Future of Division III

[Gray Fox]

On the other hand . . . .

Illinois Wesleyan adding three majors.

https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/illinois-wesleyan-university-adding-3-new-majors-this-fall/article_30e3c436-2db4-11ef-a1f5-2f1b1753e5e7.html

This version isn't blocked.
https://www.iwu.edu/news/2024/three-new-majors-among-program-updates-for-2024-25.html

[MadRedFan]

On the other hand . . . .

Illinois Wesleyan adding three majors.

https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/illinois-wesleyan-university-adding-3-new-majors-this-fall/article_30e3c436-2db4-11ef-a1f5-2f1b1753e5e7.html

This version isn't blocked.
https://www.iwu.edu/news/2024/three-new-majors-among-program-updates-for-2024-25.html

Thank you!

[Kuiper]

Nothing we haven't heard before about the FAFSA threat to enrollment, but it repeats the concerns for small colleges and regional universities that make up the bulk of DIII schools

Issues with FAFSA Could Mean Many Students Don't go to College in the Fall

Hoover says some colleges are nervous about their enrollment numbers dropping: "Particularly at the many relatively small colleges that do not have gigantic endowments, as well as regional public institutions throughout the country."

He says he has been in touch with some college presidents and enrollment leaders who are keeping an eye on the bottom line.

"In some cases, the downstream effect of that enrollment shortfall could be budget cuts that really hurt, could be pay or hiring freezes and perhaps, you know, the worst kind of cuts that any college could make, which is to cut jobs," he says. "An empty seat is a lost revenue."

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I'm hearing there may be another closure announced Monday.  Trying to nail down details and confirm some things.  This could be a rough summer if enrollment numbers stay low across the board.

[jknezek]

I'm hearing there may be another closure announced Monday.  Trying to nail down details and confirm some things.  This could be a rough summer if enrollment numbers stay low across the board.

This FAFSA debacle is trickling down to all these schools. Without being able to offer financial aid, sticker shock is brutal and kids are just going elsewhere or not going at all this year. This is going to speed up the whole process of "right-sizing" our higher education system. It's going to suck for a lot of schools.

There is no way I'd send my kids to a small private school without at least a 100MM endowment these days. Honestly, the number may end up being 250MM. I just don't trust schools to make it without a massive, massive pool of money to pull from. Being tuition dependent is going to get real sketchy for a while.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

It's my alma mater.  ENC announced today they're ceasing operations.  My understanding is, pretty much immediately.

[Ron Boerger]

It's my alma mater.  ENC announced today they're ceasing operations.  My understanding is, pretty much immediately.

Possibly not quite that drastic:  "ENC's goal, pending the commitment of a critical mass of students and faculty, is to continue serving undergraduate and graduate students who are on track to graduate by the end of the year. Administrators have arranged teach-out agreements with three institutions – Gordon College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Trevecca Nazarene University – to provide streamlined transfer options for all other students. ENC will also provide job-placement support and access to counseling resources for faculty and staff affected by the closure."

https://enc.edu/news/board-announces-developing-plan-for-closure/

Getting a "critical mass" of students, faculty, and staff to stay at the shell of a school for a year could be pretty difficult, admittedly. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I suspect it'll be student teaching and senior projects for students finishing up.

[Kuiper]

It's my alma mater.  ENC announced today they're ceasing operations.  My understanding is, pretty much immediately.

Sorry to hear that Ryan.  I fear that you are right in your prediction that this will be a rough summer for other schools too if enrollment numbers don't pick up.

[Pat Coleman]

It's by the end of the year -- 2024, not 2024-25.

[jaller]

I worked at the Naz for a couple of years....met a lot of really good people and some really good kids. Sad to see a place with such a strong history have to close.

[mhm0417]

I truly believe that within 10 years about one-third of colleges will close. It's inevitable at this point.

Tuition is too high for one.  A second, so many boys (and some girls, which is great!) today are choosing trades where they can earn excellent income at age 18 or 19 and not take on a mountain of debt. This generation will be one where most men did not attend college.

[Little Giant 89]

I feel the need to keep beating this drum. 

The "mountain of debt with no job prospects" is a false narrative for many small schools. 

Don't take what you see in the media as the last word.  Do your own research by reaching out to the schools your kid is interested in. 

The results they can show you for their graduates will often be a far cry from the doom and gloom of all debt/no job. 

[mhm0417]

Always depends on the major too.  For STEM majors, the debt load is not a big deal because - in almost every case - you're going to have a great job anyway.  These sports management majors....well, that's another story entirely.

I'm generalizing of course, driven young people will succeed no matter what their major, but the choice of major today is so much more consequential than it was 30 years ago when I was in college.

[Kuiper]

Keystone announces that it will cut 29 faculty and staff positions and cut several programs, including chemistry, forensic biology, and child and family studies

"The current and future challenges that face many higher education institutions seem to be increasing every day. We are now starting to see those spread increasingly from the private colleges and universities to the public ones as well," said Keystone President John F. Pullo Sr. "As Keystone prepares to successfully navigate a path forward with our strategic partner, we needed to better align our expenses with our anticipated revenues while being honest with ourselves with respect to the academic programs in which we can excel," Pullo continued.

Coupled with other restructuring measures in services costs currently in progress, the estimated savings to the College's annual budget is expected to be $3.5 million.

"These decisions were not taken lightly and made with the goal of placing Keystone in the best possible position for future success," Pullo added.