POSTED BY MARTIN KICH During our protracted contract campaign, which started in January 2018, we have greatly expanded our communication strategies. The new approaches to reaching our members, others in the university community, and residents of the surrounding communities through the local news media have included the distribution, physically and digitally, of Fast Facts flyers that…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH As I noted in yesterday’s posting of Dan Slilaty’s statement on the primacy of the relationship between faculty and students, we have been asking our members to speak at the meetings of our Board of Trustees as part of our ongoing contract campaign at Wright State. What follows is a statement…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH As part of our ongoing contract campaign at Wright State, we have been asking our members to speak at the meetings of our Board of Trustees. What follows is a statement made by Dan Slilaty, Professor of Mathematics, at the most recent Board meeting. I think that it speaks to issues…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL American colleges and universities are reaching for every means through which they might increase net tuition revenue. Net tuition revenue is the revenue that the college takes in from tuition after factoring in (i.e. deducting) all institutional financial aid. Net Tuition Revenue is Flat or Decreasing at Many Colleges The harsh…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL American higher education is a complex, decentralized, and interlocking network of institutions that provide education to a disparate group of learners. Historically, many of the fundamentals build around an applicant cohort of 18- to 22-year olds. The demographics of the 21st century predict that this group will not be able to…
BY NATHAN S. WEBSTER As a soldier in the US Army, I served in Iraq during 1991’s Desert Storm. So I understand institutional loyalty. I understand sacrifice in pursuit of a larger mission, and pride in a strong community tethered by common purpose. In recent weeks, the University of New Hampshire has gone in a…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s recently released their updated outlooks for American higher education. The news is not good. Moody’s revised its 2018 outlook for higher education from stable to negative “as aggregate operating revenue moderates while expense growth increases.” Moody’s vice president, Susan E. Shaffer, elaborated: “the annual change in…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Those of you who follow this blog have probably noticed that last spring I suddenly became a much less frequent contributor to this blog. The reason for my absence has been fairly straightforward. We began negotiations on a new contract in January 2017, and we still don’t have a contract. Our…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about how disruption will play out in American higher education. My hopes – and concerns – reflect a bedrock belief that America’s colleges and universities operate on an unsustainable finance model that must adapt to new realities. It is impossible to predict how many…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL Last month, Rick Seltzer reported in Inside Higher Education about a brewing controversy at Oberlin College, which is facing a significant financial shortfall. The College, including its prestigious Conservatory, faces a multi-million dollar deficit caused largely by lower-than-expected enrollment. A group of trustees charged with looking into Oberlin’s shortfall found that…