In a state where most higher education institutions are working to address financial and enrollment challenges, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) faces some of the greatest difficulties of all. UWM's steep enrollment drop has exacerbated the effects of an eight-year tuition freeze and lagging state funding, forcing cuts to faculty,…

Scholarship in composition and rhetoric has certainly addressed issues of African American economic inequality (Gilyard) and institutional austerity (Welch and Scott), yet the field has failed to address how both are united in the site of the contemporary HBCU. In particular, composition scholars have not explored how the shifts of the new economy…

This case positions the reader as the superintendent of Jefferson City Public Schools (pseudonym). Like many urban school districts in the United States, Jefferson City faces a complex milieu of fiscal challenges attributed to inadequate state funding and declining student enrollment. Within this case, the superintendent must address the failing…

When college officials across the country talk about their final tally of Fall 2012 enrollment, the discussions produce assessments that are all over the map. Some institutions, like Hampton University, are pleased to see their enrollment declining. Others, like Florida A&M University, are wondering how they are going to make up for revenue…

This brief examines the series of events that led to the Highland Park school district being converted to a system of charter public schools in 2012. Used as a strategy to help the district eliminate its large fiscal debt while still providing resident students with a local public school option, Highland Park's charter conversion is one of the…

The author shares the story of La-Keya Williams, a junior at Spelman College who has found a donor willing to help her out for the funds she needed to continue her education. Shortly after classes ended last summer, Ms. Williams realized she would have a hard time coming up with the roughly $36,000 needed to pay for her junior year. She took a…

Certain higher-education institutions are at risk in 2007 and beyond, according to Moody's Investors Service, which gauges colleges' financial health. They include small private colleges with limited geographic draw, colleges with ambitious spending plans to improve their national reputations, and regional public universities that face heavy…

When Dr. Gregory H. Williams left The Ohio State University (OSU) in August 2001 to become president of the City College of New York (CCNY), many of his colleagues in the academy were convinced that Williams--who was dean of OSU's law school--had lost his mind. At the time, City College, the flagship school of The City University of New York…

Due to economic factors, many institutions of higher education may be forced to reduce faculty positions. The procedures used by Emporia State University (Kansas) can be used as a model for colleges needing to pursue various methods of retrenchment. (JN)

A study of 25 South Dakota school districts found that combining the superintendency with either the elementary or the secondary principalship was not an ideal arrangement. For the district and teachers, the most consistent disadvantages relate to inadequate instructional leadership. For the superintendents, the greatest disadvantage is sacrifice…

Chronicles the process used by University of Denver officials as they decided to close the library school as of August 16, 1985, due to overall enrollment declines and financial pressures. Highlights include plans of university's reorganization committee, questioning of library school's quality, and 30-minute defense by library school dean Bernard…

This paper presents a historical perspective on the growth of the Seattle Community College District (SCCD) from 1967 to 1980 and the period of retrenchment from 1981 to the present. First. the paper reviews the formation of the SCCD, its organizational structure, goals and objectives, and mission. Next, demographic data are presented to…

This anthology of articles investigates and analyzes problems related to declining enrollment with emphasis on the state of New Jersey. It is intended to provide assistance to local New Jersey school districts in managing and preparing for enrollment decline. The first chapter provides an overview of declining enrollments in New Jersey and touches…

Four problems in higher education are identified: hardening curriculum, graying faculty, shrinking budget, and disappearing students. Team teaching is suggested as one solution. A conceptual framework for types of team teaching is presented and practical suggestions to those who want to work within that framework are provided. (Author/MLW)

A six-step plan that helps manage school decline is presented. (DCS)