Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[apl68]

We got the email today.  No final decisions have been made, and things are still in flux, but we had another 4% enrollment downturn.   We have a hefty list of departments which will either be eliminated or sliced and diced.  It is an amazingly sweeping list that includes business, STEM, nursing, criminal justice, music, art, education, physics, astronomy, humanities, English, and several masters programs.  My wife's (and my former) department is on the list, and while they will need to employ some of us to fulfill requirements, everything is sour and frightening.   

I understand that admin have a terrible series of choices to make, but what will be left of the university when they are done?

Are there any notable programs that your school has that aren't on that list?  I'm trying to picture what would be left if even things like education, business, and nursing are going away.  What would there be left for the school to try to rally around?

[apl68]

We got the email today.  No final decisions have been made, and things are still in flux, but we had another 4% enrollment downturn.   We have a hefty list of departments which will either be eliminated or sliced and diced.  It is an amazingly sweeping list that includes business, STEM, nursing, criminal justice, music, art, education, physics, astronomy, humanities, English, and several masters programs.  My wife's (and my former) department is on the list, and while they will need to employ some of us to fulfill requirements, everything is sour and frightening.   

I understand that admin have a terrible series of choices to make, but what will be left of the university when they are done?

Sorry to get the news about this, Wahoo.  Do you think your wife is likely to make it through the cutbacks, or is all that uncertain right now?  I know that layoffs like this hit communities hard.  Our town's leading employer laid off literally half their workforce just over three years ago. 

You may or may not welcome this, but I will be praying for you and your wife and community.  It's what I know to do.

[Wahoo Redux]

Thank you, apl.  We think she is *likely* safe for a couple of reasons, but we are not certain by any means.  I appreciate the prayers.

[mamselle]

Mine, too, then.

Scary place to be.

And the survivors often end up having several other folks' desks tipped sideways onto theirs, making the pathway out of the mire stressful as well.

All good thoughts to you both.

M.

[marshwiggle]

We got the email today.  No final decisions have been made, and things are still in flux, but we had another 4% enrollment downturn.   We have a hefty list of departments which will either be eliminated or sliced and diced.  It is an amazingly sweeping list that includes business, STEM, nursing, criminal justice, music, art, education, physics, astronomy, humanities, English, and several masters programs.  My wife's (and my former) department is on the list, and while they will need to employ some of us to fulfill requirements, everything is sour and frightening.   

I understand that admin have a terrible series of choices to make, but what will be left of the university when they are done?

Are there any notable programs that your school has that aren't on that list?  I'm trying to picture what would be left if even things like education, business, and nursing are going away.  What would there be left for the school to try to rally around?

I was guessing Wahoo meant some of STEM, some of humanities, along with other things. Because if all of those things are gone, I can't see what's left either.

[ciao_yall]

We got the email today.  No final decisions have been made, and things are still in flux, but we had another 4% enrollment downturn.   We have a hefty list of departments which will either be eliminated or sliced and diced.  It is an amazingly sweeping list that includes business, STEM, nursing, criminal justice, music, art, education, physics, astronomy, humanities, English, and several masters programs.  My wife's (and my former) department is on the list, and while they will need to employ some of us to fulfill requirements, everything is sour and frightening.   

I understand that admin have a terrible series of choices to make, but what will be left of the university when they are done?

That's awful. How much of it will be based on which departments are easiest to cut (most adjuncts, fewest tenured faculty), rather than enrollment and future college needs?

Unfortunately, that's what our college did... resulting in students being turned away because the decision-maker was mad at a few faculty departments and afraid of a few others.

[Wahoo Redux]

We got the email today.  No final decisions have been made, and things are still in flux, but we had another 4% enrollment downturn.   We have a hefty list of departments which will either be eliminated or sliced and diced.  It is an amazingly sweeping list that includes business, STEM, nursing, criminal justice, music, art, education, physics, astronomy, humanities, English, and several masters programs.  My wife's (and my former) department is on the list, and while they will need to employ some of us to fulfill requirements, everything is sour and frightening.   

I understand that admin have a terrible series of choices to make, but what will be left of the university when they are done?

Are there any notable programs that your school has that aren't on that list?  I'm trying to picture what would be left if even things like education, business, and nursing are going away.  What would there be left for the school to try to rally around?

I was guessing Wahoo meant some of STEM, some of humanities, along with other things. Because if all of those things are gone, I can't see what's left either.

The list is vague at this point, so we are uncertain what the provost (who appears to be incompetent on several fronts) means.  Certainly admin cannot completely cut everything on the list.  We do not have strong engineering or much geology, for instance, and only a few chemistry majors (or next door neighbor is a chemistry professor) so these programs will probably survive but be cut to the nub.

Just a few minutes ago we got some inside information that my wife's program is actually in the "grow" category and our graduate program is in the "sustain" category; our single most important offshoot, however, Professional and Technical Writing, is probably on the chopping block----this is the major that actually gets students internships and has great hiring potential after graduation.  It also has some of our best and most innovative faculty.  PTW is small, however, and that's probably the killer.  On some level this is insane.

Most of these decisions seem to be driven by the reports generated from an "outside consultant."

BTW, I thought our scenario might be interesting as an inside look at a college in dire financial straights, lest anyone think I am simply being self-pitying and indulgent (which I am).  Thanks for the support anyway.  It does help.

[Wahoo Redux]

That's awful. How much of it will be based on which departments are easiest to cut (most adjuncts, fewest tenured faculty), rather than enrollment and future college needs?

This is the subject of much conjecture among the ranks.  We theorize that admin is taking aim at the union; it appears that some of the NTT who survived had opted out of union membership.  It appears that they are next on the chopping block, however, so at best they gained another six months of employment.

I know that I had one very angry student in my World Literature class last semester who was transferring to our local R1 competitor because the classes she wanted to take as a major had vanished at our uni.  I figured where there is one there are many more like that one, which is where I think I see this cycle of cutting = loss of students= cutting = loss of students etc. 

[rth253]

Wahoox, sorry how to hear about your school. Can I ask how big it is? Public? Private?

[no1capybara]

We need great niche schools.

Women's college is an important one, even if the demand for it is declining. Most of the decline is because women can attend and succeed at mainstream schools, which was not true even into the 1960s.

HBCUs is another important niche, although with shrinking demand and often a lack of resources. Keeping a sufficient number healthy so they can meet the true demand with a quality education is crucial. Improved conditions for Black students at mainstream schools is also good even if it reduced HBCU demand.

I like the high performing hippie schools. But that is also a shrinking niche.

Service academies seem to be matching their mission and enrollment targets.

The nichiest of the niece schools is probably Deep Springs. But they fill their niche all by themselves. They offer free tuition room and board, and went coed a while back, both policies that help keep enrollment up. And how big is that niche? The college enrolls up to 30 students.

What are some other niches that are small, but important for those they are for?

I'm going to start a thread on this, it's interesting

[artalot]

Sorry to hear this Wahoo. This happened at my uni several years ago. Our usually divided faculty united and were eventually able to oust the president and provost. We lost a few programs (mostly arts and humanities) and 20% of our faculty, mostly to retirement and flight to the private sector. We have a new president and provost and have seen some modest re-growth, with promises for more if revenue/enrollment targets are hit. It's been a terrible few years, but I do feel like we're turning a corner. 
We're private and tuition dependent, and I think the faculty's refusal to help recruit new students and sustained barrage of negative op-ed pieces in the press and on social media tanked enrollment and convinced the board that the situation wasn't sustainable. It may be harder to turn the boat around at a larger public institution, but perhaps some good old-fashioned student and faculty insurrection could help. If you have any cranks, now is the time to stir them up. Ours really saved the place.

[Wahoo Redux]

Wahoox, sorry how to hear about your school. Can I ask how big it is? Public? Private?

Public R2 (which is kind of a joke considering how little actual research this place produces).  Urban in a very small, dying "downtown" area.  Was 13K when we got here nine years ago, now around 11K and falling. 

The Board of Trustees' summary lists the cost of our losing football team as $3.2M with a revenue of $700K.

Good news, however!!!! Found out we are getting a new "hitting coach" for the baseball team this year.  Things are looking up!!!!

[Wahoo Redux]

Sorry to hear this Wahoo. This happened at my uni several years ago. Our usually divided faculty united and were eventually able to oust the president and provost. We lost a few programs (mostly arts and humanities) and 20% of our faculty, mostly to retirement and flight to the private sector. We have a new president and provost and have seen some modest re-growth, with promises for more if revenue/enrollment targets are hit. It's been a terrible few years, but I do feel like we're turning a corner. 
We're private and tuition dependent, and I think the faculty's refusal to help recruit new students and sustained barrage of negative op-ed pieces in the press and on social media tanked enrollment and convinced the board that the situation wasn't sustainable. It may be harder to turn the boat around at a larger public institution, but perhaps some good old-fashioned student and faculty insurrection could help. If you have any cranks, now is the time to stir them up. Ours really saved the place.

Thank you.

[Mobius]

Wahoox, sorry how to hear about your school. Can I ask how big it is? Public? Private?

Public R2 (which is kind of a joke considering how little actual research this place produces).  Urban in a very small, dying "downtown" area.  Was 13K when we got here nine years ago, now around 11K and falling. 

The Board of Trustees' summary lists the cost of our losing football team as $3.2M with a revenue of $700K.

Good news, however!!!! Found out we are getting a new "hitting coach" for the baseball team this year.  Things are looking up!!!!

To be fair, though, baseball and softball are only allowed to have three paid coaches (head and two assistants). My guess is their salaries are awful unless it's your R2 happens to be a rare place that pays assistants outside of football and baseball well.

[Wahoo Redux]

My guess is their salaries are awful unless it's your R2 happens to be a rare place that pays assistants outside of football and baseball well.

Probably paid better than I was as a FT NTT.