Smaller liberal arts colleges closing

[p.falk]

My wife's sister works in administration at Wisconsin Lutheran College and she stated, about 3 years back, that colleges were needing to get ready for the student enrollment drop off that is about to hit.

The college I graduated from, St. Norbert College, has been in local news as the current President cut faculty positions and programs. Some up in arms over this because.... who knows.

Within the past two years two colleges near me have closed: Silver Lake College (Catholic) and Cardinal Stritch College (Catholic). And these closures were decisions that came quickly.


To add to the issue, white males are not enrolling in college as much. From Pew Research, men make up 42% of students enrolled at 4 year colleges, in 2011 that was 47%.

I read an article a couple of months back by a woman that essentially said men don't attend college as much anymore because they don't feel as welcomed. The article was from about 3 years ago. Her sentiment was essentially "good riddance". If you don't feel welcomed, maybe you're not... and maybe it's because of what you represent. She was very excited that the college make-up was being more female. I'm curious how many feel this way.

The way I look at it is: good, don't attend a 4 year liberal arts college. If you can find another way to earn money, provide for a family that doesn't entail a huge bill and an institution that brands you as the villain.... great. To the women (and men) that cheer on the fact that less men are attending: enjoy traveling greater distances.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

It's an effect of the baby-bust and of the growing realization that many people don't need a college degree to pursue what they want in life. At least, they don't need to assume crippling debt.

I am not sure that all liberal arts colleges are anti-male, but I'm sure they exist.

[Doom]

The truth of the matter is that there is a college bubble that has been building for decades which is finally bursting. There are too many colleges, they are too expensive and the jobs that require a degree too scarce, to justify the load of debt, and something has got to give. The student loan system created a gravy train for colleges which is coming to an end. It may be painful, but streamlining higher education is for the best. It means fewer job opportunities for me personally, but it for the best.

[BobCatholic]

Another factor is the catch-22 being enforced by employers, basically making degrees less valuable or worthless.

We hear people being told that they "got worthless degrees" when they studied liberal arts, which is a result of the catch-22.