Dear students,
We have received the petition from students about the possibility of a tuition discount given that the delivery of our curriculum has changed so dramatically. These questions were first raised at our Q&A session on March 18, 2020 and have been raised in meetings with student leadership since. We did our best to answer those questions with the information available to us at the time. Now, I am writing with an update.
We understand that moving the summer terms to a virtual environment is not the experience you expected for this summer. Our Smith community, which is nourished and deepened through the summer, is indeed an important part of the Smith experience. While we are working hard to create virtual opportunities to care for our community, we know it will not be the same.
Ultimately, the answer to the question is that the School is working with the College to review what may be possible but we don’t have an answer yet. Additionally, the timing of any tuition adjustments must be made in concert with the development of financial aid awards as there are significant federal regulations and bank loan processes that are implicated.
The reality is SSW will be in a deficit this year but one for which we have a solid, long-term financial recovery plan. The plan ensures we protect resources for pedagogy, learning, anti-racism work and social justice work. By shelving a website improvement project, not printing our magazine, and stopping or reducing all non-priority projects we will reduce the deficit by half. Drawing upon our reserves, we will be able to resolve the remaining deficit over time but the recovery will not be immediate.
I understand the concerns, particularly given the financial impacts on so many of you as a result of the pandemic. As a School we are finding ways to support our students through this challenging time by way of free mental health support services through SilverCloud Health (more info on the Buzz) and the Student Emergency fund. If anything changes it will be done carefully, with due diligence and in coordination with the college.
We will update you as soon as possible should anything change.
Wishing you all health and peace,
Marianne R.M. Yoshioka, M.S.W., MBA, Ph.D.
Dean | Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Smith College Studies in Social Work
Smith College School for Social Work
