Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Reining in Growth - Rick Seltzer, Inside Higher Ed

In two years as president of Trinity College in Connecticut, Joanne Berger-Sweeney has shown no fear of sharply changing course. The building sale comes after the college put in place highly publicized admissions changes in the last year, dropping standardized test requirements, emphasizing applicants’ qualities like curiosity and persistence, and adding optional essay prompts. The college has also moved to end a recent history of freshman classes creeping larger and larger -- a move coming at a time when many liberal arts institutions are scrambling to try to bolster incoming classes. And as debate over enrollment levels played out, administrators cut spending to close a budget deficit. It's a lot of change for Trinity, which is known as one of the socially elite "Little Ivies" but does not have the same sway or resources as some of its larger, storied competitors. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/12/01/trinity-college-connecticut-sells-building-and-changes-enrollment-strategy