Lesley University has a similar program with Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, according to Jennifer Serowick, Lesley’s assistant vice president for adult learning programs. Serowick said she’ll be part of an initial core group of six staff members from Lesley who will be at the DeMello Center pretty consistently.
She said part of the initiative will also be to work with Bristol Community College to see what programs might be of interest to their students looking to continue their education and what majors are most popular when students pursue four-year degrees.
“We still have a lot of work to do to really hone in on the exact program offerings,” which includes working with local employers, Serowick said.
Another piece of the initiative is offering workshops and training for already certified teachers to keep up their licenses, which will be held at the center or in school districts, she explained.
According to a news release from Lesley, which is a private school, the initiative will offer high-quality educational preparation for non-licensed education professionals who work with students in settings ranging from classroom aides to camp counselors and athletic coaches. It will also provide coursework and programming to help parents and guardians overcome barriers to become successful advocates for their children.
DeMello was driven to make the cost of the program lower than a public university degree through the DeMello Charitable Foundation. Most Lesley masters programs offered in other school districts are about 40 credits and add up to about $26,000 total; but with help from DeMello, the cost would be reduced to approximately $16,000, Serowick said.
Lesley is set to offer graduate education programs at the center and in the New Bedford school district, including specializations in “high-need areas” such as math, science, English Language Learning and special education, according to a university news release.
With the bachelors program, Lesley is already pretty competitive with adult tuition rates, Serowick said. The cost will depend on the credits students are able to transfer. Typically, adult learners to a Lesley program pay about $1,290 per course for about 10 courses. With help from the DeMello Foundation, students would pay about $1,190 per course.
In addition, students who qualify could receive a $500 stipend per semester for life expenses like child care and transportation that can be a barrier for adult students in earning an education.
For now, students interested in applying to these programs can visit lesley.edu/DeMelloCenter to submit their contact information and what they’re most interested in studying. The application process will open around September or October and Lesley will reach out to students to start that process.
The program is set to start in January with 14 students in the bachelors program and 14 students in the masters program, DeMello said. Depending on the program’s success, the intent in the future is to set up an international exchange program with Europe, specifically with Portugal and the Azores.
The program will also be flexible, he said, meaning students don’t have to be in the classroom all the time and online options are available.
“Greater New Bedford school districts will benefit enormously from this opportunity,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “They (Lesley) really stand out as a teacher training institution,” on the national level, he said.
“The end result of this will be better teachers,” Mitchell said. The initiative will grow, succeed and be a great part of the city, he said.
The partnership, said Richard Hansen, Lesley University’s interim president, is about access and social justice. He gifted DeMello a green Lesley University sweatshirt on Tuesday.
“This is an opportunity that is sort of once in a lifetime for an institution,” he said.
Speakers at the announcement and ribbon cutting ceremony were also quick to praise DeMello and the work he’s done, including Taunton Sen. Marc Pacheco, who along with Plymouth Sen. Viriato deMacedo, presented a citation to DeMello.
“He’s just an extraordinary individual, entrepreneur and business leader,” Pacheco said.
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