Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[Hibush]

Yet another closure

 https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/completely-devastated-oak-point-university-abruptly-closing/

Oak Point was betting on nursing, which is a common high-demand program that costs a lot more to deliver than schools realize. But Oak Point has been in nursing a long time. Their downfall was probably associated with the recent switch to being a university. Another stretch that is often beyond the reach of small schools. That followed by a major rebranding mid-pandemic.

Oak Point was founded in 1914 as the West Suburban Hospital School for Nurses. It was named Oak Point University in 2021 after 11 years as Resurrection University.

I think "Resurrection" is a great brand for a nursing school. Too aspirational?
Happy Easter!

[Langue_doc]

Birmingham-Southern.

https://www.al.com/educationlab/2024/03/birmingham-southern-college-will-close-may-31-as-loan-bill-fails-to-gain-support.html

I hoped they will survive. Another HBCU closes.

Seems to have been mismanaged for decades.

Birmingham-Southern College to Close After Failing to Secure State Loan
After decades of financial mismanagement, the nearly 170-year-old private liberal arts school is set to close at the end of May.

[selecter]

If I had a nickel for every school that I've heard say "We're gonna turn it around with our new nursing program," I'd have two dollars and 35 cents.

[treeoflife]

I think the solution for many is to rethink degree structure. The three year degree makes the most sense to me as someone that came from a European based program: https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-public-colleges-try-three-160000278.html?guccounter=1

[Wahoo Redux]

I think the solution for many is to rethink degree structure. The three year degree makes the most sense to me as someone that came from a European based program: https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-public-colleges-try-three-160000278.html?guccounter=1

These degrees are essentially just eliminating electives.

I found this comment from "Bunny" on the linked article.

Degrees should be 90 credits in the first place. Unless it's your field/major, it's utterly pointless to force students to do two composition, science, and US history courses. Electives are literally a hobby scam that people can learn for free from YouTube. Don't get me started on the foreign language requirement garbage. The "well rounded education" argument is to aggressively extract funds from people, putting them further in debt. And the argument is useful for people who've already been abused by the educational system but want others to suffer as well.

"Kristi," on the other hand, posted this:

They have to make degrees easier, because the students are all tardy.

And "Miss Kitty" posted this:

If you're going to lower the degree credits by that much, you better have high admission standards. I know everyone complains about Gen Ed requirements, but you'd be surprised how many students can't master some of basics (reading, writing, math) when they arrive.

Seems to be what people here have been saying in one form or another.

[Hibush]

I think the solution for many is to rethink degree structure. The three year degree makes the most sense to me as someone that came from a European based program: https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-public-colleges-try-three-160000278.html?guccounter=1

The three-year degrees being discussed in Utah and Idaho are proposed to be called Bachelor of Applied Studies. The one in Idaho was in business. They could make sense for a specific audience. The applied business degree could be good prep to be assistant manager at the local grocery store, for instance. Neither the student nor the employer really cares if they have a general education (though the skills Miss Kitty sees as missing would still be necessary.

As it happens, I know Sonny Ramaswamy, who is now head of the Northwest accredittor that is considering this degree. He is prepared to make new things happen if they make sense. He aims high and doesn't support flaky stuff.

This degree makes more sense than a nursing program for helping the school's finances. It can use existing resources while adding students who otherwise would not attend. It could be offered at existing community colleges and small regional public colleges that are particularly vulnerable to demographic changes.

[apl68]

I think "Resurrection" is a great brand for a nursing school. Too aspirational?

That occurred to me as well.  Seems like they're promising an awful lot there....

[spork]

St. Augustine's University has put classes online for the rest of the semester and most students have been sent home.

[Hegemony]

I see St. Augustine's has a graduation rate of 18%. Yikes.

[apl68]

St. Augustine's University has put classes online for the rest of the semester and most students have been sent home.

Still another HCBU is now going out of business.  And another abrupt collapse that leaves everybody hanging.  Some doomed schools at least manage an orderly shutdown to finish out the school year properly.  I wonder if their staff and faculty are at least going to get paid?

I noticed one news story mentioned that alumni have begun passing the hat on the school's behalf.  That's a touching gesture, but it's hard to see it helping much at this point.

[Hibush]

St. Augustine's University has put classes online for the rest of the semester and most students have been sent home.

Still another HCBU is now going out of business.  And another abrupt collapse that leaves everybody hanging.  Some doomed schools at least manage an orderly shutdown to finish out the school year properly.  I wonder if their staff and faculty are at least going to get paid?

I noticed one news story mentioned that alumni have begun passing the hat on the school's behalf.  That's a touching gesture, but it's hard to see it helping much at this point.

Their accreditor was terminating the school's membership because the finances and financial controls were a mess. The school appealed the termination in February, saying they were not a mess. The appeals board didn't believe it.

It looks as if the end was not sudden, but a consequence of the administration not being able to manage the finances, or perhaps even knowing what that looks like. I suspect people are not going to be paid what they thought was coming.

[TheOtherBernoulli]

Birmingham-Southern.

https://www.al.com/educationlab/2024/03/birmingham-southern-college-will-close-may-31-as-loan-bill-fails-to-gain-support.html

I hoped they will survive. Another HBCU closes.

Just to correct here, Birmingham Southern is not an HBCU.

[spork]

[. . .]

another abrupt collapse that leaves everybody hanging. 

[. . .]

Birmingham-Southern has been a cesspool of incompetence and corruption for at least the last twenty years. It failed to adhere to basic accounting practices and covered operating losses by burning through its endowment as its enrollment declined. Nothing abrupt about it.

[apl68]

[. . .]

another abrupt collapse that leaves everybody hanging. 

[. . .]

Birmingham-Southern has been a cesspool of incompetence and corruption for at least the last twenty years. It failed to adhere to basic accounting practices and covered operating losses by burning through its endowment as its enrollment declined. Nothing abrupt about it.

Well yes, the situation has been developing for a long time.  By "abrupt" I meant the suddenness of the final shutdown.  I'm sure those in the know were able to see/should have seen it coming.

So I wonder how much of it was malfeasance and how much simple incompetence?  It can be hard to distinguish the two sometimes.

[marshwiggle]

[. . .]

another abrupt collapse that leaves everybody hanging. 

[. . .]

Birmingham-Southern has been a cesspool of incompetence and corruption for at least the last twenty years. It failed to adhere to basic accounting practices and covered operating losses by burning through its endowment as its enrollment declined. Nothing abrupt about it.

Well yes, the situation has been developing for a long time.  By "abrupt" I meant the suddenness of the final shutdown.  I'm sure those in the know were able to see/should have seen it coming.

So I wonder how much of it was malfeasance and how much simple incompetence?  It can be hard to distinguish the two sometimes.

And at what point, after someone has had their incompetence pointed out, does their continuation in a particular course of action essentially become malfeasance? (This includes what the law identifies as "criminal negligence".)