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Boston College's new Brookline campus to offer associate's degrees; graduates will be given preference for BC entrance
By adamg on Mon, 11/20/2023 - 9:58am
The Heights reports on the state of BC's most recent acquisitions: The 23-acre former Mount Alvernia High School in Newton and the former Pine Manor College in Brookline.
Not much is going on with the Newton property, but BC is renaming Pine Manor as Messina College, which will offer a two-year residential program aimed at first-generation students, at the end of which graduates will be eligible to transfer to four-year programs at the main BC campus.
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Comments
Sounds like overexpansion
I honestly don't get why BC wants to be in the business of offering 2 year degrees. This seems like the kind of overexpansion that will cause them problems later
Probably the next step will
Probably the next step will be to merge with BU, forming BCU. This will necessitate changing the format of the Beanpot.
Would have preferred that the
Would have preferred that the college be named after a former Red Sox pitcher than a former Yankees pitcher!
That's Mussina, with a "u".
Messina, with an "e", is the name of a town in Sicily, and also of the strait separating Sicily from the rest of Italy.
Hope they're going
to provide lots of financial aid and academic support.
That would seem to be the plan
The article linked in Adam's post notes: "BC established the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success, a program comprising four pillars: Mentoring and Academic Achievement; the Academy, a readiness program for students from grades 8 to 12; Messina College; and Alumni Support."
Earlier this fall, BC launched its latest capital campaign, and as part of it they're aiming to raise $1 billion "to boost financial aid for low- and middle-income families, helping BC to maintain its commitment to need blind admissions and meeting the full demonstrated need of undergraduate students."
Messina College?
To get online to you have to Loggins?
I like this idea for BC since it has turned into a finishing school for well off New Jersey people. It gives more locals a chance to get in without having to go to BC High or Ursuline for high school.
not a big help anymore
This isn't the 80s or 90s anymore, very few BC High or other Catholic high school grads (Xaverian, CM, NDA, Ursuline) have much of a leg up at BC these days. Not disputing the affluent finishing school characterization, but the local grads, even from Catholic schools, are nowhere near a priority at the Heights anymore (which isn't a bad thing IMO).
It Should Be Local Majoirty Though
Go to Dickinson if you are from Jersey. Bostonians built BC but somehow the Jesuits forgot that message with the Flutie effect.
BC is trying to compete with Harvard except a kid is going to go to Harvard 1000x before they go to the Heights.
Then again, BC when they weren't looking got lapped by Northeastern in terms of demand.
The only difference between Harvard and anywhere else
...is that Harvard has more money. It can afford bigger libraries and star quality faculty.
Before 1869, Harvard was just another local college. A chemist named Charles William Eliot, who had studied at German universities, became president that year and decided to remake Harvard along German lines. By the time he retired in 1909, the place was unrecognizable.
In recent years, Harvard has fallen from its pedestal. It no longer pursues academic excellence for its own sake, as it did under Eliot and his successors. It now mostly pursues money, I think.
The townie model was working so well in the early 70s
The school nearly went bankrupt (rumor was the state wanted to turn it into UMass-Chestnut Hill).
I am glad
to see a path to a BC degree that is more workable for a lot of the kids graduating from BPS. For many, the 4 year country club experience isn't an option right out of HS. The differentiated admissions to the 4 year program is a great option.
The only thing that's tough about this is the location of the Pine Manor / Messina campus. Hopefully there is some kind of a bus / shuttle that runs to the D line.
I'm not a lawyer...
But considering all of the flare-ups on race and legacy admissions at Harvard and elsewhere these past few years, how can they specifically exclude non-first generation students?
This seems ripe for litigation.
Aimed at =/= only accepts
Saying it's "aimed at" a particular group doesn't mean they exclude others. It means that they'll have programs specifically designed for that group and will aim their marketing at that group.
Non-first generation students...
...are not a protected category.
Who is going to pay that kind
Who is going to pay that kind of money for an Associates Degree? I assume there will be discount off of the $86k/year cost but it can't be even close to what other two-year institutions charge.
It will forever be Pine Mattress
nm