Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[mamselle]

Wittenberg University?

https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/local/wittenberg-university-cut-faculty-positions/b2Cafm8vfH1PCOWmyyDPFM/

Undergraduate FTE dropped from 2,158 in FY 2008 to 2,002 in FY 2017. Don't know what's been happening with enrollment there more recently.

Oh, dear. We did an early liturgical dance piece there in the 1970s.

Their chaplain at the time was a good friend to the arts.

M.

[rth253]

University of Alabama?

"The fall enrollment for the University of Alabama is 38,103 students, a slight decrease from 2018 though the campus did see gains in its freshman class.

The first-time undergraduate student enrollment increased from 6,663 students in 2018 to 6,764 this fall, according to preliminary enrollment information released by UA on Thursday.

Overall, enrollment decreased by 289 students compared to last year. The overall enrollment for fall 2018 was 38,392. Graduate and professional student enrollment saw minor changes. Graduate students decreased from 4,916 to 4,868, and professional students including law and medicine decreased from 446 to 437.

It is the second year enrollment numbers have slipped slightly. In 2018, the university saw the end of a 16-year streak of continuous growth that peaked in 2017 with a historic high of 38,563. UA President Stuart Bell indicated in his 2016 strategic plan that he envisioned more measured growth — including recruiting more graduate students as the university focused on enhancing its research profile — following the period of expansion that saw the student body nearly double."

https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20190911/university-of-alabama-enrollment-dips-slightly

[Directional_State_U]

Regarding changes in rankings affecting enrollment. This seems likely. I know at my directional state university which is nationally ranked, we've spoken with potential students and their parents who think we are ranked lower than institutions that are ranked regionally. It is very unclear to the general public that the regional rankings are not a subset of the national rankings in many cases.

[spork]

University of North Dakota -- "My University Is Dying":

https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20190925-my-university-is-dying?key=mi0Bff1vaLHL09_no2EmgwlkeISLqFEXU6hHBR5Xg-oUISdXGi9vqV1vTblBhhP3d0JvbzRaUFdpT19uVkhZOVlKTEItQjIyRFcwUFZkak5MelVKa3YwNHdoZw

This is a Twitter link to the Chronicle Review. Not paywalled for now.

"No one from my college, which is the largest at UND, a flagship state school, went up for tenure last year, because there was no one left who was eligible to apply."

[spork]

Roosevelt U. and Robert Morris U. merging: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/10/02/roosevelt-plans-acquire-chicago-neighbor-robert-morris.

[spork]

For people with less ability to procrastinate than me . . . university IRS filings for FY 2018 are now publicly available. Mills College, whose financial troubles were profiled in the media and elsewhere a few years ago, shows positive net revenue for FY 2017 of ~ $700K -- basically it broke even, maybe because of the donation and sale of securities. But for FY 2018, it was back in the red again, with $8.9 million in losses.

Mills College has had negative net revenue every year since FY 2008 except for FY 2017.

[Hibush]

For people with less ability to procrastinate than me . . . university IRS filings for FY 2018 are now publicly available. Mills College, whose financial troubles were profiled in the media and elsewhere a few years ago, shows positive net revenue for FY 2017 of ~ $700K -- basically it broke even, maybe because of the donation and sale of securities. But for FY 2018, it was back in the red again, with $8.9 million in losses.

Mills College has had negative net revenue every year since FY 2008 except for FY 2017.

That is a loss of $7200 per student. Did they lay off the bursar or something?

[polly_mer]

More from Alaska:

<unpaywalled for now> Alaska Accreditor Issues Letter

<unpaywalled for now> Former Alaska Chancellors Express Alarm Over Accreditation Letter

[Bede the Vulnerable]

Roosevelt U. and Robert Morris U. merging: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/10/02/roosevelt-plans-acquire-chicago-neighbor-robert-morris.

RU is essentially taking over RMU.  This will give RU some ready-made career-oriented programs.  I have a great affection for Roosevelt, which I attended in the 1980s.  It was in terrible financial shape then.  But its two most recent presidents have had some vision, and it seems to be in a much better position now. 

[archaeo42]

For people with less ability to procrastinate than me . . . university IRS filings for FY 2018 are now publicly available. Mills College, whose financial troubles were profiled in the media and elsewhere a few years ago, shows positive net revenue for FY 2017 of ~ $700K -- basically it broke even, maybe because of the donation and sale of securities. But for FY 2018, it was back in the red again, with $8.9 million in losses.

Mills College has had negative net revenue every year since FY 2008 except for FY 2017.

That is a loss of $7200 per student. Did they lay off the bursar or something?

I knew someone who worked as staff at Mills several years ago. They eventually left because of the mismanagement - from what they talked about it seemed hiring priorities were focused on alumni rather than people who had the necessary skills for various positions.

[Hibush]

For people with less ability to procrastinate than me . . . university IRS filings for FY 2018 are now publicly available. Mills College, whose financial troubles were profiled in the media and elsewhere a few years ago, shows positive net revenue for FY 2017 of ~ $700K -- basically it broke even, maybe because of the donation and sale of securities. But for FY 2018, it was back in the red again, with $8.9 million in losses.

Mills College has had negative net revenue every year since FY 2008 except for FY 2017.

That is a loss of $7200 per student. Did they lay off the bursar or something?

I knew someone who worked as staff at Mills several years ago. They eventually left because of the mismanagement - from what they talked about it seemed hiring priorities were focused on alumni rather than people who had the necessary skills for various positions.

So the staff in the bursar's office might be alumnae who neglect to send out the tuition bills?

[Durchlässigkeitsbeiwert]

So the staff in the bursar's office might be alumnae who neglect to send out the tuition bills?

Interesting assumption about gender of the staff

[Hibush]

So the staff in the bursar's office might be alumnae who neglect to send out the tuition bills?

Interesting assumption about gender of the staff

It is a women's college.

[polly_mer]

More from Alaska:

<unpaywalled for now> Alaska Accreditor Issues Letter

<unpaywalled for now> Former Alaska Chancellors Express Alarm Over Accreditation Letter

The current news out of Alaska is they are postponing discussion of consolidating the three universities into one university system: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/10/09/alaska-system-puts-consolidation-hold

[sinenomine]

Hampshire College has announced their new curriculum -- no majors, and no departments.

https://www.westernmassnews.com/news/hampshire-college-doing-away-with-traditional-curriculum-structure/article_7a007486-f02c-11e9-bf3b-6f1f9f7be452.html