Small colleges try to keep students, cut costs - Eric Ferreri, Jane Stancill and April Bethea; Charlotte Observer

Private colleges are feeling a sharp sense of urgency about their financial future in the economic recession. “For small colleges, the most important financial variable is related to enrollment; they are very tuition-dependent,” said Tony Pals, a spokesman for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. “So if a small, private college has a drop in enrollment of just a few percentage points, it can be a very serious problem.”