Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[Wahoo Redux]

It's hard to see how it could be considered a liberal arts college once these cuts have gone into effect.  It looks like it's going to end up becoming just another compass-point vocational school.  Which will still be a useful institution for the state to have, but it will be very diminished from what it once was.

Education is turning into job training.  Virtually every school in this list, and my own, is trending in exactly this direction.

[Hibush]

It's hard to see how it could be considered a liberal arts college once these cuts have gone into effect.  It looks like it's going to end up becoming just another compass-point vocational school.  Which will still be a useful institution for the state to have, but it will be very diminished from what it once was.

Education is turning into job training.  Virtually every school in this list, and my own, is trending in exactly this direction.

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

Differentiating the various types, and the evolving demand for their distinct offerings is important for detecting whether trends a worrisome or positive.

[apl68]

No offense intended! I truly was curious, as I've been one to argue biology, chemistry, physics and math are in fact liberal arts. I haven't read the actual plan, and probably won't. It will likely make me weep.

It certainly makes me sad.  I've known people at HSU.  I almost WENT there for my undergrad education in the 1980s, after being offered a full scholarship there and seeing what strong programs they had in some areas.  My mother has one of her MAs from there.  I still like to visit their campus and library whenever I'm in that part of the state.  It's heartbreaking to see a school that had so much to offer diminished like this.

[apl68]

It's hard to see how it could be considered a liberal arts college once these cuts have gone into effect.  It looks like it's going to end up becoming just another compass-point vocational school.  Which will still be a useful institution for the state to have, but it will be very diminished from what it once was.

Education is turning into job training.  Virtually every school in this list, and my own, is trending in exactly this direction.

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

Differentiating the various types, and the evolving demand for their distinct offerings is important for detecting whether trends a worrisome or positive.

It has occurred to me that in a sense they are getting back to their teacher-training roots.  They were Henderson State Teachers' College within living memory.  Still, for some years HSU had a significant liberal arts mission.  It's sad to see that go.

They still have enough regional vocational students and enough of a built-in regional constituency that they should be able to stay in business.  I hope so for Arkadelphia's sake.  Being a college town has been good for that community.  I know Arkadelphia pretty well.  Honestly, my idea, just dreaming about it place to live would look a lot like Arkadelphia.

[Wahoo Redux]

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

What is it with stating the obvious and strawman arguements!?!?

My last job was at a teachers-college-turned-liberal-arts-college, as a matter of fact.

Then education evolved in America from teachers colleges to liberal arts institutions.

And now we are devolving back to job training.  It is too damn bad.

Maybe this has been posted already: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/04/university-seeks-cut-67-faculty-44-them-tenured

[Clarino1]

I also have known people who attended and who taught at HSU.  It is sad, indeed, and a tribute to administrative incompetence.

[marshwiggle]

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

What is it with stating the obvious and strawman arguements!?!?

My last job was at a teachers-college-turned-liberal-arts-college, as a matter of fact.

Then education evolved in America from teachers colleges to liberal arts institutions.

And now we are devolving back to job training.  It is too damn bad.

Maybe this has been posted already: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/04/university-seeks-cut-67-faculty-44-them-tenured

Pot-kettle issue at play.

[pgher]

It's hard to see how it could be considered a liberal arts college once these cuts have gone into effect.  It looks like it's going to end up becoming just another compass-point vocational school.  Which will still be a useful institution for the state to have, but it will be very diminished from what it once was.

Education is turning into job training.  Virtually every school in this list, and my own, is trending in exactly this direction.

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

Differentiating the various types, and the evolving demand for their distinct offerings is important for detecting whether trends a worrisome or positive.

I believe we will look back on the era from 1945 until perhaps 1995 as a historical aberration, and the present era as a painful reversion to the mean. Liberal arts for the wealthy, job training at best for the poor, and hopefully some professional education in between (doctors, lawyers, engineers).

[dismalist]

It's hard to see how it could be considered a liberal arts college once these cuts have gone into effect.  It looks like it's going to end up becoming just another compass-point vocational school.  Which will still be a useful institution for the state to have, but it will be very diminished from what it once was.

Education is turning into job training.  Virtually every school in this list, and my own, is trending in exactly this direction.

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

Differentiating the various types, and the evolving demand for their distinct offerings is important for detecting whether trends a worrisome or positive.

I believe we will look back on the era from 1945 until perhaps 1995 as a historical aberration, and the present era as a painful reversion to the mean. Liberal arts for the wealthy, job training at best for the poor, and hopefully some professional education in between (doctors, lawyers, engineers).

Then why do we have $1.75 trillion in student debt?

There is $28, 950 per BA. This is unbelievable, and the rest is even more unbelievable!

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/student-loan-debt

The debt strongly urges that people think it's worth it. Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong.

[Wahoo Redux]

It's hard to see how it could be considered a liberal arts college once these cuts have gone into effect.  It looks like it's going to end up becoming just another compass-point vocational school.  Which will still be a useful institution for the state to have, but it will be very diminished from what it once was.

Education is turning into job training.  Virtually every school in this list, and my own, is trending in exactly this direction.

All the normal schools were explicitly job training for teachers. Seminaries were explicitly job training for clergy. Those are the origins of many rural schools that later took on more general-education missions as   vocational-student demand declined. Remembering them as one-time ivory towers is inaccurate and can lead to undue frustration.

Differentiating the various types, and the evolving demand for their distinct offerings is important for detecting whether trends a worrisome or positive.

I believe we will look back on the era from 1945 until perhaps 1995 as a historical aberration, and the present era as a painful reversion to the mean. Liberal arts for the wealthy, job training at best for the poor, and hopefully some professional education in between (doctors, lawyers, engineers).

I'm sure you are correct.  Nevertheless, warts and all, the devolution is a crying shame.

[Mobius]

I'm more of a fan of a two-track system you see in Europe. Universities are for people of all social classes, but it's merit-based. I know you still have issues, but it is not in anyone's interest to saddle young adults with debt  if they can't finish a degree. Unfortunately, open-admissions schools are going to have retention issues and there are too many who need remedial education before moving on to the next level.

I don't know how you address folks who really could succeed in school if they didn't have to work full time. Generous financial aid and/or welfare would work, but lawmakers aren't fans of giving welfare benefits to students.

[marshwiggle]

I believe we will look back on the era from 1945 until perhaps 1995 as a historical aberration, and the present era as a painful reversion to the mean. Liberal arts for the wealthy, job training at best for the poor, and hopefully some professional education in between (doctors, lawyers, engineers).

If those turn out to be the things people *prefer, what is the problem?

(*Note I said "prefer" rather than "choose". People may feel forced into a choice which does not reflect what they prefer. Unless and until we know what they prefer, simply knowing what people choose doesn't tell us much.)

[Ruralguy]

Even the well-off want the typical liberal arts college to tell them how this education will prepare them for either a very particular type of job, or for the job market in general.  Our career office is very open and almost aggressive in involving students in their
"process" from orientation and on down the line. When speaking with prospective students, I always am sure to mention where we have placed or students (including grad school, but also including jobs that are only somewhat related to what they learned here).
Yes, sure, learn about Aristotle, Newton, etc.., but also, teach me how to use certain lab equipment or software, etc..

[apl68]

As expected, Arkansas State University has voted to adopt the plan to cut faculty and programs at Henderson State University.

At Thursday's meeting at the Arkansas State University System office in Little Rock, Welch outlined a history of financial mismanagement that put the school $78 million in debt.

ASU System administrators studied Henderson State's financials before agreeing to bring the struggling university into the system in 2019. Administrators found that Henderson State University was "literally on the brink of closing its doors," Welch said.

Welch said Henderson State is in debt because of numerous poor decisions by previous administrators, a situation that included budgets that overestimated revenue and underestimated costs; unpaid bills to vendors; and depleted reserves.

"We found a university that had massive problems in most every area of financial and financially related operations," Welch said.

To pay off some of the school's debts, the state of Arkansas agreed to lend Henderson State $6 million with zero interest, which the university almost immediately spent, Ambrose said.

Glen Jones, Henderson State's former president, resigned in July 2019 with the school struggling financially in part because of unpaid student account balances.

In December 2019, the ASU System board of trustees agreed to incorporate Henderson State into the ASU System.

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/may/06/asu-system-approves-henderson-state-cuts/


They also quote faculty members who are, obviously, upset that they weren't consulted on this.  They speak of repeated votes of no-confidence on both the current head of HSU and his predecessor.  I've read elsewhere that these cuts amount to better than a third of the college's faculty.  Again, it looks like all they're keeping is a handful of more in-demand vocational degree programs, and the minimal amount of gen-ed classes and faculty needed to support those.

It just truly amazes me that HSU could have gotten this badly in debt.  I wonder where all the money went?  News reports have spoken of a large proportion of students being unable to pay their bills.  I know that they've invested a lot of money in new dorm construction and such in recent decades--the campus looked fantastic on my most recent visit earlier this spring.  Evidently the previous administration managed to conceal major shortfalls for quite some time before the crisis became acute.  It sounds like ASU's trustees are correct in saying that some pretty drastic action must be taken in order to keep the doors open at this point.  Absent a massive state bailout.  Given the declining enrollment and long-term financial mismanagement, I can understand why the Legislature doesn't want to just entrust HSU with a bunch of money.  Their leadership hasn't earned that trust.

[dismalist]

It just truly amazes me that HSU could have gotten this badly in debt.  I wonder where all the money went?

Hell, I wonder where the money came from before they were bailed out by the State.