BY ALICE BROWN
During Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Howard Dean spoke about her plan to set aside $25 billion for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and to make public universities tuition-free. Afterwards, I asked, “What are Hillary’s plans for the small private colleges scattered across the country, most in rural regions?” His response was, “I don’t know; nobody has mentioned them.” When an editor at an educational press explained his rejection of my manuscript about why small colleges close, he said, “I can’t publish a book about small private colleges because there aren’t enough people who care enough about them to buy a book about them so I can’t make a profit by publishing them.”
Small colleges, most with endowments in the neighborhood of $50 million and residential enrollments hovering around one thousand, are as important as any institution of higher education. Some recognize that more good is accomplished by educating students who never dreamed of attending college than by educating those who always knew they would attend college. The former are more likely to end up on welfare without a college education; without a college degree, the latter are more likely to find a well-paying job through family connections.
Small private colleges provide the nurturing environment needed by students who may not believe they can succeed in college—and they provide that environment holistically, not just in special programs for disadvantaged students. But if small colleges are this important, why are so many so close to financial collapse and what makes a strong small college?
Strong colleges maintain strong boards. Hannah Gray, former president of the University of Chicago, says that trustees should “not sacrifice the future for the present.” Trustees are often so focused on the present struggles they seldom consider future roles of the college. They try to solve an immediate problem with little concern for how a temporary solution can threaten long-term stability. Strong colleges seek out trustees who can help resolve problems, make meaningful contributions, and attract other impressive individuals to keep the college strong.
Strong colleges maintain a clear vision. A major weakness for many small colleges is the lack of a clear vision of the college. Instead, they struggle from year to year, trying to stay afloat. In contrast, a Centre College president noted that its trustees continually emphasize the vision of becoming the strongest private college in Kentucky and among the strongest in the nation.
Colleges headed for closure often make the mistake of seeking “new visions” with every change in administration. Strong colleges don’t fall into that trap. For example, since its founding in 1855, Berea College’s vision has remained the same: to create an environment where all students from Appalachia work together to learn and form goals “shaped by Christian values.” When federal law forbade integration, Berea built a separate college for Black students and then closed it once the laws changed and they could return to the campus in Berea. Another vision sustained by the college is the promise never to charge tuition; Berea continues to use its endowment income and contributions to cover tuition for every student.
Strong colleges hire strong presidents. They hire presidents who are committed to helping the region where the college is located, not just the college itself. And it seems to me that strong presidents are ones recruited by trustees who know what the college needs and who can fulfill those needs, not ones found by search firms.
Strong colleges take thoughtful risks. When Elon College sought to increase enrollment, higher education leader George Keller suggested the college work to appeal to the type of students it wanted (full-tuition paying and academically inclined). The president and board agreed to a fundraising campaign of $5 million (about $25 million today). Funding from grants and a federal loan enabled a complete property overhaul and curriculum update. Enrollment is now over 5,000—almost 4,000 more students than when the campaign began in 1976.
Strong colleges support their faculty and shared governance. Some colleges have developed new governance models to assure faculty input in trustee decisions. Several years ago, the University of Charleston (WV) introduced such a model: a board of advocates from each division to meet with faculty and then take the concerns of the divisions to the full board of trustees. Princeton has long had the Council of Princeton University Community (CPUC) where faculty and staff meet with institutional leaders to discuss concerns relevant to the trustees.
Strong colleges collaborate. Many presidents of small colleges are so focused on their independence that they resist collaboration with other institutions. When I worked at the Appalachian College Association (ACA), the thirty-five member colleges collaborated with graduate deans at large state research universities in states of central Appalachia. Those graduate deans reviewed applications for ACA fellowships and brought additional benefits: they received funding to help the private colleges train students to serve as technology assistants, enhance economic development in their communities, provided facilities and presenters for conferences, and helped ACA colleges with community development.
Strong colleges are transparent. Private colleges have no legal obligation to open their records for inspection. Between visits by accreditors, it is easy to hide aspects of their operations. Some colleges misrepresent enrollment figures by mixing counts of residential and online students. Learning the size of colleges’ endowments can be almost impossible. But the websites of strong colleges show accurate percentages of students accepted, retained, graduated, and hired. They are clear about their financial situations and report information relevant to their operations on their websites, and make available other records upon request.
To conclude, many small private colleges have held onto so little for so long that their futures are insecure. Those in rural areas are so vital that the whole region suffers when one closes. Strength involves persistence as well as energy, enthusiasm, and excellence across multiple generations of institutional leaders. While it may be too late for the turnaround that many colleges need to survive, aiming for a turnaround is better than accepting an ongoing struggle to save the college.
Alice Brown is president emerita of the Appalachian College Association, having served from 1983 until 2008. Since retiring she has written or coauthored four books: How Boards Lead Small Colleges, Staying the Course, Cautionary Tales: Strategy Lessons for Struggling Colleges, and Changing Course: Reinventing Colleges, Avoiding Closure, as well as eleven articles. A forthcoming book about her fundraising years should be published in May.