Page 25 - ARUBA TODAY

BUSINESS Monday 30 SepteMber 2019
A25

Former college towns left to adapt to business loss

By LISA RATHKE The city council in Denver
POULTNEY, Vt. (AP) — As have approved a general
colleges and universities vision for the redevelop-
come alive this fall, some ment of the former Colo-
campuses sit closed and rado Heights University in
empty after succumbing to Denver into mixed uses, in-
a recent wave of fewer stu- cluding housing with new
dents and financial chal- public gathering spaces.
lenges. New fits for shuttered col-
Now communities that long lege campuses in smaller
hosted those historic institu- cities could be harder to
tions and relied on them for find, leaving those commu-
an economic boost — and nities in limbo.
their very identity — are There is hope in Bristol,
left to adapt to the vacan- where a Chinese business-
cy and wondering what man and his company,
comes next. U.S. Magis International
In Poultney, Vermont, pop- Education Center, bought
ulation 3,300, Green Moun- the shuttered Virginia Inter-
tain College had occupied mont campus and want to
a prominent spot at the open the Virginia Business
end of the main street for College next fall.
185 years. That changed In Vermont, besides Green
in the spring, when the en- In this Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 photograph, a sign points to an auction at Green Mountain College Mountain College, the
vironmentally minded lib- in Poultney, Vt. shuttered Southern Ver-
eral arts school closed after Associated Press mont College is also up for
commencement, citing a sale, and the College of St.
drop in enrollment and fi- now without it there," she college-age students. Now city revenue." Joseph in Rutland is trying
nancial challenges. said during a break from towns are left dealing with Hiwassee College closed to reinvent itself into a pro-
The closure "literally work at a taco restaurant. the fallout. in the spring in rural, mostly fessional training and edu-
changed the entire town "We're all feeling its ab- In Bristol, Virginia, the cam- white Madisonville, Tennes- cation center after it lost its
of Poultney," said Mel King- sence," she said, "whether pus of the former Virginia In- see. Not only will the com- accreditation last spring.
sley, who runs Mel's Place we were a part of the col- termont College has stood munity be losing one of its There's interest in the Green
Hair Salon, several blocks lege or not." vacant on the edge of the largest employers, but also Mountain College campus
from campus, and got 30% Across the country, 71 small city for more than four "one small but important but no deals have been
of her business from stu- private nonprofit colleg- years. window into a larger, more signed, said Robert Allen,
dents. es and universities have "When you lose a signifi- diverse world," wrote Ro- the last serving president of
"The town came alive ev- closed since 1995, in- cant number of people land King, former spokes- the school.
ery time the students came cluding schools that an- that's coming into your man for the National As- Down the street, the cus-
back, and you can feel the nounced they would shut- downtown area on a daily sociation of Independent tomer count is down at Bob
difference," she said. ter in June 2020, according basis, that does hurt the lo- Colleges and Universities, in Williams' hardware store,
Besides the day-to-day loss to the National Association cal surrounding businesses a newspaper editorial. where students would buy
of students and school em- of Independent Colleges by virtue of students not In urban areas, some pri- fans and desk lamps and
ployees, communities also and Universities. spending cash and buy- vate colleges that have college maintenance
lose the graduates who Just 12 independent in- ing food or goods that closed have been taken workers would sometimes
stick around. stitutions have opened in they would have normally over by larger institutions, be in several times a day.
Sophia Vincenza Milkowski, that period, while 29 have bought when they were or developers. "We're anxiously looking for-
of New York City, gradu- merged, the association here in town," said Randy This month, the Newbury ward to having something
ated two years ago and said. Eads, the city's manager College campus in the Bos- take over," Williams said.q
stayed in Poultney because Schools have grappled and attorney. "So that has ton area sold for $34 million
she liked it so much. with a shift toward more ca- had an impact on some of to investors in senior care
"We're still trying to figure reer-oriented training and the local businesses, which housing and medical of-
out what Poultney even is a decline in the number of in turn has an impact on fice-related projects.

Bayer using AI to improve disease diagnosis,

drug design

By LINDA A. JOHNSON plex or rare conditions, has- everything the AI software cial intelligence projects
AP Medical Writer ten drug development and needs to "learn" before it across Bayer's pharma-
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Drug- more. analyzes a patient's con- ceutical business. Answers
makers have embraced The aspirin-creator has dition. That includes infor- have been edited for clar-
artificial intelligence — us- partnered with startups and mation on disease causes, ity and brevity.
ing computers to analyze other tech companies to symptoms and progression, Q: Why use partners for de-
reams of data and then develop software and apps plus many past patients' veloping AI software and
make predictions or rec- to speed diagnosis and test results, doctor reports apps?
ommendations. guide treatment. The com- and scanned images. A: These areas are so new
Germany's Bayer has been pany is working with hospi- The Associated Press re- and so exploratory that you
testing how the technology tals, academic research- cently interviewed Angeli just wouldn't get there on
can help diagnose com- ers and others to compile Moeller, who heads artifi- time alone. q