Can these colleges be saved? IHE article

[polly_mer]

On these fora, we've had a lot of discussion over the years on:

* the value of a good liberal arts education

* the benefits to many students of being at a small college where they are treated as individuals

The discussion often came down to a side arguing these colleges should be saved, while another side argued that the logistics of doing so were daunting and unlikely to result in saving most of them.

For perspective, more than a decade ago, the standard metric for being financial stable was 1000 students enrolled.  That number has gone up in recent years, although I haven't seen any agreed upon value.  "Small college" is usually defined as under 5000 students, which may come as a surprise to those, like me, who grew up in towns less than half that size and attended high schools of a few hundred students, so were looking for colleges only slightly bigger as being the right size.

All that is introduction to the topic: history professor Steven Mintz (wrote on nursing, better integration of career services) is back with an article that lays out the basics of the problem of S(mall) Liberal Arts Colleges future with only a few details needing polishing: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/can-these-colleges-be-saved

[Ruralguy]

It suppose rough metrics such as endowment dollars per student are a bit too rough since the dollars can be too inflexible or there can be declining enrollment, artificially increasing the metric while other metrics decrease (such as total dollar yield from enrollment as ratio to total budget).  My college's admin concluded 20 years ago that certain economies of scale don't really kick in until *after 1000* (a little less than 1500, I think they said), so I guess the number has inflated, probably related to similar economies of scale kicking in.

[apl68]

My college's admin concluded 20 years ago that certain economies of scale don't really kick in until *after 1000* (a little less than 1500, I think they said), so I guess the number has inflated, probably related to similar economies of scale kicking in.

Right about where Alma Mater has been staying for some years now.  That, plus a meaningful continuing religious mission, leadership that has generally made smart decisions (Although you can tell that they overdid the new buildings somewhat during the heady years of the 1990s-early 2000s), and a region where colleges aren't really thick on the ground have all made me cautiously optimistic about their future.

The article is surely correct that the niche for small liberal arts colleges will remain.  The question is how many schools will be able to survive to fill that niche--and which ones will make it. 

[marshwiggle]

Fascinating quote from the article:

In the past, liberal arts colleges were the schools of choice for the daughters and sons of those who sought an education more intimate, intense and undergraduate-focused (yes, and more exclusive and prestigious) than could be found at a larger public institution, and that would give their children lots of mentoring.

Their value proposition was clear. These schools played an outsize role in preparing graduates for the learned professions, especially law and medicine, graduate school, and the arts and social services.

Today, however, their primary market shrinks while competition stiffens. Like other private institutions, liberal arts colleges' finances hinge on attracting as many students as possible from the less than 100,000 high school seniors who come from families that earn more than $200,000 a year -- and especially the fewer than 50,000 from high-income families with SAT scores over 1,200.

A surprisingly honest acknowledgement of who the target audience is, and how limited it is.

But many of those students want things that few liberal arts colleges can offer: an expansive curriculum; a vibrant, vital and diverse urban environment; and big-time college sports.

Not surprisingly, those wealthy enough to afford it have high expectations of what their money should buy.

(And of course, "expansive curriculum" and "big-time college sports" are pretty much in direct conflict with an "intimate" institution, since both of those rely on economy of scale.)

[polly_mer]

Building on Marshwiggle's post, of the people who can afford $40+k/year out of pocket, want a more personal experience, and are interested in the areas taught at liberal arts schools (e.g., not engineering, not nursing, not social work) who is going to pick the Super Dinky clones with practically none of the amenities when they can go to a place with good infrastructure and a great alumni network?

[marshwiggle]

Another interesting quote from the article:

In a recent book, Steve Volk and Beth Benedix call for a radical overhaul of liberal arts colleges, observing that their dominant public image "features students shouting down unwanted speakers, harassing local merchants, or refusing to read novels that 'offend' them."

Fascinating to have that acknowledged.

[Hibush]

Another interesting quote from the article:

In a recent book, Steve Volk and Beth Benedix call for a radical overhaul of liberal arts colleges, observing that their dominant public image "features students shouting down unwanted speakers, harassing local merchants, or refusing to read novels that 'offend' them."

Fascinating to have that acknowledged.

Hasn't a perceived "radical overhaul" resulted in that image? Perhaps they are actually advocating for some other adjustment.

[apl68]

Another interesting quote from the article:

In a recent book, Steve Volk and Beth Benedix call for a radical overhaul of liberal arts colleges, observing that their dominant public image "features students shouting down unwanted speakers, harassing local merchants, or refusing to read novels that 'offend' them."

Fascinating to have that acknowledged.

That Alma Mater's students don't have a reputation for that sort of thing probably helps its chances also.

[marshwiggle]

Another interesting quote from the article:

In a recent book, Steve Volk and Beth Benedix call for a radical overhaul of liberal arts colleges, observing that their dominant public image "features students shouting down unwanted speakers, harassing local merchants, or refusing to read novels that 'offend' them."

Fascinating to have that acknowledged.

That Alma Mater's students don't have a reputation for that sort of thing probably helps its chances also.

Evergreen State certainly got useful feedback through their enrollment; down about 1000 students to 2900 since 2017 (as of January 2020).

[spork]

As I've said before, I think any private college with an FTE enrollment of < 1,000and an endowment < $1 billion is doomed.