Becker College laying off 329 as it prepares to close

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The Worcester-based Becker College is planning to lay off 329 employees when it closes at the end of the academic year.

Of the layoffs, 245 will be in Worcester and 84 in Leicester.

The Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports the college cited the numbers as part of a filing for the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act, which is triggered when certain thresholds for layoffs are met.

The board of the private Becker College voted in March to close at the end of the academic year, citing declining enrollment, rising costs, an insufficient endowment and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s graduation is scheduled for later this month and the school will continue to provide academic support and transitional services to students through Aug. 31.

Several smaller colleges in Massachusetts have closed or merged in recent years. Mount Ida College in Newton closed in 2018 and its assets were bought by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Newbury College in Brookline closed in 2019.