by Phil Sisson

More than 30 years ago, former Middlesex Community College President Carole Cowan and her Board of Trustees engaged in a conversation with the city of Lowell about the potential for Middlesex to acquire the nine-story hotel in our Lowell campus’ backyard, which at the time, was the Doubletree Hotel.

MCC at the time was moving into the six-story empty Wang Laboratories training facility, which was built to support the hotel- built next door as a Hilton in 1985.

The college’s administration had entered into preliminary conversations to partner with hospitality management institutions to develop a business plan to assist, as the college was just entering its downtown Lowell buildings.  At the time, the city of Lowell was interested in helping the hotel improve its facility, and was hesitant to take the hotel off the tax base, and the idea was shelved.

Fast forward to today, and the future of the University of Massachusetts Lowell Inn and Conference Center has resurfaced, and once again, Middlesex Community College has emerged as a potential partner that can help craft a long-term utilization plan for the property.

As I have stated to multiple community partners who have approached the college as to our interest in the property, Middlesex Community College would absolutely be interested in engaging in discussions about providing solutions for the long-term usage of the nine-story building, which is separated from our downtown Cowan Center facility by the Lowell National Historical Park’s lower locks.  The property is already our next-door neighbor, and geographically, makes abundant sense for the college to consider investigating usage of the property in the college’s future.

We understand that parallel conversations are underway regarding potential short-term use of the building, and we expect those will continue.  I do not intend for the college to derail or step in front of those conversations.    I have been clear that depending on how those parallel plans play out, though, that the college needs to be part of those plans, as they will absolutely have a direct impact on our downtown campus.  Our faculty and staff use the adjacent Lower Locks parking garage, and the ICC is literally a stone’s throw from our southern walkway.  As an abutter, we should be engaged in how these potential changes will be impacting our “neighborhood.”

The hospitality industry is booming after the world returns to normalcy post the Covid-19 pandemic. As the hotels, casinos, and restaurants start to function in full force, there is a plethora of culinary, and hotel positions available.

Today employers want to hire talent that come with more than just a degree in hospitality management or culinary arts. This is because the majority of individuals with these degrees may not carry the necessary skills to perform their duties. To adequately satisfy industry expectations, students need to gain hands on experience in a hospitality work environment.

Most college programs in hotel management or culinary arts now include mandatory student internships as a supplement to standard classroom study. Internships provide students with access to actual work situations that are not available in the classroom, allow them to put textbook theories into action, and reflect on their future prospects.

While Middlesex Community College does require an internship in our hospitality programs, it is challenging to provide meaningful experiences for our students.  The ability of our students to work in a hotel or culinary job in a hotel environment where we can structure the experience to meet a wide range of skills enhancement would provide a superior internship experience for our students.

An MCC Inn and Conference Center would provide a space for internship/practicum courses which would give students the opportunity for hands-on experiential learning. The potential exists for students to learn front desk, operations, food and beverage management, revenue management, and a variety of culinary positions.

But at the same time, I want to articulate other potential considerations on how MCC could, with state and local support, offer up long-term utilization plans for the facility:

• Maintain business and conference center opportunities on the building’s ground floor;
• Providing for a finite amount of rooms to be utilized for hotel purposes;
• Provide housing, as we had done in recent years in partnership with UMass Lowell, for our Reserved Placement Program students, as well as our international students;
• Exploring the opportunity for Middlesex to become the first community college in Massachusetts to offer residential options for our students, which would be a significant marketing tool to assist in our enrollment efforts;
• Working with my close partner UML Chancellor Julie Chen, still providing housing opportunities for UML students, potentially their graduate students or a designated cohort;
• Partnering with existing economic development organizations from within the city to explore marketing and business opportunities on the lower levels, potentially for office space as well as community opportunities;

Understand, the college does not have all of these solutions ready to commence immediately, but I welcome the opportunity to discuss both short-term and long-range plans for the building, as it feels as though now is the time to complete a conversation started more than 30 years ago, and to help preserve a critical piece of our downtown’s economic landscape in the process.

Phil Sisson is the President of Middlesex Community College, with campuses in downtown Lowell and Bedford