Beloit College President Eric Boynton said in the second semester of the coming academic year, Beloit College will launch its new School of Business and Entrepreneurship and its School of Health Sciences. As the schools are launched, the college will work with community partners to provide a variety of internship and fellowship opportunities, as well as work with alumni who can present mentor opportunities.
Boynton said the college will build out its certificate programs, including in finance and health management.
“Higher education right now has many challenges. We want to demonstrate that a college career is worth it,” Boynton said. “You can earn millions more in income with a college degree during your lifetime than you would without one.”
Nationally, enrollment in colleges and universities have been declining for years, and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic caused even more challenges for college enrollment. To identify challenges and solutions, five teams were formed with members from Beloit College staff, faculty and administration working together, Boynton said.
Teams focuses were in academics, student experiences, budget, space use and enrollment strategies.
The plans for the new schools came out of these focus groups, Boynton said. Other plans also came out of the focus groups, including updating the dorms on campus and making a more comfortable learning environment where faculty are accessible to students.
“We are working to create a college that resonates with students and families,” Boynton said. “A liberal arts education is the best preparation for the real world.”
Boynton said the schools to be launched in the second semester will couple their curriculum with traditional liberal arts education.
“Writing and speaking is woven into the fabric of this place,” Boynton said.
He added that the Center for Entrepreneurship in Liberal Education is celebrating its 20th year as a part of Beloit College’s education programs.
“We have the chops and experience to do a school of entrepreneurship and business,” he said.
The college also is looking forward to establishing partnerships with community businesses and agencies as it begins the Impact Beloit initiative. Students will be taking their learning experiences outside the classroom and into the community through Impact Beloit, Boynton said. Already, students are ready to serve fellowships with community groups such as the Beloit International Film Festival, the Beloit Sky Carp, Community Action of Rock and Walworth Counties and the Merrill Community Center.
In 2022, Gov. Tony Evers announced a $9 million grant was to be awarded to Beloit College through the Neighborhood Investment Fund to renovate the Col. Robert Morse Library and to expand it to include a home base for the Impact Beloit program. The renovation and expansion work on the library has begun and the construction is expected to be complete by August of 2024. Meanwhile, the Impact Beloit program will be based at the Powerhouse Student Center. Plans are for the program to have up to 25 student fellows working with community organizations as the program grows.
Boynton said by creating these new opportunities for students, the college hopes to draw the interest of more students and families.
“Beloit is the place where you have to come. It is a place where you can prepare for the future,” Boynton said.
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