New Marian Court president touts college’s affordability

SWAMPSCOTT – Just after President Obama brought attention to skyrocketing college tuition prices in his State of the Union address, newly appointed Marian Court College President Denise Hammon says the commuter experience may be the key to keeping costs low.Commuter college may not be a new concept, but as higher education and job training become crucial in a competitive job market, it’s one option to help families give their child an education without crushing debt.”It’s a simple fact: the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class,” said Obama in his Feb. 12 address. “But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.”In an interview with The Daily Item at the college’s mansion-based facility on Swampscott’s coast, Hammon said that without room and board costs or an athletic department, Marian Court can be a more affordable option. According to the college’s website, the private school offers financial assistance to over 90 percent of its approximately 200 students to be able to afford the yearly $16,200 tuition.Hammon, who was appointed Jan. 26 after three years as academic dean, cited Marian Court’s retention rates as evidence that students like the commuter experience. As president, Hammon said she plans to keep the freshmen retention rate of 81 percent and the graduation rate of 68 percent steady. With the addition of a four-year degree in 2012, Hammon said Marian Court is one of the few commuter-only colleges that offers a bachelor’s degree, something she said 98 percent of her students plan to pursue.Though some might call a commuter community an oxymoron, Hammon said her students are actually more unified without the sometimes dividing factors of cliques, clubs, activities, athletics or rival fraternities and sororities.Hammon said students aren’t deterred by the lesser variety of extracurricular activities.”Students like our high success rate and that they can finish on time and get a job, and we fit that bill,” she said.Hammon said the students are doing more for the economy by staying local. As interns, students are paid and receive college credit while working at local businesses and benefit from professional advice during frequent career fairs. Hammon said graduates report finding jobs in their field in the community soon after graduation. “They fuel the economy,” she said.Unlike other commuter schools that focus on specific job training, Hammon said the liberal arts education at Marian Court, which also includes business and criminal justice, is better for a job candidate.”We are preparing them for lifelong learning and employability,” she said. “They aren’t just learning how to make a widget; they are preparing themselves for the future.”Hammon said interviewers respond well to the community service students are engaged in as a part of the school’s Sisters of Mercy core values of justice, integrity, service and compassion, which she says is also what drew her to Marian Court.”They may not ask for it, but you get someone who is interested in the world around them,” said Hammond of job candidates who commit to community service.In her new role as president, Hammon has made no visionary promises or grand plans. Instead, she plans to continue to “engage everyone in the core values,” and add more faculty to support the students as she expects numbers to grow.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].