2020, click here. Videos can be sent via dropbox to [email protected].

Healthcare Heroes is sponsored by Comcast Business and Elms College.

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