Norwalk Conservatory College set to open in 2022

 

Inside Higher Ed posted "A New Arts College in Connecticut" in July 2021 with reporting by Emma Whitford. Whitford interviewed founders of the Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts, a nonprofit organization in Connecticut who are working to open Norwalk Conservatory College in 2022. 

You can visit the conservatory web site to learn more about the programs in musical theatre performance, musical theatre dance, and television/film performance.

Signature Programs and Small Higher Education Institutions

Lawrence Biemiller's interesting article appears March 11, 2018 in The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Can a Signature Program Save Your College?" He addresses the appeal of signature programs and references a number of smaller institutions.  

Programs at eight colleges and universities are highlighted by Biemiller in the article.  He also notes that conversations are occurring between the institutions as they learn from each other. 

Biemiller includes comments from presidents indicating that signature programs by themselves will not save institutions and that it may take a long time for visible payoffs from the investments of time or other resources.  He also quotes a president who argues that there are a limited number of big ideas and it is better to keep the focus on controlling costs and increasing net revenues.

Jeff Selingo, a well known author and columnist for the Washington Post, commented this morning via Twitter that the benefits from signature programs are likely to decline over time as they are copied by other institutions.

Trinity College: Enhancing Quality while Reducing Focus on Growing Enrollment

Trinity College in Hartford, CT is featured this morning in a post by Rick Seltzer for Inside Higher Ed, "Reining in Growth."  Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Trinity president, and vice president for enrollment and student success, Angel Pérez, provide an overview of various strategies designed to sustain the institution while enrollment stabilizes at the current size of roughly 2,400 students.  Trinity will continue to seek ways to build a more visible presence in downtown Hartford and will de-emphasize the recent focus on growing freshman enrollment each year to balance the budget.

You can also read more about Trinity College and other higher education institutions working through the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education to enhance Hartford's image as a college town in a post on the College Towns & University Cities blog.