Iowa Wesleyan (Mount Pleasant, Iowa) board of trustees announced Thursday, 11-15-18, that the college will remain operating instead of closing as of January, according to the following Inside Higher Ed article:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/11/16/iowa-wesleyan-will-continue-seeks-partnerships
I am glad Iowa Wesleyan is safe for now. I grew up in the area and several family members have graduated from there.
Class action lawsuit filed today: https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2018/11/26/former-mount-ida-students-file-class-action-fraud.html
Education Corporation of America colleges lose accreditation and close:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2018/12/05/virginia-college-brightwood-college-and-others-abruptly-shut-down/2221650002/
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/12/05/large-profit-chain-close
There were more than 75 campuses and 20,000 students.
Pennsylvania-based Dream Center Education Holdings (newly a non-profit) is closing about 30 campuses nationwide. See the following link to a 12/10/18 Inside Higher Ed article:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/12/10/dream-center-colleges-closing-years-end
College of St. Joseph (Vermont) is struggling to keep its accreditation and to stay alive. Oddly, I’ve got the Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive” running through my head – the song’s rhythm also is recommended to pace oneself when administering CPR (to institutions, too?). See the following link to the 12/14/18 Inside Higher Ed article:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/12/14/st-joseph-vermont-again-verge
Bennett College is slated to lose its probationary accreditation, while St. Augustine’s University had its accreditation probation lifted and is safe for now. Both are historically-black institutions in North Carolina. See the following Inside Higher Ed article for more:
And another one bites the dust: Newbury College in Brookline, MA.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/14/newbury-college-shut-down-spring/s2w8WjwpFXAqUsyNUsjixM/story.html
After court battles, DoE to forgive $150 million in student loans to students at closed colleges (about half of the borrowers attended the closed for-profit Corinthian colleges).
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2018/12/13/education-secretary-betsy-devos-cancels-student-loan-debt-150-m/2307266002/
https://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/121318ClosedSchoolDischargeChanges.html
Here’s the 12/17/18 Inside Higher Ed article about Newbury College’s closing, as of the end of spring term 2019:
I’m not at all surprised that for-profit chains are closing. They had abysmal graduation rates and poor education. Most were scams who were dependent on getting low-income students to take out federal loans to pay for degrees that were never completed. The moment they’re barred from access to those federal loans, they collapse. Good riddance - they are a blight on the education system.
Oh-oh … …, Newbury College’s (Brookline, Mass.) president recruited transfer students from nearby closing/closed Mount Ida College, reassuring them that Newbury was financially strong. Now Newbury is closing and these transfer students are out on the street once again.
See the following link to this 12/19/18 related story from Inside Higher Ed:
New England College (Henniker, N.H.) will merge with the New Hampshire Institute of Art (Manchester, N.H.), with the art institute operating as as subsidiary of the larger New England College. See the following link to the 01/03/2019 article from Inside Higher Ed:
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/01/03/2-new-hampshire-colleges-will-merge-2-steps
Kind of a frightening news release from the president of Hampshire College (link below). The line “As we embark on this process we’re also carefully considering whether to enroll an incoming class this fall…” is guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of anyone associated with the college involved.
https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2019/01/15/important-message-from-president-nelson
Wow!
They note that they have a balanced budget and seem to be looking at doing something strong and different rather than close. Closing isn’t on the table yet — or am I reading this incorrectly?
^^^Although the press release says closing isn’t being considered, the statement that they are considering NOT enrolling a class next year is very concerning. If they did not enroll a class next year, seems the writing would be on the wall. I read it that without a partnership, they will not be able to remain as a standalone institution for more than 3 years.
What kind of partnership could it be if not with one of the other members of the consortium: Amherst, Smith or Mount Holyoke? A partnership with UMass Amherst is unlikely.
Hampshire was originally sponsored by the other four colleges, seemingly to experiment with some new ideas in college education:
https://www.hampshire.edu/sites/default/files/archives/files/NewColl.pdf
Seems like the most viable potential partnership would be to become a division of UMass Amherst. Not sure if UMass or the state of Massachusetts would be interested.