Frederick Clark, President, Bridgewater State University

In an interview with Invest:, Frederick Clark, president of Bridgewater State University, talked about recent achievements including top rankings for social mobility and campus safety and stabilization of enrollment post-pandemic. The university’s new cybersecurity program, featuring a $4 million Cyber Range, has garnered attention from government agencies and enhanced student learning. Bridgewater State University expanded its educational offerings through initiatives like dual enrollment in urban areas and non-credit courses for senior citizens, aiming to improve student success and promote equity in education over the next few years.

What have been some recent achievements and milestones? 

We have been ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best Universities in America and Massachusetts. The reason we are particularly proud is that the Wall Street Journal considered the difference made in the lives of students in terms of return on investment and social mobility. We are No. 2 in Massachusetts from a social mobility perspective, and are considered the top safest university in Massachusetts and No. 4 in the United States. That ranking came out this last fall and is particularly important as more people question the value of higher education. We’ve also stabilized enrollment, the biggest issue for all of higher ed, which is great for us as it was very unstable coming out of the pandemic. 

In terms of programs, we have a brand new cybersecurity program that has already attracted the attention of the White House, Homeland Security, and the state police. We have a certificate, undergraduate, and graduate version of the program and what makes it unique is the Cyber Range. That is a $4 million cybersecurity simulator with accessibility for corporations, government, municipalities to create simulations of getting hacked and how to get out of it. This is also open to K-12 school systems and allows highschoolers to learn the importance of cybersecurity and the potential of it as a career path. Another unique area we have is a security operations center where we monitor real-time cyber threats in the public space and hire students to do that work. 

Are there any emerging trends in the higher ed space you are seeing? 

AI and how it fits in an academic environment to serve students and deliver classes is something we are discussing and is something people are interested in learning more about how it fits within the higher ed segment. It’s not just about how students are using it to their advantage to cut corners but about how it can be used to design courses in a way that students are more interested in. I think all of our students will need AI credentials as they move into the workforce because employers are going to want some skill sets in those areas so it is a matter of how we go about incorporating as a course. Big Data is another area of focus for the university because we have a tremendous amount of data that needs to be monitored. 

Why is it important to always create the next generation of teachers and educators? 

You have so many teachers retiring because of the baby boomers leaving the industry so the  demand for teachers is high right now. They must come into the classroom now with capabilities that they didn’t need to have 10 or 20 years ago. They have to be much more focused on how to use technology like laptops and iPads but beyond that there are so many dynamic ways to incorporate it to engage students like gaming for example. 

We are also upscaling our education majors through being multilingual as the diversity of students in K-12 is increasing so you have to make sure you are reaching all the students in front of you and teach them where they are so they don’t get left behind. We also noticed an increase of students on the spectrum in some regard who face learning challenges. We are the states largest producer of special education teachers and that is another area where we have to adapt to the students in front of us. Because of the proliferation of technology in the hands of every student, they can be a tool but also a distraction so we have to navigate what students are navigating as it gets harder to be a student. 

What does the university hope to accomplish by expanding the range of education products? 

Through our dual enrollment, highschool students come to our campus to take classes and generally there is no worry about whether or not they will go to college. Early College is different and that has a university go to a highschool to offer college level courses for credit. We focus on gateway cities and these are urban areas with all kinds of challenges with at risk students. We do a co teaching model and teach alongside the highschool teacher to deliver content together. When they can see they can do this university level work they are given a new pathway and allow them to picture more opportunities and allow them to be in college a shorter amount of time in turn saving them money. Right now we are only in Fall River but we are rapidly expanding to other gateway cities in southeastern Massachusetts. 

Senior college is also something different. Generally it is 55 and older and we provide non-credit offerings to senior citizens that are looking for things to do especially if they are retired. Right now we have 400 students and are on our way to 1000 and have classes that vary from democracy to learning an instrument or speaking another language. For $90 they can take as many classes as they want and for us it is an extension of resources into the community we serve. 

What is your outlook for the university over the next two to three years? 

The top priority is improving student success. When a student is accepted to university it is the university’s responsibility to help that student get across the stage and into meaningful employment. Not too long ago people didn’t feel that way and the responsibility was on the student but we need to understand students and know where they are coming from and do what we can to support them. That for us is the definition of equity and allows us to better serve the students coming to us based on their individual needs. We are seen nationally as an equity leader and have literally written a book about how to do this work and have given it to the whole country for free and we are about to write a second book.