Covid Impacts on Upcoming Season

[Dubuquer]

My wife is a chair of a science department at a small liberal arts college and I work as director of a division of academic affairs at a mid-size D3 public university.  Both are institutions are VERY dependent on tuition dollars.  Pre-Covid it was well known that the next 10 years were going to be rough in higher education as demographically there are just a lot fewer students coming up the pipeline, especially in certain parts of the country like the upper Midwest, but all the challenges that higher ed was going to face in that time have been compressed into 6 months and a lot of institutions are hanging on for dear life right now.  I think you can talk to any of the older faculty who have served on hiring committees and they will tell you that demand for faculty positions 10-20 years ago was way higher and, as Greg stated, the quality of current applicants is nowhere near what it once was.  I've heard this repeatedly.  Instead of 100+ applicants, most of whom had teaching experience, now you might see 20, most of whom are post-docs or even grad students who haven't yet finished up their dissertations.  You're seeing a lot more failed searched because the applicant pool simply isn't good enough and the few good applicants out there are snatched up by institutions with the money to do so.  The shift Greg described away from liberal arts and the sorts of broad-based educations is not just hurting students (IMO) but it's demoralizing faculty.  Is there administrative bloat at colleges and universities?  Heck yes, but a lot of places have really trimmed that fat already and the only thing left to go are faculty lines.  Once that happens institutions enter the downward spiral.  Do students (and their parents) want to invest in 4+ years at an institution that is struggling?  Some certainly don't, which only furthers the process.  I will fully admit that there are too many universities (does Wisconsin really need 13 public 4 year universities when Iowa only has 3?) and some probably should go by the wayside.  The problem is that all colleges offer so much to their students and are woven into the fabric of the communities they inhabit.  Their decline hurts everyone in those communities.  All I can say is that, barring some massive aid package from the feds, a lot of colleges are going to emerge from this pandemic a lot weaker, if they emerge at all.

[WUPHF]

I do think that the federal government will offer financial support to most colleges who can hold out long enough, but time will tell.  It is going to be a rough ride for everyone.

I wish I shared your optimism.

I am not sure if that is optimism or not.

I think the money will come, but not before many colleges and universities close (my reference to those who hold on).

I wasted a day looking at public tax records at Central Division institutions and found at least one college in the Midwest that is surely only open because they sold multiple properties over the last few years.  There are others that look way worse than MacMurray and, in my novice opinion, need the revenue from the residence and dining halls and other auxiliary operations to have a chance at opening in the Spring 2021.

[Gregory Sager]

I will fully admit that there are too many universities (does Wisconsin really need 13 public 4 year universities when Iowa only has 3?)

I'm sure that I'll catch hell from the WIAC people for saying this, but I've never really understood why the University of Wisconsin has two full-sized, residential branch campuses that are only 27 miles apart (UWEC and UW-Stout), and a third that is only another 40 miles down the road from UW-Stout (UWRF).

And it's not as though they're in a heavily-populated part of the state, a la the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, Madison, the Fox Cities, or Green Bay.

[Caz Bombers]

we have so many in the SUNY system too, and I would hate to lose any of them down to the community college level, but I just don't know anymore what may happen.

[Pat Coleman]

I will fully admit that there are too many universities (does Wisconsin really need 13 public 4 year universities when Iowa only has 3?)

I'm sure that I'll catch hell from the WIAC people for saying this, but I've never really understood why the University of Wisconsin has two full-sized, residential branch campuses that are only 27 miles apart (UWEC and UW-Stout), and a third that is only another 40 miles down the road from UW-Stout (UWRF).

And it's not as though they're in a heavily-populated part of the state, a la the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, Madison, the Fox Cities, or Green Bay.

It's a good opportunity for them to pull students in from Minnesota, and my understanding is that those campuses do that quite well. They definitely have the enrollment overall to support three schools in this manner -- it's not as if they are three 1,800-student campuses.

[Gregory Sager]

I will fully admit that there are too many universities (does Wisconsin really need 13 public 4 year universities when Iowa only has 3?)

I'm sure that I'll catch hell from the WIAC people for saying this, but I've never really understood why the University of Wisconsin has two full-sized, residential branch campuses that are only 27 miles apart (UWEC and UW-Stout), and a third that is only another 40 miles down the road from UW-Stout (UWRF).

And it's not as though they're in a heavily-populated part of the state, a la the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, Madison, the Fox Cities, or Green Bay.

It's a good opportunity for them to pull students in from Minnesota, and my understanding is that those campuses do that quite well. They definitely have the enrollment overall to support three schools in this manner -- it's not as if they are three 1,800-student campuses.

That's true for now ... but who knows how they'll be doing once the student demographic ebb troughs?

Also, if they're drawing large numbers of Minnesotans, that means that they're vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the interstate tuition compacts among the upper midwestern states. Who knows if Minnesota and Wisconsin will continue tuition reciprocity under severe downturn conditions, especially if there appears to be a significant imbalance in terms of students migrating from one state to the other?

(After I had posted my previous post it occurred to me that I was probably safe from the wrath of the WIACers, since this is a soccer board and the WIAC is down to only two men's soccer programs now. But then I took a karma hit and realized that I probably wasn't as safe as I thought I was.  )

[Pat Coleman]

Vulnerable to the vicissitudes ... nice alliteration.

I had high school classmates attend WIAC schools because of those tuition exchange deals -- and I am 47 years old. They've been fairly stable.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

While it is primarily a basketball show, we do have an all encompassing approach and mindset on Hoopsville. The latest podcast which we released late Monday afternoon features a conversation with Jason Fein. He is Athletics Director at Bates College and he is on the DIII Management Council (taking over as chair in January). He had a rather lengthy conversation about how things got to where they are and why the decision to pull the Fall Championships.

I tried to keep it as a generic conversation without going too far into the weeds. You may find it interesting.

It is the third segment of the show ... roughly the 40 minute mark, I think? You can listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3kGZ962



You also have your options on most of the common podcast avenues found here (click on the images where necessary):
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville


 
   
We also have the podcast now on Tune-In.

[Dubuquer]

American Rivers Conference finally caved and "postponed" most fall sports, including soccer, to the spring.  https://rollrivers.com/news/2020/8/11/american-rivers-conference-a-r-c-makes-announcement-regarding-fall-sports.aspx

I think we all know the likelihood of fall sports actually happening in the spring.

The ARC announcement firmly blames the NCAA's testing requirements for the decision.

[Another Mom]

Covid effects on recruiting: some schools have fewer spots than normal,  we are finding.

[southsidejet]

OAC just announced specific play dates/times for a Spring 2021 schedule. 9 conference games, 1 final (or consolation game for 3-10), so 10 games total. Saves a year of eligibility and gets the seniors one more crack at a conference title.

https://oac.prestosports.com/MISC/COVID-19_2020/Fall_sports_springs_schedules

[Dark Knight]

For now, Calvin intends to play a little fall soccer. The MIAA presidents have agreed to play games mostly within the conference. However, the conference has announced that its fall sports schedule has been postponed, hopefully to be played later in the academic year.

Four of the eight MIAA schools are playing some fall sports anyway: Calvin, Adrian, Trine, and Olivet (Cross country, tennis, and golf only).

https://calvinknights.com/general/2019-20/releases/20200730l10ds5

Calvin has a revised fall soccer schedule up. Most games are listed as "postponed," but there are two games with Adrian that have a date and time and two with Trine listed as TBA.

https://calvinknights.com/sports/msoc/2020-21/schedule

[d4_Pace]

Well I guess the good news for Calvin is they can't lose in the final four this year

[Ejay]

OAC just announced specific play dates/times for a Spring 2021 schedule. 9 conference games, 1 final (or consolation game for 3-10), so 10 games total. Saves a year of eligibility and gets the seniors one more crack at a conference title.

https://oac.prestosports.com/MISC/COVID-19_2020/Fall_sports_springs_schedules

Fake news! D-mac said conferences planning to play fall sports in the spring weren't "working in reality". 

[southsidejet]

OAC just announced specific play dates/times for a Spring 2021 schedule. 9 conference games, 1 final (or consolation game for 3-10), so 10 games total. Saves a year of eligibility and gets the seniors one more crack at a conference title.

https://oac.prestosports.com/MISC/COVID-19_2020/Fall_sports_springs_schedules

Fake news! D-mac said conferences planning to play fall sports in the spring weren't "working in reality".