Why College Is So Expensive
Photo/Christina H. Davis
JACK P. CALARESO, President of Anna Maria College
Jack P. Calareso joined Anna Maria College in Paxton as president on July 1, 2007 after nearly 30 years working in education. Over the last 12 months he’s acclimated himself to the private Catholic school, which has an enrollment of about 700. His chief effort has been forming Vision 2012, a new plan for expansion that includes various building efforts as well as the establishment of a satellite campus in downtown Worcester. Here, he talks about his new post and why higher education costs are soaring.
What’s driven the creation of Vision 2012?
Vision 2012 is our strategic plan, but it’s really a growth plan. The board of trustees, when they hired me, felt that Anna Maria needed to expand and grow in order to be a stronger more vibrant institution. In a nutshell, it’s how do we expand our enrollment, how do we grow our programs, how do we develop our campus, how do we raise the money we need to and how do we impact the community?
How does Anna Maria stay competitive in such a crowded local college market?
It’s not complicated. You have to be clear on your identity. You need to be able to say how you are different and identify your niche. You have to communicate that clearly, you have to market that and then you have to actively recruit students who fit that profile.
There’s been a lot of media attention on the credit crunch’s impact on student loans. Have you seen that as an issue at Anna Maria?
In actuality it’s not a huge problem. There are still plenty of opportunities for students and families to get loans. They have to work a little harder because some of the agencies have changed and some of the rules have changed. I think the bigger problem is public perception.
It’s not getting any cheaper to attend college. What’s driving that cost?
I can make the argument that while it’s very, very expensive, it’s still a good investment. Having said that, it’s still too expensive. I think the problem is there are too many colleges competing for too few students. We all need to be full-service institutions because that’s what students expect. And so you’re forced to continuously add programs, add staff and build buildings.
Are we going to reach a point where the cost is prohibitive?
I think we’ll see two things in the next decade. I think you’ll see a number of schools close, schools that are very fragile and just can’t compete anymore. The second thing, a much better option, is school mergers. I think you’ll see schools combining and pooling their resources, emphasizing their strengths in order to operate more economically.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your position?
I think the biggest challenge is fundraising. It’s a big part of what a president does. We have a voracious appetite for resources and Vision 2012 adds to that. We talked earlier about the competition for students. There’s competition for philanthropic dollars.
What’s been the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn as a manager?
It’s probably that it’s okay to be wrong and admit it. I think sometimes as a leader you feel that people expect you to always be right. Sometimes as a leader your ego drives you to force the issue that you’re right. The fact of the matter is that you’re not always right.
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