Bold New Strategy

As part of its strategic framework to move forward boldly in a post-pandemic world, Wentworth Institute of Technology is beginning to lay the foundation for its next century, including new programming and real estate development.

“We are entering a new and exciting phase in Wentworth’s history,” said the school’s president, Mark A. Thompson. “We are located in the heart of a thriving city with a booming expansion in the life sciences, technology and manufacturing sectors, offering high-demand degrees in those industries.”

This year, Wentworth added seven new graduate degrees, including in the growing fields of Data Science and Business Analytics. It also reorganized into five schools of Engineering, Computing & Data Science, Architecture & Design, Management, and Science and Humanities. Applications are up nearly 6 percent while the average for colleges overall is down.

Wentworth has launched a transformative strategic plan to bolster inclusive excellence, offer a high-value education and transformative student experience, and secure next-generation partnerships. Wentworth pivoted during the pandemic accelerating its progress toward offering its powerful applied learning model online as well as in its 60 labs, studios and makerspaces.

“We are perfectly poised to build on our successes and real estate assets, among the most valuable in the region,” said Thompson.

To that end, Wentworth is partnering with Cushman and Wakefield, a leading global real estate services firm with deep experience in the Boston market, and Brailsford & Dunlavey, a preeminent, national higher education development advisory firm. This year Wentworth will work with the firms on two important phases of planning work:

• development of project capital plans and property valuations, and
• funding, financing and development strategies.

Ultimately, the work will lead to an implementation plan on all proposed real estate projects, which will help to shape Wentworth’s next 10-year Institutional Master Plan.

“Today, we sit at the most critical moment in the university’s history. As we emerge from the pandemic, we must seize upon this singular moment and embrace this opportunity with optimistic urgency,” said Thompson.