This paper intends to describe the recent experience of a small, rural, two-year technical college. After four decades of success, the college had found itself in a difficult situation with a substantial loss in enrollment and diminished state and local support, coupled with low campus employee morale. In response, the college team closed ranks…

In autumn, most colleges' football fields are covered with a thick carpet of grass or artificial turf and are adorned with yard lines. But the football field at Paul Quinn College was carved up by plowing and planting. This past fall, portions of the college's gridiron were covered with sweet potatoes, watermelons, peppers, rosemary, and sugar…

Scarcely a week goes by without a headline about the unsustainability of higher education as we know it, under threat from new models, for-profits, or online education. Most threatened are small liberal arts colleges--with commentators predicting the demise of colleges with fewer than 1,000, or even 1,500 students. Are these trends inevitable, or…

Colleges survive sometimes because they are able to merge with another institution (a for-profit company, another private college, a state university). The change at the College of Charleston was shaped in the 1970s, when the college did not "merge" with a state institution--it "became" a state institution, which grew.. and…

By just about every objective measure, the $88-million in debt that Wartburg College has carried since late 2005 poses a risk. The college's debt load--twice the amount that it takes in annually from tuition and other revenue--has raised red flags with its accreditor, alarmed some faculty members, and left Wartburg with a credit rating just one…

Describes the bold but successful steps taken by Saint Joseph's College to ensure institutional survival. (EV)

Describes the bold but successful steps taken by Champlain College to ensure institutional survival, such as eliminating 15 departments and clearly defining institutional mission. (EV)

Describes how California's Bethany College survived four years of tough love from the accrediting Western Association of Schools and Colleges and emerged with a clean bill of health and a future. (EV)

Describes how Bennett College, an historically black women's institution, is trying to regroup after its latest president lasted only seven months. (EV)

Describes the experience of two small colleges, Chatham and Wesley, that survived the financial distress common to small school today. Discusses their lessons: reinforce strengths, rebuild the strongest financial source, diversify income, manage debt, and run a disciplined budget and financial management system. (EV)

The experiences of Wellesley College (Massachusetts) with developing a long-range plan for institutional survival in the 1990s illustrate the value of two strategies: devising a planning process that reflects the institutional culture, and spending time early in the process to gain broad agreement on basic financial principles and planning…

By merging and sharing operations with other institutions, small colleges can cut a variety of administrative costs. Interest in mergers is especially strong at private liberal arts colleges but has included two-year and vocational schools. Such partnerships can extend the life of a college or even promote growth. (MSE)

Many small liberal arts colleges nationwide are facing unprecedented challenges in finances and demographics. Unless they have name recognition, a sizeable endowment, or especially strong academic offerings, most struggle to attract students from outside their regions. To survive, colleges have been urged to expand adult education and distance…

Strategic planning can successfully counter crises threatening a college's survival by clarifying the mission, by shaping institutional reorganization and curriculum development and by focusing marketing efforts and attracting new support. Crisis background, financial exigency, and reorganizing strategically are discussed. (MLW)

Data from a 2002 study indicate that small private colleges have been closing at an alarming rate. These institutions seldom possess the resources that might enable them to respond flexibly to changes in their environment, and rising operating costs and inadequate endowments leave them at a competitive disadvantage compared with public colleges…