@bjkmom the university in Emmitsburg, MD.
Thanks. A LOT of the kids from my school tend to apply to MSM college in NY, I was wondering whether I should say something to College Placement.
I only recall one who is attending MSM University.
@Consolation There are students on both sides that are unhappy. Unfortunately, BU won’t release too many details, but here is the main jist (also note that these views are held by what appears to be many of the students, but not ALL students, and not everyone feels the exact same way on each point):
-Wheelock students are upset because their school is essentially closing (rightfully so)
-not all Wheelock students are education majors, so while many will be added into BU’s SED (now to be WCEHD) others will not. BU supposedly would like to give the option to teach out existing programs (as they should) and this is all fine and well. But Wheelock students will also have the option to simply transfer into the BU program that is the closest to their program, likely putting them in some major at CAS.
-Here is where the biggest debate comes from: Wheelock students are upset because they are likely going to be added to a school with a very large student body, something they did not want. They also may not like the equivalent BU program, the campus, etc. (“they never asked for this”)
-BU students are very unhappy because these Wheelock students who will be transferring will be receiving a BU degree at the end of their studies for the same cost as a Wheelock degree
-BU people are also upset at the comparison of admission rates between two schools, and feel that Wheelock students do not deserve to go to BU (very rude imo, but like I said these views are not all commonly shared by everyone)
And on a superficial level, some current SED students are a little upset that they will be getting a diploma from BU’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, not School of Education (we are very fond of our little school, much like Wheelock students, so while it seems silly, “If we wanted a degree with the name Wheelock in it, we wouldn’t have spent 65k a year to come to BU”. Again, pretty dumb, but there you are.
On a more personal note, I am sad that there is talk of just moving SED to Wheelock’s campus completely, which makes SED feel a bit disconnected, and we may lose our cozy little building 
(a lot believe President Brown only did this to increase his real estate anyway)
So those are some of the main reasons students are unhappy about this, and to repeat myself, note all of these views are shared by all of the students.
While BU hopefully will use this opportunity to improve younger childhood education opportunities, I have yet to hear how this will affect (if at all) any of the secondary ed majors and programs in terms of opportunities.
@bjkmom MSM in Newburgh NY has a C rating , but like a PP mentioned lots of Catholic colleges have C ratings. I think as long as enrollment numbers stay up, a college will probably be okay. A very small college is likely in a more difficult spot. A bigger college has more room to downsize and economize by cutting back on less popular programs.
I also think if there’s a strong base of active alumni, that could help. I think MSM U has that.
Mount Saint Mary’s University in Maryland probably hurt itself with the “bunnies” affair:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1854265-are-at-risk-students-bunnies-to-be-drowned.html
@ucbalumnus I think the bunny affair was a very misguided attempt to address the financial problems which had already started and it clearly worsened the situation.
The new administration seems to be working hard to rebuild relationships. They want to develop more in-demand career-oriented programs in health care and the sciences and up-grade facilities. I hope they are successful with their fundraising efforts because I think they still have a lot to offer.
The 11/13/17 article “Days of Reckoning,” published by Inside Higher Ed, discusses some of the issues surrounding recent closings and mergers of small colleges. Please see the link below.
Mentioned closings include Memphis (Tenn.) College of Art, Grace University in Omaha, Neb., and Marygrove College in Detroit, Mich.
The law school at Valparaiso Univ. (Indiana) announced yesterday that it is no longer is accepting new students, instead offering up itself to a merger or to a move anywhere else in the country. It’s stated intention at this time is not to officially close. See the following link from Inside Higher Ed:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/11/17/valparaiso-law-school-will-not-admit-new-students
The University of Illinois at Chicago has been in talks for the past 16 months of absorbing the private/independent John Marshall Law School, according to Inside Higher Ed. See the following link to view the article:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/11/22/law-school-may-join-u-illinois-chicago
Law schools of the lower tier have in recent years done little to create lawyers who can actually practice law. It’s good that they close. Many schools, such as at Valparaiso, were being used by the rest of the university as cash cows, taking low-level students, strapping them with outrageous debt, and no jobs for them, because the market was saturated with attorneys from higher ranking schools–attorneys that could pass the bar.
McNally Smith College of Music, St. Paul, Minn., is closing down Dec. 20, 2017, at the end of the current semester. The private music college had more than 600 students in recent years, but declining enrollment and its inability to make its Dec. 15 (today’s) payroll, led to tonight’s announcement.
See the news announcement at the following link:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/12/14/mcnally-smith-college-of-music-shutting-down
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago has been placed on accreditation probation by the Higher Learning Commission, mostly due to its running an operating deficit. It is given about a year to correct deficiencies
See the below links related to this probationary action:
Atlantic Union College, South Lancaster, Mass. will close at the end of the current spring semester due to finances. It had earlier lost accreditation and closed before its more recent revival. Founded in 1882, it is operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
See the links below about its closure:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/02/22/atlantic-union-college-will-close
For a summary of the college’s history see the following Wikipedia link:
Shimer College, a “great books” college, ceased to be an independent school in 2017. It is now a division of North Central College.
Concordia College, an historically black Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod college of 400 students in Selma, Alabama, will close at the end of the current 2017-18 academic year. See the following link to the Inside Higher Ed article:
For the Wikipedia entry, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concordia_College_Alabama
Lasell College and Mount Ida College, private colleges both located in Newton, Mass., announced Feb. 25 that they will merge in hopes of remaining financially viable. Lasell has 2,000 undergraduates, while Mount Ida has 1,500. See the following Inside Higher Ed article:
I wonder if it would have been better for Lasell and Mount Ida to remain junior colleges.
Well…UMass Amherst has acquired Mount Ida and will use the campus as an outpost for internships in the greater Boston area. Current students don’t get an auto-pass to the flagship and are offered slots at the Dartmouth campus.
This topic is definitely CC worthy.
The WSJ just covered this. A Harvard professor predicted half of private colleges may fail in 15 years.
Most of the people who are on here are looking at colleges that will survive … but many will fail.
I would not want to pick a school today and find my school out of business later.
Here’s the article published in Inside Higher Ed about the Mount Ida College closing:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/04/06/mount-ida-college-close-campus-going-umass