Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[apl68]

The College of Saint Rose, University of Evansville and Marquette University are seeing massive academic cuts. Officials point to ongoing demographic trends. Faculty grieve and fight back.

Faculty are fighting back against demographic trends?

Nothing quite identifies the "ivory tower" like the refusal to accept what is glaringly obvious to the other 99% of the population.

Again, we don't see that in the article.  One faculty member is specifically quoted as admitting that they can't fight demographic trends.  Another is quoted as trying to marshal data against the cuts, not just sputtering about how those majors are too important to cut.

Not everybody who disagrees with you on some things is in a hopeless state of denial.  Sometimes they're actually worth listening to

[apl68]

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/misuse-demographics-justification-faculty-and-staff-cuts is not nearly as right as the author wants to be because the author doesn't go into sufficient detail.

No, the author doesn't make a very convincing case there regarding how to get enough people studying at college level despite demographic decline to make hard choices about cuts unnecessary.

[polly_mer]

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/misuse-demographics-justification-faculty-and-staff-cuts is not nearly as right as the author wants to be because the author doesn't go into sufficient detail.

No, the author doesn't make a very convincing case there regarding how to get enough people studying at college level despite demographic decline to make hard choices about cuts unnecessary.

What's sad is that such a case could be made (not by me in the next five minutes before I go to work), but:

A) the case doesn't result in saving the jobs that many faculty members would want to be saved
B) the case redirects a lot of resources to the K-12 realm because remediating at the college level is a bad use of the relevant resources
C) the case involves actually changing how many faculty do things on a day-to-day basis instead of merely not cutting based on projected student interest

Overall, the case relies on understanding qualitative and quantitative data on how higher ed institutions with different missions run, selecting one to three institutional goals that could be achieved with the resources available or that could become available, and then prioritizing activities that have a good shot at achieving the goals.

But step 0 is being able to understand the data available and being able to make step 0.1 be acquiring more data to answer specific, targeted questions necessary to make decisions.

Faculty members who just want to teach their subject and be left alone otherwise will never buy into what needs to be done to evaluate whether the goals from which they personally benefit are either achievable or even the correct goals for the institution at large.

[marshwiggle]

The College of Saint Rose, University of Evansville and Marquette University are seeing massive academic cuts. Officials point to ongoing demographic trends. Faculty grieve and fight back.

Faculty are fighting back against demographic trends?

Nothing quite identifies the "ivory tower" like the refusal to accept what is glaringly obvious to the other 99% of the population.

Again, we don't see that in the article.  One faculty member is specifically quoted as admitting that they can't fight demographic trends.  Another is quoted as trying to marshal data against the cuts, not just sputtering about how those majors are too important to cut.

Not everybody who disagrees with you on some things is in a hopeless state of denial.  Sometimes they're actually worth listening to

Here's an example:

At Marquette, faculty have pushed back against the plan at many points, on logistical and emotional levels. The American Association of University Professors chapter submitted a resolution to the Academic Senate last week to halt the process, saying it has not been approached in accordance with the Faculty Handbook. Faculty members have accused the administration of poorly managing finances in the past and misinterpreting the data and scope of Grawe's book. Open letters have been sent from faculty members in STEM departments, the Committee on Research, the Faculty Council and the Jesuit community. (The university is affiliated with the Society of Jesus.)

"At its fundamental level Marquette cannot simply figure out how much money it has and then decide where to spend it. Rather, it must articulate robust values rooted in the history of the Society of Jesus and in Marquette's own founding documents," wrote Gregory O'Meara, rector of the Marquette Jesuits. "We understand that some financial realignment is necessary, but our budgetary constraints cannot dilute what a Jesuit education demands."

The entire tone is about opposing the cuts in every way possible (kind of like not accepting the results of an election......).

But, in fact, figuring out how much money there is (or can be) as a prelude to how to spend it is facing reality. Yes, some spending choices wll actually affect how much comes in, but at the end of the day those two have to equal. Trying to decide what "needs" to be supported without taking into account what resources are actually available is disastrous.

[apl68]

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/misuse-demographics-justification-faculty-and-staff-cuts is not nearly as right as the author wants to be because the author doesn't go into sufficient detail.

No, the author doesn't make a very convincing case there regarding how to get enough people studying at college level despite demographic decline to make hard choices about cuts unnecessary.

What's sad is that such a case could be made (not by me in the next five minutes before I go to work), but:

A) the case doesn't result in saving the jobs that many faculty members would want to be saved
B) the case redirects a lot of resources to the K-12 realm because remediating at the college level is a bad use of the relevant resources
C) the case involves actually changing how many faculty do things on a day-to-day basis instead of merely not cutting based on projected student interest

When you've got some time, I'd be interested in seeing how you would make the case.

Also, what would be your best advice for small liberal arts schools that (unlike Super Dinky) might still have a chance to survive?

[spork]

https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/misuse-demographics-justification-faculty-and-staff-cuts is not nearly as right as the author wants to be because the author doesn't go into sufficient detail.

No, the author doesn't make a very convincing case there regarding how to get enough people studying at college level despite demographic decline to make hard choices about cuts unnecessary.

What's sad is that such a case could be made (not by me in the next five minutes before I go to work), but:

A) the case doesn't result in saving the jobs that many faculty members would want to be saved
B) the case redirects a lot of resources to the K-12 realm because remediating at the college level is a bad use of the relevant resources
C) the case involves actually changing how many faculty do things on a day-to-day basis instead of merely not cutting based on projected student interest

When you've got some time, I'd be interested in seeing how you would make the case.

Also, what would be your best advice for small liberal arts schools that (unlike Super Dinky) might still have a chance to survive?

This is getting into the subject of another thread, but to start:

Dispense with the checkbox one-and-done gen ed curriculum. If people at a small college without a billion dollar endowment think some kind of humanities education is important, offer a couple of minors/concentrations so students get a bit of expertise in a subject area. Require a minor/concentration outside of the major (not "business majors can minor in marketing"). Reduce required credit hours for majors to a reasonable level (e.g., 60).

Allow top performing first-time, full-time students to get a bachelor's degree in 2-3 years instead of 4. Yes, this cuts into auxiliary revenue in the short term but it can improve the academic reputation of the college, which is the only strategy that has a hope of keeping it financially viable over the long term.

[Ruralguy]

A handful at most of the  S(mall) LACs graduate in 2-3 years anyway due mostly to DE credit, but also AP. It probably wouldn't hurt too much to slowly increment that level. It could help because you'd be increasing retention even though your are reducing the total number of average years a student stays. But in the end, if it increases total tuition yield, then its a better model.

Spork, I do think it *could* work!  The main problem is everyone is competing for those same students.

We do have a number of folks who have advocated core depth over core breadth, so yeah, a minor and a couple of core courses you take for a year, rather than no required minor (and no restrictions on field) and a huge, broad core of 1 semester courses in ever area of the college (jobs bill!)

 

[Vkw10]

Another item to consider changing is calendar and course scheduling. Small colleges that want to survive need to look at their calendars and schedules based on what would support students completing degrees in a shorter period and/or completing degrees while holding full-time jobs that support a family.

Posting a typical course rotation so students can plan ahead would help, too. My department has our course rotation on website, so students and advisors can see that Basketweaving 2-A is always in fall while 2-B is always in spring. The students may not use, but advisors do.

[Ruralguy]

We have finally gotten rotation stability! Only took 20 years!

As far as students with families and such....no go for most  rural SLACs. There just isn't enough interest.

Maybe a handful of non degree earning courses could be designed for locals, but even that would be hard.

But COVID showed that calendar flexibility can be very helpful, so perhaps there is a permanent lesson there.

[spork]

UVM lecturers get axed:

https://vtdigger.org/2020/12/16/uvm-begins-layoffs-of-liberal-arts-faculty/.

[TreadingLife]

From the press release:

The Board of Trustees met last week to make a decision regarding whether Notre Dame de Namur University will continue to operate beyond spring 2021.

The Board unanimously endorsed a new vision for NDNU to transform the university to a primarily graduate and online university, potentially with undergraduate degree completion programs, that would operate beyond spring 2021.

https://www.ndnu.edu/future-of-ndnu/?fbclid=IwAR3n5W4ikT0W2KNZoNdiXKTf3TA8CJO9tjAmE5QUI-JYBq2hcpe8fwYjmjM

[Hibush]

From the press release:

The Board of Trustees met last week to make a decision regarding whether Notre Dame de Namur University will continue to operate beyond spring 2021.

The Board unanimously endorsed a new vision for NDNU to transform the university to a primarily graduate and online university, potentially with undergraduate degree completion programs, that would operate beyond spring 2021.

https://www.ndnu.edu/future-of-ndnu/?fbclid=IwAR3n5W4ikT0W2KNZoNdiXKTf3TA8CJO9tjAmE5QUI-JYBq2hcpe8fwYjmjM

NDNU faces the issue of an extremely high CoL area (discussed on a separate thread) without being able to offer the kind of salary and housing subsidy that Stanford and Berkeley need to manage.

[polly_mer]

UVM lecturers get axed:

https://vtdigger.org/2020/12/16/uvm-begins-layoffs-of-liberal-arts-faculty/.

Since I just came from an adjunct discussion thread, one thing that jumped out at me was

Williamson's departure raises questions about the university's commitment to Indigenous studies.

In his 2019 apology for UVM's role in the Vermont Eugenics Survey, which in the 1920s and 30s targeted the Abenaki people, as well as other people of color, former president Tom Sullivan promised "educational initiatives" as one form of redress.

Yet, the university has a limited curriculum when it comes to Indigenous history and culture. Williamson, who taught a range of English courses including Native American Literature, was "one of the very few who [teaches] any North American Indigenous literature and culture across the college," Gennari said.

This guy being dismissed doesn't "raise questions about the university's commitment".  There was no commitment, but only the pro-forma bland apology for historical bad actions when the spotlight was on the university.  If there were any commitment, then the apology would have included the formation of the task force to stand up a relevant program staffed by tenured/tenure-track professors hired as part of a national search.  If the university had really meant to do better, then they would have stood up one of these programs in the 1960s/1970s when that was a thing in US academia.

[TreadingLife]

More bad news

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/12/18/judson-college-will-close-if-it-doesnt-receive-gifts

[polly_mer]

I was looking for something else when I came across Leaders consider future of tiny liberal arts colleges from 2016.  This article has aged very poorly since most of the explicitly named institutions have closed or merged.

For those who aren't great at math, 2016 was a mere four years ago and before Covid.

<I'm still planning to do a new thread with the case for how some smaller institutions could survive, but that may have to wait until my winter break starts next Friday>