I’ve had several requests to post my column published in the Newton TAB about the closing of Mount Ida College and the plans to acquire the campus by UMass Amherst.
We should all be grateful for all Mount Ida has meant to Newton and concerned for its current students, faculty and staff. But Mount Ida is not coming back. And it’s important for us as a community to be concerned for not just about those impacted by its closing, but for what happens long term to Mount Ida’s bucolic 74-acre campus.
The high-demand fields UMass wants to nurture here are precisely the jobs and internships employers at Wells Avenue, other parts of N-Squared Innovation District and along I-95 are looking to fill. This talent pipeline will make our region more attractive to entrepreneurs and business globally. These businesses, in turn, will boost our commercial tax base; providing new revenue for our schools and city services.
