Dead College Thread

[wlu_lax6]

So Cabrini lost in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament (https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ever/63404) as the school was bought by Villanova and will be shut down (previously covered in the Lacrosse thread).

I did not realize that Birmingham Southern was closing too. Well their baseball team is in the NCAA Playoffs. If they beat Denison in the super regional they will go to the D3 college world series that starts on 5/31....their school officially closes on 5/31. Zombie college baseball team. So many strange issues....like when they get back to campus the buildings would be locked and staff gone? Coach and trainers getting paid? Insurance, travel?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/551031 ... directed=1

[rass]

Heard about Cabrini last weekend, one of our neighbors is an alum.

My dad taught here.

[Nonlinear FC]

On the nerd D3 soccer board I visit, there is a decent amount of chatter about various schools closing... And the pace is only going to pick up in the next 5 years. A lot of these places never really recovered from COVID (they didn't have a big old endowment to lean on) and there was already talk of these smaller schools being market corrected BEFORE we had a pandemic.

[HaulCitgo]

Some local girls lost soccer scholarships when the Birmingham college closed. Probably some seniors got stuck too.

[mister d]

Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

[brian]

My school’s enrollment is down almost 50 percent from its peak 20 years ago. It’s an under-reported story that a lot of public and private universities are bleeding enrollment.

[Shirley]

I've been telling my wife that a small-college apocalypse was coming for a while now. The rise of online education and the decades-long higher-than-inflation tuition raising just made it inevitable. There are SO MANY little colleges out there that have no reputation, but cost over $60-70K per year to attend. It just doesn't make any sense.

I didn't even realize that they had started falling. I guess that's another sign at how likely it is.

[sancarlos]

Im surprised to learn this. The enrollment at my alma mater has nearly doubled since I attended.

[The Sybian]

Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

Open up your wallet, D!

Judging from my kids’ school, it seems like everyone is applying to the same schools, mostly the giant state schools, especially in the South. Most of the schools my son applied to announced they shattered their records for most applications. Maybe the number of students is the same, but they all want the same school's.

[bfj]

Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

Open up your wallet, D!

Judging from my kids’ school, it seems like everyone is applying to the same schools, mostly the giant state schools, especially in the South. Most of the schools my son applied to announced they shattered their records for most applications. Maybe the number of students is the same, but they all want the same school's.

They waived app fees recently so that may have added to the uptick. My cousin’s kids were applying to 12-15 schools each.

[The Sybian]

Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

Open up your wallet, D!

Judging from my kids’ school, it seems like everyone is applying to the same schools, mostly the giant state schools, especially in the South. Most of the schools my son applied to announced they shattered their records for most applications. Maybe the number of students is the same, but they all want the same school's.

They waived app fees recently so that may have added to the uptick. My cousin’s kids were applying to 12-15 schools each.

We paid application fees for most, but he applied to a few extras because they were in the Common App, and didn’t require additional essays. Just one click to apply.

[Shirley]

Yeah, the common application has made it super easy to apply to a ton of schools. Colleges love it because it helps them boost their application numbers and lower their acceptance rate (in theory), but it doesn't mean more kids are going. Some of my sons' friends applied to well over 10 schools

My wife's college has been having serious enrollment and money problems for several years now (well, except for the law school which is still doing great), and while it's a small, private university, it's at least D1. If it's having problems, think of all of the many mostly-anonymous ones who don't have that sports marketing to get their name out. One of the HBCUs in Raleigh, St. Augustine's, is essentially bankrupt and may be closing its doors soon.

[MaxWebster]

yeah 100% - I was totally unaware of the Common App until ~5 years ago when my oldest started applying and now we've had both kids go through it. Almost embarrassing to say but I think they applied to ~10 and freaking 18 schools respectively. Just because it was <click> that easy.

Last year's college tours were a big fking shock to me especially in Boston when we toured Northeastern and they made a *huge* point about having had - i don't know how far off I am on this but even if it's close it's fkd - 100k applicants the previous year???

When I was filling out applications a billion years ago (late 80s) I applied to 4 schools total (which admittedly felt a little light for a panic-stricken month when I'd realized none were safety schools). Also NU *was* considered a safety school in the late 80s, although maybe that was just privileged assholes repeating that to themselves (guilty). But they sure as shit weren't getting 100k applicants 35 years ago, probably not even 20k.

Yeah, the common application has made it super easy to apply to a ton of schools. Colleges love it because it helps them boost their application numbers and lower their acceptance rate (in theory), but it doesn't mean more kids are going. Some of my sons' friends applied to well over 10 schools

[wlu_lax6]

So Cabrini lost in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament (https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ever/63404) as the school was bought by Villanova and will be shut down (previously covered in the Lacrosse thread).

I did not realize that Birmingham Southern was closing too. Well their baseball team is in the NCAA Playoffs. If they beat Denison in the super regional they will go to the D3 college world series that starts on 5/31....their school officially closes on 5/31. Zombie college baseball team. So many strange issues....like when they get back to campus the buildings would be locked and staff gone? Coach and trainers getting paid? Insurance, travel?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/551031 ... directed=1

Birmingham Southern won game 1 against Denison 10-1.

[rass]

[teeteebee]

Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

Damn shame too. I’ve been saying they need to merge/buy with another school. Such as Arcadia (fka Beaver College).

[The Sybian]

Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

Damn shame too. I’ve been saying they need to merge/buy with another school. Such as Arcadia (fka Beaver College).

Interesting, didn’t realize Arcadia was Beaver. Arcadia coach was talking to my daughter at an ID clinic, and I hadn’t heard of it. Makes sense now.

Close friend’s daughter goes (went?) to U of Arts… that really sucks!

[teeteebee]

[quote=teeteebee post_id=423600 time=<a href="tel:1717206110">1717206110</a> user_id=119]
[quote="mister d" post_id=423040 time=<a href="tel:1716486685">1716486685</a> user_id=92]
Probably better than even odds my school eventually ends up in this thread unless they can figure something out in the next decade or so.

Damn shame too. I’ve been saying they need to merge/buy with another school. Such as Arcadia (fka Beaver College).
[/quote]

Interesting, didn’t realize Arcadia was Beaver. Arcadia coach was talking to my daughter at an ID clinic, and I hadn’t heard of it. Makes sense now.

Close friend’s daughter goes (went?) to U of Arts… that really sucks!
[/quote]

Sucks for U of Arts. Cabrini is closing as well (sold to Villanova).

Later today, I will be at the old University of the Sciences campus. Which is now part of St Joes University.

Consolidation. Thomas Jefferson University “merged” with Phila Univ (fka Textile), years ago. Eventually, it just became TJU.

[wlu_lax6]

B Southern go down to Wisconsin White Water. Up 10-5 after 6 but then gave up 2 in the 7th, 3 in the 8th and walk off homer in the 9th.

[Nonlinear FC]

So, I forgot about this thread, because I meant to circle back for a "why is this happening" post. So:

1) Because of the lengthy and painful recession in 2008 a lot of folks decided not to have kids for a couple of years, which has created a significant drop in high school graduation rates that is hitting college enrollment numbers. Those numbers will probably rise back up, but a) not soon enough for many schools, but b) there are other inherent issues going on with higher education enrollment. You guys hit on a few... 1) Kids seem to be more in the market for "that big school experience" and 2) a lot of kids and their families just don't see the value in the college experience... It's just not fucking worth it go so deeply in debt when the job they are likely to get won't pay that off for over a decade.

2) You guys mentioned that a lot of schools were already struggling because of this squeeze prior to the pandemic. That hits and you all know that it depressed enrollment numbers bc a lot of folks decided paying $80k for their kids to attend classes from their bedroom was outrageous. These smaller schools did not have the cushion to absorb that loss.

3) And, finally, to that point all that sweet sweet COVID relief money has dried up. For a number of these schools living on the margins, losing that funding was the very last straw.

[Shirley]

Recession babies (or non-babies) wouldn't be hitting college applications just yet. That might lead to another college death surge in a few years though.

[The Sybian]

Recession babies (or non-babies) wouldn't be hitting college applications just yet. That might lead to another college death surge in a few years though.

Yeah, current class is mostly born 2006 with late 2005s.

[cerranoredux]

NLFC had the right date but the wrong phenomenon. After the 2008 financial crisis, public education in all its forms was on the chopping block. I saw it with my own BOA checking account, but the rest of you can see it in the last thing John Oliver did on college loans. Public universities, especially, were cut to the bone.

Also, the desire for a big-time school experience is driven entirely by social media. Every student from my very Jerz HS going to Ole’ Miss, Bama, or fucking Auburn is doing it because of a sorority account they follow on IG or a Barstool post that looked cool.

[wlu_lax6]

Lynchburg (also still playing in the College World Series). Just had a ton of layoffs.
https://sites.google.com/lynchburg.edu/ ... authuser=0

From a lax forum

And Lynchburg did one of the most callous and inhumane layoff executions I have ever seen in my life.

THey hosted an all-campus meeting to address the employees about it.

They said the layoffs were effective by end of the day and they had until 5 pm to collect their belongings and turn in their ID and keys

And how did they elect to notify each individual who was getting laid off? By reading off all their names from a list in front of everyone at the meeting.