About a decade back when shopping for a college for my Son and Daughter, we did campus visits. Several were clearly in the Hard Left Loony Basket. (UC Santa Cruz in particular was a basket case – we left half way through the visit as it was clearly not going to cut it, being largely a political left indoctrination theme). Eventually my Son landed at the last centrist / slightly conservative UC Campus. Riverside. In the Business program.
At the time I’d wondered just how so many folks could be spending that much money for an “education” that would have zero possibility of a pay-back. I could see the Very Rich doing it as a way for their Little Darling to bag an Mrs. degree, but beyond that? There isn’t a lot of market for making protest signs and having public tantrums. Certainly not enough to pay off big student loan debts. (Both my kids graduated debt free, BTW).
Later I heard from my kids horror stories of their unemployed or nearly unemployed friends with lots of debt and not much in the way of income. I figured these stories would eventually have an impact. It seems that they have.
I wandered into this topic indirectly. One of those Rabbit Hole things. Seems that a LOT of “Liberal Arts” colleges around the country embraced “Wokeness” and are now experiencing “Brokeness”. Seems parents are not interested in shipping $100,000 to some loony toons to have their kid indoctrinated into “Gender Dysphoria Racial Angst” majors with zero employment potential at the end. Also looks like a lot of the kids have figured out “they gotta get a job”… eventually.
Here’s an interesting list:
https://www.educationdive.com/news/tracker-college-and-university-closings-and-consolidation/539961/
Note this is limited to ONLY non-profit schools and only since 2016. (Gee, about the time the country took a turn back to sanity and rejected the Loony Side Of Left at the polls…)
UPDATED: Aug. 2, 2019
How many nonprofit colleges and universities have closed since 2016?
By Education Dive StaffWe’re keeping track of major nonprofit college and university closings, mergers, acquisitions and other consolidation from 2016 to the present. Did we miss something? Let us know by using this form. Read our ongoing analysis of the list.
Institution State Year Type Deal Dive Insight
Abington Memorial Hospital Dixon School of Nursing PA 2017 Private Closed
Alabama Southern Community College AL 2017 Public Merged (Faulkner State and Jefferson Davis community colleges)
American Jewish University (undergraduate program) CA 2018 Private Closed (Temporarily)
Armstrong State University GA 2017 Public Merged (Georgia Southern University)
Asnuntuck Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Atlantic Union College MA 2018 Private Closed
Bainbridge State College GA 2017 Public Merged (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College)
The Boston Conservatory MA 2016 Private Merged (Berklee College of Music)
Bramson ORT College NY 2017 Private Closed
Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing CT 2017 Private Merged (University of Bridgeport)
Burlington College VT 2016 Private Closed
Capital Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Chicago ORT Technical Institute IL 2017 Private Closed
Coleman University CA 2018 Private Closed
College of New Rochelle NY 2019 (expected) Private Closed
College of St. Joseph VT 2019 Private Closed
Colorado Heights University CO 2017 Private Closed
Concordia College Alabama AL 2018 Private Closed
Crossroads College MN 2016 Private Closed
Cumberland County College NJ 2019 Public Merged (Rowan College at Gloucester County)
Dowling College NY 2016 Private Closed
Episcopal Divinity School MA 2017 Private Merged (Union Theological Seminary)
Faulkner State Community College AL 2017 Public Merged (Alabama Southern and Jefferson Davis community colleges)
Gateway Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Georgia Perimeter College GA 2016 Public Merged (Georgia State University)
Grace University NE 2018 Private Closed
Green Mountain College VT 2019 Private Closed Dive Insight
Hiwassee College TN 2019 Private Closed
Housatonic Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Indiana Tech Law School IN 2017 Private Closed
Jefferson Davis Community College AL 2016 Public Merged (Faulkner State and Alabama Southern community colleges)
John Wesley University NC 2018 Private Merged (Piedmont International University)
Johnson State College VT 2018 Public Merged (Lyndon State College)
Jones College FL 2017 Private Closed
Kilian Community College SD 2016 Private Closed
Lyndon State College VT 2018 Public Merged (Johnson State College)
Manchester Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Marlboro College VT 2020 (expected) Private Merger (University of Bridgeport)
Marygrove College MI 2019 Private Closed
Marylhurst University OR 2018 Private Closed
Memphis College of Art TN 2020 (expected) Private Closed
Middlesex Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Miller College MI 2016 Private Closed
Morthland College IL 2018 Private Closed
Mount Ida College MA 2018 Private Closed Dive Insight
Naugatuck Valley Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Nebraska Christian College NE 2016 Private Merged (Hope International University)
New Hampshire Institute of Art NH 2019 Private Merged (New England College)
Newbury College MA 2019 Private Closed Dive Insight
Northwestern Connecticut Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Norwalk Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
O’More College of Design TN 2018 Private Merged (Belmont University)
Oregon College of Art and Craft OR 2019 Private Closed Dive Insight
Philadelphia University PA 2017 Private Merged (Thomas Jefferson University)
Quinebaug Valley Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Saint Joseph’s College IN 2017 Private Closed
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies ME 2016 Private Merged (Maine College of Art)
School of the Museum of Fine Arts MA 2016 Private Merged (Tufts University)
Shepherd University CA 2017 Private Closed
Shimer College IL 2017 Private Merged (North Central College)
Southeastern Bible College AL 2017 Private Merged (Piedmont International University)
Southern Vermont College VT 2019 Private Closed
St. Catharine College KY 2016 Private Closed
St. Gregory’s University OK 2017 Private Closed Dive Insight
St. Vincent’s College CT 2018 Private Merged (Sacred Heart University)
Thomas Jefferson University PA 2017 Private Merged (Philadelphia University)
Three Rivers Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Trinity Lutheran College WA 2016 Private Closed
Trinity Lutheran Seminary OH 2018 Private Merged (Capital University)
Tunxis Community College CT 2023 (expected) Public Consolidating administration Dive Insight
Union Graduate College NY 2016 Private Merged (Clarkson University)
University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Platteville)
University of Wisconsin-Barron County WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)
University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
University of Wisconsin-Marathon County WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
University of Wisconsin-Marshfield WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
University of Wisconsin-Richland WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Platteville)
University of Wisconsin-Rock County WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater)
University of Wisconsin-Washington County WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
University of Wisconsin-Waukesha WI 2020 (expected) Public Merged (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Valparaiso University Law School IN 2020 (expected) Private Closed Dive Insight
Wentworth Military Academy and College MO 2017 Private Closed
Wheelock College MA 2018 Private Merged (Boston University)
Wichita Area Technical College KS 2018 Public Merged (Wichita State University)
Wright Career College KS, NE, OK 2016 Private Closed
They also have an article about it (which has the above link in it):
https://www.educationdive.com/news/how-many-colleges-and-universities-have-closed-since-2016/539379/
UPDATED: Aug. 2, 2019
A look at trends in college and university consolidation since 2016
By Education Dive StaffClick here to see the full list of nonprofit college closures since 2016.
The last few years have been tumultuous ones for colleges and universities in the U.S. Increased regulation and reduced enrollment continue to be among several factors contributing to the closure or consolidation of thousands of colleges and campuses around the country.
That consolidation also impacted the priorities of ones that remained open. Institutions are adding degrees and certificates in emerging tech fields such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and dropping low-enrollment programs including some in the liberal arts. They’re also looking online, where they can reach more students with targeted subject matter.
Oh, you mean adding classes where you can get a job when you graduate? How novel… how capitalist… But maybe too little too late.
Another major issue is that those same academics, having harangued the populace for decades about the DOOM IN OUR TIME!!! of overpopulation, are finding birth rates way down. Entirely in line with their propaganda. Reap what you sow…
[…]
Small liberal arts colleges fight to stay open
Undergraduate enrollment is on the decline, reducing the tuition revenue many small colleges rely on for lack of a sizable endowment. Experts say the drop-off is due in part to a strong economy and projections of a cyclical decline among the college-age demographic. To help attract more students, colleges are offering them a bigger break on tuition.
A 2016 report from Ernst & Young affiliate the Parthenon Group found 800 colleges vulnerable to “critical strategic challenges” due to their small size, compared to a much smaller share of colleges with enrollments over 1,000. The report lists several risk factors for small colleges amid the current environment of consolidation in higher ed. Those include: enrolling fewer than 1,000 students; the absence of online programs; tuition increases greater than 8% and discounts higher than 35%; and depending on tuition for more than 85% of revenue.
So price yourself out of the market with the hope a “Student Loan Government” will let you cover the crazy prices, cheapen the product with a lot of propaganda crap and less “anything employable” and then surprised folks are just going out and getting a job instead?
Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of chumps.
My advice? Pretty simple:
1) Dump any majors or programs where there isn’t a market for the students. Start with anything ending with “studies” and starting with an identity marker.
2) Dump any “feels real but mostly indoctrination” classes where the major employer of the produced students is other colleges as staff. Sociology is a good place to start.
3) Add classes where there is a real need for the industrial skill taught. Business majors (and skip the Cultural Marxist classes about how to turn your company into a social rights “citizen”…). Engineering. Robotics. English majors who can write technical manuals as well as poetry and The Great Novel Idea that never gets written.
4) Have a Career Day on campus every semester or quarter. Have business recruiters show up and ask them what students / majors they need to hire. Then train to that.
5) Survey your students after graduation to see what majors get jobs and who doesn’t. Don’t bother making more of the ones who don’t.
6) As you build successful job placement statistics, advertise that fact and how you avoid “feels good waste of time” activities, majors, and cultural Marxism.
7) Talk to parents. Ask them what they expect from their child’s education. If what you are pushing doesn’t get to that end point, change what you are pushing. Otherwise you are just poisoning your market with failure stories and disappointed customers.
8) Realize “It isn’t about YOU”. Not what you desire. Not what makes you feel “actualized”. Not how you want to “change the world” by “shaping young minds”. That’s all feel good do bad crap. It is about creating a skill set that is employable in your customers who are paying for an expected improved work future. Fail at that while being all “actualized” and “fulfilled” and with swollen up ego; and you too will “Get Woke, Go Broke”.
The bottom line is that the scam worked for a good long run. But now enough Adults are out there with worthless degrees and a lifetime of debt in front of them to serve as warning to the current crop. Couple that with your “success” at convincing folks to not have kids, and you have buried yourself.
If you don’t get some sane practices (see list above) and start digging out fast, you will be added to the list of “Historical places no longer in service”.
Here’s another article on it. There are plenty. Note this one is from 2 years ago, so covers the period before the above article.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2016/12/23/small-town-liberal-arts-college-r-i-p/
Dec 23, 2016, 09:06am
Are Small Town Liberal Arts Colleges Endangered?
CCAP
CCAPFormer Contributor
Education –
We are dedicated to researching the rising costs in higher education.According to the 2016 Forbes’ Top College rankings (whose compilation I directed), Albion ranked a respectable but not spectacularly high 262 out of 660 schools, better than Ripon, which ranked 368. But these schools, like the towns they are located in, are struggling: enrollment at Albion, for example, is down about 30% over the last decade or so. Relatively prestigious Sweet Briar College in rural Virginia nearly closed its doors a couple of years ago. Should the small town liberal arts college be on endangered species lists?
This leads to me to making what I suspect is an accurate empirical observation, but one I have yet to test: the flight to quality among college applicants is particularly acute for liberal arts colleges. Enrollments are holding up just fine at Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Davidson, Bowdoin, the Claremont colleges, and a few other schools. These schools have cachet, and employers and prestigious graduate schools are interested in their graduates. Any ranking of liberal arts colleges would place them in the top decile of schools.
So they work with the employer community to make a desired product…
This one has a nice graph of the rising Institutional Death Rate…
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/07/25/moodys-private-college-closures-11-year
Moody’s: Private-College Closures at 11 Per Year
By Rick Seltzer
July 25, 2018Private college closures have risen to a rate of about 11 per year, and the rate at which campuses are shut down is expected to increase in the future, according to a new report published by Moody’s Investors Service Tuesday.
The report comes a few years after a notorious prediction the ratings agency made in September 2015 — that closure activity would as much as triple and mergers would double by 2017. As of the prediction, private nonprofit closures were averaging five per year, meaning as many as 15 institutions could have been ending operations annually by 2017.
Although the headline-grabbing tripling of closures has yet to come to fruition, a significant uptick has indeed taken place. And Moody’s is still projecting a future increase in closures toward the range of 15 per year.
[…]
In the past, favorable demographics and growth in federal funding helped keep closure rates for private college low. But now, demographic changes, most notably in the Northeast and Midwest, are likely to create an “increasing amount of churn” in the higher education sector.A bottom group of about 750 small private colleges recording less than $100 million in total expenses is increasingly struggling to cover costs with revenue. The median net revenue per student for this group covered about 65 percent of the median expense per student in 2012. In 2016, it covered just 53 percent. The gap between revenue and expenses is becoming unsustainably high, Moody’s found. About one in five small private colleges is under fundamental stress.
There was a flood of Government Money and Student Loan money. Campuses all over the place added goodies, buildings, raised salaries. Then got a good addiction going. Now, in a very modest downturn in enrollment, they can’t cover the costs. Add in the generation struggling under student loan debt mountains telling all their family and friends how bad it is, well…
So they embraced that Government Subsidy idea, embraced Wokeness… and now it is time for the inevitable Brokeness to come knocking.
One can only hope that “Climate Indoctrination non-Science” majors and professors also join the ranks of the “ex professors”… Wasting $Billions on a fantasy while teaching how to corrupt real science is not to be encouraged.
Musings from the Chiefio 
Here is one academic, with a sound disciplinary background in physics, who chose to call out colleagues fantasizing about damage to the Great Barrier Reef and lost his job in the retaliatory process. Just like the late Bob Carter. In Queensland its pretty raw.
Peter Ridd is fighting the good fight: https://www.gofundme.com/f/peter-ridd-legal-action-fund?utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email%2B5331-donation-receipt-stripe&utm_content=internal
all college loans ought to be co-signed by the college. That might sharpen their thoughts about what to teach.
Appalling that JCU would continue to fight for censorship of free enquiry by appealing the legal decision. Sending this post on to Jo Nova. Thx E.M.
Boards of Director’s spending institutional funds to protect (b) the reputation of the institution and (a) their egos regarding past decisions are rarely concerned with how much of other people’s money such protection costs.
The idiots were warned. Mizzou. But then you can never tell a liberal anything. Or teach them either.