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[cloudship]

Today QCC opened up their branch campus in Southbridge. Right now they are using some space in the Southbridge Hotel and Convention Center for enrollment services, for students to take placement tests, and to sign up for classes. they hope to be fully moved into the 5 Optical building (the small 3 story structure just behind the hotel) for fall classes.

How do you think they will do down there? Will it make a positive impact on the community? Southbridge is known for being a depressed area. A large number of current QCC students come from the south county area and this would be a closer option than the Worcester campus. Hopefully Quinsig will be able to deliver education to many of those in the area. However, there is no public transportation in Southbridge, and Baypath College was located in some odf the same space and has since vacated. Do you think they will succeed, and what do you think they could do to increase their chances of success?

[Lowerdeck]

Can't hurt trying anyway.  I'd imagine there must be enough students at Quinsig from Southbridge, Sturbridge, Charlton, Dudley, etc... to at least run a few classes there.  I can definitely see QCC doing better than Bay Path in Southbridge.  And if people were going to Worcester already for classes, public transit (lack thereof) may not be an issue.

Lately I've been in Southbridge at least once or twice a week, and from time to time I run across people who are staying at the hotel and conference center - mostly military contractors from the south.  The place is slowly doing good for the town.