Monday, March 18, 2024

How North Idaho College’s accreditation fell under threat - Lilah Burke, Higher Ed Dive

Nick Swayne is the president of North Idaho College. He’s been president of the Coeur d’Alene community college since March 2023 — or, depending on your perspective, since August 2022.  That discrepancy is because Swayne was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons by the college’s trustee board in December 2022 and replaced with an interim president. Then, he sued the board to get his job back. “I came here to be the president, not sit in my house and collect a paycheck,” he said in an interview. Many in the North Idaho College community say the issues that have brought the institution to this point are, at their core, ideological. The situation has drawn comparisons to that at the New School of Florida, where staunch conservatives have sought to remake the institution by pushing back against “woke” doctrine.

Massachusetts ramps up financial oversight for 2 faith-based colleges - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education is ramping up financial oversight for two of the state’s faith-based colleges, warning that it cannot confirm the institutions have the resources to stay open through the next academic year. The agency said last month that it is working with the two institutions, Northpoint Bible College and Boston Baptist College, to craft contingency plans in the event they close. 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Valparaiso University to weigh cutting 28 programs - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive

 Valparaiso University, in Indiana, will consider cutting up to 28 programs as part of a multi-year review intended to rightsize its academic offerings. The private Lutheran institution offers too many majors, minors and graduate degrees in relation to its student body and faculty size, according to a memo from Eric Johnson, Valparaiso’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. The 18 undergraduate programs under review serve approximately 3% of the university’s students, he said.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/valparaiso-university-to-weigh-cuts-28-programs/709227/

State commission says Illinois underfunds public universities by $1.4 billion Capitol News Illinois - Cole Longcor, NPRIllinois

A state commission created in 2021 has issued a new report calculating that public universities in Illinois are underfunded by approximately $1.4 billion. The Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is made up of 34 members, including legislators, representatives from public universities, and members of advocacy organizations. It found that dedicating an added $100 million to $135 million annually to public universities would allow the state to bridge the funding gap in 10-15 years.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

University of Idaho Needs More Students. Should It Buy an Online School? - Stephanie Saul, NY Times

Depending on whom you ask, the University of Idaho’s plan to take over the University of Phoenix, a for-profit online school, is either a sweet deal or a potential disaster. C. Scott Green, the president of University of Idaho, said he viewed the agreement with a price tag of $550 million as a hedge against what is known as the “demographic cliff,” an expected drop in the number of college-age students. But critics of the university’s plan, like U.S. senators including Elizabeth Warren, nonprofits and a union, have questioned why the state’s top public university would team up with the University of Phoenix.

Budget cuts at Drake University could shutter 13 academic programs - Anna Kutz, We are Iowa

Drake University says it has a "focus on financial sustainability" while looking to streamline curriculum, but potentially at the cost of 13 academic programs. Provost Sue Mattison shared the school's plans to cut costs and adapt to decreasing enrollment numbers nationwide, adding more context to University President Marty Martin's early February update. "We are Bulldogs—built to adapt and respond," Martin said in a Feb. 7 statement. "The work we have before us demands that we make difficult decisions but brings with it the opportunity to create a brighter future. "

Friday, March 15, 2024

Long Beach State faces budget deficit amid statewide financial challenges - Khoury Williams, Daily Forty-Niner

Long Beach State University President Jane Close Conoley announced the college is in a $15 million budget deficit as a result of the statewide deficit, during the Feb. 22 Academic Senate meeting. On Feb. 20, California’s Legislative Analyst Office released an update to the budget deficit forecast from $58 billion to $73 billion. This update places the statewide deficit $35 billion below California Governor Gavin Newsom’s projected budget deficit of $38 billion.

Concordia University announces cut to staff, faculty at both campuses - Megan Carpenter, Spectrum News 1

The future of another private university in Wisconsin is in flux, as financial deficits cause upcoming layoffs. Concordia University announced cuts to staff and faculty are imminent at both its Mequon, Wis., and Ann Arbor, Michigan campuses. This comes after a recent analysis of Concordia’s financial health showed significant budget deficits on both campuses.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Central State University announces cuts, possible layoffs - Eileen McClory, Dayton Daily News

Central State University is cutting spending and considering layoffs due to a $4 million shortfall in the budget, according to an email sent from interim president Alex Johnson to university staff. “As we approach the end of FY24, the need to reconcile the budget earlier than usual has become an urgent matter,” Johnson wrote in the email. “This need arises, in part, based on a $4 million shortfall, about 6% of the total operating budget. The gap is due in part to overspending in prior years using Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds for recurring expenses.”

New Jersey City University Continues Financial Recovery After 2022 Fiscal Crisis Arrman Kyaw, Diverse Education-

Twenty months ago, in June of 2022, New Jersey City University (NJCU) declared a financial crisis. Its then-President Dr. Sue Henderson announced that she’d be stepping down. It was predicted that the public Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) would face a structural operating deficit of over $22 million, a forecast that officials worried would hurt enrollment and other aspects of the school. The school also asked the state to help with $10 million. Now, things are looking much better for the Jersey City school. Financial rating corporation Moody’s changed its assessment from ‘negative’ to ‘stable.’ Spring graduate, new undergraduate, and undergraduate transfer new enrollment are up by over 25% compared to last year.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

After her scathing rebuke, Gov. Katie Hobbs must choose new leaders to fix UA - Phil Boas, Arizona Republic

The financial scandal that has wreaked devastation on the University of Arizona with spiraling budget deficits, looming mass layoffs, large program and budget cuts reached its point of no return on Monday. Gov. Katie Hobbs unleashed her fury at the three principal actors who have been engineering a frantic recovery operation to try to salvage the university’s finances and reputation.  If University President Robert Robbins, Regent Fred DuVal and Regents Executive Director John Arnold still wondered on Sunday if they might pull this off, by the end of Monday they understood their own jobs and reputations are in peril.

Mississippi senator wants to close 3 state universities by 2028. - Grant McLaughlin, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Bay Path University announced Tuesday its plans to acquire Cambridge College, bringing together two private Massachusetts nonprofits focused on career education. The colleges expect the deal to close this June pending accreditor and regulatory approval. Cambridge intends to keep its program costs the same and to continue to award degrees until the two institutions are fully integrated, which could take up to two years, officials said. After the acquisition, Bay Path expects to enroll more than 5,000 students. The two institutions are similarly sized, with nearly 2,500 students attending Bay Path in fall 2022 compared with about 2,100 students at Cambridge. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Pennsylvania colleges would be ‘equal partners’ under new system, governor’s office says - Larua Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive

Pennsylvania colleges would be “equal partners” under Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plan to bring together the state’s university system and its community colleges, the governor’s office said in a recent report. Last month, the governor announced his proposal to combine the 10 institutions within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the state’s 15 community colleges under a new governance structure. This week, his office offered new details in an 11-page blueprint describing the merger and his other higher education goals. The plan specifies that the community colleges would not be absorbed into PASSHE 

Bay Path University to acquire Cambridge College - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

Bay Path University announced Tuesday its plans to acquire Cambridge College, bringing together two private Massachusetts nonprofits focused on career education. The colleges expect the deal to close this June pending accreditor and regulatory approval. Cambridge intends to keep its program costs the same and to continue to award degrees until the two institutions are fully integrated, which could take up to two years, officials said.  After the acquisition, Bay Path expects to enroll more than 5,000 students. The two institutions are similarly sized, with nearly 2,500 students attending Bay Path in fall 2022 compared with about 2,100 students at Cambridge. 

Monday, March 11, 2024

Klarna says its AI assistant does the work of 700 people after it laid off 700 people - Christopher Zara, Fast Company

One month after taking its OpenAI-powered virtual assistant global, the Swedish buy-now, pay-later company has released new data touting its ability to handle customer communications, make shoppers happier, and even drive better financial results. The app-based AI chatbot already handles two-thirds of all customer service chats, the company said Tuesday—some 2.3 million conversations so far—with the virtual assistant earning customer satisfaction ratings at the same level as human agents. Announcing a partnership with OpenAI early last year, Klarna said it was one of the first companies to integrate the firm’s groundbreaking ChatGPT technology into a plug-in for shopping.

More Than Half of Recent 4-Year College Grads Underemployed - Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed

More than half of recent four-year college graduates, 52 percent, are underemployed a year after they graduate, according to a new report from Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute. A decade after graduation, 45 percent of them still don’t hold a job that requires a four-year degree. Those stark data points were highlighted in a report released today called “Talent Disrupted.” The report outlines employment outcomes for recent bachelor’s degree earners and explores the factors that contribute to their short- and long-term underemployment. It drew on federal data sources, job ads and online résumé and career profiles for more than 60 million workers.


Sunday, March 10, 2024

Midwest's public colleges and universities face state funding cutbacks - Jennifer Shea, the Bond Buyer

Colleges of all stripes are facing a much-discussed "demographic cliff," with enrollment numbers already declining at many institutions. Multiple private colleges have seen downward outlook revisions from credit rating agencies due to declining enrollment and its attendant drop in tuition revenue combined with high debt levels. Yet public universities and community colleges in the Midwest face their own unique set of challenges: cuts in state appropriations for higher ed, tuition increases outpacing inflation and growing pension costs. Some states are merely pulling back funding, while others are linking financial support to ideological programming changes.

Distinctive Funding Challenges for Rural Regional Colleges - Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

The presidents of three rural public universities in Colorado are banding together to ask state legislators for millions of dollars in additional funding to recognize the distinctive challenges of regional institutions that operate in less populated areas. The three institutions, Adams State and Western Colorado Universities and Fort Lewis College, are all distanced from other four-year colleges and universities by at least two hours, and their isolation creates limitations that urban and suburban institutions don’t have, their leaders say. “While we do everything they do, we do it where it costs more,” said David Tandberg, president of Adams State, in Alamosa. “We’re fundamentally facing a different economic situation.”

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Idaho education board lacks authority for University of Phoenix deal, legal memo says - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

Idaho lawmakers should “request or file appropriate legal action” against the state education board’s plan to acquire the University of Phoenix through a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the University of Idaho, a lawyer for the Legislature wrote in a memo released last week. Last May, the Idaho State Board of Education approved the University of Idaho’s request to form a nonprofit corporation, now called Four Three Education, to acquire the University of Phoenix’s assets for $550 million. But in a 10-page memo, legal counsel Elizabeth Bowen argued that the state’s education board lacks the power to pursue this type of deal.


llinois governor proposes $500M for quantum technologies in new budget - U Chicago News

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is asking state legislators for half a billion dollars for quantum technologies in the proposed budget he released Wednesday—the latest show of support for a regional quantum ecosystem that has attracted millions of dollars in corporate and government investment in recent years and is emerging as a central driver of U.S. leadership in the field. In an interview with Axios, Pritzker said his proposal includes $200 million for a cryogenic facility needed to keep quantum computing systems cool and $100 million for the development of a quantum campus.   

Friday, March 8, 2024

UConn faculty concerned with university’s communication on budget situation - Jenna Outcalt, the Daily Campus

University of Connecticut faculty have expressed concerns about the communication from the university regarding the current budget cuts. Professors have been receiving their information through their department heads, although different departments receive different information depending on how heavily the cuts will affect them. “We’re really struggling to understand the scope of the effects of this budget plan because it’s being enacted department by department,” said Sam Sommers, an assistant professor in residence in the English Department at UConn Waterbury.