American universities are failing. They are private or public schools. They could be religiously-affiliated or not. They could be in the east, west, north, or south of the United States. They traditionally emphasized liberal arts. They are facing an enrollment and budget crunch for several years, seeing that the declining number of eighteen-year-olds in the coming years poses an existential threat. It has a modest endowment. It is not an elite school. It is a school like the one that many professors teach at. It was failing before Covid-19. It may not be around in five years. With COVID-19, it may be around even less than that.
Years ago, I argued that higher education had afailed business plan, one that planted the seeds of its own destruction. It was a plan following thefailures of K-12. Now the reality of the failed business plan is imminent .
The reasons for failing are many.
For years it relied on the same demographic of white students to recruit, except that demographic is disappearing.
For years it raised tuition at percentages that far outstripped the cost of living and increases in median household incomes, and now many students cannot afford to go to college.
For years it raised tuition to convince people that the more expensive it was the better a school it was. Except the school did not invest the money in academic programs.
For years it played theU.S. News & World Reportcollege rankings game. Except all the other schools played too and all it accomplished was elegant dorms and rising tuition.
For years it spent increasing amounts of money on lavish meals and events to recruit students. Except all the other schools did the same.
For years it encouraged students to borrow, except now with student loan debt at nearly $2 trillion they are tapped out.
For years it chased adult Baby Boomer learners who wanted additional credentials or thought they had a novel in them. But this demographic is gone.
For years it jumped on the bandwagon to create pricey graduate programs such as MBAs to subsidize the liberal arts school. Except this balloon busted.
It adopted a corporate, private-sector orientated model for governance, creating high-salaried vice-presidents for every task or problem it encountered. Except when the financial crunch hit it opted to lay off or reduce faculty and cut back on programs that generated revenue instead of trimming back middle and senior management. It also then hired a new vice-president or a consultant to manage the finances.
When enrollment and retention dipped it hired a new vice-president instead of new recruiters or admissions staff.
It reduced the percentage of tenured or tenure-track faculty and replaced them with part time contingents. Except it found that the latter, no matter how well meaning, do not have the same time to provide all the advising and other services full time faculty do.
It expanded sports programs as a way to attract attention and recruit students. Except few sports programs provide a positive return on investment.
It experimented with on-line degree completion programs. Except it did so at the same time everyone else did across the country and therefore it faced a new group of schools competing for the same students.
It lowered admissions standards to maintain enrollment but could not then figure out why the retention rates went down.
It cut requirements such as foreign languages, music, or the arts to make it easier for students to get in and graduate into jobs. Except in doing so it undermined its mission as a liberal arts institution and the reason why students should go to it and not a community college.
It made it easier for high school students to enter with advanced placement credits. Except it then realized that these students could graduate early and therefore did not pay as much in tuition.
As its competitors added certain programs it duplicated them as opposed to defining what it was good at and focusing on it.
As the job market changed it developed new programs to chase the trends. Except the new trend was always one step ahead of the school.
It jumped on buzz words and slogans such as high impact learning or stackable to sell itself, yet it did little to really change course offerings or programs.
It invested heavily in learning technology letting it drive pedagogy, instead of vice versa.
It talked about the reality of a coming new student demographics, but it did little to change its marketing strategy or services to support them.
Its administrators and university presidents froze faculty salaries or cut their benefits to make money, trustees gave them bonuses for doing that and then wondered why professors were dispirited and disillusioned.
It hired presidents who promised big change but kicked the real tough choices down the road to avoid taking responsibility for what might happen.
It said that we have to be more career-focused like community colleges, except it forgot that an expensive four-year school cannot price compete with a two-year school.
With Covid-19, it is facing an existential threat that has accelerated the problems it has faced for years.
Now the trustees, administrators, and faculty sit around in meetings and wonder why the university is failing. Perhaps they need to hire an expensive consultant to figure it out.
Continue reading here:
The Anatomy of a Failing University - CounterPunch
- 'Grey's Anatomy': Meredith's Family Emergency Brings Up the Past - PEOPLE - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy: Cristina Yang's Return Prospect Gets Honest Response From Sandra Oh - Screen Rant - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' recap: Is Jo pregnant? - Entertainment Weekly News - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Shonda Rhimes had police protect her after 'Grey's Anatomy' finales - Business Insider - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy's Most Enduring Character Is a Real-Life Scrub Nurse - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Civil War | Anatomy of a Scene - The New York Times - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- How Frances Anatomy of a Fall Scored a Theatrical Release in China and Connected With Its Elusive Indie Audience - Variety - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Station 19 Season 7 Just Reversed A Major Grey's Anatomy Story With Sully & Natasha - Screen Rant - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Why Sandra Oh Doesn't Plan to Return to 'Grey's Anatomy' 'Anytime Soon' - PEOPLE - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Confirms A Fatal Flaw In Meredith's Story After 20 Seasons - Screen Rant - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy: Jo Is 'Spiraling' from Pregnancy News (Exclusive) - PEOPLE - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Would Sandra Oh ever come back to 'Grey's Anatomy'? - New York Post - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Why Did Sarah Drew Leave Grey's Anatomy? - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- How to watch Greys Anatomy season 20 episode 5 for free - MassLive.com - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 20, Episode 5 Recap: 6 Biggest Story Reveals - Screen Rant - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- How Shonda Rhimes Celebrated the 20th Season of 'Grey's Anatomy' And Yet Another History-Making Moment for ... - Shondaland.com - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Station 19: Ben & Carina's Grey's Anatomy Futures Carefully Teased By Showrunner - Screen Rant - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- 10 Best Ellen Pompeo Movie and TV Show Roles That Aren't Grey's Anatomy - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy: Cristina Yang's Return Prospect Gets Honest Response From Sandra Oh - imdb - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy: Meredith Was Missing Derek After Son's Medical Emergency, But Here's Why I Think She And Nick ... - CinemaBlend - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- The Anatomy of An Inning: Brayan Bello Attacks the A's - Over The Monster - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- A slice of life inside the Human Anatomy Lab at Cal Poly - Mustang News - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- SynthFest France 2024 coming April 19-21 with Synth Anatomy video coverage - Synth Anatomy - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy's Sandra Oh weighs in on Christina Yang return - Digital Spy - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Just Teased The Show's Next Great Couple - Screen Rant - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- The Art of Medieval Anatomy with Taylor McCall - Medievalists.net - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Anatomy of a Fall Actor Samuel Theis Accused of Rape by Crew Member on New Film - Yahoo Movies Canada - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Anatomy Of A Recession Update: What's Different About This Cycle? - Seeking Alpha - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Greys Anatomy Renewed For Season 21 By ABC - Deadline - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy to highlight Baton Rouge baby's rare medical case Thursday night - WBRZ - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- A Refresher on What Happened to Arizona on 'Grey's Anatomy' - Parade Magazine - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- How the 'Grey's Anatomy' Crew Works With Real-Life Doctors to Bring The Most Complicated Procedures to TV - Shondaland.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 21 (ABC): What We Know So Far - Parade Magazine - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 20: Premiere Date, Cast, Trailer, and Everything Else to Know - TV Guide - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Msica | Anatomy of a Scene - The New York Times - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 20, Episode 4 Recap: 8 Biggest Story Reveals - Screen Rant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 21 Is Coming - IGN - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' Gets Another Season | Next TV - Next TV - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Greys Anatomy new episode: How to watch for free April 4 - MassLive.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Misses a Major Opportunity with Arizona Robbins' Return - Den of Geek - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- New UN report outlines the 'Anatomy of a Genocide' in Gaza - Mondoweiss - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Arizona Returned to 'Grey's Anatomy,' But Did She Mention Callie? - Henry Herald - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Just Proved Maggie & Winston Won't Be Endgame - Screen Rant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- The Fate of Grey's Anatomy Revealed After 20 Seasons - E! NEWS - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Why Anatomy Of A Fall Is Rated R - Screen Rant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' Fans Get a Big Update About the Future of the Show - Gwinnettdailypost.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Anatomy Of A Fall's Best Scene Is A Brutal Reminder Of This Netflix Movie With 95% On Rotten Tomatoes - Screen Rant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- This 'Grey's Anatomy' Death Changed the Series Forever - Collider - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- The Anatomy of An Inning: Kutter Crawford's Offspeed Heavy Debut - Over The Monster - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- 'Grey's Anatomy': Dr. Bailey's Best Moments From Her Intern Era - Bustle - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' renewed for season 21 - The Hindu - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Are French Courtooms Really Like That? Fact-Checking Anatomy Of A Fall - Screen Rant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- What to Expect When Arizona Robbins Returns to 'Grey's Anatomy' - Gwinnettdailypost.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Why Did Arizona Robbins Leave Grey's Anatomy? What Happened to Jessica Capshaw? - Soaps.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- 10 Best Movies Like Anatomy Of A Fall - Screen Rant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- I love Grey's Anatomy but we must call time of death - inews - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' Showrunner Explains How They Decide to Bring Certain Characters Back - Just Jared - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- The Best Sandra Hller Movies (Including Anatomy Of A Fall) And How To Watch Them - CinemaBlend - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Will Ellen Pompeo Be in Season 20 of 'Grey's Anatomy'? - Good Housekeeping - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Ellen Pompeo Marks Her Return as Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 First Look (Exclusive) - PEOPLE - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Meredith Returns To Seattle In First Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Trailer - Screen Rant - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Greys Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo Returns To Grey Sloan Memorial In Season 20 Teaser; New Updates On Altman, Interns & More Watch - Deadline - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Ellen Pompeo Returns to 'Grey's Anatomy' in Season 20 First Look - Entertainment Tonight - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 Teaser Meredith Returns to the OR - Collider - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- ANALYSIS: Anatomy of a slump ... It aint that bad here - Nets Daily - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Anatomy of a botched gangland hit Blanchardstown's nightmare before Christmas - The Irish Times - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Director Justine Triet on 'Anatomy Of A Fall''s nightmare couple and creating one of the year's buzziest scenes - Screen International - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Grey's Anatomy Season 20: Release Date, Cast, Story & Everything We Know - Screen Rant - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Sandra Hller on Breaking a No-Holocaust-Movie Rule for Zone of Interest, and Whether Her Anatomy of a Fall Character Is Guilty - Variety - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 10 Times Grey's Anatomy Characters Cheated Death - Screen Rant - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Ellen Pompeo is Back as Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 Promo Watch Now! - Just Jared - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Ellen Pompeo Is Back on Greys Anatomy In Scintillating Season 20 Teaser - Decider - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 Cast Revealed: 15 Stars Confirmed to Return, 2 Actors Not Coming Back - Just Jared - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The 10 Best Episodes of 'Grey's Anatomy' of All Time, Ranked From Lowest to Highest Audience Score - Just Jared - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Gen V, Shoresy, and the Anatomy of 2023's Best Spinoffs - Paste Magazine - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- How to watch Anatomy of a Fall is it streaming? - Dexerto - December 14th, 2023 [December 14th, 2023]
- Every 'Grey's Anatomy' Season Is Coming to Hulu - Vulture - December 14th, 2023 [December 14th, 2023]
- Anatomy of a Fall steals the show at the European Film Awards 2023 - Euronews - December 14th, 2023 [December 14th, 2023]
- A Case of Thoraco-Omphalopagus Conjoined Twins: Clinical Imaging and Anatomical Classification - Cureus - December 14th, 2023 [December 14th, 2023]
- Every Grey's Anatomy Christmas Episode - Screen Rant - December 14th, 2023 [December 14th, 2023]