Spotlight On: Mark Thompson, President, Wentworth Institute of Technology

June 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, Mark Thompson, president of Wentworth Institute of Technology, highlighted the university’s resilience through demographic and pandemic challenges, and the success of its co-op program, which ensures high employment rates for graduates. He also emphasized strategic expansions in AI, robotics, and climate resilience, aligning educational offerings with industry demands.

What is your assessment of the state of higher education and how is Wentworth Institute of Technology adapting to these trends?

Higher education has been struggling in many ways for various reasons. We’ve seen demographic changes in the number of high-school students graduating and going to college. The pandemic also raised concerns among families about students’ well-being and their success in college. Despite these challenges, we’ve weathered the pandemic well and are now positioned to move forward positively.

We’re seeing an increase in enrollment, which I’m happy to share. Several factors contribute to this, including our hands-on experiential education and co-op program. This program provides real-world experience for graduates, many of whom transition directly from their co-op assignments to full-time jobs with their co-op employers. This smooth transition into the workplace is a significant advantage.

Our programs are relevant to STEM fields, particularly tech, which have high labor market demand. We work closely with industry partners to understand the skills they most value in graduates. This collaboration ensures we’re not just operating in isolation but are providing high value to both our graduates and industry partners.

Our tuition, at about $42,000 a year, is competitive for a private institution in Boston. This contributes to the value proposition, given our graduates’ relatively high starting salaries and rapid economic mobility. About 40% of our students are offered full-time employment directly with their co-op employer, contributing to our overall success rate of 92% of students being employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation.

What were some of the recent successes for the institute over this past year?

This past year, the Fall 2023 class was our largest and most diverse. Over 30% of our students are female, and the class is the most diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and academic preparedness. Additionally, our retention rate has reached an all-time high of 86%, a true reflection of the success of our investments in student success across all demographic groups.

We’re expanding our graduate and undergraduate programs in areas like climate resilience, artificial intelligence, and robotics — fields with high market demand. These smart investments are resonating with the marketplace. To illustrate our success, 92% of our graduates are employed or in graduate school within six months, and 98% work in their academic discipline. Recently, the New York Times ranked us No. 1 in Massachusetts for earnings potential and economic mobility among STEM focused colleges, highlighting the high value of our degree programs.

How are you leveraging partnerships to enhance educational opportunities?

We hold many partnerships, and they have helped us place 18,000 students at 3,700 companies over the past 10 years, demonstrating how deeply we are intertwined with a vast array of companies. These partnerships are vital, and we have a dedicated office maintaining these relationships and constantly discussing their needs and values.

We’re partnering with Huntington Development Group to develop a three-acre, 640,000-square-foot life sciences facility on campus. This will help us understand tenant needs and tailor our programs, including research and lab management services, to meet industry demands.

What skill sets are most in demand? Are you creating new programs to meet these needs?

Some of the skill sets in high demand are often referred to as soft skills, though I prefer to call them essential skills. These include problem-solving, effective teamwork, and written and oral communication. We focus on maximizing students’ capabilities in these areas, alongside technical skills and the ability to adapt to evolving technologies. For example, in the architecture field, we’re seeing significant changes in how technology is used in design. It’s crucial for our graduates to stay current with today’s technology and to adapt as it evolves over time.

How are you incorporating new technologies into your curriculum and operations?

We’re increasingly using technology to streamline interactions with students and other constituents. Tasks like registering for classes and paying bills are now much simpler. We’re also using technology to enhance admissions processes and have implemented Workday for HR and finance. This allows us to perform analytics we couldn’t do before, and it improves efficiency in finance and workforce management.

Many of our faculty in STEM areas have careers in their fields and continue to work or run businesses, like our architecture faculty who maintain their own studios. The interaction between our faculty and industry partners is crucial. We have regular interactions through industry advisory boards and critiques of student work by professionals. This constant give and take ensures we stay current and our faculty benefit from ongoing professional development related to these industry interactions.

We continue to incorporate technology into our educational offerings, with new degree programs in AI, robotics, computer science, data science, and climate resilience. These areas, like urban design and collaborative resilience in a city like Boston, are in high demand. Additionally, cybersecurity is a major focus. These are the key areas where we see growth and are introducing new programs for Fall 2025.

How have changing demographics affected your strategies to attract new students?

We consider ourselves a university of opportunity. We are striving to provide access to a Wentworth education for an even wider variety of students. This includes high school students looking for their first career, professionals in the workforce pursuing credentials, and adult learners looking to change careers. 

We provide support for students’ diverse needs once they join our community. We’ve invested heavily in our Success Studio, which combines academic advising, tutoring, and accommodation support in one area. This approach has contributed to our students’ success and retention rates across all demographic groups. Our goal is to meet students where they are and support them through graduation.

How do you envision Wentworth’s role evolving in Boston’s educational landscape over the next few years?

We’re focusing on smart investments in emerging technologies and fields to ensure our graduates are well-prepared for the job market and meet industry needs. Additionally, we’ve long served Boston Public School students through pipeline programs, dual enrollment, and summer programs. We’re proud of expanding these opportunities and maintaining high graduation rates and success for local students. Being a good neighbor and providing opportunities for local students are key parts of our mission.

We’ve just submitted our institutional master plan to the city for approval, outlining our campus development over the next 10 years. This transformative plan includes substantial improvements in our residential and academic facilities, as well as a new athletics complex. This major investment reflects our confidence in our current position and future direction. Despite a highly competitive market, we’re thriving. The decisions and investments we’ve made over the past few years set us up for a bright future, enhancing both our academic programs and the overall student experience. We’re excited to see how this unfolds.

For more information, please visit:

https://wit.edu/