Goodwin University Looks to Grow Again with Plan for Magnet Industry High School

Space, forever described as the next frontier, may see more Connecticut residents rocketing through if Goodwin University in East Hartford has anything to say about it.

The schools is proposing Goodwin University Magnet Industry 5.0 High School as the next addition to a growing campus.  With business and entrepreneurialism at the core of the proposed curriculum, students will explore a variety of technology industries.

In this unique environment, officials explain, students will apply their learning to real-world community based problems collaborating with Connecticut industry leaders. As they progress through each year in high school, they will design and build solutions. As a result, paid internships and apprenticeships will be provided to the students while developing their future ready skills. This high school will be in direct support of the effort of the Governor’s Workforce Council and the workforce boards across the state.

The plans for Goodwin University Magnet Industry 5.0 High School include an astronaut training center as part of a partnership with the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) in Melbourne, Victoria Australia. Students will apply technical science and core content learning to a virtual mission to Mars.

Connecticut has numerous connections to the nation’s space program since its early years decades ago, both on the manufacturing side and amongst the astronaut corps.  Rick Mastracchio, a Waterbury native and UConn graduate, conducted nine spacewalks totaling 53 hours amidst 228 days in space. Most recently, Jack Hathaway, who grew up in South Windsor, was selected by NASA to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class.  He graduated from astronaut training school earlier this spring. 

The proposed high school is expected to have approximately 74 students in each grade (freshman through senior year). Individual classes will consist of 18 to 20 students.  They will be enrolled in classes that meet the Connecticut State Graduation Requirements while offering them a unique curricular experience in the many existing and emerging technologies and professions in the state.

Small instructional spaces for specialty services like speech and language, social worker, psychologist, and special education will be provided. In addition, the Goodwin University Magnet Industry 5.0 High School will also include a library, theater, and gymnasium. There will also be a cafeteria that will also be used as a large meeting space for family education nights and exhibition events at which the students present their work to state-wide business partners.

The school will have four focus areas and a central theme that will be evident in all parts of the curriculum, reflecting the skills that students will need in order to be future ready and enter into Industry 5.0. Each of these areas will require a classroom/lab space with relevant equipment. There will be a hub at the center, according to preliminary design plans, which would include essential skills, such as time management, team work, problem solving and critical thinking, as well as personal financial and work-based learning.

The four spokes are Automation (Robotics and Industrial Automation, Cobots, Drones, Logistics, Lean, and Design Thinking);  Smart Factory - Industry 4.0 (Data Analytics, KPI-Metrics, Virtual Processes, Predictive Maintenance, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence-AI, Lean, and Design Thinking); Production/Fabrication (CNC Production, Aerospace and Defense, Biotechnology, 3D Printing-Beyond Prototyping , Sheet Metal, Welding, and Design Thinking); and  System Integration (Pneumatics, Hydraulics, Electronics, Lean and Design Thinking). 

Goodwin University, a nonprofit college founded in 1999, states its mission is to “educate a diverse student population in a dynamic environment that aligns education, commerce, and community. Our innovative programs of study prepare students for professional careers while promoting lifelong learning and civic responsibility.” 

In addition to the university, which includes three schools of academic discipline - the School of Nursing and Health Professions, the School of Business, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing, and the School of Applied Liberal Arts and Social Sciences - the campus now includes the sustainability-themed Connecticut River Academy (grades six to 12) and the Reggio-Emilia-based Riverside Magnet School.