Bloomberg News caught on to the peak higher education idea this week. They offer a different term, “the college contraction“, and add some excited language:
Small U.S. Colleges Battle Death Spiral
The article does a fine job of summarizing trends. For example, this passage hits enrollment decline, students shifting institutional types, and the queen sacrifice – in two sentences:
Dozens of schools have seen drops of more than 10 percent in enrollment, according to Moody’s. As faculty and staff have been cut and programs closed, some students have faced a choice between transferring or finishing degrees that may have diminished value.
Michael McDonald emphasizes institutional bond ratings, unsurprising given Bloomberg’s financial focus.
Note the post-recession upward spike from 2011 on:
The article also lays out a variety of peak survival strategies: targeting new markets, increasing tuition discounts, merging campuses, staff layoffs, program closures,
(thanks to Dennis Moser for the link)
36 universities facing financial stress after 5 years of the weakest economy in 80 years doesn’t seem like a very notable trend. (Not questioning the general concept, just that particular graph as evidence.)
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