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There appears to be little mention of this in a media, but a considerable number of small colleges are closing, downsizing, cutting programs, or just not replacing professor who retire, quit or die. Even some mid-sized colleges are in trouble.
My daughter is a visiting professor at a small rural college. They opened a tenure track position with the idea that she could apply and move to a tenured position. Surprisingly, they ended up with 67 applicants for the position. Professors with loads of experience and from some well known colleges applied because their college was closing or downsizing. Needless to say many of the applicants were either more qualified and/or more racially appealing, so she lost her job instead. Now the college has cut all visiting professors, eliminated some programs, and even terminated some tenure track/tenured positions. This is pretty widespread throughout the USA and there is a glut of professors out looking for jobs. Daughter is considering moving into the private sector. She has two or three years of experience professoring, and maybe a dozen or less publications. There are lot lot of people out looking for jobs with a decade or more experience and dozens of publications. Many colleges either only consider or strongly favor minority professors in order to improve their ratios of minority professors. She is finding it very difficult to compete for the few decent jobs available. A lot of colleges are going to part time visiting professorships with very low pay and no benefits. Some are using recorded lectures of professors who have left, retired or passed away.
About two years ago, it was predicted that there would be a college crises about now or in another two years.
they said it was expected that most small and midsized colleges would fail, especially those in the middle tiers. Large/top tier and bottom tier colleges would survive and likely grow somewhat as they absorb students and professors from the middle, but the overall trend would be massively downward.
I wonder if we are seeing the beginning of this prediction coming true? COVID may have accelerated the predicted fall.
There appears to be little mention of this in a media, but a considerable number of small colleges are closing, downsizing, cutting programs, or just not replacing professor who retire, quit or die. Even some mid-sized colleges are in trouble.
My daughter is a visiting professor at a small rural college. They opened a tenure track position with the idea that she could apply and move to a tenured position. Surprisingly, they ended up with 67 applicants for the position. Professors with loads of experience and from some well known colleges applied because their college was closing or downsizing. Needless to say many of the applicants were either more qualified and/or more racially appealing, so she lost her job instead. Now the college has cut all visiting professors, eliminated some programs, and even terminated some tenure track/tenured positions. This is pretty widespread throughout the USA and there is a glut of professors out looking for jobs. Daughter is considering moving into the private sector. She has two or three years of experience professoring, and maybe a dozen or less publications. There are lot lot of people out looking for jobs with a decade or more experience and dozens of publications. Many colleges either only consider or strongly favor minority professors in order to improve their ratios of minority professors. She is finding it very difficult to compete for the few decent jobs available. A lot of colleges are going to part time visiting professorships with very low pay and no benefits. Some are using recorded lectures of professors who have left, retired or passed away.
About two years ago, it was predicted that there would be a college crises about now or in another two years.
they said it was expected that most small and midsized colleges would fail, especially those in the middle tiers. Large/top tier and bottom tier colleges would survive and likely grow somewhat as they absorb students and professors from the middle, but the overall trend would be massively downward.
I wonder if we are seeing the beginning of this prediction coming true? COVID may have accelerated the predicted fall.
These closures represent a series of steps down in the drop of higher education’s power. I don’t think it’s going to be as dramatic as a bubble bursting. But higher education became a racket a long time ago. Just look at any inflation graphic that has a comparison in the cost of higher education compared to just about everything else. You can get sickened by how it has skyrocketed despite the quality being stagnant or even deteriorating.
I’m not anti-higher education and believe a fair amount of careers really benefit from it. But administrations squeezing every penny possible they can out of their students while offering millions of worthless degrees was bound to have repercussions.
There appears to be little mention of this in a media, but a considerable number of small colleges are closing, downsizing, cutting programs, or just not replacing professor who retire, quit or die. Even some mid-sized colleges are in trouble.
My daughter is a visiting professor at a small rural college. They opened a tenure track position with the idea that she could apply and move to a tenured position. Surprisingly, they ended up with 67 applicants for the position. Professors with loads of experience and from some well known colleges applied because their college was closing or downsizing. Needless to say many of the applicants were either more qualified and/or more racially appealing, so she lost her job instead. Now the college has cut all visiting professors, eliminated some programs, and even terminated some tenure track/tenured positions. This is pretty widespread throughout the USA and there is a glut of professors out looking for jobs. Daughter is considering moving into the private sector. She has two or three years of experience professoring, and maybe a dozen or less publications. There are lot lot of people out looking for jobs with a decade or more experience and dozens of publications. Many colleges either only consider or strongly favor minority professors in order to improve their ratios of minority professors. She is finding it very difficult to compete for the few decent jobs available. A lot of colleges are going to part time visiting professorships with very low pay and no benefits. Some are using recorded lectures of professors who have left, retired or passed away.
About two years ago, it was predicted that there would be a college crises about now or in another two years.
they said it was expected that most small and midsized colleges would fail, especially those in the middle tiers. Large/top tier and bottom tier colleges would survive and likely grow somewhat as they absorb students and professors from the middle, but the overall trend would be massively downward.
I wonder if we are seeing the beginning of this prediction coming true? COVID may have accelerated the predicted fall.
Too bad she couldn't use that "white privilege" card we're all supposed to disgustingly have according to all the social justice experts. I'm wondering which month will be designated as "White History Month" or "Asian History Month." Whatever happened to being judged not by the color of your skin, but by the content of your character? I don't see a level playing field here.
Many of these colleges have to start re-inventing themselves to stay relevant. Too many majors offered not providing a path to a job that pays a living wage. It's also not necessary to build buildings that mirror a royal palace and this includes sports venues. Everybody's trying to outdo the others. All this does is add to the tremendous financial burden that student incur.
I do believe that this pandemic will create the necessity for closing a lot of marginal institutions. I hate to say it, but I think there's a few that need closing. I just saw a top 10 list of colleges to NOT attend comparing their cost and the student's success in finding good paying jobs after graduating from there. It was a pretty telling list.
Too bad she couldn't use that "white privilege" card we're all supposed to disgustingly have according to all the social justice experts. I'm wondering which month will be designated as "White History Month" or "Asian History Month." Whatever happened to being judged not by the color of your skin, but by the content of your character? I don't see a level playing field here.
Many of these colleges have to start re-inventing themselves to stay relevant. Too many majors offered not providing a path to a job that pays a living wage. It's also not necessary to build buildings that mirror a royal palace and this includes sports venues. Everybody's trying to outdo the others. All this does is add to the tremendous financial burden that student incur.
I do believe that this pandemic will create the necessity for closing a lot of marginal institutions. I hate to say it, but I think there's a few that need closing. I just saw a top 10 list of colleges to NOT attend comparing their cost and the student's success in finding good paying jobs after graduating from there. It was a pretty telling list.
It’s only tangentially related, but since you brought up sports I could see a similar fall happening in the value placed on US sports. It’s ridiculous how much capital is tied up in professional sports. And the dramatic increase in the values of these sports would seem ridiculous if it was compared to just about anything other than tuition increases. Consider that in 1974 Ray Kroc of McDonalds bought the San Diego Padres for $12 million. Today every single MLB team except Miami which just narrowly misses it has a valuation of over $1 billion. The aforementioned Padres are valued today at $1.45 billion. NFL numbers are even crazier. But it won’t last. Some pro sports are already seeing a fall in value, namely the NHL and some of the minor leagues.
Neither education nor pro sports are built on a deck of cards. So I don’t see the bubbles bursting exactly with either. But how both have increasingly been ridiculously overvalued in recent decades along with how leading figures in both industries have squeezed their customers for all they could will have consequences.
Too bad she couldn't use that "white privilege" card we're all supposed to disgustingly have according to all the social justice experts. I'm wondering which month will be designated as "White History Month" or "Asian History Month." Whatever happened to being judged not by the color of your skin, but by the content of your character? I don't see a level playing field here.
Many of these colleges have to start re-inventing themselves to stay relevant. Too many majors offered not providing a path to a job that pays a living wage. It's also not necessary to build buildings that mirror a royal palace and this includes sports venues. Everybody's trying to outdo the others. All this does is add to the tremendous financial burden that student incur.
I do believe that this pandemic will create the necessity for closing a lot of marginal institutions. I hate to say it, but I think there's a few that need closing. I just saw a top 10 list of colleges to NOT attend comparing their cost and the student's success in finding good paying jobs after graduating from there. It was a pretty telling list.
I decided to find that list I saw. I had to laugh about Dr. Martin Luther College since I am familiar with it. Very serious academic school with over 1/3 of the student body participating in some form of collegiate athletics. I know of another private school in my state of South Dakota that I think has an even larger % playing collegiate athletics.
These closures represent a series of steps down in the drop of higher education’s power. I don’t think it’s going to be as dramatic as a bubble bursting. But higher education became a racket a long time ago.
I was considering that lately. If you are truly interested in an education, rather than credentialing, what is the right answer?
It isn't like most university classes are oriented towards long-term knowledge, it's largely been an exercise in short-term memorization (soon forgotten) with tests largely explained beforehand. A series of pop quizzes on knowledge acquired thus far would result in large scale failure, even at the ivy league schools. Learning is hard and mostly self-gained, school is related to learning but only obliquely.
It's funny to consider that if you did the following math:
These closures represent a series of steps down in the drop of higher education’s power. I don’t think it’s going to be as dramatic as a bubble bursting. But higher education became a racket a long time ago. Just look at any inflation graphic that has a comparison in the cost of higher education compared to just about everything else. You can get sickened by how it has skyrocketed despite the quality being stagnant or even deteriorating.
I’m not anti-higher education and believe a fair amount of careers really benefit from it. But administrations squeezing every penny possible they can out of their students while offering millions of worthless degrees was bound to have repercussions.
Couldn't be said any better. Each time I return to both my undergraduate and graduate alma maters (both national universities) I see some brand new building going up or some really unnecessary change made to the student center. I just got to wonder if the tuition I paid mostly went to fancy architecture and the university president's salary. Maybe a little of both. Small no name liberal arts colleges that only offer select majors, many of which are impractical in today's world, and have few large donors cannot afford to maintain their fancy campuses. Even those without fancy campuses cannot compete if their maintenance costs alone exceed their revenue. While it's sad to see these schools go, the writing for them was already on the wall. Personally, I think secondary school education ought to be ramped up perhaps with enhanced junior colleges offering practical skills instead of funding wasteful 4 year colleges.
Couldn't be said any better. Each time I return to both my undergraduate and graduate alma maters (both national universities) I see some brand new building going up or some really unnecessary change made to the student center. I just got to wonder if the tuition I paid mostly went to fancy architecture and the university president's salary. Maybe a little of both. Small no name liberal arts colleges that only offer select majors, many of which are impractical in today's world, and have few large donors cannot afford to maintain their fancy campuses. Even those without fancy campuses cannot compete if their maintenance costs alone exceed their revenue. While it's sad to see these schools go, the writing for them was already on the wall. Personally, I think secondary school education ought to be ramped up perhaps with enhanced junior colleges offering practical skills instead of funding wasteful 4 year colleges.
You know, what you said has merit as to enhanced junior colleges. There are WAY too many small colleges offering next to nothing to their students as to the final product in a viable degree. Many of these, ESPECIALLY if they are state supported, ought to be converted to the junior college level. They can still stay open, offer collegiate sports, and provide a more inexpensive option for students right out of high school.
I decided to find that list I saw. I had to laugh about Dr. Martin Luther College since I am familiar with it. Very serious academic school with over 1/3 of the student body participating in some form of collegiate athletics. I know of another private school in my state of South Dakota that I think has an even larger % playing collegiate athletics.
Martin Luther College is Division III therefore the athletes that go there are non scholarship. D3 is no different than your local high school having sports with the exception of having a larger travel budget and having dedicated coaches for the coaches who have limited teaching responsibility.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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yes. Our local Liberal Arts University with law school, ~2k students.
The ramifications of WW2 is still being felt in population oscillations. The falling enrollments have been described by Harry Dent, and others. Add in opportunities for females, advantages of dual income households and smaller families, make slim pickens for smaller, nonpublic higher education institutions.
Last edited by leastprime; 02-26-2021 at 10:39 PM..
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