Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[treeoflife]

Norbert college will layoff more employees but increase the number of majors in the hope of attracting more students.

https://wtaq.com/2024/03/08/st-norbert-college-announces-further-layoffs-amid-ongoing-budget-issues/

[Hibush]

Saint Martin's University:

https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/education/article286897365.html

For "academic program changes, the (faculty) handbook requires a year-long process, which is why the terminal appointment letters were sent immediately. Due to the handbook process, we do not have the luxury of waiting to make these budget-saving decisions."

I'll give the administration credit for looking at the faculty handbook before announcing plans. However, following the contract is a necessity not a luxury. Does the Benedictine order, patrons of St. Martins, have different teachings on that subject?

[Hibush]

St. Norbert is now cutting all assistant professors in the humanities (apart from theology), and ending healthcare coverage for emeritus faculty over 65.

I didn't see from the article you linked where it says that they were eliminating most of their liberal arts positions.  Though it would hardly be surprising if that's who they're getting rid of.  But they're starting more sports teams to attract those who want to go to college to play sports, and they're breaking ground for an expanded business school, to compete with all the hundreds and hundreds of other business schools around the country.  All they need now is a new e-sports program, and a pharmacy school if they don't already have one.

Well put. They need you to join their Board of Trustees so you can offer this accurate analysis where it counts! They may have consulted GenAI to come up with their plan, which used the model used by the 20 most recently failed schools as the template.

[apl68]

Norbert college will layoff more employees but increase the number of majors in the hope of attracting more students.

https://wtaq.com/2024/03/08/st-norbert-college-announces-further-layoffs-amid-ongoing-budget-issues/

So...they've found majors they can add that don't require anybody to teach them?

[treeoflife]

Norbert college will layoff more employees but increase the number of majors in the hope of attracting more students.

https://wtaq.com/2024/03/08/st-norbert-college-announces-further-layoffs-amid-ongoing-budget-issues/

So...they've found majors they can add that don't require anybody to teach them?

Perhaps AI professors? outsourcing online courses from for profit online universities?

[apl68]

Norbert college will layoff more employees but increase the number of majors in the hope of attracting more students.

https://wtaq.com/2024/03/08/st-norbert-college-announces-further-layoffs-amid-ongoing-budget-issues/

So...they've found majors they can add that don't require anybody to teach them?

Perhaps AI professors? outsourcing online courses from for profit online universities?

What's sad here is that you were actually able to come up with plausible answers for my question there....

[marshwiggle]

Norbert college will layoff more employees but increase the number of majors in the hope of attracting more students.

https://wtaq.com/2024/03/08/st-norbert-college-announces-further-layoffs-amid-ongoing-budget-issues/

So...they've found majors they can add that don't require anybody to teach them?

Perhaps AI professors? outsourcing online courses from for profit online universities?

What's sad here is that you were actually able to come up with plausible answers for my question there....

One other option is inter-disciplinary programs that combine existing courses from other disciplines, so no new faculty are required and, in principle, it will produce larger class sizes than currently exist. (That assumes that these don't cannibalize existing programs for students.)

[selecter]

Birmingham-Southern.

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

[spork]

Bluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.

[treeoflife]

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.

[apl68]

Bluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.

I saw a news story where Bluffton's administration swore it had nothing to do with financial problems, but was about "getting ahead of the demographic cliff."  So perhaps more a matter of trying to head off fiscal trouble that they can see coming as a result of continuing projected declines in the number of students to recruit from.  It would suggest more foresight than many troubled schools have shown in recent years.

[spork]

Bluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.

I saw a news story where Bluffton's administration swore it had nothing to do with financial problems, but was about "getting ahead of the demographic cliff."  So perhaps more a matter of trying to head off fiscal trouble that they can see coming as a result of continuing projected declines in the number of students to recruit from.  It would suggest more foresight than many troubled schools have shown in recent years.

Bluffton doesn't have enough students to pay its bills. It was running deficits before it started getting pandemic aid, which has stopped.

[apl68]

Bluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.

I saw a news story where Bluffton's administration swore it had nothing to do with financial problems, but was about "getting ahead of the demographic cliff."  So perhaps more a matter of trying to head off fiscal trouble that they can see coming as a result of continuing projected declines in the number of students to recruit from.  It would suggest more foresight than many troubled schools have shown in recent years.

Bluffton doesn't have enough students to pay its bills. It was running deficits before it started getting pandemic aid, which has stopped.

Okay, did not see that context in any of the articles I skimmed in my brief check of the recent Bluffton news.  Guess they're being more reactive than proactive, then.

[aprof]

Bluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.

I saw a news story where Bluffton's administration swore it had nothing to do with financial problems, but was about "getting ahead of the demographic cliff."  So perhaps more a matter of trying to head off fiscal trouble that they can see coming as a result of continuing projected declines in the number of students to recruit from.  It would suggest more foresight than many troubled schools have shown in recent years.

Bluffton doesn't have enough students to pay its bills. It was running deficits before it started getting pandemic aid, which has stopped.

96% acceptance rate, 54% graduation rate according to Google.  That is...not good.  Difficult to adjust to declines in applications when you are already accepting every warm body that applies.

[treeoflife]

Yet another closure

 https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/completely-devastated-oak-point-university-abruptly-closing/amp/?fbclid=IwAR3QJVMQtT9UAziRXdOjE09a6m6AQzqUlc6mq5Y58t8Rvr8XxYp7hjQbrVY_aem_AZrXIWYzT8tcNw_mJ5CpKdG1XLcV8_2E7SBGXSeFLOMe3L4KKju_chxCWg6ezaQra0JZdi0jnkhrjUF8imiggOg_