Fate of Urban College of Boston Hangs in Balance
The Urban College of Boston, a two-year school that educates working women from low-income and immigrant backgrounds, is on the verge of closing amid deep financial troubles and a scuttled alliance with Endicott College.
Urban College, located on Tremont Street, will notify its 600 students this week that fall classes could be canceled, although leaders said they remain hopeful that another college or nonprofit group, along with private donors, will step forward to close a relatively modest deficit of about $250,000.
“We’re going to do whatever we can to keep this college going,” said John Drew, the head of Action for Boston Community Development Inc., an antipoverty group that gave rise to the college and continues to work closely with the school. “It’s a very important institution in our community, and we’re not going to let it go away without a fight.”
Urban College fills a distinctive role, working closely with adults whose jobs and family responsibilities make it difficult to attend school.
Most students have been out of high school for a decade or more, and 40 percent have been on welfare, according to the college. Many are single mothers with little time or money to spare.