The reversal of affirmative action, along with the ongoing drop in enrollment, will create additional challenges in 2024.
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The higher education landscape in Central Massachusetts has seen both peaks and valleys in 2023 and will go into 2024 with work to do to make sure students in need and students on the margins have the same access to education as their more privileged counterparts.
Supreme Court ruling will start to play out
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling largely prohibiting affirmative action in admissions will have a permanent impact on colleges and universities across the country, and schools will have to adjust how they approach recruitment of students to ensure graduating classes for years to come will not be homogenous. It will be a long game.
Financial aid will be a heightened factor
Millions of dollars in financial aid became available to students at public universities and community colleges in Central Massachusetts in November, with more avenues to access funding for part-time students and students whose families were above income cutoffs previously. It’s a signal from the state government that higher education is a priority, and those universities feel confident the funding will be available for students going forward, helping to address dropping enrollment at public universities and community colleges across the region.
Clark-neighborhood tensions will grow
Clark University in Worcerster garnered criticism when its plan to demolish a block of the Main South neighborhood became public, calling into question its commitment to the community. Local business owners and Clark students expressed concern about how the destruction and construction may negatively impact the status quo.
Clark responded by expanding the area of the neighborhood where residents qualify for free tuition, trying to maintain a positive reputation in the neighborhood. Clark will need to reup those efforts to mitigate negative backlash as it builds out its campus footprint into other areas.
Read 2023's top higher education news below.
