Page 30 - BusinessWest September 14 2020

chapter when it comes to what higher education will look like.
“I think it’s fair to say that, when we think about higher education, the last time we’ve seen the level of transformation that is about to hap- pen was just after World War II, with the GI Bill and the creation of more urban public universi- ties, community colleges, and the list goes on,” he continued, as talked through a mask to empha- size the point that they are to be worn at all times on this campus. “As we think about the world of work and the future, colleges and universities will be educating people for jobs that don’t exist yet, utilizing technologies that haven’t been created to solve problems that have yet to be identified.”
Elaborating, he said today’s young people, and he counts his son and daughter in this constitu- ency, are expected to hold upwards of 17 jobs
in five different industries (three of which don’t currently exist) during their career. All this begs
a question he asked: “what does an institution of higher learning look like in an environment like this, where the pace of change is unlike anything the world has ever seen?”
The short answer — he would give a longer one later — is that this now-101-year-old institu- tion looks a whole lot like WNEU, which, he said, is relatively small, agile, and able to adapt and be nimble, qualities that will certainly be needed as schools of all sizes move to what Johnson called a “clicks and mortar” — or “mortar and clicks” — model of operation that, as those words suggest, blends remote with in-person learning.
The process of changing to this model is clear- ly being accelerated by the pandemic that accom- panies Johnson’s arrival at WNEU, and that has already turned this fall semester upside down and
inside out at a number of schools large and small. Indeed, a number of schools that opened their
campuses to students have already closed them and reverted to remote learning. Meanwhile, oth- ers trying to keep campuses open are encounter- ing huge problems — and bad press: Northeast- ern University recently sent 11 students packing after they violated rules and staged a gathering in one of the living areas, for example, and the Uni- versity of Alabama has reported more than 1,200 cases on its campus in Tuscaloosa.
It’s very early in the semester, but Johnson is optimistic, even confident, that his new place of employment can avoid such occurrences.
“The decision to go with in-person learn-
ing was essentially made before I got here, and I think it was the right decision,” he explained, not- ing that students are living on campus and only 16% of the courses are being taught fully online, with the rest in-person or a hybrid model. “We’ve tested more than 2,500 individuals, and we’ve had only three positive cases, all asymptomatic. It’s worked out well so far, but this is only the end of the first week.
“We’re cautiously optimistic, and we take it day to day,” he went on, adding that the school’s smaller size and strict set of protocols, such as testing students upon arrival, may help prevent some of those calamities that have visited other institutions. “We’ve been very judicious, and our small size makes us a bit different. We’re kind of like Cheers, where everybody knows your name; we don’t have tens of thousands of students that we have to manage.”
For this issue and its focus on education, Busi- nessWest talked with Johnson about everything from the business of education in this unsettled
Robert Johnson says he’s confident that WNEU, a smaller, tight-knit school, can avoid some of the problems larger institutions have had when reopening this fall.
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To connect, to stay informed, and for guidance as you navigate the rapidly changing business environment, your Chamber is here for you. Please call 413.568.1618 or visit westfieldbiz.org. We are all in this together.
30 SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
EDUCATION
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