Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 82 DECEMBER 2019 I N - D E P T H In August 2017, John D. Keenan began his tenure as the 14th president of Salem State University. Prior to his appointment, he served as general counsel and vice president for administration at SSU for three years. And before that, he was the Massachusetts State Representative for the 7th Essex District from 2005 to 2014, representing Salem, his hometown. Keenan is no stranger to much of the John Keenan begins his third year at Salem State. BY JOHN TAMILIO III THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT school's recent growth. In fact, he was instrumental in assisting its development, including the attainment of university status nine years ago. In the past decade, the school expanded its Central Campus on Loring Avenue, built the Frederick E. Berry Library and Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts on North Campus, and, starting in 2017, began renting the second and third floors of the renovated storefront block at 331 Lafayette Street. Keenan's corner office is on the third floor of the latter, overlooking the Sullivan Building, the oldest building on campus. "Higher education is evolving," Keenan notes. On one hand, institutions are offering more online classes and degrees, following the University of Phoenix model. On the other hand, there are scholars like Stephanie Owen, Isabel Sawhill, and Charles Murray who decry the value of a bachelor's degree. How can a traditional brick-and-mortar commuter school like Salem State compete in this market? One way, Keenan claims, is through collaborative education. Due to a changing demographic (i.e., a decline in traditional 18-year-old freshmen) and the increasing cost of higher education, Keenan has worked closely with President Patricia A. Gentile of North Shore Community College to develop the Seamless Pathways Partnership program. With one of NSCC's three campuses just six miles away on the Lynnway, students can complete their associate degree there and transfer all of their credits into a major at Salem State. This will enable them to complete half of their degree credits at a more affordable rate—a 50 percent savings. Furthermore, students enrolled at NSCC can live on SSU's campus, receive deferred admission, and connect with its honors program. Although the city of Salem has a commuter rail depot near the courthouse, Keenan envisions the MBTA adding a stop behind McDonald's on Canal Street. This will provide NSCC Lynn Campus students with a convenient "green" commute to SSU. Keenan has also been in conversation with President Kurt T. Steinberg of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly to enable Monserrat students to take classes at SSU, participate in some of the university's extracurricular activities, and play Division III sports. Other foreseeable changes are internal. "We all know that technology is developing at warp speed," Keenan states. The prevailing precept is that schools need to train students for jobs that do not exist yet. Keenan sees this as an opportunity rather than a challenge. One such prospect is campus consolidation. SSU will eventually sell South Campus on Harrison Salem State President John D. Keenan PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG LEVY