Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[Wahoo Redux]

Frankly, I never really thought it got that bad. There was a political thread during which I got very incensed with some some pro Trump statement or another. I forget the details, but besides that one time, she more or less took a very predictable point of view and stuck with it. I don't think she suffered fools (in her opinion) gladly, but I don't recall outright insults or anything like that, but maybe I perceived it that way because I more or less agreed with her besides on the political matters.

Nah, Polly was pretty aggressive and she had definite bite.  I never could get too angry about these things because, for pete's sake, this is an Internet forum, and I frankly enjoyed the debates.  Some peeps, however, took umbrage. 

I just learned a lot from her and I thought Polly was funny.  She was one of my favorite posters.  I imagined the sound of her voice and I could see her.  She was brilliant too.

[apl68]

Frankly, I never really thought it got that bad. There was a political thread during which I got very incensed with some some pro Trump statement or another. I forget the details, but besides that one time, she more or less took a very predictable point of view and stuck with it. I don't think she suffered fools (in her opinion) gladly, but I don't recall outright insults or anything like that, but maybe I perceived it that way because I more or less agreed with her besides on the political matters.

Nah, Polly was pretty aggressive and she had definite bite.  I never could get too angry about these things because, for pete's sake, this is an Internet forum, and I frankly enjoyed the debates.  Some peeps, however, took umbrage. 

I just learned a lot from her and I thought Polly was funny.  She was one of my favorite posters.  I imagined the sound of her voice and I could see her.  She was brilliant too.

That's a pretty fair summing-up of Polly.

BTW, we have now reached page 200 of talking about colleges in dire financial straits.

[dismalist]

BTW, we have now reached page 200 of talking about colleges in dire financial straits.

I see no reason for the reports to stop.

[ciao_yall]

Now I see why Polly left.

Polly left because the mods told her she needed to tone it down, and she was mortally offended.

I never minded Polly - she was a good source of information when needed. If I didn't feel like reading her wall of text I didn't have to.

I recall her being a real twit about something. Still, I came to these boards and stick with them because people keep it real.

[Wahoo Redux]

BTW, we have now reached page 200 of talking about colleges in dire financial straits.

I see no reason for the reports to stop.

Yeah, this is one of the most depressing things in my life right now (the dire straits of colleges, not this thread----the thread just details the horror, the horror).

I had aspirations and was working towards them.  I'd finally found a career and a culture that more or less fit my weird personality...kind'a.

And then...

Well, we know what happened.

[kaysixteen]

Certainly the woman was enormously full of herself, and had an engineer's contempt or disregard for humanities (not that all engineers have it).  She also did not necessarily react with a scientific regard for what properly to do when confronted with disconfirming evidence, but she did not do anything to deserve rebuke, let alone defenestration.   Also, IIRC, was she not also a moderator here (certainly she was the mod who welcomed me to the new fora in 2019)?

[Ruralguy]

Like all organizations with decent rules, even if you started off with a leading role, if you are perceived to have broken the rules, you can be rebuked, or even actually punished.

[mamselle]

BTW, we have now reached page 200 of talking about colleges in dire financial straits.

I see no reason for the reports to stop.

Yeah, this is one of the most depressing things in my life right now (the dire straits of colleges, not this thread----the thread just details the horror, the horror).

I had aspirations and was working towards them.  I'd finally found a career and a culture that more or less fit my weird personality...kind'a.

And then...

Well, we know what happened.

I would say, though, not simply to ameliorate but to offer a fuller view (because things have blocked my path to what I could see as the best for myself, as well):

1) At least, I know what it was I was aiming for, what it could have looked like: I had figured out the shape of the container my dreams might have grown in, and could see how planting and watering them could have gone well. I had (and stubbornly, still have) a sense of hope, once that realization hit, and a sense of how to work towards that hope, and a sense of guidelines and standards by which to plan and do my best work: I knew what challenges I might face, and how I might face them.

The fact that so many of the schools on this thread were theological/religious studies schools gives proof positive to me that, had my dreams clarified, say, 20 years earlier, I might have found that little niche to teach/research/perform in, but just having a clear sense of what I wanted/what was wanted of me was pure gift.

2. I saw other friends turned down for ordination, suffering through torturous marriages, or simply fumbling through life partnerless and angry, who let themselves become bitter, corroded, and corrosive in their interactions with others. I saw how miserable they made themselves, and others, dripping acidic remarks and harboring entitled grudges. I saw others who swiftly said, "OK, way closed there, way will open elsewhere," and got on with the second journal on their list, or the next school position, or the new diocese whose bishop invited them to consider ordination there--and who moved on and made of necessity not just a virtue, but a joy.

I resolved to be more like that second group, to make whatever was possible a new occasion for growth and improved performance,  and to do more of whatever I could do in the circumstances in which I found myself. I feel as if I've done good work wherever possible, shared it whenever possible, traveled miles for research, devoured thousands of excellent meals amidst good, reliable colleagues and friends, and contributed to my field and my students in the process.

3. As things closed in on COVID, I found myself in a new, even more limited sphere, but I've found I was ready for a change. Wasn't looking for it, didn't expect it, but it feels right now, and hopefully lets me finish up all the presentations and papers I would say I was called to share all along, anyway. Friends to my work made it possible for me to get on with that work, I have little mini-accountability arrangements here, there, and elsewhere to keep me at it, and my basic hope now is to move somewhere smaller, finish all those papers and see them into publication, and enjoy the process along the way.

I'm grateful for what I've been allowed to do in this life--several aspects have gone far beyond what I might ever have expected--and while I still might wish those other dreams could have been realized, they were the stars that have guided me along the path that was possible.

Non, je ne regrette rien...

M.

[Mobius]

Could Super Dinky have been saved if we got rid of the "pesky" major/GE/free elective model?

[marshwiggle]

Could Super Dinky have been saved if we got rid of the "pesky" major/GE/free elective model?

It seems to me extremely small institutions in remote areas with declining student-age populations are pretty much facing a brick wall regardless. Some years back, the local board of education pointed out how high schools of under 1000 students weren't great because they couldn't offer the breadth of options that bigger places could. And PSE should have many more options than high school. So unless a place has some really niche programs that attract from well beyond the local geographical area, it's hard to see anything but inevitable declining enrollment.

[secundem_artem]

Could Super Dinky have been saved if we got rid of the "pesky" major/GE/free elective model?

Can anybody tell tales out of school and actually inform us to the identity of Super Dinky?  Is it still operating, or has it gone to the great faculty lounge in the sky?

[mamselle]

Since outing the school would out a forum member, that's a non-starter.

But it's gone.

M.

[Hibush]

Since outing the school would out a forum member, that's a non-starter.

But it's gone.

M.

While SuperDinky was a real school, the experiences there were appropriately generalized to the many schools in it's position. The observations should have been useful to any who found themselves at a similar place with similar dynamics.

The place was doomed for a number of reasons. Demographics, student demand for the offering and cost efficiency all worked against it as they do for all similar schools. Even with perfect management, those things can doom a school. The schools that go out first are the ones that don't have good management, and SuperDinky offered some examples of how magical thinking and denial resulted in management decisions that were not helpful in the long (or even medium) time frame. Admin and the board at SuperDinky were not perfect, but not terrible. They just fell into some common traps or missed some important opportunities. This kind of thinking shows up all over, so it is good to be able to recognize it. Or to recognize the alternative--thoughtful policies.

[Mobius]

I look at my own institution. It's not dinky. I just don't know what can be done to attract students and then retain those least prepared. I can't make students do the work. A big part of success is being able to press on. I understand some my students have tremendous obstacles, while others just don't have any motivation. I ended up taking some time off and coming back to school several years later. I wouldn't advise my students to copy my choices.

If you're in an area with declining or stagnant population, you can only cut. If population growth ever happens, you'll always be behind the curve trying to catch up.

[mamselle]

In a nutshell: Families took ZPG seriously, and trimmed back on reproduction.

Others ignored a) That ZPG was being taken seriously,  and
    b) the ramifications that would have,

...and kept driving off the cliff.

M.