It’s the day following Labor Day and that, traditionally, is when most students joyfully scurry back to the classroom.  However, for those in a couple of funeral service collegiate programs it is not so easy this year.

We learned last May that Mount Ida College of Massachusetts would be merged (or absorbed) by the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.  They announced that they would be closing on May 17, 2018.  Most majors at Mount Ida would be able to seamlessly slide into UM-Amherst programs and complete their majors.  Unfortunately, the Associate of Science in Funeral Service had no match-up programs at UM-Amherst and those students were left wondering what to do.

It appears that Cape Cod Community College thru a partnership with Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts will begin offering the Associate of Science in Funeral Service.  However, prior to that being offered they must be reviewed by the American Board of Funeral Service Education which was scheduled to visit in August.   Pending that approval, former Mount Ida students would be able to enroll in October to complete their degrees and the college would like to move forward offering the degree in an on-going capacity.

Last week we also heard that Lincoln College of New England, based in Connecticut, will be closing at the end of the Fall Semester on December 31, 2018.  You can read about that closure here.  In a move similar to the situation in Massachusetts, Goodwin College of East Hartford has a letter of understanding to move forward and ease the transition for the affected students.  However, Goodwin College does not offer a Mortuary Science program and those students now face uncertainty.  Goodwin College is planning on seeking accreditation for the program but does not know how long that will take.

Funeral Director Daily take:  One thing that I’ve learned during my experience on the board of the University of Minnesota is programs of mortuary science, much like technical colleges, rise in popularity in a counter cyclical relationship to the economy.  Simply, that means when the economy is good, mortuary science programs are low on students and when the economy is bad, mortuary science programs have an ample supply of students.  It is very similar to community or technical college enrollments and the reason is very simple — people turn to these thoughts of a different career when they are out of work.  And, funeral service is one of the largest “second career” occupations.

America has had a robust economy for a decade now.  As a matter of fact, the stock market just passed its all-time record for length of a bull run two weeks ago.

The implications are many for funeral service.  Maybe some natural selection and culling was necessary in the education industry but we need ample educators to train the next generation of funeral professionals.  Also, with enrollments at the mortuary schools so low, employee replacements are hard to find, and funeral homes risk losing the help that they have because of over work.

It is a dicey area in the business realm of the funeral home because, in order to retain professional talent in an environment where there are few replacements, funeral homes will have to raise salaries.  At the same time, with the growth in the direct cremation business, there is less revenue being generated to provide those salary escalations.  Funeral home owners and staffing managers are going to have to be creative to continue with this on-going shortage if the bull market keeps moving.

In any regard, it is an interesting time for the death care industry.

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