Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[TreadingLife]

More from CUNY:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/07/04/cuny-j04.html

Towards the end there is this:

To carry forward the struggle against the layoffs and education cuts at CUNY, workers and students must unequivocally assert their own class interests. As a starting point, they must demand:

    An immediate reversal of all cuts and layoffs. The trillions mobilized for Wall Street must be seized and redirected to support the needs of workers and students.

    The abolition of tuition and cancellation of all student loan debt. Education is a fundamental right that must be provided, free of charge, to the entire working class.

    Safe working and learning conditions. There must be no reopening of campuses until it is deemed safe by committees of workers and students, in consultation with medical experts.

Points 1 and 2 have no leverage nor feasibility. You can demand the sky all you want, but this isn't realistic, at least not in the short term and at least not confined to CUNY. Or is the point not to be realistic?

[polly_mer]

Those are the same demands from last summer and indeed for the past several years.  The realities of competing interests, competing priorities, and limited resources for the whole city/state have never played a role in formulating the demands.

As recently as January, activists were outspoken against the union for caving to reality on the contract accepted in November.

[dismalist]

More from CUNY:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/07/04/cuny-j04.html

Towards the end there is this:

To carry forward the struggle against the layoffs and education cuts at CUNY, workers and students must unequivocally assert their own class interests. As a starting point, they must demand:

    An immediate reversal of all cuts and layoffs. The trillions mobilized for Wall Street must be seized and redirected to support the needs of workers and students.

    The abolition of tuition and cancellation of all student loan debt. Education is a fundamental right that must be provided, free of charge, to the entire working class.

    Safe working and learning conditions. There must be no reopening of campuses until it is deemed safe by committees of workers and students, in consultation with medical experts.

Points 1 and 2 have no leverage nor feasibility. You can demand the sky all you want, but this isn't realistic, at least not in the short term and at least not confined to CUNY. Or is the point not to be realistic?

Oh, sillies: This was on the World Socialist Website, so one cannot expect anything else. More to the point, this is New York City! :-)

[apl68]

Colleges that plan to open their residential halls in the fall are now inserting fine-print clauses to the effect that if they have to shut down again for COVID-19 students can expect no refunds of dorm fees and meal plans:


https://www.chronicle.com/article/Next-Candidate-for-the-Fall/249155?cid=wsinglestory_6_1a

[marshwiggle]

Colleges that plan to open their residential halls in the fall are now inserting fine-print clauses to the effect that if they have to shut down again for COVID-19 students can expect no refunds of dorm fees and meal plans:


https://www.chronicle.com/article/Next-Candidate-for-the-Fall/249155?cid=wsinglestory_6_1a

That certainly incentivizes institutions throwing open the doors and not worrying about the consequences, since any consequences will be on students, faculty, etc. but NOT on the institution's own finances.

[saffie]

There's no recent updates on the CUNY page https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/guidance-on-academic-continuity-to-campuses/

They still haven't made an official announcement about their fall plans, though it seems obvious it will be nearly all distance learning.

So I guess they still haven't made their plans. The website announces proudly that 550 faculty are taking their Online Teaching Essentials course, but they have 6700 faculty, so it is a drop in the bucket.

Are they really not employing any adjuncts? They normally employ 10,000 though maybe not all at the same time. Basically, they won't be able to operate without adjuncts. Presumably demand for courses is increased with the massive unemployment rates in NYC.

Update today for Fall 2020 is to be mostly online with some possible exceptions for science labs, art/theater courses, etc.: https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/

[polly_mer]

Remember the discussion about Wesley College a few months ago and whether $3M was a good investment by the state of Delaware in a private institution?

I've been thinking about Wesley from a slightly different perspective, perhaps because of the economically stressed area I currently live in.

Certainly Wesley as an institution has a lot of room for improvement.  No argument. 

However, if the college closes it removes approximately 500 total jobs (both FT and PT, including positions at the Aramark co. which provides the food service) from Dover.  In a city of 136K, that is not a death-blow by any means...and the administrative and blue-collar workers will probably find other jobs in this economy----but still, these are incomes and tax dollars suddenly removed from a mid-sized city which would otherwise contribute to the micro-economy in the region. 

The accountants, admin assistants, grounds crew, drivers, carpenters, counselors, janitors etc. who find new employment (presumably in Dover or vicinity) will be taking jobs that someone else would get if the college remained open.  Micro-drops in the employment and economic buckets, of course, unless you are someone who needs a job just given to a former Wesley employee.

Most of the FT faculty will probably relocate somewhere somehow, although not all; one can only conjecture what will happen to the PT faculty. 

For some faculty this closure will also close their careers.  Our attitudes toward our fellow academics tend to follow the vernacular and we often lack any sort of sympathy for each other (I can't think of any industry outside, say, Hollywood which is so unsupported by its own members), and yet I, at least, feel sorry for the handful of trained specialists who may find an extremely difficult transition to gainful employment with their academic backgrounds.

I suspect most of the 15K students will find other schools----although for some this will mean the end of their education for whatever reason.  Not a big deal, really, unless you own an apartment house, bar, pizza or burger joint, supermarket, movie house, etc. in the Wesley region----no bankruptcies perhaps, but you cannot remove 500 jobs and 1,500 students without some economic impact.

And, while I doubt anyone will lose the Nobel Prize if Wesley closes (although they might, who knows?), we all know that modern research is the result of scholars across the world contributing incrementally to the knowledge base----and even if the same discovery will be made somewhere else down the road, that is somewhere else which is not performing yet more incremental research which would have been contributed at Wesley earlier in the process.

Alright, maybe all this is no match for $3M expenditure (which would be a flat refund of around $3.10 for every citizen of Delaware) but these do bear thinking about.  At least I thought so.

Wesley is in the process of being acquired by Delaware State.  Delaware State is taking Wesley's students, but it's not clear what happens to Wesley's employees.

[polly_mer]

Discussion about the fate of Wells College: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/15/wells-college-exemplifies-which-institutions-stand-lose-most-pandemic.

What's not mentioned:

Wells was in deficit in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2017. As of FY 2018, its FTE undergraduate enrollment was only 450 students. And it sits within about an hour's drive of Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, SUNY-Cortland, and SUNY-Oswego, in an area that has suffered economic and probably population decline because of de-industrialization.

President Gilbralter offers more candid insight in a podcast with a local reporter. It provides some good insight into the thinking that is going on behind the scenes at other places.

Wells College did raise enough money to be open for fall: https://auburnpub.com/news/local/wells-college-trustees-approve-plan-to-operate-in-fall/article_27350d6f-e2b0-5145-ae87-e111a5382759.html

[Wahoo Redux]

Discussion about the fate of Wells College: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/15/wells-college-exemplifies-which-institutions-stand-lose-most-pandemic.

What's not mentioned:

Wells was in deficit in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2017. As of FY 2018, its FTE undergraduate enrollment was only 450 students. And it sits within about an hour's drive of Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, SUNY-Cortland, and SUNY-Oswego, in an area that has suffered economic and probably population decline because of de-industrialization.

President Gilbralter offers more candid insight in a podcast with a local reporter. It provides some good insight into the thinking that is going on behind the scenes at other places.

Wells College did raise enough money to be open for fall: https://auburnpub.com/news/local/wells-college-trustees-approve-plan-to-operate-in-fall/article_27350d6f-e2b0-5145-ae87-e111a5382759.html

Rock on Wells!!!

[polly_mer]

Wells raised a little more than half of the money they expected to need to fill anticipated gaps for a really tight year.

This is less a "rock on!" joyful moment and more a "responsible grownups would be starting a graceful wrap up" moment.

[Golazo]

Colleges that plan to open their residential halls in the fall are now inserting fine-print clauses to the effect that if they have to shut down again for COVID-19 students can expect no refunds of dorm fees and meal plans:


https://www.chronicle.com/article/Next-Candidate-for-the-Fall/249155?cid=wsinglestory_6_1a

Depending on the state this (at least the dorm part) is likely illegal under housing law and will probably subject colleges to costly litigation and terrible press.

[Wahoo Redux]

Wells raised a little more than half of the money they expected to need to fill anticipated gaps for a really tight year.

This is less a "rock on!" joyful moment and more a "responsible grownups would be starting a graceful wrap up" moment.

Rock on Wells!!!

Do not go gentle into that good night!

[TreadingLife]

Just in case anyone is interested in buying Green Mountain College's campus.

http://www.maltzauctions.com/auction/363014/155-acre-college-campus/

"Potential Alternative Uses Include Religious Compound, Assisted Living, Housing, Summer Camp, Addiction Retreat and Many Others"

[Hibush]

Just in case anyone is interested in buying Green Mountain College's campus.

http://www.maltzauctions.com/auction/363014/155-acre-college-campus/

"Potential Alternative Uses Include Religious Compound, Assisted Living, Housing, Summer Camp, Addiction Retreat and Many Others"

If you are feeling snoopy, they have a document with detailed financial and condition information, but you have to sign an NDA to see it.

[dismalist]

Just in case anyone is interested in buying Green Mountain College's campus.

http://www.maltzauctions.com/auction/363014/155-acre-college-campus/

"Potential Alternative Uses Include Religious Compound, Assisted Living, Housing, Summer Camp, Addiction Retreat and Many Others"

If you are feeling snoopy, they have a document with detailed financial and condition information, but you have to sign an NDA to see it.

Maybe those on the Fora can chip in to get at least the $3M minimum bid together! :-)