The fallout is still continuing after the closing and sale of Mount Ida College to the University of Massachusetts back in May. Students and faculty were only given a two month warning before the college shut down, leaving many struggling to this day to find academic placement.
While UMass Dartmouth automatically accepted students in good standing, students who could not find equivalent classes and majors were left to fend for themselves. Earlier this week, three former students announced that they were suing the Mount Ida admissions board of trustees for the trouble they have endured as a result of the school closing.
TheBoston Globe reported last week that the State Board of Higher Education is taking steps to ensure students in Massachusetts will not be faced with similar situations in the future.
“I believe we’ll be in a better position to prevent more Mount Ida-like students from being left in the lurch,” the Chairman of the State Board of Higher Education Chris Gabrieli told the Globe.
Former State Secretary of Education Paul Reville told Boston Public Radio Wednesday that he is impressed with how seriously the Board of Higher Education is working on these preventative measures.
“There will be some kind of a stress test that will come to those institutions who are at risk that would give a much clearer advanced warning than we had in this very sad case, in which the students were only given two months warning,” Reville said. He added, “There are people whose lives have been inevitably disrupted by this in ways you really can’t correct for. It’s a mess and we shouldn’t have it happen again, and I’m glad to hear the board feels like it’s on top of it."
